Meet our home-away-from-home heroes

There are heroes on every street – and on every ship. Meet just a few of the crew members who go above and beyond for guests and for their colleagues.

5 min 05 Jun 2026

Editorial Team

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In the spirit of the P&O Cruises Inspiration Award, our very own award at the Daily Mirror Pride of Britain Awards, we’re shining a light on some of the incredible crew who work on board our ships. These are people who have gone above and beyond to make a guest’s experience unforgettable, or who inspire and motivate their colleagues on board through their kindness, compassion and capability.

At P&O Cruises we have an on-board recognition programme that helps us recognise and celebrate our crew. We hold awards each month, and each year two overall winners are announced.

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The P&O Cruises Stars of the Year are…

Shrey Pramod Chavan, Receptionist

Shrey’s nomination:

‘It was my first holiday on my own since my husband died and a very hard one to do. I had a little lion that my daughter had made for me out of some of his shirts. I had put it on top of the bag that I was using as my hand baggage because I wanted him close.

After I’d boarded, I went straight to my muster station. It was here I realised the little lion had fallen out of my bag. I was devastated. I went to the reception desk to report this in case someone had handed it in.

I spoke to Shrey, who was very sympathetic. He talked to me for a while because I was in tears and then asked if I had a photo of the lion so he could then take a picture with his own phone and ask around about it.

A couple of days later we called into Lisbon. When I got back to the ship someone came to my cabin with a packet and a letter. In the parcel was a little lion the same size as the one I had lost. The letter read that even though the lion was a different colour from the one I had lost, Shrey hoped it would give me some comfort until I got home, and my daughter could make me another.

I was so utterly touched. He had gone ashore in his own time to look for this for me. Definitely an action above and beyond anything required.’

Captain talking to boy on deck on board a P&O Cruises cruise ship

Arlene Lobo, Crew Services Manager

Arlene’s nomination:

‘I wanted to nominate and express my sincere gratitude towards Arlene, the Crew Manager on Arcadia who was of great help when I stepped up into the Crew Manager’s role on board Aurora for the very first time.

She was there available on Teams every day for hours, guiding and advising me on how to go about and prepare for the reports and figures for departures and arrivals, and more.

She did a couple of reports for me and went over and above to accommodate last-minute changes when we had a change in turnaround date.

She also helped me in setting up timelines and a task list for me to settle into the role. I will be forever grateful to her for what I achieved here in my role as Crew Manager.’

Everyday heroes on board

We also wanted to give our crew the chance to give a shout-out to the colleagues they consider their ‘home-away-from-home’ heroes on board. Their answers showcased the kindness and support found across our ships – and how even a small gesture can brighten someone’s day.

Nominator: Mike Brownhill, Assistant Entertainment Manager

Nominee: Caroline Herszenhorn, Entertainment Manager

‘She looks after us, she’s kind, she cares for us.’

Nominator: Caroline Herszenhorn, Entertainment Manager

Nominee: Ben Maidment, Entertainment Coordinator

‘He is a bundle of positive energy.’

Nominator: Vinood Roopwal, Shore Experiences Assistant

Nominee: Subir Shaikh

‘He’s very supportive, he always makes the environment happy.’

Nominator: Sunny Chourasyiya, Digital Media Manager

Nominee: Candice Lee Wood, Hotel Operations Manager

‘She makes life on board so easy.’

Nominator: Gemma Skelley, Loyalty and Cruise Sales Manager

Nominee: Mayank Luthra, Loyalty and Cruise Sales Manager

‘He’s full of energy and it brings out the best in people.’

It’s time to nominate your own hero

Nominations for the 2026 Pride of Britain Awards, including the P&O Cruises Inspiration Award, are now open. If you know an extraordinary person or group in your community who inspires everyone around them, head to prideofbritain.com and nominate them today.