Britannia (Photo: P&O Cruises)
About P&O Cruises
P&O Cruises is the U.K.'s largest cruise line, with seven ships catering exclusively to the British market. The ships are based out of Southampton, dividing their time between the Caribbean, Northern Europe, the Mediterranean and the Canary Islands.
The line can trace its history right back to 1837, with the foundation of the Peninsular & Oriental Steam Navigation Company, though it did not start carrying passengers until 1844 -- which is the date often used to determine when cruising as a holiday (rather than as a point-to-point journey) began.
P&O Cruises remained a British-owned company until 2003, when U.S. group Carnival Corp. bought it, sister brand Princess Cruises and spun off a third brand -- P&O Australia.
The line wears its history lightly, preferring to lean into a more contemporary British vibe of modern chefs (the line's "Food Heroes") including Marco Pierre White; entertainers, including Gary Barlow, who is the musical director of the two newest ships, and Olly Murs, who will christen the line's newest, Arvia; link ups with Aardman Animations (of Wallace and Gromit fame); and Brits' love of gin, rum, curry and fish 'n' chips, all of which you'll find represented across the fleet.
Of the seven ships, the five newest are family-friendly; and the older and smaller ships are adults only.
Loading...
Loading...
We're sorry no itineraries matched your search. Please update your search criteria and try again.
P&O Cruises Tips, Activities, and Overview
Who goes on P&O Cruises cruise ships?
The line is aimed squarely at Brits, and that's pretty well the only nationality you'll find abroad at any time of year, wherever the ship is based. The demographic varies drastically depending on the type of ship and time of year. The adults-only ships tend to attract couples of 55-years plus; the family-friendly ones will attract families during the holiday periods, and then revert to 55+ couples outside of school holidays. Age will skew lower on the mini-break cruises to Europe and the Channel Islands.
P&O Cruises is also aimed squarely at Middle England -- it's not upmarket and not "bucket and spade". The line is about as typically British as you can get.
Do I have to dress up on a P&O Cruises cruise?
P&O cruisers veer on the side of smart during the evening (not Cunard smart, but certainly not casual or scruffy), with casual during the day -- shorts, T-shirts, baseball caps and flip flops are perfectly acceptable day wear. On elegant nights passengers tend to make an effort and you'll see a range of clothing from ball gowns and black tie to and dark suits and long dresses and heels.
Is everything free on P&O Cruises cruises?
No, though tips are included in the price of the cruise and you won't find the rampant upcharging you get on US lines. You'll pay extra for speciality restaurants, adults-only relaxation areas, the spa (treatments and thermal suite access), alcoholic and soft drinks.
What are P&O Cruises’s most popular activities?
P&O Cruises does not go in for adrenaline-filled activities like the US ships, so you won't even find a climbing wall even on the largest ships (though Arvia does have a ropes course), let alone simulated skydiving, dodgems or simulated surfing. Daytime activities across the fleet consist of activities range from the old-time favourites such as deck quoits, shuffleboard and table tennis to line dancing and party dance classes plus plenty of quizzes throughout the day including a pub challenge.
Why go with P&O Cruises?
Best for: Brits keen to sail with their fellow country people, who want a home-from-home atmosphere.
Not for: Non-English speakers; late-night partyers or those who want lots of outdoor entertainment options
P&O Cruises Cruiser Reviews
The fruit juice dispensers (with squash) are emptied after breakfast, and you can only get water.People had brought their own squash and nesquik powder on board, as well as packs of soft drinks - I’ve not seen this before on any other liner.Read More
ArviaMay24
few6-10 Cruises
•
Age 33s
Perhaps P&O are now looking for a different clientele - For us, we will go with quality over quantity and stick to the American cruise lines that put service as the priority.We are experienced cruise goers (we go 3-4 times a year)Arvia is a beautiful ship but it is wasted on P&O.Read More
MGBRISTOL
many10+ Cruises
•
Age 37s
We received an email from P&O advising us that boarding was running 4 hours behind so we needed to get to the terminal 4 hours after our original boarding time.We were not in any drinks package so we had to pay for drinks separately but that was not bad as P&O gave us an extra £60 in total to spend on our account due to the later boarding time.Read More
msersante
couple2-5 Cruises
•
Age 52s
), and P&O could definitely improve their vegetarian options, especially compared to other cruise lines (and even airplanes!Hey travel fam, Mahendra and Jayshree here spilling the tea on our recent P&O Ventura cruise from May 25th to June 1st, 2024!Read More
Travelling Londoner
few6-10 Cruises
•
Age 65s
Related Cruises
Cruise Critic is not a booking agent and does not charge any service fees to users of our site. Our partners who list cruise pricing on Cruise Critic are required to provide prices for cruise only or cruise packages, per person, double occupancy, and are based on specific cabin types and sailing dates, and may not be available for all cabin types/sailings. Taxes, fees and port expenses not included. Rates are in USD and valid for US and Canadian residents only. Fuel supplement may apply. When you book with one of our partners, please be sure to check their site for a full disclosure of all applicable fees as required by the U.S. Department of Transportation.
For any cruises listed, Cruise Critic does not guarantee any specific rates or prices. In addition, average cruise prices are updated nightly.
Furthermore, Cruise Critic makes no guarantees for availability of prices advertised on our site. Listed prices may have blackout dates, qualifications or restrictions.
Cruise Critic is not responsible for content on external web sites.
Lowest pricing is based on our 3rd party pricing supplier and valid as of June 17th, 2024.
