P&O Cruises is one of the most famous cruise operators in the world. But just how good are its holidays? Take a look at our guide to see if P&O cruises are for you.
About P&O
Based in the UK, P&O’s roots go back to the 19th century, when it started carrying passengers on journeys to deliver post from London to mainland Europe. While these passengers were mainly travelling for business purposes, the idea of cruising around a region and stopping at different places on a holiday soon caught on – resulting in plenty of success for the company now known as P&O.
This long heritage should be reassuring to anyone who hasn’t cruised before and is looking for a trustworthy company to set sail with. It’s well worth looking at cruise reviews online to see what other customers think of P&O’s holidays, too.
Types of cruises
As with most other cruise companies, you can choose from two kinds of holidays with P&O:
• Sail from Southampton – More than 120 P&O cruises depart from Southampton, making these holidays an excellent option if you’d rather avoid the stress of flying wherever possible. All you have to do is get to the city from your hometown and step straight onboard your ship.
• Fly-cruise – Alternatively, you can fly to an overseas destination from Manchester or Gatwick and start your cruise from there. This is likely what you’ll need to do if you’re going on a far-flung holiday, e.g. in America or the Far East. The good thing about booking with P&O is the fact it can arrange airport parking (at a discount) and/or overnight hotel stays before your flight departs where needed.
Destinations
It might be easier to explain where P&O doesn’t sail to rather than list all of the places its ships do visit! The company’s cruises head to many regions across the globe, including Asia, Australasia, the Americas, the Mediterranean and the Middle East.
Here are some sample itineraries from previous cruise deals to give you a rough idea of where you might go on your cruise:
• Two-week Baltic cruise from Southampton – Zeebrugge (Belgium), Copenhagen (Denmark), Stockholm (Sweden), Tallinn (Estonia), St Petersburg (Russia), Gydynia (Poland) and Kristiansand (Norway)
• 12-night western Med cruise from Southampton – Lisbon (Portugal), Gibraltar, Barcelona, Valencia, Malaga and Cadiz (Spain)
• Two-week Caribbean fly-cruise from Barbados – St Kitts and Nevis, Tortola (British Virgin Islands), Dominica, St Lucia, Antigua, St Maarten, St Vincent and Grenada
Ships
Just as important as where you’ll go is the ship you’ll cruise on. After all, you’ll spend most of your holiday onboard the cruise liner, so it’s important you choose a vessel that has all the amenities you need.
- Adoniaeastleighbusman
- ArcadiaGrahamAndDairne
- Oriana Moored at EidfjordKevin Millican
P&O currently has seven ships in its fleet, ranging from the compact but cosy Adonia with a capacity of 710 passengers to the magnificent Azura, which can accommodate up to 3,100 travellers.
Smaller ships tend to be ideal for cruises focusing on a particular region or destinations close to the UK, while their larger counterparts are used for longer voyages to more distant shores. It’s worth bearing in mind that three of P&O’s ships – the Adonia, Arcadia and Oriana – are for adult passengers only.
So, just what kinds of services can you expect onboard? Here’s a list of a few of them:
• Shallow and swimming pools
• Gymnasiums
• Libraries and bookshops
• Wi-Fi, either in certain areas or across the ship
• Whirlpool spas and spa treatments
• Indoor or outdoor cinemas (certain ships only)
• Golf nets or simulators
• Pubs, bars, clubs and casinos (certain ships only)
• Kids’ clubs and night nurseries (certain ships only)
As you can see, it shouldn’t be too difficult to occupy your time while sailing between ports of call!
