Sailing from its home port of Southampton, P&O Cruises flies the flag for British cruising with wallet-friendly holidays tailored to UK tastes. Alongside “no-fly” cruises it offers good-value fly-cruise holidays from London and nine regional airports to the Caribbean, Northern Europe, North America and the Mediterranean.
The line’s seven ships have Britons in mind. Along with curated co*cktails, Elemis facials and body sculpt boot camps, there are kettles (and Twinings tea) in every cabin and passengers will always find a decent pint. Shore experiences and drinks can be pre-purchased in sterling and passengers can spread the cost of their holiday with monthly payments at no extra cost when booking directly with the line.
A new partnership with children’s cookery author Annabel Karmel will see refreshed kids’ menus rolled out across dining venues and children’s tea is offered as an early dinner option.
Along with theatre shows, live bands and comedy the line offers supervised round-the-clock complimentary children’s clubs on its family-friendly ships. “Food Heroes” chef partnerships with Marco Pierre White, José Pizarro, Shivi Ramoutar and Kjartan Skjelde are popular, and wine critic Olly Smith curates an interesting selection of wines in The Glass House.
Fares include service, dining in the main restaurants and at pool-side venues, children’s clubs, babysitting and flights and transfers on fly-cruise holidays.
1. Where does it cruise?
There’s a choice of more than 200 destinations in the British Isles, Northern Europe (including Iceland and Norway), the Mediterranean, Portugal and Spain (including the Canary Islands) and North America and the Caribbean. P&O Cruises offers World Cruises and short-break cruises to Bruges, Amsterdam, Cherbourg, St Peter Port and Hamburg.
Fly-cruise winter 2024/5 holidays to the Caribbean are available on Arvia, from Barbados or Antigua and Britannia. Britannia will offer new Caribbean fly-cruise holidays in winter 2025/26 featuring calls in Jamaica, the Dominican Republic and Grand Turk.
Iona will continue to offer a programme of Spain, Portugal and Canary Islands holidays and Azura will visit Tangier for the first time, on its Canary Islands fly-cruise itinerary. In December 2025, Aurora will go on an extended 14-night northern lights cruise departing from and returning to Southampton.
In January 2025 Arcadia will sail round-trip from Southampton on a 99-night Western Circumnavigation World Cruise visiting the US, Central America, the Caribbean, Australia, New Zealand, Southeast Asia and the Middle East. Shorter sector fares are available to book.
2. Who does it appeal to?
Five family-friendly ships, Arvia, Iona, Britannia, Azura and Ventura have several pools, movie screens, children’s clubs and babysitting services. All fit the bill for families seeking short-haul fun and winter sun.
Performer Nicole Scherzinger is the creative force behind contemporary late night shows performed in the SkyDome on board Iona and Arvia and Gary Barlow is music director of The 710 Club on these ships.
Aurora and Arcadia cater to adults only.
3. The P&O Cruises fleet
There are seven ships in the P&O Cruises fleet and no two are the same. Do your homework before booking.
Arvia (5,200 passengers)
The line’s newest ship offers 30 places to eat and drink and the ship’s SkyDome puts some of these plus a pool and entertainment under a retractable glass roof. Elsewhere guests will find a spa, three more pools, a swim-up bar and a 54 metre-high ropes course. Guests can pay a premium for a VIP open-deck area with cabanas, drinks and snacks and alfresco spa treatments.
Sails to: The Caribbean, Mediterranean and Spain, Portugal and France
Iona (5,200 passengers)
Both Arvia and Iona are powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG). Iona also has more than 30 places to eat and drink plus four pools and 18 whirlpool spas. She features the first gin still at sea, in collaboration with Devon’s Salcombe Gin, and live music at the 710 Club is curated by Gary Barlow.
Sails to: Norwegian fjords, Canary Islands, Northern Europe and Scandinavia
Britannia (3,647 passengers)
Fresh from a refit ahead of her 10th anniversary in 2025, Britannia has contemporary spaces, an opulent spa and a premium open-deck Retreat area and Salon. Eleven dining venues include the intimate Limelight Club, the Epicurean and The Glass House, a Mediterranean-style tapas venue headed up by wine expert, Olly Smith and Local Food Hero, José Pizarro.
Sails to: Caribbean, Mediterranean, Norwegian Fjords
Ventura (3,100 passengers)
Family-friendly Ventura has broad appeal. Four pools and a sports court for tennis, cricket, five-a-side and basketball will appeal to young cruisers. Children can make friends in the age-specific Reef children’s club and adults can kick back at the spa. Nine restaurants include Olly Smith’s The Glass House, The Waterside and the whole family can enjoy meals in relaxed venues such as The Beach House.
Sails to: Caribbean, Canary Islands and Spain, Portugal and France
Azura (3,100 passengers)
Family-friendly Azura is a good all-rounder and has a similar offering to sister ship Ventura. There are four pools and good sports facilities (tennis, cricket, five-a-side and basketball) and there’s cinema under the stars for all the family. The theatre hosts shows and talks and there is a small casino and a spa. Nine restaurants include The Glass House and The Waterside. Try the Indian-inspired Sindhu and The Epicurean for speciality dining.
Sails to: The Mediterranean and Canary Islands
Aurora (1,874 passengers)
The smallest ship in the fleet has a more intimate feel and will suit those who prefer their cruising low-key. The adults-only ship has a luxurious spa and a retractable roof over her pool and two-tier Penthouse Suites for those looking for fancier cabins. The ship will enter dry dock in April 2025 for a refurbishment.
Sails to: Spain, Portugal and France, the Mediterranean and the British Isles
Arcadia (2,094 passengers)
This is a mid-sized adults-only ship for passengers seeking fine dining and fewer on-board distractions. There’s a large spa, an art gallery, a three-tiered theatre and a boutique cinema. Arcadia is the only ship in the fleet with a Marco Pierre White restaurant, the Ocean Grill. It also has the upmarket Indian restaurant, Sindhu. Cabins are comfortable, if slightly dated; the ship was last refurbished in 2017.
Sails to: the Mediterranean, Northern Europe and a World Cruise
4. Loyalty Scheme
The P&O Cruises Peninsular Club has six tiers. Nights on board accrue points for future cruises. Benefits include priority booking and on-board credit.
5. Accessibility on board
Types of accessible cabins include fully wheelchair accessible, partially accessible and cabins suitable for a mobility scooter or profiling bed.
This story was first published in 2023 and has been revised and updated.
