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My top Tips for Cruising Solo with P&O Cruises

If you’re reading this, then there’s a chance that you’re considering cruising solo with P&O Cruises. Maybe you’ve got one booked, maybe you haven’t yet, or maybe you’ve got no intention of booking one and just want to learn more. Whatever the reason you’re here today, I’m glad you are, so let’s jump in to the world of cruising solo with one of the UK’s most popular cruise lines!

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In this post today, I’m going to share with you some of my ‘top tips’ for cruising solo with P&O Cruises, based on my experiences over the last couple of years. I’ve cruised on most ships in the fleet: Arcadia, Aurora, Azura, Ventura and Britannia. The only 2 ships from P&O that I still need to get onto are Iona and Arvia, so ‘watch this space for those two, I guess - surely it’s only a matter of time?! Anyway, let’s started on my tips to help your solo cruise be the best one yet - I’m confident you can apply these tips to a cruise on any P&O ship!

P&O Britannia face to face with a Princess cruise ship in Southampton, England

Tip 1. Get involved in P&O’s solo traveller events!

Don’t worry - you might be looking forward to a calm and relaxing solo break away, without the need to socialise with other people - your attendance at any events or activities during your cruise is entirely voluntary - you’re not ‘required’ to go to any solo events - you can keep yourself to yourself if you’d rather that! However if, like me, you really enjoy meeting other solo travellers, P&O are pretty good with helping to facilitate this.

I’ve been on some cruises in the past, where there’s nothing to help bring solo passengers together. However, on most of my P&O Cruises, there have been solo catch ups, which allow solo travellers to get together. This usually takes the form of a morning coffee, allowing those who wish to get to know each other a little better. It’s amazing when the cruise line organise a solo coffee each morning of the cruise, as it then allows solos to plan other things throughout the day. I usually find this works much better than just a solo drinks meet up at night, as it can often mean you have friends to hang out with at the pool, go and play deck games with, or kill a few hours with on a sea day.

I always really like to attend these solo meetings, as I’m always fascinated by the people I meet on the ships. I tend to find you will usually find such a mix-match of people at these events, and everybody has a story. So, go grab a coffee and ask someone their story - you might just make a new friend! another tip - if it’s a solo coffee morning, you’re probably going to get a free coffee - now we’re talking!

Tip 2. Does the Main Dining Room (MDR) have a solo travellers table? Check!

Ok, this one isn’t as clear-cut at tip 1. For the solo traveller meetings, they’ll be detailed in your daily schedule that you receive to your cabin each day. However, you’ll often find that the ‘solo table’ in the MDR is much more unofficial. This usually isn’t orchestrated by P&O, but you’ll often find that solo travellers who meet during the cruise will decide to sit together at dinner.

If you’d like to join other solo’s for dinner, but haven’t met any yet, why not pop down to the restaurant and ask the host (or Manager) on duty if they’re aware of any groups of solos. I’ve done this before on multiple cruises - I sometimes get a polite ‘no’, and other times I get taken over to a table and we have such a great laugh throughout the cruise! My recommendation is that you’re not going to lose anything by asking - go for it!

Main Dining Room table onboard P&O Cruise ship

Tip 3. Go to the Speciality Dining restaurants!

Ok, this one is one that I feel really strongly about! I meet so many solo travellers who opt to avoid the Speciality Dining venues as they think they’d feel quite awkward dining in a room full of couples. Yes, Speciality restaurants are great venues for ‘date night’, but please, don’t let this put you off!

P&O Cruises have some fantastic Speciality restaurants, and you’ll kick yourself if your anxieties hold you back from giving them a go. You’ll often find it much easier to get a more private table in these venues, and you’ll also find the staff are often less rushed as they’re generally responsible for fewer tables. This means that they’ve got a little more time to stop, ask you how your day is, and make you feel comfortable. I tend to find that the ‘extra charge’ dining venues onboard P&O ships are some of the best value at sea too, so don’t worry about being ripped off for sub-par food on here!

If you’re not sure what venues might work for you, I can recommend Sindhu on any P&O ship - this is the Indian option, and I’ve never had a bad meal in there (and it’s usually a staple on every P&O cruise that I take! Another great one is the Beach House - this is a much more casual dining venue, and you’ll usually find it in an area close to the buffet restaurant. In here, you can get some brilliant steaks and seafood - look at what I got while cruising on Azura…:

Tip 4. Get involved around the ship, as much or as little as you’d like to!

One of the top questions I get asked, especially by my friends who have never cruised before, is “Don’t you get lonely?!”, and my genuine answer to this is that I’ve very rarely felt lonely on a cruise ship. I genuinely think this is thanks to the activities that run for most of the day - I love that I can either take part in loads of events and be a bit of a social butterfly, or I can sit back, relax and be in my own little world.

My challenge to you here would be that you should try something you’ve never done before on your next cruise - try to push yourself out of your comfort zone a bit. This looks very different for different people but, for me, this meant trying my hand at shuffleboard during one of the Sea day activities. I wasn’t sure if I’d like it or not, but I had such a great laugh with people I’d never met before, and several of them now follow my YouTube channel (hello them you if you’re reading this - you know who you are!). Honestly, take it from me - get involved - it’s all good fun at the end of the day!

Remember, while there are activities to get involved in that help you socialise, there are also some great things to do onboard that allow you to relax and enjoy your own company. For me, I love the cinema, so you can imagine my absolute delight when I realised that P&O do an outdoor cinema on their warmer itineraries! There I was, mid-December, floating around the Canary Islands watching Elf at the poolside cinema to get in the festive mood before going home for Christmas - what a dream!

Tip 5. Choose your room carefully!

Welcome to the painful part of solo cruise travel: selecting which room you’d like to stay in. Why is it painful, I hear you ask? Well, solo travellers are often still stung for a ‘solo supplement’, where you pay extra, essentially as a fee for travelling solo. This fee typically applies when a solo traveller opts to book a cruise ship cabin for single occupancy that could have been sold to two people. For example, a standard balcony cabin.

It’s worth shopping around for room prices, as the whole cruise industry operates on a ‘supply and demand’ basis. This means that the prices of rooms will increase (or decrease) based on the percentage of rooms that remain on a particular ship. Think about it - if there’s hardly any solo traveller cabins on the ship to begin with, they’ll reach an 80% ‘sold out’ status much faster than a regular balcony cabin, and therefore the price will be much higher. In this example, it might be cheaper for you to book a much ‘better’ room, rather than booking the solo. I meet so many people who don’t even check, as they just worked with the assumption that the smaller cabin would be cheapest. Don’t get caught out - do your checks before you book, and you might just get lucky! On my last cruise on Britannia, I chose a solo balcony but met fellow solos who’s paid less for a solo balcony - worth doing your homework!

Tip 6. Take your favourite bottle of wine to relax with back in your cabin

If you’re anything like me, you might sometimes hate going and sitting in a bar on your own when you travel. I’m sure they’re not in reality, but I always feel self-conscious as I’ve got it in my head that everyone’s watching me (ridiculous, I know!). For that reason, I love to have a drink before dinner (or maybe even after dinner if I’m having a chilled night) back in the comfort of my own cabin, where I can just switch off and chill out.

If I’ve got a drinks package on the ship, then great - I’ll pop to a bar nearby and take a drink back to relax. However, if I don’t have the package (this is most of the time for me when I cruise, to be honest), I’ll have a look at the alcohol policy before I board to see if I can take anything on with me. For P&O, you were previously able to take a bottle of spirits on with you, but that’s now been banned. Instead, you’re still able to take a bottle of wine onboard with you on embarkation day - perfect for treating yourself to a nice bottle without having to pay restaurant prices onboard. Note: this won’t have a corkage fee applied if you drink it in your cabin, but take it out anywhere else and you should expect a charge.

If you’d like to learn more about what alcohol limits each cruise line has, and what they allow you to bring onboard with you, head over to my post covering exactly that: my full review of all cruise lines alcohol policies .

Tip 7. Know your ‘escape’

If you’ve never travelled solo before, you might be worrying about the fact that you’re going to be on a ship with lots of people you’ve never met before. For most people, that won’t be daunting in the slightest. However, I like to be sure that I have my own ‘escape’ on every single cruise that I go on.

Now, this can be a whole host of things - my ‘escape’ is sometimes that I go for Afternoon Tea if I’m feeling stressed and want to relax (that’s if I’m cruising with Cunard), or maybe I go and use a sauna as my little quiet space (if the ship has an ‘included’ sauna). With most P&O ships, my ‘escape’ is to book into ‘The Retreat’. This is a private sun deck, usually at the front of the ship, that’s closed to the rest of the ship, and only open to those who pay for the privilege of entry. If I’m cruising on a colder weather itinerary, I wouldn’t bother with this as there’s no indoor space, but this is an absolute god-send on a warmer cruise, where you just need to recharge your batteries for a few hours, ideally in the sunshine.

A top tip from me on this one - this space is beautiful, and feels far more ‘premium’ than other areas of the ship. You can eat in here too, so you don’t need to leave to go to the buffet if you’re just looking for light food! They also serve an Afternoon Tea in here (it’s basic - packed lunch style), but a big ‘thumbs up’ from me!

So, there’s my 'tips to hopefully help you enjoy your solo cruise with P&O Cruises even more. I’ve done quite a few solo cruises with this cruise line now - let me reassure you - these guys know exactly what they’re doing, so you’re in very safe hands from what I’ve seen up until now.

If you’d like to learn more about P&O Cruises, or explore options for your next holiday, you can do so over on their website. Just click here to be taken straight there!

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P&O Cruises Tips For Travellers: Answers to 8 Key Questions You Should Be Asking

by Gary Bembridge · November 30, 2015

P&O Cruises Britannia Dominica

Making the decision to go on a cruise for the first time, or trying a different line, is an important decision. I believe getting on the right one is the most critical decision in the process of choosing your cruising vacation. In this article I aim to help you decide if P&O Cruises is the best, or most suitable, one for you by answering eight key questions I think you should ask.

I have travelled with them a number of times on different ships, and have drawn from these experiences in compiling this guide. My most recent journey was on Britannia to the Caribbean, and you can read and see videos from that in my article “ P&O Cruises Britannia Caribbean Cruise Highlights and Must-dos ”

Dominica Caribbean

1: Who are P&O Cruises?

P&O is a household name in the United Kingdom, well-known in Australia and almost unknown in the United States, the largest cruise market in the world. However even in the UK, there is some misunderstanding. It is the oldest cruise line in the world and, until 2000, included a ferry division that operated between the UK and Europe and a cruising division, which sailed out of the UK and Australia. After the ferries were spun off, the cruise lines ( P&O Cruises and P&O Cruises Australia) were eventually taken over by Carnival Corporation, who also own lines like Cunard , Holland America , Seabourn and Costa. Today there is no link between P&O Ferries and the cruise group.

At the time of writing, P&O Cruises operated eight ships ranging from the Aurora, holding 1,874 passengers, to Britannia’s 3647. It has two mid-sized adult-only ships ( Arcadia and Oriana) and the rest are mid- and large-sized family friendly ships ( Aurora , Azura, Ventura, Oceana and Britannia).

Britannia in Grenada Caribbean

2: Is P&O cruises the right line for you?

P&O Cruises is ideal for travellers looking for a British cruise experience at a reasonable and accessible price. It is less formal, not as traditional and more family-friendly than Cunard and Fred Olsen, two other UK focused lines.

It is increasingly suitable for multi-generational groups as it offers a range of accommodation from suites to inside cabins that family groups can share, good range of kid’s clubs and entertainment to suit wide age ranges.

Very British

P&O Cruises provides a very British experience for the UK traveller, and the guests almost exclusively hail from here. The entertainment, food, on-board currency, shops, senior crew and ambience is heavily biased and influenced by its home market. It provides a familiar environment for British guests to travel around Northern Europe, the Baltics, Mediterranean and Caribbean.

I would classify them as mid-priced within the industry, with a quality to match. A possible analogy would be a four star hotel on land as the range of facilities, quality of fixtures and bedding is not as basic as a three star, but not as plush as a five star. Service is efficient, but not especially effusive or personalized as you would get (and be paying for) on premium lines like Seabourn, Crystal or Silversea but is better, in my view, than value lines. Food is varied, plentiful, and generally good.

Traditional cruise experience

P&O Cruises is not for travellers seeking a resort-style ship packed filled with features like bowling alleys, ice rinks, climbing walls and water slides. The ships follow a more classic design and facilities approach with pool decks, regular production shows and a range of bars, lounges and dining venues. The entertainment and activities follow the traditional cruise fare of games, bingo, dance lessons, quizzes and revue-style shows.

Increasingly family-friendly

The bulk of P&O Cruises guests used to come from the epected cruising profile of older couples, but this is changing. The move towards larger ships, and more overt emphasis on offering a family-friendly vacation, is leading to greater emphasis on value, partly achieved by paring back on some traditional services, more attempts to generate extra on-board revenue, less formality in dress codes, an emphasis on kid’s clubs, and increased party-like activities around and on the pool decks.

There are many cabins capable of accommodating parents and children, and enticing them in with attractive fares and deals versus land-based vacation alternatives. There are more specialty dining venues with surcharges and other optional revenue generating activities like the Cookery Club on Britannia. For families many of these changes are appealing and, as this seems to be where P&O Cruises see a large slug of future business coming from, I would expect this trend to continue.

So where does this leave the existing P&O Cruise older couple travellers?

Some traditional P&O Cruisers are active on cruise boards and social media groups discussing their perceived erosion of some services, like pre-plated meals versus silver service for dinner, as evidence of cost cutting to better deliver this value and sharing concerns about the increase and disruption caused by more children. To satisfy these established core guests who love the existing British-style cruising experience, P&O Cruises offer two adult-only ships.

During the school holidays the family-friendly ships will be busier as a higher proportion of cabins will have three and four occupancy. It will also be more boisterous and active around the pool decks. So when planning your cruise, I recommend couples (of any age) look at trips out of vacation time, longer trips like World Voyages or extended trips and those to non-sun destinations as these will attract less families.

Solo travellers

Many of the ships offer solo cabins and welcome guests travelling on their own, such by arranging daily meet ups. However with the growth of families on ships during school vacation time, solo travellers may want to select their itineraries and dates of travel to avoid these times.

P&O Britannia Lobby

3: What do P&O Cruises do well, the same and less well than other lines?

All cruise lines have strengths and things they do better than others. Based on my experiences of P&O Cruises and other lines this is where I think they are:

What do P&O Cruises do well?

British take on cruising. It is familiar and comfortable for guests from here.
Décor and look inside the ship. The new ships, like Britannia, have a stylish and sophisticated look. It feels more premium on board than the fares may suggest.
Ability to find quiet spots on sea days both inside and on deck.
Amount of activities across the day. The daily program has many things to do, but these do follow classic cruise activities due to the type of facilities and approach on the ships.
Choice of dining venues and bars, with food of a good standard for a mid-priced line.
The Cookery Club and Food Heros on Britannia, which offer excellent and good value classes and restaurants.

P&O Cruises do the same as other lines?

While there are a good range of Kids’ clubs on the ships, which based on what I heard are enjoyed and well rated, they are in line with others catering for families. Other lines have more technology and partnerships with popular characters and toys, and so I have rated P&O Cruises clubs as a match with the industry.
The main theatre entertainment is at par with the industry. They tend to rely on the classic themed song and dance reviews, supplemented with feature performers that are not usually household names but have some recognition, such as one of the back-up singers from “Strictly Come Dancing” or Peter Howarth (lead singer of the Hollies). I have seen attempts to give more contemporary and innovate takes on these shows on Britannia with “Gravity” and “Once Upon A Time”, which was encouraging as they used modern songs and special effects to good effect. However, some lines are using more brand-name shows and performers from Broadway, West End and Las Vegas like “We Will Rock You”, “Blue Man Group” and “Mamma Mia”.
Port talks were fairly standard, and mostly focused on selling their excursions, similar to other lines. The port guides were the same content I have seen and received on other Carnival Corporation ships.

What do P&O Cruises do less well than other lines?

To be fair on this, I have tried to take into account what lines with similar fares offer guests. So these are the areas I wanted to focus on:

Wi-Fi access. It is slow and costly (25p to 50p per minute) versus recent advances by the competition like Royal Caribbean, and even on some of the Carnival brand ships. This will become a growing issue, I believe, as guests become younger and will expect to be connected constantly, at a good price and at fast speeds.
Limited immersion into the region being cruised. P&O Cruises offers a very British experience and sticks to it. While it is a challenge on large ships, which need to control quality, sourcing and costs, there is little diversion to encompass the region in my experience through local entertainment, activities or food.
Interactivity is low. Even on a new ship like Britannia there was limited use of technology available for passengers to design and manage their on-board activities. There was some progress on ordering photos and excursions via booths, which were not that easy to use. It was not possible to book anything via the TV in the room or even check your bill. Again I feel younger audiences want on-demand services and ability to manage their lives and activities digitally and will expect this.
One area that may have been specific to the cruise I was on was chair hogging control. A big source of annoyance for many guests is others booking chairs on deck and disappearing. It is much discussed in P&O Cruises message boards and social media groups. The crew did not seem to be active in controlling this, probably preferring to turn a blind eye than face the aggravation. Some lines have started to be much more assertive in this area, especially on larger ships.

What did I hear passengers complain and complement?

On my Britannia trip I often heard the following:

Dated main theatre entertainment, though this was mostly focused on the level of the guest entertainers.
Not enough features as on other cruise lines. This is, in my view, an issue with their agent or their own pre-trip research as the P&O Cruise ships are clearly different to the resort-like Royal Caribbean and Norwegian Cruise Line ships and people should be guided and appreciate this before booking.
How fast costs mounted up on board. With drinks, excursions, added events like bingo and Cooking Club, gratuities and Wi-Fi all being extra costs, many new-to-cruise underestimate how much they need to budget for time on the ship. I cover budgeting later in this article.
How much their children liked the Kids’ Clubs and were happy to spend time in there, freeing up time for their parents to spend together.

4: How to get the best fare?

While it is possible to book direct with P&O Cruises on their site at http://www.pocruises.com or by calling them, I recommend using a cruise agent like the one I use (Jane Chadwick of http://gocruisewithjane.co.uk ) who can guide you through the options and choices. This way you can make sure you get the best deal for you and that you get on the right ship, in the right cabin and with the right itinerary to meet your needs. It helps avoid some of the issues highlighted above.

Cruising is a complex travel option and going with the wrong line, in an inappropriate cabin and with an itinerary that does not meet your passions will ruin your trip. An agent can guide you and make sure you still get the offers and perks available. They may sometimes be able offer other incentives.

Two Fare Types

There are two key fare types that P&O Cruises offer: Select and Saver. The degree to how flexible you want to be will decide which is best for you. While both include full board (accommodation and meals), entertainment, and use of the Kid’s clubs and facilities like pools and fitness centre, the Select fare lets you to choose the exact cabin you cruise in, use of the shuttle buses in ports where provided, priority in choice of dining time and table size and booking change flexibility. The Saver only allows you to choose the grade of cabin, such as Suite, Balcony, and Ocean View or Inside and P&O Cruises will allocate the specific one.

To make sure you are aware of and get the best deal within these fares I recommend that you read my feature article on how to get the best cruise price: https://www.tipsfortravellers.com/how-to-get-best-cruise-deals/

Cabin Choice

Your choice of cabin will, of course, significantly affect the level of your fare. P&O Cruises offers suites, balcony, ocean view and inside cabins which vary a lot in price.

If you are sensitive to noise, consider paying the premium of a Select fare and carefully select your cabin using the deck plans available in the brochure or P&O Cruises website. This way you can avoid those with public rooms or areas above or below, near facilities like laundry rooms or elevators and stairs. For example, I stayed in a Superior Deluxe Balcony which was a beautiful cabin on Britannia but was under the Lido Pool deck and so had noise from people walking over, scraping loungers and music from events and parties drifting into the room at various times. If you are likely to be stressed by things like this, invest in the extra cost to select a cabin. Check the plans too to avoid rooms with interconnecting doors for extra reassurance on cutting out any noise.

P&O Arcadia Cruise Ship at Basseterre (Capital of St Kitts)

5: What should you budget for, and how can you save money on board?

Develop a budget that takes into account the full price of your trip by the time you get back home . A lot of cruisers focus on the fare, but this is only part of the final cost. Some cruising pundits claim that many people will spend as much as 50% of their fare on add-on costs on board, transfers and pre- and post-trip stays. There are three areas to focus on when budgeting for your P&O Cruise:

(1) Inclusions and exclusions in your fare

Make sure you understand exactly what your fare covers so you fully understand what other charges there will be. For example:

Cost of getting to and from the ship, such as flights and transfers. Most may be covered if you have booked a fly-cruise package, but you still have to get to and from the airport.
Gratuities. At the time of writing £5 per guest over the age of twelve day per day is added to your on board account.

(2) Costs before your cruise

These include items like travel insurance, visas and inoculations.

(3) Costs while on board

The major items to budget for include:

Excursions . These could add between £30 and £120 per person for each taken. Even if you do not go on tours, you need to allow for the costs of taxis, entrance fees and meals off the ship while touring ports. You may also need to pay to use the shuttle buses into town if you are on the Saver fare.
Additional gratuities for outstanding service and tour guides.
Drinks , including soft drinks, alcohol, and specialty teas and coffees in the cafes. You can but wine and soft drink packages to make savings.
Specialty dining charges : While your cruise fare includes meals in one main dining room and the buffet, there are specialty restaurants on the ships that charge a fee to dine there. Charges can range from a modest £5 to a more substantial £40 per person.
Photographs : Every time you board or go to an event, and even at some meals, you will have your photograph taken. They can cost over £20 each if you decide to buy them. There will be packages on offer, such as on my last Britannia cruise they were offering seven 10″ x 8″ photos, seven destination or ship photos, frame and cruise CD for £139.50.
Internet access: Access to Wi-Fi will cost anywhere from 25p to 50p per minute based on which package you sign up for.
Telephone calls and text messages : Including mobile phone roaming and usage charges.
Spa : Treatments cost from £70, plus 10% gratuity per treatment.
Fitness classes: Many of classes like yoga and exercise classes have fees to attend them.
Gambling and gaming costs: You may want to play in the casino or bingo.
Shopping : Including jewellery, tax-free items and souvenirs.
Workshops and classes like The Cookery Club on Britannia.

For 18 tips on how to save money on board read my feature: https://www.tipsfortravellers.com/saving-money-on-a-cruise/

Silversea Silver Whisper and P&O Aurora Tallinn Estonia

6: What should you pack?

Understand the dress code and the conditions expected for the region you are going to be cruising for.

On P&O Cruises there are three dress codes, which they describe as follows:

Daywear : Casual shirts, shorts, trousers and beachwear are ideal. For going ashore and walking on deck, flat comfortable shoes are a must. You will also need a lightweight jacket or coat for cool evenings and occasional showers. Don’t forget sun protection cream, a sun hat and sunglasses, as the sun is much stronger at sea.
Evening Casual : Stylish resort or leisurewear, such as casual separates or dresses for ladies and open-neck polo shirts and casual long trousers (not shorts or 3/4 length trousers) for men. A jacket and smart trousers can be worn but are not compulsory. Smart dark denim is also fine, but not trainers, football shirts or tracksuits. For a typical two-week cruise there are normally ten Evening Casual nights.
Black Tie : Ladies wear glamorous eveningwear including cocktail dresses, ball gowns or even smart trouser suits. For men, dinner jackets or tuxedos are the norm, but a dark lounge or business suit and tie can be worn as an alternative. You can also wear formal national dress and army uniform. For a typical two-week cruise there are normally four Black Tie evenings on board.

When packing I also recommend:

If flying to your cruise stick to the weight restrictions of the airline. While P&O Cruises let you bring as much luggage as you want, you should avoid excess charges from the airlines.
Pack valuables like watches, computers and tablets, important documents like passports, wallet and prescription medication in your hand luggage.
Check my lists of non-clothes items and things to leave at home in my feature article on how to pack for your cruise: https://www.tipsfortravellers.com/cruise-packing-list/

P&O Cruises Britannia

7: Any advice on booking and doing excursions?

You have three options: (1) book a P&O Cruises excursion, (2) use an independent shore excursion provider like ShoreExcursions.com and Viator.com or (3) self-explore. I recommend exploring each. In my article on how to find and save money on port excursions I discuss the pros and cons of each at https://www.tipsfortravellers.com/saving-money-port-excursions/

P&O Cruise Excursions

If you decide to use P&O Cruises, as you like the ease or reassurance that the ship will always wait for any of their trips that are delayed, you should review them online in your Cruise Personaliser up to three months before your trip. Book any you want to be sure you can do. Some have limited space and may be sold out before the cruise, especially when travelling on the larger ships.

Once on board you can book and print out the tickets using interactive booths on many ships, directly with the team when they are open or by placing a booking form into the post box when they are not.
If you are unsure on which trips to do, go to the port talks as they give an overview of the destination, highlights and details of what each tour will be doing.
Check the activity levels and amount of walking before booking an excursion. P&O Cruises lays this out in detail and offer trips, when possible, for people with limited mobility.
If self-exploring use the four-page leaflet provided in your cabin the night before as it has a map, highlights of places to visit and tips on money and other key facts. Always take the daily program and the leaflet, as it will have the contact details for the local agent if you have problems in port.

P&O Cruises Britannia Arriving in Southampton

8: Any other tips for getting most of your P&O Cruise?

If on a fly-cruise, about 14 weeks before you can see the details of the flights in the Cruise Personaliser and select and pay for seats with extra legroom or premium (like premium economy). These go fast and so make a note of when it is due to go live. They run on board sessions to deal with queries and sort out any seating as well.
In the main dining rooms there is an early and late sitting. There is also usually a Select Dining option when you book where you do not have to commit to a set times, and you have more flexibility. You just arrive at your allocated one and if no table they give you a buzzer to alert you when one is. You need to make your choice when booking, and people booking Select fares get preference.
Budget to go to some of the speciality restaurants.
Go to a class in the Cookery Club if you are on Britannia.
Do your research and ask questions. A good source is the P&O Cruises board on CruiseCritic.com

Inspired to cruise with P&O? Visit P&O Cruises to find out more about their ships, itineraries and prices.

Disclaimer: I travelled as a guest of P&O Cruises on a 10-night Caribbean Cruise from Madeira to Barbados.

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P&O Cruises Britannia Live

October 23, 2015

P&O Cruises Britannia Ship Tour Video

November 19, 2015

Eric Lanlard Afternoon Tea P&O Cruises Britannia

November 22, 2015

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That’s a superb article. I would politely suggest one correction and one amendment.

Correction: on newer P&O ships, you can access your bill via the Television and Remote, and you can book some things – room service definitely, not sure about restaurants etc.

Amendment:one thing that P&O are often praised for are their drinks prices and policies ; drinks are pitched at about the same price as a UK pub, and you can bring drink on board if you want (though not to restaurants etc.) ; many cruises overcharge for drinks and add on mandatory tips.

Thanks for reading and taking the time to add in these clarifications and comments. Much appreciated!!

This is the most interesting and helpful article I have seen. I am a first time cruiser and really appreciate all the detailed information which have satisfied all my queries even before my wife and embark on 16th May, for a cruise on P&O Britannia to the Canaries.

Thanks for reading and taking the time to comment. Glad to hear it helped. I hope you have a great trip and please let me know if you have anything to add to these tips once you have been. Have a great trip. Gary

WHEN WILL YOU REDUCE CHARGES FOR WI-FI USE I HAVE BOOKED THE BITANNIA FOR OUR 50th WEDDING ANNIVERARY ( 2 July )

whats the score with drinks onboard? can we bring our own spirits or will they be confiscated|?

Whenever I have been on you are not allowed to bring it on board and it will be held until end of the cruise…

You are allowed to bring on board I think 1 litre of alcohol each at the start of the cruise but the amount wasn’t enforced when we traveled and we doubled up. But at the port stops any alcohol purchased you are supposed to hand it in to be held until last day. Once again that wasnt enforced and we had 3 bottles of rum scanned in our bag on returning from a day trip but that could be because the were 1/2 litre bottles and mistaken for water.

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VIDEO: P&O Cruises UK's new TV campaign "What a night"

A new TV advert ‘What a night’ premiered on September 13 across national broadcasting channels as P&O celebrates international cruises resuming on September 25, 2021.

Various experiences that can be found on a P&O Cruises UK vacation and the memories which endure after a holiday has ended are the themes in the new campaign, developed in conjunction with the Snap creative agency and production company Some Such.

The 40-second ‘What a night’ version, features a couple that is recounting holiday memories from P&O Cruises' newbuild Iona and will run through November.

Each film features real-life relationships and will build on the company's multi-channel campaign of “Holidays as varied as you.”

The advert’s launch coincided with P&O Cruises' return to international travel later in September as Iona begins holidays to the Canary Islands, Spain, and Portugal on September 25 and the line looks ahead to the forthcoming launch of the new ship Arvia in December 2022.

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P&O Ferries and P&O Cruises – How Are They Linked? (Ownership, Name, and History)

If you are taking a cruise with P&O cruises or planning a trip on a P&O ferry you may be wondering if the two companies are linked. It’s more complicated than it first appears.

If you’d prefer to watch than read, check out the video I made on this subject here: Emma Cruises YouTube Channel .

Are P&O Cruises and P&O Ferries Linked?

There is currently no link between P&O Cruises and P&O Ferries. Both companies are owned by different larger companies and are operated separately. P&O Cruises is owned by Carnival Corporation based in the USA and P&O Ferries is owned by DP World based in Dubai.

The below photo shows me with a P&O Cruises cruise ship. P&O’s cruise ships have distinctive union jack artwork on the hull.

The ferries from P&O Ferries are much much smaller and don’t have this design.

To learn more about the differences between ferries and cruise ships, check out this post: 5 HUGE Differences Between a Ferry and a Cruise Ship (Real Examples)

Who Are P&O Ferries?

P&O Ferries are a British company whose headquarters is in Dover, UK. They have 20 ships and regularly sail across the English channel, north sea, and Irish sea transporting both passengers, car, and freight.

Customers: 10 Million Passengers Per Year Cars: 1.6 Million

P&O Ferries are owned by the P&O Group which also owns P&O Group Travel, P&O Freight, P&O Ferrymasters, and P&O Heritage.

Who Are P&O Cruises?

P&O Cruises are a British cruise line whose headquarters is in Southampton, UK. They have 7 ships and sail all over the world providing cruise vacations to passengers. P&O Cruises has roughly a 2% market share of all cruise passengers.

Passengers: 241,000 (During 2021, Sailing at Reduced Capacity)

P&O Cruises are owned by Carnival Corporation, the largest cruise company in the world.

Carnival Corporation also owns the following cruise lines:

Carnival Cruise Line
Princess Cruises
Costa Cruises
AIDA Cruises
Holland America
Cunard Cruise Line
P&O Cruises Australia

To find out what it’s like to cruise with P&O, check out my review of my cruise on board P&O’s Ventura (we had the worst weather I’ve ever experienced on a cruise): P&O Ventura – Christmas Cruise Review (Entertainment, Ship, Food & More)

Who Were The P&O Group?

In 1835 the Peninsular Steam Navigation Company was founded. In 1840 they began sailing to Asia and so reconstituted the company as Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company.

In 1918 the Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company bought 51% of the Oriental Line. The two brands weren’t merged at this point but did later in the 1960s merge forming the P&O Orient Line.

In the 1960s the ferry services mentioned above started.

In the 1970s P&O Bought Princess Cruises and then in 1988 P&O bought Sitmar cruises allowing them to expand into Australia. They renamed this company P&O Holidays which was later P&O Australia.

Before the year 2000, the Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company had P&O Cruises in the UK, P&O Australia, and the ferry division. In 2000 they decided to separate the cruise portion out and they formed P&O Princess.

This was its own company.

In 2003 the Carnival Corportation bought P&O Princess for 3.5 billion pounds.

The below table shows a brief outside of the history of P&O Cruises. The most important thing for the purposes of this article is that the company was taken over by Carnival Corporation in 2003.

To learn more about the history of P&O Cruises I recommend checking out this brilliant book from maritime historian Chis Frame. You can get it here (affiliate links): UK , USA .

P&O Ferries – Timeline

The below table shows a brief outline of the history of P&O Ferries. The most important thing for the purposes of this article is that the company was sold in 2006 to DP World.

Why Are P&O Ferries and P&O Cruises Both Called ‘P&O’?

The ‘P&O’ in both companies’ names comes from the Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company. P&O Ferries and P&O Cruises were created by the P&O Group. They have since been sold to other companies but have kept their name and branding.

This caused problems for P&O Cruises in 2022 when passengers wrongly assumed that P&O Cruises were related to P&O Ferries.

P&O Ferries made 800 of their workers redundant without warning. A move that was completely unrelated to P&O Cruises but they received much of the backlash.

Cruising With P&O Cruises

I have taken multiple cruises with P&O Cruises, cruising onboard P&O’s Iona, Ventura and Britannia. P&O provides brilliant value for money and as a result, I often recommend them to families and groups.

To find out how my cruise went onboard P&O’s Iona, check out this video:

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P&O Cruises Announce Arvia’s Godmother

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Singer Nicole Scherzinger has been chosen as the godmother and new entertainment partner of P&O Cruises ‘ newest ship, Arvia . The multi-award-winning, multi-platinum-selling singer, songwriter, actress, dancer, TV personality and Pussycat Dolls’ lead singer and judge on The X Factor are what she is best known for. On March 16, she will take part in the naming of the ship in the Caribbean.

What will Nicole Sherzinger do in her new role?

Previous P&O Cruises ships’ Godmothers have been Dame Irene Hays, Dame Kelly Holmes and Dame Helen Mirren, Scherzinger follows in the footsteps of these.

As part of a special partnership, Nicole will create spectacular music and dance extravaganzas to be performed on board P&O Cruises ships. Nicole will also sing live and officially name Arvia at the beachside ceremony in Barbados, which will be broadcast around the world on the P&O Cruises YouTube channel on Thursday 16 March 2023 at 7pm GMT.

Be sure to tune in to watch a host of entertainment, including a unique performance from The Grammy-nominated Nicole who has accrued Number 1 singles globally and has had record sales top 60 million with girl band The Pussycat Dolls.

As a global superstar, Nicole is well placed to create contemporary and breathtaking late night shows which will be performed in the SkyDome on our two newest ships Iona and Arvia . We could not be more thrilled that she has agreed to be Arvia’s godmother and will be with us on March 16 when Arvia is officially named in the Caribbean. The ceremony will be broadcast live and will include a performance from Olly Murs as well as Nicole’s striking show finale. As part of the fabric of the iconic British theatrical and live music sector, with hundreds of performers every year, we are always striving to set new standards for the quality of our on board shows and this association with Nicole takes that to another level P&O Cruises president Paul Ludlow

What does Nicole Sherzinger say about the partnership?

Scherzinger said: “I have always felt as though I am honorary Brit and to be asked to name Arvia in Barbados really is the icing on the cake and I cannot wait to perform my godmother duties in the most beautiful of Caribbean locations.”

Where is Arvia now and what itineraries will she be doing?

Arvia entered service on December 23 and is currently sailing in the Caribbean, homeporting in Antigua and Barbuda until March 11. Following the naming ceremony, Arvia will then reposition as she begins a transatlantic journey to Southampton on the 18th of March where she will undergo round-trip Mediterranean itineraries until the 27th of October when she will make her way back to the Caribbean from Southampton. The 5,200-passenger vessel is the second in the fleet to be powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG).

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P&O Cruises ( UK )

Aurora TV channels

By AndyMichelle , December 4, 2018 in P&O Cruises ( UK )

AndyMichelle

We are very excited to be boarding Aurora for the first time on the 10th December.

Although we do not plan to spend all the cruise watching telly, we do enjoy relaxing on the odd sea day watching a film or something in our cabin.

On our last cruise on Britannia, we always found a film or something to watch.

Can anybody advise on what we can expect on Aurora, not that it really matters as we will find plenty to do, just wondering really.

Thank you in advance.

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Strawberry field

It's been a year now so I can't remember the channels etc but I can remember the small tv that had a bad picture and the fact that the bracket was bent and screen at an angle. A year previous we were on Britannia where the tv was excellent. I did mention it to reception and their answer was we will get it sorted sir...........but they didn't. Other than that Aurora is a lovely ship and we loved the cruise. I'm sure you will enjoy it

Aurora is a lovely ship and our favourite but the Small tv's let it down,you can hardly read any small print on the screens! Let's hope they change them on it's refit next year but dowt it.

Remember Aurora also has a dedicated cinema and when we were on for the 65 night trip last January we found we went to the cinema more than we'd been in the past year. They happened to be showing films we'd missed and really wanted to see. The cinema is a proper one on Aurora, not just a room put aside for showing films.

Lovely ship, but awful televisions, unless they have updated them since last year. You would be better off going to the cinema as the last poster mentioned.

I'm guessing they may install more advanced TV screens when the ship is refurbished next year, and becomes an adult only ship.

groovechick

We love Aurora, she's certainly my favourite ship, but sadly the TV and channels bear no comparison to Britannia. On Britannia in 2015 there were lots of relatively new films/films I had wanted to see but hadn't been able to, recent TV series, etc. etc. After a busy day in port or when I'd had enough soon, chilling out with a cold drink, watching a film, was a nice way to relax before getting ready for dinner. The choice on Aurora is very poor, as I recall old (and I mean old) TV series, documentaries and films. If we wanted to watch a film on Aurora we went to the cinema, which showed a good selection of fairly recent films.

terrierjohn

Does anyone know what the wheelchair facilities are like in the Aurora cinema, do they have a designated area, and can the carer sit alongside the wheelchair?

From memory, the back row has a few seats at either end, and vacant spaces for wheelchairs in the centre.

6 hours ago, terrierjohn said: Does anyone know what the wheelchair facilities are like in the Aurora cinema, do they have a designated area, and can the carer sit alongside the wheelchair?

Quite poor, unfortunately. As with the theatre, only one of the seats reserved for disabled guests is level with a space where a wheelchair can go. With the others, the adjacent seats are up steps, so you cannot sit alongside a companion who has to remain in their wheelchair or scooter. Sadly, those with less challenging disabilities (walk with a stick etc) tend to sit in these seats first, even though they might be able to walk up a step or two quite easily. We tend to find that in order to stand any chance of being able to sit alongside one another we have to turn up around half an hour early, which is irritating.

There are spaces at the very back in the centre, but it’s quite a slope up to it and a self propelled wheelchair user might struggle to get up there. There are also bars between this area and the closest seats. We love the Playhouse on Aurora but fellow guests tend to wander in and out through performances and in doing so leave the door open, so you are constantly distracted by comings and goings and noise from the corridor outside. Sadly, the one decent wheelchair space is very close to the entrance which makes this particularly noticeable.

And to address the original question, the TV’s on Aurora are absolutely rubbish. Too small, poor picture quality and no interactivity whatsoever. The ones on Britannia are superb. We can live in hope that Aurora May get them in next years refit, but I think it’s unlikely. Great shame as, for the reasons mentioned in my last post, we don’t watch films in the theatre or cinema, but love to watch them on demand in our cabin when we are on Britannia.

2 weeks later...

Quick update, just back and can confirm the TVs on Aurora are rubbish. Poor picture, too far away and pointless channels. The cinema was very good, but only one film a day shown at various times, so not always to our taste, we watched 2 films in 9 days.

Lets hope the TVs get upgraded in the refurb, but rumours on board are they are only adding cabins and updating some public areas, so I doubt it.

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Ep92 – Why P&O Ferries is not P&O Cruises, plus Cruise News

In episode 92 – Chris answers a listener’s question around the topical subject of why P&O Ferries may look similar but are in fact not connected to P&O Cruises (UK or Australia). P&O Cruises is part of the Carnival Corporation, whilst P&O Ferries falls under a Dubai-based company DP World. And of course, we round out the show with the latest cruise news… and what a week it has been in cruise news.

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Australian Cruise Ban to officially end on 17 Apr 22.

P&O Cruises Australia Sets Course to Resume Cruising in May with New 2022 Program

P&O Cruises Australia has flagged a return to cruising at the end of May, with the launch of a new 2022 program of sailings from Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide and Melbourne.
The move follows the Federal Government’s decision to lift the cruise ban from April 17 – a major development and the first critical step to enable cruising and its contribution to the national economy to resume after the two-year suspension of operations.
Under the new program, Australian cruising will now resume when Pacific Explorer sails from Sydney on May 31 on a four-night roundtrip cruise to Brisbane, where the ship is scheduled to make the first call at the city’s new cruise terminal on June 2.
Pacific Explorer will then sail from Sydney on a series of Queensland and South Pacific cruises until late October, replacing Pacific Adventure’s scheduled program. While most cruise itineraries will remain unaltered by the change of ships, a 10-night cruise to Vanuatu departing June 1 has been replaced with three shorter domestic cruises.
Pacific Adventure will now begin her maiden season of cruises from Sydney on October 22, when Pacific Explorer will sail to Adelaide for a new mini-season of four cruises. Pacific Explorer will redeploy to Melbourne in November for three months, before returning to Adelaide in February 2023 for a longer season of nine cruises.
Meanwhile, the Brisbane debut of Pacific Encounter has been rescheduled from June 4 to August 20, 2022, prompting the cancellation of 15 cruises.

Princess Announces Restart Plans in Australia – Coral Princess to Sail from Queensland

Princess Cruises today announced its planned resumption of cruising in Australia, with Coral Princess set to debut in Brisbane on June 16 for her inaugural season Down Under.
In a move worth an estimated $60 million dollars to the Queensland economy, the 2000-guest ship will be homeported in Brisbane for 11 new departures ranging from 3-12 nights between June and August before returning for another 10 cruises this summer from November.
The MedallionClass ship will make 48 calls to the State’s ports this year, including her first visits to Airlie Beach in the Whitsundays, Cairns and Port Douglas.
Meanwhile Coral Princess’ sister ships, Grand Princess and Majestic Princess, will make a further six calls to Queensland ports as part of their scheduled Australian season sailing from Sydney and Melbourne.
Six short getaway cruises from Brisbane and Sydney – perfect seacations for those with busy schedules.
Five 7-day Queensland roundtrip cruises from Brisbane, sailing to Cairns, Port Douglas, and Airlie Beach (for the Whitsundays).
A new 7-day New South Wales Coast roundtrip from Brisbane, with a maiden call to Eden (Sapphire Coast), Sydney, and Newcastle.
A new 12-day Queensland and New South Wales voyage, sailing roundtrip from Brisbane.
A new 12-day Queensland and the Conflict Islands voyage, roundtrip Sydney or Brisbane, crossing the Coral Sea to visit the stunning and remote Conflict Islands in Papua New Guinea.
The winter program will be open for sale from 9am AEDT on 24 March, 2022

Two Quantum Class Ships to Call Australia Home

Royal Caribbean International will make its long-awaited return to Australia with two Quantum class ships sailing from Brisbane and Sydney from Oct 2022.
The milestone is more than two years in the making, with both Ovation of the Seas (pictured) and Quantum of the Seas to offer a range of adventures.
This season, cruisers will be able to take in the sights from North Star – the highest viewing deck on a cruise ship; or the RipCord by iFLY skydiving experience. Travellers can also catch a wave on the FlowRider surf simulator, or take to new heights on the RCI rock climbing wall.

Holland America Line Speeds Up Embarkation Process with mBark Facial Recognition and VeriFLY Vaccine Verification Program

Holland America Line is enhancing the preboarding guest experience and making embarkation easier by adding the use of mBark facial recognition and the VeriFLY vaccine verification program in all U.S., Canadian and European homeports
mBark is a mobile system that enables guests to check in for their cruise in less than 10 seconds, while the VeriFLY digital wallet for COVID-19 credentials offers a proven solution for proof of vaccination and test results.
With mBark facial recognition, guests who load their photo and all necessary pretravel information to Holland America Line’s website prior to embarkation will be able to use the touchless system. Following a quick face scan, guests can move through the check-in process in about 10 seconds, significantly reducing embarkation time. SKO Systems, based in London, England, designed and implemented mBark for Holland America Line.
VeriFLY gives guests the option to upload the required information to the app, including proof of vaccination and test results, providing a way to go through the screening process prior to arrival at the terminal. Once registration is complete, guests simply need to show the VeriFLY QR code or “pass” (digital or printed) to the check-in agent. VeriFLY has a successful record of serving dozens of airlines, cruise lines, hotels and a variety of industries. The VeriFLY app is available for download at Google Play and the Apple App Store.

Global pop superstar Katy Perry names Godmother of Norwegian Prima

Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL), the innovator in global cruise travel, announced today that world famous pop icon and “American Idol” judge Katy Perry will serve as the godmother to its record-breaking and innovative newest ship, Norwegian Prima, debuting August 2022.
As godmother, Perry will not only fulfil the longstanding maritime tradition of blessing and officially naming Norwegian Prima, the first of six vessels in the Prima Class, but she will perform during the christening ceremony before Norwegian Prima sets sail on its inaugural voyages from Reykjavík, Iceland, where the vessel will be the first major cruise ship christened in the Icelandic capital.
A vital and familiar element of any ship launch and dating back centuries, the highly regarded tradition of appointing a ship’s godmother is a fundamental nautical custom during which the selected godmother officiates a ceremonial breaking of a champagne bottle on the ship’s bow to bid the vessel and its traveller’s good fortune.
“My most favorite way to vacation with my family is on the water. Every morning that you wake up, you get to experience an incredible new view,” said Katy Perry “I love that I get to christen her with my good vibrations, and I’m so excited for this new, beautiful, high-end, high-tech ship to take the seas, and provide once-in-a-lifetime vacations for so many families.”
Launching August 2022, Norwegian Prima will offer inaugural voyages to Northern Europe from Southampton, England; Amsterdam; and Reykjavík, Iceland beginning 12 August.; Bermuda sailings from New York City beginning 6 October. and Caribbean itineraries from Galveston, Texas and Miami beginning 27 October.
To commemorate this exciting partnership and celebrating other entertainment headliners that will be featured on Norwegian Prima, NCL has put together a celebratory Spotify playlist .

MSC Grandiosa now dedicated to the Norwegian Fjords for Summer 2022

MSC Cruises’ has announced that MSC Grandiosa will now be fully dedicated to the Norwegian Fjords for the entire Northern Hemisphere summer 2022 season. This sees one of MSC Cruises’ most modern and environmentally advanced ships offering stand-out seven-night itineraries in one of the most stunning regions in Northern Europe. As a result, MSC Cruises will offer an unparalleled choice of itineraries to guests wanting to discover this unique part of the world this Northern Hemisphere summer, as MSC Preziosa and MSC Poesia also offer additional seven-night options next to MSC Grandiosa across the Norwegian Fjords region
MSC Grandiosa will perform spectacular seven-night itineraries from Kiel, Germany calling at the colourful capital city of Denmark, Copenhagen. The ship then heads north to Norway, calling at the breath-taking village of Hellesylt while experiencing the splendour of Sunnylvsfjord, sail through Aurlandsfjord on the way to the panoramic port town of Alesund and stunning Flam village.
MSC Cruises had previously confirmed that the Line would suspend calls to St Petersburg, Russia and as such, MSC Grandiosa will now be fully dedicated to the Fjords region while MSC Poesia and MSC Preziosa will still call in the Baltics but with St Petersburg replaced with other popular destinations in the region like Stockholm, Tallinn and Visby.

Cunard’s London Theatre at Sea voyage to be Headlined by Olivier Award Winning Actress Sharon D. Clarke MBE

Luxury cruise line Cunard will stage its first London Theatre at Sea with the Olivier Awards voyage, curated by Society of London Theatre’s Chief Executive, Julian Bird, this May.
Sailing from New York to London on board flagship Queen Mary 2, the exclusive voyage will feature performances from some of the theatre world’s finest talent, including Oliver Award for Best Actress winner, Sharon D. Clarke MBE, Olivier Award for Best Actor winner Matt Henry MBE, film, theatre and television actress and producer, Susie McKenna and Conductor and Orchestrator Larry Blank.
The seven-night crossing, which departs New York on May 15, 2022, will be supported with a roster of workshops, talks and Q&As from industry insiders.
Guests will be able to take part in acting masterclasses with performers and learn the tricks of the trade from luminaries such as Andreane Neofitou, the costume designer behind Les Misérables and Miss Saigon .
For the first time, Cunard will be introducing an “Oliviers Gala Evening,” which will feature entertainment from headliners throughout the evening, as well as a never-seen-before show, “Olivier Awards in Concert” that has been created for this voyage by Society of London Theatre’s Julian Bird. The concert will take place in the Royal Court Theatre and pay homage to the Olivier Awards’ last 45 years in a dazzling one-off production with cast and orchestra.

Global Adventurer, Mountaineer & Polar-Explorer, Alison Levine name Godmother of Seabourn Venture.

Seabourn, the ultra-luxury expedition experience, is delighted to announce that global adventurer, mountaineer and polar-explorer Alison Levine will serve as Godmother of Seabourn Venture , the first of the line’s two new ultra-luxury purpose-built expedition vessels. Levine will be on board and in the spotlight for the traditional naming and christening of the ship, which is set to launch in July 2022.
Levine is an idyllic choice for Godmother of Seabourn Venture , which is being built to seek out adventure and natural wonders around the world. A native of Phoenix, she served as team captain of the first American Women’s Everest Expedition in 2002, and in 2010 completed her bid for the Explorer’s Grand Slam which includes climbing the Seven Summits – the highest peak on each continent – as well as skiing to the North and South Poles.
Levine has also seen success in the business world. She earned her MBA from Duke University and worked in the pharmaceutical industry as well as on Wall Street with Goldman Sachs. After turns as deputy finance director for Arnold Schwarzenegger’s successful bid to become Governor of California and as an adjunct professor in the Department of Behavioral Sciences & Leadership at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, she went on to become one of the world’s most in-demand leadership consultants and keynote speakers. She is the author of the New York Times bestseller, “On the Edge: Leadership Lessons from Mount Everest and Other Extreme Environments”, which chronicles the lessons she learned on her various expeditions. In 2019 she received the Ellis Island Medal of Honor, an award she shares with seven U.S. Presidents and numerous Nobel Prize winners.
Levine has also shared her experiences, insights and tales of adventure with guests of Seabourn through Seabourn Conversations , the line’s popular onboard enrichment program, aboard Seabourn Sojourn in December 2019. It was her first-ever cruise – a trip she never thought she would do – but she admits she is hooked and looks forward to more travels by ship in the future.
Seabourn Venture and its sister expedition ship, Seabourn Pursuit , will feature 132 luxurious oceanfront veranda suites and take travelers to some of the most awe-inspiring places in the world, some of which are only accessed by ship.

Viking Expands European River Fleet with Naming of Eight New Ships and Marks Beginning of 2022 River Season

Viking welcomed eight new river ships to its award-winning fleet during a celebration in Paris. Of the eight new Viking Longships®, four ships – Viking Fjorgyn, Viking Kari, Viking Radgrid and Viking Skaga – are built specifically to navigate the Seine River and bring guests to the heart of Paris with an exclusive docking location at Port de Grenelle, just a short walk from the Eiffel Tower. The four additional ships – Viking Egdir, Viking Gersemi, Viking Gymir and Viking Hervor – will sail Viking’s popular itineraries on the Rhine, Main and Danube rivers.
The naming of the new river ships comes as Viking continues its 25th anniversary and a year of multiple milestones. In January 2022, the company launched Viking Expeditions and its first Polar Class vessel, the Viking Octantis®. By the end of the year, Viking will have also welcomed a second identical expedition ship, as well as two new identical ocean ships, new purpose-built vessels for the Nile and Mekong rivers and new Mississippi River voyages.
Viking Naming Ceremony
Alma Deutscher, Godmother of Viking Gymir – A musical phenomenon, Alma captivates the classical world with her talents as a violinist, pianist, composer and conductor, and at just 17 years old was hailed as the “new Mozart” at an early age. She recently appeared on an episode of Viking’s award-winning enrichment channel, Viking.TV (Anne Diamond Welcomes Back Composer and Musician Alma Deutscher), where she discussed her upcoming concert series, which will be exclusive for Viking guests on select river voyages visiting Vienna.
Helen Deutscher, Godmother of Viking Egdir – A violinist, pianist and vocalist, Helen is an accomplished musician who honed her musical and performance skills at the Music Gymnasium in Vienna and as a member of the Vienna State Opera’s children’s chorus; she has also performed in several productions of her sister Miss Alma Deutscher’s opera, Cinderella. Helen and Alma recently appeared together on an episode of Viking.TV (Anne Diamond Interviews Classical Musicians, Alma & Helen Deutscher) where they discussed their remarkable lives and many musical milestones.
Dr. Janie Deutscher, Godmother of Viking Radgrid – An author and educator, Dr. Deutscher is also an accomplished musician and earned an organ scholarship to Oxford University where she later taught medieval literature; in recent years, she has concentrated on homeschooling and supporting the musical ambitions of her two daughters, Alma and Helen, godmothers of Viking Gymir and Viking Egdir, respectfully.
Brenda Hunsberger, Godmother of Viking Hervor – For more than four decades, Ms. Hunsberger, Senior Vice President of Travel Services with AAA Club Alliance, has worked in the industry as an accomplished travel agent; she believes in the power of travel to transform perspectives and change lives.
Karryn Christopher, Godmother of Viking Gersemi – Ms. Christopher is Executive Vice President of Preferred Partnerships & Marketing for Signature Travel Network, a member-owned travel cooperative established in 1956, where she has led the transformation of the company’s sales and marketing division.
Ghislaine Wood, Godmother of Viking Fjorgyn – As the Deputy Director of the University of East Anglia’s Sainsbury Centre, one of the most important public university art galleries in Great Britain, Ms. Wood carefully curates exhibitions, including the upcoming “Visions of Ancient Egypt,” which was developed in partnership with Viking; opening in September 2022, the exhibit will honor the 100th anniversary of the discovery of King Tutankhamun’s tomb. Ms. Wood discussed her work at the Sainsbury Centre in a recent episode of Viking.TV (Explore Alaskan Objects at the Sainsbury Centre with Ghislaine Wood), including the origins of their Alaska collection which examines how indigenous Alaskan communities developed technologies and tools to adapt to their environment.
Muriel Wilson, Godmother of Viking Skaga – As the Director of Event Strategy & Sponsorships for Virtuoso, Ltd., Ms. Wilson has been a distinguished staff member of the global network of agencies for more than 40 years and leverages her deep knowledge of the industry to develop quality hospitality and travel experiences for Virtuoso’s travel advisors and preferred partners.
Kari Garmann, Godmother of Viking Kari – Former member of The Parliament of Norway and Oslo City Council, Ms. Garmann has made valuable contributions to Norway in the areas of government, business and banking throughout her career.
The naming event was executed by connecting the new ships via satellite across two European cities: Paris and Amsterdam. The Viking Fjorgyn, Viking Kari, Viking Radgrid and Viking Skaga were docked in Paris at the Port de Grenelle, where they were named by their godmothers. The other four ships – Viking Egdir, Viking Gersemi, Viking Gymir and Viking Hervor – were docked in Amsterdam and named by their godmothers, who also joined the celebration in Paris. In keeping with another maritime tradition, a bottle of Gammel Opland aquavit was broken on the bow of each new ship

MSC Group breaks ground in Miami for North Americas largest cruise terminal

New $350 million terminal to provide seamless guest experience for up to 36,000 passengers a day
Terminal will be capable to host three latest-generation ships simultaneously
MSC Cruises to deploy some of its most environmentally advanced vessels in Miami
The Cruise Division of MSC Group broke ground on 10 March for its new $350 million mega cruise terminal in Miami which when it opens will be North America’s largest.
The four-storey building with four embarkation decks will be able to accommodate up to 36,000 passenger movements a day, and feature enough berthing space to serve three latest generation ships simultaneously.
The project will allow MSC Cruises to further its presence in the North American market and attract more international travellers for holidays at sea in the Caribbean.
The Cruise Division of MSC Group and Italian ship builder Fincantieri announced a partnership in July 2021 whereby Fincantieri Infrastructure would construct the state-of-the-art facility which will feature a striking design by award-winning global architecture firm Arquitectonica.
The new terminal will be able to accommodate MSC Cruises’ largest and most environmentally advanced cruise ships, including its current flagship, MSC Seashore, and the line’s future liquified natural gas-(LNG) powered World Class ships. Most ships at berth at the new Miami terminal will be able to plug in to the local power grid, in line with PortMiami’s plans to enable shore power connectivity.

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