New to cruising?

A cruise holiday is different from your traditional resort stay in many different ways.

1. On a P&O Cruises holiday, you get to wake up somewhere new nearly every day and explore several destinations at your own leisure and pace – not just one.
2. With us, your well-deserved break begins as soon as you step on board, meaning you've more time to enjoy that unbeatable holiday feeling.
3. Each of our ships was designed with your comfort in mind. That’s why they’re all fully equipped with a gym, spa, wealth of sport and entertainment facilities, and restaurants to suit all palates and occasions. Everything you could need or want is at your very own doorstep. And better yet, it all travels with you as you explore!
4. We’ve many cabin types available, from cost-effective options to more luxurious rooms. From Inside, Sea view and Balcony cabins to Suites, we’ve something for all budgets.
5. We’re destination experts. Instead of having to worry about researching and organising activities for each location yourself, you’re free to leave that to us if you’d like. We offer a wealth of shore experiences for all tastes and activity levels. 

You might know some of the most popular cruise destinations are the Caribbean and Norway. But if you’re a first-time cruiser starting from scratch, there is no ‘recommended’ cruise destination. Instead, go by your own specific needs and wants.

Weather

Much like a non-cruise holiday, you’ll want to think about things like your preferred weather and time of year when selecting the right destination for you. While some regions follow a four seasons cycle, others offer nearly constant warmth and sunny skies. Some 'hot' destinations regularly reach 40 degrees Centigrade in the summer while ‘cool’ can mean you’ll need to pack that winter gear – hat and gloves included!

Time of year

You might have a specific date in mind for going away – like the summer holidays or half-term – so a good starting point is to search for cruises available on your desired dates. If you’re going abroad for a specific event, you’ll want to book well in advance (sporting matches, for instance, can book up fast). Likewise if you’re seeking a natural phenomenon like the Northern Lights or Midnight Sun in Norway or the fall colours of New England, you’ll be looking at going abroad at a specific time of the year.

Budget

Plenty is included in the price of your P&O Cruises holiday. Still, when thinking about your own personal budget for your trip, you might want to consider whether you’re looking for a Short Break, a couple of weeks’ holiday or something much longer like a World Cruise. Would you like to do a round trip from Southampton or would a fly-cruise suit you better? If you’ve always wanted to go somewhere in particular but find that the price of the cruise is just a bit out of your range, then search for the same cruise at a different time of year – you might find it’s a fair bit cheaper. Our Early Saver prices, available on selected holidays offer great value when you book your holiday early, and feature the same exceptional quality and value that P&O Cruises is known for.

Family-friendly or not?

Are you looking to holiday as a family? If so, our family-friendly ships are perfect, offering children’s and teens’ clubs as well as special experiences the whole family can do together. If you’d prefer an environment that’s exclusively for adults, then ships Aurora or Arcadia will lead the way.

Big or small?

You might enjoy the hustle and bustle of a larger cruise ship offering amenities in abundance and an air of grandeur. Or you might prefer a more intimate affair on one of our smaller ships, where there’s a cosier feel, still plenty to do and you can really get to know everyone on board.

What facilities are you looking for?

Our ships offer different restaurant and entertainment facilities, from cooking masterclasses to open-air cinemas, from chic and special afternoon tea to the contemporary flavours of British-Indian cuisine. If you’ve something specific in mind that you want to do on board, we might just have the ship for it. 

P&O Cruises offers the very best in cruise entertainment. Days can be filled with as much or as little as you want, while evenings can be the social highlight.

There’s such a range of activities and entertainment taking place throughout the day, you’ll struggle to fit everything in – from dazzling performances from West End musicals in the ship's theatres to comedy and live music, piano recitals and tribute bands. And with cinema and film screenings, dance classes, pub quizzes, sports tournaments, cookery demonstrations and even special interest seminars, you’ll be spoilt for choice.

You’ll also find traditional card and table games, along with the latest slot machines in our casinos. And if you’re in the mood for dancing, head for one of our themed nightclubs, where the bars are well stocked with your favourite refreshments.

Of course, some days all you want to do is relax with a good book. No problem – you’ll find plenty of comfortable sun loungers outside and soft chairs inside.

Families will love the flexibility of The Reef children’s clubs, which offer safe havens for teens and little ones alike.

Our family-friendly cruise ships, Azura, Britannia, Oceana and Ventura, are packed with lots of exciting features that will definitely tick all your boxes. Each family-friendly ship offers dedicated clubs for all ages from morning till late evening. And a night nursery, children’s tea, discos and activities are all included in the price of your holiday.

We have an exciting on-board programme for guests aged 2 to 17 years – it’s free and it’s called The Reef. Split into four distinct age groups, The Reef meets the needs and levels of play of each group. Our Reef rangers are qualified, enthusiastic and DBS-checked*. They organise a whole host of exciting activities daily to keep children of all ages entertained safely throughout the day and evening and to ensure they have the chance to make friends of their own age.

The night nursery is for children aged between 6 months and 4 years.

(* ‘DBS’ is the Disclosure and Barring Service. A DBS check includes checking a person’s criminal records.)

If you’re travelling with children or teenagers, our family prices on Azura, Britannia, Oceana and Ventura offer generous reductions, making use of the extra beds that some cabins have. There’s also a reduced price for infants aged under 2 years, and it’s the same in any cabin, from Inside cabin all the way up to a Suite.

Family reductions can vary by cruise. For details, please check the ‘Find & Book’ page on our website or get in touch with our Contact Centre (you’ll find the details on our website under ‘Customer Support’). You can also ask your travel agent about reductions on a specific cruise.

Yes, we do. Some shore experiences have a minimum age to participate. This will be shown in the description or we’ll let you know when you book.

Child prices apply for children aged 3 to 12. Guests aged over 12 will need an adult ticket.

You can take infants (those aged 2 and under on the date of sailing) on shore experiences, as long as they sit on your lap. You’ll need to book a ticket for them but there’s no charge. Some experiences might not be suitable for infants; this will be shown in the description or we’ll let you know when you book.

Anyone aged under 18 must be accompanied by an adult on shore experiences.

Yes. Arcadia, Aurora, Azura, Britannia, Iona and Ventura have Single cabins for solo cruisers.

Arcadia has four Single Inside and two Single Balcony cabins, located on Sun Deck.

Aurora has four Single Sea view cabins, two are on Deck A and two are on Deck C, and six Single Balcony cabins on Deck D.

Azura has six Single Inside cabins and 12 Single Sea view cabins, all on Deck F.

Britannia has 12 Single Inside cabins and 15 Single Balcony cabins, all on Lido Deck.

Iona has 10 Single Inside cabins on Decks 12, 9 and 5; there are 12 Single Balcony cabins on Decks 14, 11 and 9.

Ventura has six Single Inside cabins and 12 Single Sea view cabins, all on Deck F.

For further details, please see our deck plans. To book, please select the ‘Find & Book’ tab on our website, call or email our Customer Contact Centre (details are on the website) or get in touch with your travel agent.

All our ships can cater for the following diets:

• Diabetic
• Gluten free, wheat free, coeliac
• Kosher
• Lactose intolerant, dairy free
• Low cholesterol
• Low or no fat
• Low or no salt
• Pescetarian
• Vegan
• Vegetarian

If you need one of these diets, please get in touch before you sail. You can call our Customer Contact Centre on 0345 355 5111 or go to our website for other contact details.

Our cruises are all full board and include breakfast, lunch and dinner, meals and snacks, poolside grills, deck barbecues and 24-hour buffets. Room service for breakfast is also included in the price of your holiday.

Club Dining and Freedom Dining

We’ll set a place for you in our main dining room every evening. When booking (depending on your ship and fare), you can choose to dine at a set time or one that will fit around your day-to-day plans. We call these two options Club Dining and Freedom Dining.

Club Dining offers a fixed seating plan and two sittings; you can choose the first sitting at 6.30pm or the second at 8.30pm. We’ll reserve a table for you at the same time each evening with the same waiters and fellow diners for the duration of your cruise.

Freedom dining is available on Arcadia, Aurora, Azura, Britannia, Oceana, Oriana and Ventura. This option gives you more flexibility as you’re free to arrive for dinner at any time between 6pm and 9.30pm. It’s possible that a table might not be free, so we’ll give you a pager to let you know when your table is ready. Why not enjoy a pre-dinner drink before being called?

Dining in speciality restaurants

This is our wonderfully flexible alternative where, for a small charge, you can enjoy gourmet experiences by chef Marco Pierre White and award-winning wine expert Olly Smith. We’ve also developed a few of our own speciality experiences to whet your appetite.

Other dining options

Your ship also has dining areas that provide 24-hour service, from buffet food courts to pizzerias and daytime grills, and the cost of food in these venues is included in the price of your holiday. Room service is available round the clock for light bites as well as full meals. You’ll find a room service menu in your cabin; breakfast is included in the price of your holiday but there’s a charge for other room service items.

No matter which option you choose, you’re welcome to use Select Dining or buffet restaurants at any point during your cruise.

Yes. All our ships have accessible cabins, which are suitable for guests who use a wheelchair or mobility scooter. There are accessible lifts on all decks, and accessible routes to public venues and most of the deck areas.

Our accessible cabins have wide doorways and enough floor space for moving around in a wheelchair. The bathroom is a wet room shower with a flush threshold, grab rails for the shower and toilet, and pull-down shower chair. In accessible balcony cabins, access to the balcony is ramped.

Arcadia also offers a number of partially accessible cabins. They have a wet room with the above features. However, as these cabins are smaller and have less floor space than accessible cabins, they might not suit guests who’re confined to their mobility aid.

Assisted listening is available in a number of our show lounges and theatres, and we can supply an in-cabin visual alert system with textphones. Key on-board literature is available in Braille and we welcome certified assistance dogs.

You can! Our ceremony co-ordinators are dab hands at turning the most precious of occasions into memorable celebrations, and will work closely with you to ensure that your vision of the perfect celebration cruise is met. From weddings to vow renewals to commitment ceremonies, we’ve just the team and expertise to make your special day come alive. Our ceremony co-ordinators would also be happy to help you commemorate birthdays or anniversaries; we can put our touch on cakes, flowers, gifts and on-board experiences so your occasion is made that bit more special.

On an ex-Southampton roundtrip, any size! You needn't force all manner of essentials into tiny bottles and compacts – bring what’s right for you in the quantity that you think you’ll need. As long as no individual item weighs more than 23kg, you’re good to go.