After French Unrest, Storm Austen Now Costs P&O Cruises Ship Its Last Port

Guests onboard P&O Cruises’ Iona have had multiple changes to the current cruise itinerary, first due to unrest in France and now due to Storm Austen.

Through onboard announcements and a letter delivered to guests’ staterooms on Wednesday, October 21, 2026, the ship’s captain confirmed that Iona will be unable to visit her last port on the 7-night cruise that departed Southampton on Saturday, October 17.

“As per my earlier announcement, I am sorry to have to update you on a further change to our itinerary due to Storm Austen,” Captain Andrew Foote wrote. “Having considered the conditions ahead, we have made the decision to cancel our call to Getxo and return to Southampton.”

Earlier on the weeklong sailing, Iona skipped a planned visit to Le Havre (Paris) on Sunday, October 18 due to civil unrest in France, and modified the subsequent calls to Vigo and A Coruña.

The visit to Bilbao-Getxo was to have been on Thursday, October 22. Instead, Iona will now spend Thursday at sea, and AIS tracking confirms the ship is now en route to Southampton rather than docked at the Spanish port.

“As we make our way through the Bay of Biscay, we expect conditions to be uncomfortable at times,” the captain cautioned guests. “Once we are through the Bay, we intend to head towards the Brixham area, where we can seek more sheltered conditions before continuing our journey to Southampton.”

Iona was able to cross the Bay of Biscay overnight from Wednesday evening to Thursday morning. According to Windy.com, winds across the Bay of Biscay at that time ranged from 20-30 miles per hour. On Friday, when the 184,089-gross ton Iona will be sheltering near Brixham, winds through the English Channel are expected to be 40-50 miles per hour.

Brixham is located on the southern coast of Devon, approximately 120 nautical miles (sailing distance) from Southampton. There is no indication that the ship will actually visit Brixham as a port, only that Iona will be in the more sheltered area to wait out Storm Austen before moving on to Southampton.

The Associated British Ports schedule for Southampton shows Iona scheduled to arrive at 6:15 a.m. on Saturday, October 24. This means there is no change for the ship’s return to her UK homeport.

Iona is now the fourth ship to have confirmed changes related to Storm Austen. Cruise Hive has already reported on early arrivals into Southampton for P&O Cruises’ Arvia as well as MSC Cruises’ MSC Preziosa and MSC Virtuosa, all due to the inclement weather.

How Are Guests Coping With Weather Conditions?

Guests currently onboard Iona have been discussing the rough conditions on a Facebook group for the sailing, with mixed reactions.

“How’s everyone coping so far?” one guest asked, adding a cruise ship and nauseated face emojis.

Some guests enjoy the motion, while others are not so pleased at feeling more of the ocean than they prefer.

“Best part of cruising for me,” one guest commented, while another noted, “Hoping the movement eases up a wee bit soon.”

Several guests have reported staying in their staterooms because they feel ill, and others had trouble sleeping because of the excessive motion through the Bay of Biscay.

According to the Met Office, Friday, October 23 is likely to be the roughest day of winds for Storm Austen.

“A spell of very strong northwesterly winds is likely on Friday morning,” the Amber wind warning from 10 a.m. on Thursday notes. “There is a good chance that gusts of 60-70 mph will develop widely for a time with perhaps some gusts around 80 mph for exposed headlands. Very strong winds will be combined with spells of heavy rain. Remaining windy for the rest of Friday but winds will gradually ease.”

A more widespread Yellow wind warning for Friday specifies gusts of 50-70 miles per hour, with the strongest winds along coastal areas in southern England and Wales, easing during Friday afternoon.