Although P&O Cruises are largely renowned for their reputation as ‘Britain’s Favourite Cruise Line’ – that of a traditional, and somewhat old-fashioned holiday choice, they are becoming increasingly successful in challenging their old reputation by introducing more contemporary vessels into the fleet, and also offering both family friendly ships as well as adult only ships to ensure they have options for everyone in the ever growing cruise market.
Cruising in general is breaking down the image of being for the ‘over fed, newly-wed and nearly dead’ and P&O Cruises are certainly pulling out all the stops to ensure they don’t ‘miss the boat’! With a number of exciting new concepts including Noddy and Scaletrix for children and the ultimate in speciality dining mouth watering cuisine brought to adults by renowned chefs, they are managing to successfully integrate the traditional with the modern and broaden their horizons in every way.
Having been fortunate enough to sail on a number of P&O Cruises beautiful ships, it’s useful for potential new cruisers to understand a little more about their various choices in order to make sure they book the right cruise holiday.
Adonia will be P&O Cruises newest addition to the fleet when she arrives in 2011. Exclusively for adults, she will be the smallest of their seven ships, designed to offer an intimate cruising experience. She promises to radiate the charm of smaller cruising vessels, carrying a mere 710 passengers and will be able to explore smaller ports that larger ships are unable to visit – known as a pathfinder ship.
Arcadia is also exclusively for adults – a beautiful looking mid-sized ship who offers a relaxed pace, stylish surroundings and a feeling of luxury, sophistication and extravagance. This stunning liner boasts signature features such as her exterior glass-fronted lifts and expansive art collection, featuring no less than 3,000 works of art.
P&O Cruises small ship Artemis is also exclusively for adults. She offers a very unique style of cruising where, because everything is scaled down, an intimate feeling has been created on board. Artemis is the perfect choice if you prefer a quieter holiday and her size also means she can visit more unusual ports, making her a good choice for the well travelled cruiser who has already visited many of the more popular ports of call.
Azura is another of P&O Cruises family-friendly ships who, along with Ventura, make up the two largest liners in their fleet. Both Azura and Ventura offer an incredible choice of bars, restaurants, sports and spa facilities and entertainment, plus lots of other exciting and unique features. At the heart of Azura is her atrium, a very social venue located over three magnificent decks, with a café and art gallery along with a number of other facilities. On board Ventura you’ll find an incredible choice of facilities from bars, restaurants, a sports court, spa and theatre, and she also boasts a number of exciting features that are exclusively hers. Ventura’s signature restaurant is The White Room by none other than Marco Pierre White himself, with cuisine so mouth-wateringly delicious your taste buds will be delighted!
P&O Cruises mid-sized, family friendly ships, Oceana, Oriana and Aurora make up the remainder of the fleet. Oceana features a breathtakingly beautiful atrium and her bars, restaurants, shops and lounges have been designed to flow seamlessly through the ship creating a sociable and informal atmosphere onboard. With her signature tiered stern decks, Oriana is an elegant and attractive ship specifically designed to suit British tastes. The broad teak promenade and lido decks are great for sun bathing and watching the world go by while the bars, card room and wood panelled library are ideal for relaxing after another perfect day onboard or ashore.
Aurora is a family-friendly mid-sized ship, instantly recognisable thanks to her elegant tiered stern. Like Oriana, Aurora is designed as a classic ocean going vessel and is therefore ideally suited to world cruising. At her centre is a Lalique-inspired waterfall which forms the centrepiece of her atrium – one of her signature features, and guests onboard will enjoy the P&O Cruises top quality service they are renowned for, in stylishly beautiful surroundings.
Hopefully that summarised round up will help point potential cruisers in the right direction. One thing is for certain, whichever P&O Cruise ship you choose, it’s guaranteed to be the holiday of a lifetime.