Alaskan adventure
We are thrilled to announce that we will be returning to Alaska in 2011, our first visit since 1970. Arcadia’s voyage will depart 12 April 2011 from Southampton. The 72-day cruise will stop at an incredible 29 ports, including some of the lesser-known Alaskan destinations.
P&O Cruises Managing Director, Carol Marlow, describes Alaska as “one of life's must-see destinations,” adding “This cruise combines the excitement and vibrancy of the greatest cities, such as New York, LA and Vancouver, with the vast wilderness and unexplored landscapes of Alaska. One day passengers could be shopping on Rodeo Drive; on another they could be seeing the world's greatest glaciers from a helicopter.”
The only Alaskan cruise departing from the UK, Arcadia’s voyage is on sale now and offers travellers three options:
- A full 72-night voyage sailing from and to Southampton
- A 44-night cruise sailing from Southampton to Los Angeles
- A 45-night cruise from San Francisco to Southampton
For more information visit our USA & Canada page.
Savoury treats
We are making some changes to your on board dining experience. In addition to a delectable new range of starters and mains soon to be available across the fleet, we will soon be serving savouries at the end of meals in Club and Freedom Dining.
Savouries are a traditional accompaniment to a meal. Of English origin (from late Victorian and Edwardian times) they are served at the end of a meal either after or instead of dessert, to refresh the palate.
P&O Cruises will be exclusively reintroducing this cruising tradition, bringing back culinary delights such as Canape Ivan Hoe (toast spread with a smoked haddock purée, grilled mushroom and a walnut garnish) to enhance your on board dining experience.
Blog-tastic
For those who weren’t lucky enough to be on board at the time, James Cusick’s recent blog gives readers an exciting insight into Arcadia’s passing through the Panama Canal alongside Oriana. At one point the gap between the two ships was a mere 64 feet – passengers and crew were even able to exchange greetings across the ships! The decks were covered in flags and banners to celebrate and passengers filled the balconies to witness the special occasion and soak up the atmosphere.
For a more detailed commentary, complete with his own pictures, click here to check out James’ blog.
In brief
Where in the world...
Travel buffs can put their geographical knowledge to the test in our quickfire online quiz, Where in the World. Race against the clock to identify local landmarks and pinpoint cities, countries and islands around the globe. All questions are related to the destinations found on our four unique world voyage itineraries on board Arcadia, Artemis, Aurora and Oriana. Click here to begin.
Operatic standards
We are thrilled to announce international opera star Russell Watson as one of the theatre acts on Azura’s maiden voyage. The English tenor, who has sold more than five million albums and is often referred to as The Voice, will perform a selection of famous hits from his career. Russell also appeared as a judge on BBC One’s talent show Last Choir Standing.
Latest press releases
Azura’s Planet Bar will show video footage of natural and manmade wonders from around the world. Here, Duncan Swinhoe of production company Pacific 7 tells us about the last few months of filming…
December
I’m writing this from the Sarova Lion Hill Game Lodge, sheltering from heavy rains, waiting for it to kindly stop and let us film the glorious flamingo flocks on Lake Nakuru. It’s the first day on our Kenya leg, having spent the night in Nairobi’s famous Norfolk Hotel. Apart from the rain that we are currently faced with, everything is going according to plan. We have just finished a month filming in India and another crew has just returned from Egypt.
We spent just over a month filming in India because, as you can imagine, there was a lot to film and large distances to cover from Varanasi to Kerala. Of all the places we filmed, Kerala wins hands down in terms of beauty and tranquillity – it was definitely my favourite place of the shoot. It is such a beautiful landscape, with lush vegetation and spectacular beaches, and a relaxing refuge amongst the chaos of India.
The first day in India was pretty hairy for our crew. They decided to go for a jog before filming and check out the local area. Things were going well as they ran through the backwaters of Kerala until several huge snakes decided to join them. I’ve never seen them run so fast. I’m not sure we’ll be doing any running around Lion Hill!
January
All of the filming is finished now – we were able to shout ‘that’s a wrap’ not long after New Year, which was an incredible feeling after all the hard work the crew have put in. I’m also very happy about never having to apply for another overseas travel visa again! In all seriousness, I’ll just be happy when the Planet Bar installation is complete and I can sit back with a cocktail and appreciate everything we’ve achieved over the last 18 months. It’ll make it all worthwhile. I hope you’ll agree.
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