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P&O Arvia Caribbean Cruise Review: What to Expect on a Caribbean Cruise on P&O Arvia

We booked a two-week Caribbean cruise with P&O on its newest ship Arvia, having been amazed the previous year by its almost identical sister ship Iona in the Norwegian Fjords.

What we hoped for was to get away from the dreadful British winter weather and to see a part of the world we’d not visited before, in a way that would be a relaxed and convenient mode of seeing as much of the Caribbean as possible.

p & o cruises in the caribbean

The holiday turned out to exceed all our expectations and was a brilliant experience from start to finish.

We could not recommend P&O Arvia highly enough and are hard pushed to find one single fault with the entire Caribbean cruise.

If you’re considering a P&O Caribbean cruise on Arvia, here’s some of what you can expect….

We arrived in Barbados on a P&O charter Tui flight from Gatwick, leaving the cold December weather behind us and landing, after an approximately 9-hour flight, to temperatures of 29-degrees.

You step off the plane and straight onto a bus which whisks you from the runway, on a journey about half-an-hour through Bridgetown to the cruise port where the stunning sight of Arvia awaits you.

  • Read our full post with details of flying to a P&O Caribbean cruise here

Even though we knew what to expect, having already experienced Iona, you cannot fail to be blown away by the incredible sight of the gigantic ship – one of the world’s largest cruise ships – as it sits in port awaiting its guests.

p & o cruises in the caribbean

While some cruise ships look like floating tower blocks Arvia, despite being so large, has an astounding visual beauty to it which is a real credit to its designers.

A sleek, curved bow and pristine white hull; an enormous glass atrium at the centre of the ship, its signature ‘Skydome’ on top – a massive retractable glass roof under which passengers bask in the Caribbean sun.

p & o cruises in the caribbean

Arvia dominates every port it’s in, with other cruise ships alongside it paling in comparison to its size and its aesthetic beauty.

p & o cruises in the caribbean

Arriving on board, your first sight is the Grand Atrium – a huge central area with glass windows stretching way up above you and all around, giving incredible views out to sea.

A pianist plays on a grand piano, filling the atrium with music; people relax in chairs with drinks and there’s a perfect atmosphere to welcome you on board.

For the whole two weeks of our stay on Arvia I couldn’t stop being wowed by the interior design of the ship.

p & o cruises in the caribbean

At the time of our cruise in 2023, the ship was only a year old so it’s modern, in perfect condition throughout and every inch of the ship is meticulously designed inside to look visually stunning.

It amazes me that on a vessel so huge, with so many areas, that so much attention to detail is paid to the design and layout of every last square inch.

p & o cruises in the caribbean

It is such a beautiful piece of architecture from top to bottom, inside and out – and the fact it floats around at sea transporting you to destinations of your dreams makes it all the more remarkable that something so incredible even exists and has been built by human hands.

Anyway, you get the idea that the ship itself is stunning, but this impression extends beyond just the layout and design, but to the way the ship is run and maintained by the crew.

There are around 5,000+ guests on board – plus another 1,800 crew – which is a huge number of people all living, eating, drinking and holidaying together in one space.

But despite such vast numbers of passengers, the ship remains immaculately clean and perfectly-maintained throughout.

p & o cruises in the caribbean

This is not an exaggeration – in two full weeks on board I literally did not see one single piece of rubbish or one single dirty area of the ship.

Arvia is buzzing all day and night with crew members constantly cleaning and maintaining the ship.

Any piece of rubbish left on the floor or on a table, any empty glass left by a lounger and it seemed within seconds one of the crew was there to clear it away.

Every surface is constantly wiped, disinfected, hoovered… Every one of the public area toilets I went in over the whole two weeks was as pristine clean as you’d want your own home toilet to be.

The Caribbean in December is hot – the temperature of the air remains warm all night long and in the sun during the day out on the decks it’s scorching.

But the temperature inside the ship is maintained at a constant cool level in every space, all day and night, making it incredibly comfortable to be even on the hottest days.

It’s an example of the attention to detail paid to every element of the guest experience on board Arvia.

In every part of the ship, whatever you’re doing, you feel relaxed, comfortable and well taken-care of by the incredibly hard-working and ultra-attentive crew.

Food & Drink

With 5,000+ passengers staying on board for two weeks, the ship needs to cater for a huge range of tastes and requirements in food and it’s amazing how they do this, with an enormous variety of food and drink options.

p & o cruises in the caribbean

Whether you want to grab a quick slice of pizza to eat by a pool, or you want a fine dining experience, or anything in-between, you’ll find it on Arvia.

The food served every night in the main dining rooms was superb with a great variety – every meal delicious – and with a constant rotation of the menu to ensure you have different choices available every day of a two-week cruise.

But if you want something different and even higher quality than the main dining rooms, you have options like the specialist restaurants of the Epicurean or the Keel & Cow.

Or maybe you don’t want the formality of a main dining room or speciality restaurant and just want to grab a quick bite to eat – the American-style 6th Street Diner, the Quays or the Taste 360 give you more relaxed or quick and easy options.

p & o cruises in the caribbean

The Horizon Buffet is open all day every day – perfect for big breakfasts, lunches after an excursion or a mid-afternoon snack.

There is so much food on offer, such a variety and of such a high quality it’s impossible to comprehend how it can all be provided to so many people on board a ship floating around at sea.

The same goes for drink – with more bars than I can remember – each with its own unique style and atmosphere.

That’s another amazing thing about Arvia – the wide range of different styles and atmospheres in the public spaces, catering for people of all tastes and for whatever mood you might be in from one moment to the next.

p & o cruises in the caribbean

I used to love going up to the top decks at sunset, where the swim-up bar was full of people drinking in the sun as live music – either from a singer or the resident DJ – pumped out over the sound system, disco lights creating a real vibrant ‘sail away’ party atmosphere.

But head up one deck to the Crows Nest bar and the atmosphere changes completely.

Lush furnishings and decor create a smooth and sophisticated atmosphere as a pianist plays mellow background music to people sitting, sipping cocktails or champagne as they wait for dinner.

p & o cruises in the caribbean

It’s a world away from the party going on just a deck below.

Head along to the Skydome and it’s got the vibe of a holiday camp. Kids leap into pools as parents sit on loungers in the sun eating pizza and chips on their loungers, beers in hand, movies playing on the big screen or music and entertainment keeping everyone occupied.

p & o cruises in the caribbean

But head down to Anderson’s Bar and you’ll find it serene and quiet, people sat reading or typing away on laptops with a coffee or a glass of wine.

Or down to Brodie’s for a typical English pub experience with football being screened on the TVs, dart boards, fruit machines and the laid back atmosphere of your local British pub.

The more you explore the decks, the more of these spaces you find – each with their own unique atmosphere – something for everyone, at every time of day, whatever mood you’re in.

p & o cruises in the caribbean

The sheer size of the ship and the enormous variety of spaces and experiences meant we never once felt the ship was crowded or that there were too many people on board.

On-Board Entertainment

The same goes for the quality and variety of entertainment – from big theatre production shows in the Headliners Theatre to intimate acoustic music performances in the 7/10 Club, we found enough to keep us entertained every single day and were constantly impressed with the high quality of the performers throughout the ship.

p & o cruises in the caribbean

The diversity of the entertainment going on all day, every day is quite amazing and gives 5,000+ passengers, all with their different interests, age ranges, tastes and moods something to do every single day of the cruise.

The musical performers are superb and there are performances going on all the time across the ship, whether it’s from star performers in the headline venues like the Limelight Club or Headliners Theatre, DJs, buskers, solo singers, bands, tribute acts – all of which were of a really high standard.

p & o cruises in the caribbean

But you’ve also got other non-music entertainment happening constantly… We watched a funny and entertaining mock gameshow in the Headliners Theatre, there were talks from an ex-SAS soldier, comedians, singing lessons, presentations from experts on subjects like art or jewellery, a full-size multi-screen on-board cinema, an escape room, a mini crazy golf course, a ‘high ropes’ climbing course…

p & o cruises in the caribbean

And it all seems to be co-ordinated on a schedule that lets you experience the greatest amount of it with minimal overlaps and perfect timings for fitting in dinners, lunches, excursions etc in-between.

Some people are concerned that you need to book up for a lot of the more popular entertainment via the on-board P&O app, and the most popular ones are quickly fully booked.

However we found that often you could still turn up at the venue and there would be availability from no-shows or late cancellations, so don’t worry too much about the app booking being the be-all and end-all of the entertainment experience.

The P&O App

On that subject, Arvia (likewise Iona ) offer a method of booking restaurants and entertainment via a mobile app, which seems to split opinion amongst guests as to whether it’s a big step forward or a complete pain.

Being young(ish) and familiar with technology, we found it ideal.

It’s easy to use and so convenient to be able to book your table in a restaurant via a ‘virtual queue’, which then means you can go off and do something else, or just be in the cabin continuing to get ready, whilst you watch your place in the queue progress in the app.

We rarely waited longer than 15-minutes or so in a virtual queue for a restaurant and found the process far more flexible and convenient than having to queue physically to be seated somewhere.

I can see how some older passengers, who aren’t as familiar with the internet and technology, might not like it – but there are crew around the ship that will help you and show you what to do with the app if you’re struggling with it at all.

Incidentally, the app doesn’t require internet access – it works from the ship’s internal network only so you don’t need mobile data / signal / wifi at all. And you don’t need to download an app from anywhere, it’s actually just a page you can visit on your normal web browser on your phone.

The P&O Arvia Caribbean Itinerary

On our cruise in December 2023, we had two weeks visiting the following Caribbean islands… Tortola (BVI), Dominican Republic, St Martin, Antigua, St Kitts & Nevis, Martinique, St Lucia, Barbados.

  • Read details and reviews of all our Caribbean shore excursions here

p & o cruises in the caribbean

Between these stops are a number of ‘sea days’.

I assumed initially that the sea days were required for travelling time between the islands, but it seems for the most part, the voyage times between islands don’t require the full days at sea as several sea days we travelled extremely slowly and even by-passed our next destination island on a circular route, waiting for the next port day.

We found the number and frequency of the sea days was perfect for maximum enjoyment of the islands and for the ship itself.

p & o cruises in the caribbean

There was never more than one sea day in a row and we found that, as we were doing excursions on every port stop, it was great to punctuate those busy, activity-filled days with relaxing days at sea.

p & o cruises in the caribbean

For our excursions, we were up early in the mornings so the sea days gave us a welcome lay-in to recover from all that activity and enjoy being on the ship (which for us mainly meant laying out in the sun drinking cocktails, beer, reading, relaxing and just watching the sea go by from the decks.

p & o cruises in the caribbean

The amount of time you get at each port seemed just right, with a typical ‘all aboard’ time of 5.30pm, by which time whatever we were out doing that day had come to an end and we felt ready to get back to the ship for the evening.

p & o cruises in the caribbean

The stops in Antigua and Barbados have later departure times, meaning you can experience those ports in the evening / overnight (in the case of Barbados) and we did feel it might have been good to get to experience more nightlife at some of the other ports too, but in general, for us, the timings and spacing of port visits and sea days was pretty much perfect for maximum enjoyment and a good balance between activity and relaxation.

On two of the sea days, they have a ‘formal night’ where the dress code for the evening is ‘black tie’ – although actual tuxedos and bow-ties aren’t compulsory, suits, ties and glamorous dresses are expected

p & o cruises in the caribbean

We really liked those formal nights – there’s a real different atmosphere about the whole ship and it’s buzzing the whole night in all the restaurants and entertainment venues, with a particularly special feel to the ship.

But getting dressed up isn’t to everyone’s taste and if you don’t want to do so, you can still head to one of the more casual areas of the ship in your shorts and t-shirts if you want to exclude yourself from the more extravagant dress code and goings-on of the formal nights.

Staff and Crew

One final thought about P&O Arvia, and the feature that really makes the ship work so well and the holiday so enjoyable, is the on-board staff and crew.

The sense you get is that the 1,800 members of the crew have an extremely demanding job with an intense schedule in difficult, extremely busy working conditions.

Wherever you look on board the ship, there are staff busily working away, whether it’s cabin stewards cleaning and tidying your cabin for you every single day, cleaners, bar staff, waiters – they are working hard and intensely yet every one we encountered was friendly and helpful.

The processes that the staff must have to operate in order to be able to meet so many of the needs of over 5,000 people day and night are mind-boggling to me.

Yet in our experience, everything ran like absolute clockwork and the guest experience provided by the entire team working on Arvia was absolutely first rate.

We don’t have a huge amount of cruise experience to compare with. We did one cruise on P&O Iona the previous year (which was similarly brilliant) and a small mini-break to Amsterdam, which was a different type of holiday.

So maybe we aren’t best placed to say how well the P&O Arvia Caribbean cruise compares to other cruises on other ships.

p & o cruises in the caribbean

But we have done a lot of travelling and had a lot of holidays – and this cruise was right up there with the best holidays – maybe even possibly the best holiday – that we’ve ever had.

What makes it so good from my personal point of view, is that I’m not someone who ever thought they’d go on a cruise – in fact I hated the idea of cruise ships and would previously want to avoid going on one at all costs.

But the experience we had on Iona last year, and now Arvia this year, totally changed my mind and I was looking at booking our next Arvia cruise before we’d even finished on this one.

As a mode of transport and method of seeing new, varied places, it cannot be beaten.

p & o cruises in the caribbean

Getting to eat in superb restaurants, enjoy amazing entertainment, relax, then go to sleep in a comfortable bed, all whilst you’re being gracefully transported from one amazing location to another is absolutely brilliant.

Waking up in the morning, opening the curtain to find yourself in a different country, which you can then go and explore, returning at the end of the day to have all your needs met – all your food cooked, your room cleaned and to be waited on hand and foot so you can just relax, worry about nothing, and then open your curtains the next morning to somewhere else new….

p & o cruises in the caribbean

What an amazing way it is to travel – and I think it’s so good because Arvia is such a beautiful and gigantic ship with such a huge amount to see and do on board.

The combination of this, the beauty of the Caribbean islands and the chance to escape the hideous UK winter for the hot sunny weather, all add up to make the experience on a P&O Arvia Caribbean cruise a real holiday of a lifetime which we thoroughly, highly recommend.

  • Read details of everything we got up to on our P&O Arvia Caribbean cruise, plus more of our thoughts and experiences and reviews of Arvia here .

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Caribbean Cruise Holidays

Book your p&o cruises holiday in the caribbean with confidence with hays travel.

The Caribbean is a fantastic choice for your cruise holiday, it is one of the world's most popular cruise destinations due to its white sandy beaches, turquoise waters brimming with marine life, countless and diverse ports of call, and abundance of water sports. There are so many islands to explore that you're guaranteed a diverse mix of cultures, history, architecture, cuisine and activities.

Cruise holidays offer great value for money, with a whole host of facilities included in your cruise fare. Starting with stylish accommodation, meals on a full board basis, daytime activities and evening entertainment included as standard. Not forgetting, onboard facilities such as swimming pools, Jacuzzis, kids clubs, gymnasiums and sports courts. If you choose a fly cruise, your flights and transfers to/from the port are also included.

Hays Travel will bring you truly impartial & expert advice to ensure that your next cruise holiday is a relaxing & enjoyable experience away from home with friends and family. Whether you're cruising from Southampton, jetting to Spain, Portugal, Canary Islands, Norwegian Fjords , or taking one of our Hays Travel exclusive Caribbean cruises, we're on hand to find the perfect cruise for you.

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With so much variety on a P&O Cruises holiday, every moment brings something new. Get ready for enthralling destinations, incredible adventures, and stylish accommodation, dining and entertainment, all wrapped up in one great value holiday. From discovering your ship's pools, restaurants and entertainment venues to watching the sun set over the horizon and exploring exciting new destinations with ease, so many special moments lie in store.

Exploring the islands of the Caribbean on a P&O Cruises holiday really taps into the region's variety. Visiting as many as nine different destinations in two weeks, you need unpack only once. And besides beach bliss, there's plenty to discover, from historical forts and tropical gardens to volcanic peaks and lush rainforests.

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From a simple place to lay your head to something more luxurious, everyone has their own holiday style. Whether you're going solo, enjoying a romantic getaway, or a family who needs more space, you'll find a cabin to suit you.

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Enjoy a decadent dinner in style or pick up a freshly made lunch snack from beside the pool. Whatever the occasion and whatever you fancy, you'll find a menu and a venue to match your mood on board.

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Get your endorphins pumping in one of the state-ofthe-art gyms or learn something new from one of P&O Cruises fitness experts. You could even pick up some new dance moves in one of the many classes available.

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You can watch the world sail by fromone of the on-deck whirlpool spas or soak up the sun and the views from one of the loungers. Or take a dip in any one of the pools on board - some are even covered by a retractable roof.

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Whether it's just you or you've brought the whole family along, there are activities to keep everyone entertained, including children's clubs. Every moment brings something new.

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Your guide to the newest P&O Cruises ship Arvia, including Caribbean sailings

p & o cruises in the caribbean

On 22nd February, the first piece of steel was cut for the newest addition to the P&O Cruises fleet – Arvia. The 184,700-tonne sister to ship to Iona, is being built in Papenburg, Germany. She is due to join the fleet in December 2022, and will be the cruise line’s second LNG powered Excel class ship.

p & o cruises in the caribbean

The name Arvia means ‘from the seashore.’ P&O Cruises president Paul Ludlow said: “Arvia will join Iona as an innovative and future-focused ship offering an outstanding, varied and contemporary holiday. Arvia has been designed to travel to the sun year-round and to maximise views of the ocean and the seashore from everywhere on board, so it seemed a very fitting name and one which will reflect the experience for guests on board. 

p & o cruises in the caribbean

“The seashore is known for its relaxing properties and tranquillity and a holiday on Arvia will, indeed, celebrate this and have relaxation at its heart. The rejuvenating and restorative qualities of a walk on the beach and invigorating sea air will be reflected in the experiences both on board and on shore as well as the vast space on board which has enabled us to include a number of new and extraordinary features.”

Itineraries

p & o cruises in the caribbean

Arvia will offer a Caribbean maiden season of fly/cruise holidays from home port Barbados and Antigua from January to March 2023.  The new Caribbean itineraries will also feature La Romana in the Dominican Republic – a maiden port of call for P&O Cruises; Curaçao; Martinique; St Kitts; St Lucia and St Maarten. 

Arvia’s seven and 14-night fly/cruises from the UK also all include an overnight call in Barbados. 22-night holidays departing from or returning to Southampton with UK flights are also available.  

Barbados

Paul Ludlow said: “Arvia holidays, alongside the rest of our winter 2022 season, will be on sale very shortly. We cannot wait to bring our newest ship to our glorious home port of Barbados and also to Antigua, which will be a first-time turnaround port for P&O Cruises.  

“The Caribbean is the optimal maiden season destination for Arvia; a ship where every facet, including unique retractable roof SkyDome and Altitude Skywalk high ropes, is designed to provide exceptional views of the ocean, seashore and surrounding destinations. 

“From the very initial concept Arvia has been created to be the epitome of a sunshine resort, developed to be an ideal way to enjoy the Caribbean’s turquoise waters and white sandy beaches like never before.” 

Arvia’s attractions

p & o cruises in the caribbean

P&O Cruises released series of images describing Arvia as the “epitome of a sunshine resort.”

Designed to appeal to all ages, guests will be able to choose two different adventurous Altitude Skywalk high rope courses while 54m above the ocean. Altitude Minigolf comprising of nine mini golf challenges, another P&O Cruises first, will be located below Altitude Skywalk. 

p & o cruises in the caribbean

A swim-up bar and stunning infinity pool with uninterrupted views of the ship’s wake will also be part of the on deck experience. 

p & o cruises in the caribbean

SkyDome is a relaxed pool environment by day with dining and entertainment by night, including stunning aerial performances, theatre productions and blockbuster movies al fresco on SeaScreen. This area will feature the cruise line’s first-ever retractable SkyDome roof.

p & o cruises in the caribbean

Arvia Dining

As well as these contemporary entertainment experiences Arvia will feature twelve restaurants joined by eight more casual places to eat. 

p & o cruises in the caribbean

Green & Co featuring Mizuhana, with a plant and fish-led menu, served in chic and elegant surroundings, has been especially developed for Arvia.  Mizuhana sushi bar will be within Green & Co, where guests can watch expert chefs at work while taking in sea views. Expert food-pairing advice and vibrant cocktails complete the experience.    

p & o cruises in the caribbean

Also on board is 6 th  Street Diner, informal by day with a sophisticated night-time vibe, featuring retro seating, atmospheric lighting and juke box and serving all-American flavours including speciality fried chicken and waffles with bourbon mascarpone. P&O Cruises distinctive signature restaurants Epicurean, Sindhu, The Glass House, The Keel & Cow and The Olive Grove, already across the fleet, will feature on Arvia. 

p & o cruises in the caribbean

Arvia Accommodation

It looks like the accommodation on board Arvia will be similar to Iona’s, with conservatory style suites and modern, stylish furnishings. You can find a selection of stateroom images below.

p & o cruises in the caribbean

Paul Ludlow, said: “Arvia is the latest evolution in the P&O Cruises experience, embodying the newest trends in travel, dining and entertainment, and will be the epitome of a sunshine resort sailing year-round to the warmest climates. 

“New restaurant Green & Co featuring Mizuhana will have a plant-led menu reflecting the latest trends in vegan, vegetarian and flexitarian dining while Altitude Skywalk and SeaScreen will entertain all ages.” 

p & o cruises in the caribbean

The ship, 345m in length, with 16 guest decks will also be home to Ocean Studios cinema, 1,300sqm of shopping and the Oasis Spa and Health Club. 

p & o cruises in the caribbean

The Oasis Spa boasts new treatments exclusive to Arvia – two couples suites each with a hammam and steam room, a therapeutic cool room, a restorative salt sauna and an invigorating Kneipp Walk which combines a pebble foot massage with hot and cold water treatments to stimulate circulation and boost vitality.  

Similar to sister ship Iona, Arvia will be powered by liquefied natural gas as part of P&O Cruises ongoing commitment to sustainable travel. Building of the ship is already underway at the Meyer Werft shipyard in Germany. 

More information can be found on the P&O Cruises website.

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One comment

Well I am on the maiden Christmas Southampton to Canaries, what an absolutely appalling mess, Christmas ruined for 1000’s quite literally, summed up with Captain’s thought for the day over the tannoy on Boxing Day, in a derogatory tone “before you criticise anyone you should try walking a mile in their shoes” he did apologise on tannoy the following day, too little too late, I have a huge list of issues, stand up and be counted and make it right!!!!!

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Pacific encounter, pacific adventure, pacific explorer, review of p&o cruises.

This is CruiseMapper's hub for both companies - P&O UK and P&O Australia. Both P and O cruise lines belong to the world's largest cruise shipping company. P&O cruise lines deals are mainly on voyages departing from Southampton UK and Sydney NSW Australia . Both P&O companies are subsidiaries/part of the Carnival Group of companies - all of which are fully owned by Carnival Corporation & PLC . P&O UK is under the management of Carnival UK. And there is a 3rd "PandO" company (not part of Carnival plc) - the UK-based P&O Ferries .

Company history and changes

P&O Cruises UK (POcruises.com) is a British-American passenger shipping company headquartered at Carnival House (Southampton, England) and operated/managed by Carnival UK. P&O was originally a constituent of “Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company” (1797-founded/1966-defunct) which was the world's oldest cruise line that operated the first-ever passenger ships.

P&O Cruises' sister company is P&O Cruises Australia. P&O Australia's current President is Marguerite Fitzgerald. while P&O UK's (as well as Carnival UK's) current President is Paul Ludlow.

P and O Cruises (UK-Australia) logo

In 2000, "P&O Cruises" was excluded from P&O Group, becoming the subsidiary "P&O Princess Cruises". In 2003, P&O Princess merged with Carnival, forming Carnival Corporation & plc.

P&O (UK and AU) holds as market share ~5% of the worldwide cruise industry. Both companies (P&O Australia and P&O UK) were created in 1977, re-branding P&O's passenger division. Arcadia was the fleet's first adults-only liner, followed by Adonia (now Azamara Pursuit ), Oriana and Aurora (April 2000).

P&O UK ships Arcadia and Aurora are currently marketed as adult-only.

In August 2017, Azura became the world's first cruise ship to perform gay weddings at sea. P&O UK's wedding package prices started from GBP 1200. For comparison, Cunard’s shipboard weddings cost starts at ~GBP 2570 ( RMS Queen Mary 2 ) and ~GBP 2120 ( Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth ). On MS Azura, gay wedding ceremonies are carried out by the ship’s Captain, while marriage licenses are issued by Bermuda's Government (as the vessel is registered in Hamilton Bermuda ).

In June 2018, P&O UK announced that Oriana leaves the fleet in August 2019. The liner (now named Piano Land ) was sold to the Chinese company Well Star Travel Cruise (brand of CTS-China Travel Services International). The Chinese company plans short cruises from Chinese homeports to ports in Japan and Southeast Asia (Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, Philippines, Indonesia).

Since May 1, 2019, P&O Cruises UK's Daily Service Charge per person (GBP 7) is no longer required. Crew tipping remains not expected or required.

In June 2021, P&O UK launched a mobile app to optimize pre-boarding and maximize onboard efficiency. The new "My Holiday" app is free of charge but available only on the ship. It allows pre-booking and making reservations onboard (dining times, restaurants, shows) via mobile phones and tablets. The app is an addition to the My Holiday (Reception Desk) which provides 24-hour assistance, including booking and how to use the application.

In summer 2023, two P&O UK ships (Iona and Arvia) introduced in their retail shops three kids' toy brands (Barbie, Hot Wheels Cars, Keycraft's Pocket Money) in addition to the always available toys from brands like Lego, Jellycat, TY (stuffed animals).

In June 2011 was announced that P&O UK will expand the fleet with a new 141,000-ton unit built by Fincantieri. The new vessel ( MV Britannia ) entered service in 2015. In January 2014, with Britannia was introduced a new livery based on UK's Union Flag.

P&O Cruises ships livery

On September 6, 2016, P&O UK (via Carnival Corporation) signed an MoA with Meyer Werft ( Papenburg Shipyard ) for building a new (company's largest) 5200-passenger vessel. In late-October 2016, P&O announced that the new ship ( Iona ) will have some of the largest at sea outdoor areas, glass-domed top deck, glass-walled atrium (full height) and wider and longer (approx 2600 ft / 800 m) Promenade Deck allowing multiple alfresco dining/open-air venues.

Iona was delivered in October 2020 and inaugurated in August 2021. The sistership Arvia was postponed (due to the COVID crisis) and delivered in December 2022 and inaugurated in January 2023.

P&O Cruises Britannia cruise ship

The newest P&O UK vessel has max passenger capacity 6264, volume 187500 GT-tons, 18 decks, 2610 staterooms, 17 eateries (including 7 specialty restaurants/ Britannia has just 3), 12 bars/lounges, 13 entertainment venues, 4 swimming pools, 16 outdoor whirlpools. The top-deck Dome is an entertainment space, with a swimming pool, large jacuzzies, a retractable stage. This all-weather venue hosts daily entertainment and dining and nightly shows (aerial performances and light projections onto the covering glass roof).

P&O UK's newest ship is also LNG-powered (by liquefied natural gas). Two similar-design ships (180K tons) were also ordered for CCL-Carnival Cruise Line . On January 26, 2018, Carnival Corporation signed a shipbuilding contract with Meyer Werft for building a second (180,000 GT) liner for P&O, with the delivery scheduled for 2022. As of 2018, Carnival Corp’s fleet of newbuilds ( on order and under construction ) numbered 19 units, scheduled for deliveries in 2018-2022.

In January 2016, Carnival Corporation signed an MoA (memo of agreement) with Fincantieri to build 4 new units. Contracts were finalized in April 2016. Of these, 2 vessels were for Costa Asia (homeported in China), one for Princess and one for P&O Australia. With this shipbuilding order, the Corporation had a total of 17 new ships scheduled for deliveries between 2016 and 2020. The four vessels will be built at Fincantieri's shipyards in Monfalcone and Marghera, with scheduled deliveries in 2019-2020.

Three of the vessels are designed with gross tonnage 133,500 tons, LOA length is 323 m (1060 ft) and capacity 4000 passengers plus 1450 crew (2 are for Costa Asia, 1 for P&O AU). One ship with GT 143,700 tons and capacity 3560 passengers is for Princess. Both Costa ships are exclusively for the booming Chinese market. Each vessel is powered by two MAN diesel engines (model 14V48 / 60CR) plus three MAN diesel engines (medium-speed, model 8L48 / 60CR), providing total power output 62,400 kW. The engines are Tier-II compliant.

P&O Cruises Australia

P&O Cruises Australia Ltd is a British-American company with corporate headquarters at Carnival House (Southampton, England UK). P&O Australia is a sister company of P&O UK. Both are under Carnival UK's executive control. Currently, P&O Australia operates 3 boats deployed in the South Pacific Ocean on island-hopping itineraries - mainly roundtrips from homeports in Australia.

After numerous changes in the company’s organization, in 2000 P&O Group demerged all cruise shipping operations. Then, P&O Princess Cruises was created- a new company independent of P&O; consisting of AIDA Cruises , Princess Cruises , P&O Cruises Australia, P&O Cruises (UK), and later "Ocean Village" and A-Rosa Cruises (riverboats).

In 2003, Carnival Corporation merged with P&O Princess Cruises thus forming Carnival Corporation & plc- the largest cruise company in the world, with eleven cruise lines portfolio, including P&O AU. Official website pocruises.com.aunofollow.

Princess' oldest ship - Regal Princess, was transferred to P&O Australia in October 2007, and after a month of drydock refurbishment entered service as Pacific Dawn.

Carnival Corporation informed about the closure of Ocean Village (UK-based travel brand) on October 30, 2008. Both Ocean Village ships were transferred to P&O Australia - Ocean Village 2 (as Pacific Jewel, in December 2009) and Ocean Village 1 (as Pacific Pearl, in December 2010).

P&O ships sail on 270+ itineraries each year (with 120+ of them departing from Southampton), and visiting 90+ countries on 6 continents.

Pacific Pearl was renamed MV Columbus and in 2017 started operations for CMV . Pacific Pearl left the fleet in April 2017, after completing 294 voyages for P&O and carrying 1+ million passengers over 5 years. In November 2019, for Pacific Aria (now Celestyal Journey) and Pacific Dawn (now Ambience) were signed presale agreements with CMV and both ships were planned to start operations for the UK-based company in 2021 as "CMV Amy Johnson" (Pacific Dawn) and "CMV Ida Pfeiffer" (Pacific Aria). In September-October 2020, following CMV's bankruptcy , both vessels were acquired by new shipowners.

P&O Cruises Australia ships

On November 25, 2015: P&O AU's entire fleet (all 5 liners) gathered in Sydney Harbour to celebrate the arrival of the fleetmates Pacific Aria and Pacific Eden.

In June 2018, P&O Australia launched with  Pacific Explorer "The Big Laugh" onboard show program - advertised as "the biggest comedy festival at sea". The program included all 14 stand-up comedy celebrities performing a total of 36 shipboard live shows (combined over 33 hours live performances). The program started with the 4-day roundtrip Sydney cruise to Moreton Island (departure June 20).

Among the guest comedians were Jimeoin (Irish), Matthew Matt Okine (AU), David Gerard Callan (Australian), Scared Weird Little Guys (Australian comedy music duo - John Fleming and Rusty Berther), David William "Hughesy" Hughes (AU), Harley Breen (AU), Claire Hooper (AU). "The Big Laugh" program comprised of all 72 comedy- themed cruises in 2018-2019. The famous Australian comedians performed during 2-, 3- and 4-night itineraries ("SeaBreaks") leaving roundtrip out of Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, Cairns, Auckland NZ.

In 2019, P&O AU scheduled the ever largest "comedy cruise" program in the company's history - 38 itineraries (January through October). On March 7, 2018, was announced that Pacific Eden is sold to the UK-based company CMV , joining CMV's fleet in April 2019.

Since 2007, P&O Australia ships' onboard retail shops are managed by Harding (UK-based travel and cruise retail group). In 2020, Harding was acquired by Davidson Kempner Capital Management LP (1983-founded, NYC-based investment management firm with USD 34+ billion in managed assets). Harding has hubs in Bristol (England) , Miami (Florida USA)  and Sydney (NSW Australia) .

New beverage packages

In May 2023, P&O UK introduced four new drink packages available fleetwide but only on longer voyages, with durations of at least 5 nights (or longer).

The beverage packages are at a fixed price per person and per day. The package's pricing is lower if purchased online and before the voyage.

  • "The Refresh Drinks" package is priced GBP 9.85 (prior to the voyage) and GBP 10.95 (if purchased onboard).  The Refresh package Includes soft drinks (lemonade, Pepsi, juices).
  • "The Alcohol-free Drinks" package is priced GBP 22.45 (before) and GBP 24.95 (onboard) and includes all The Refresh package's beverages plus Costa Coffee and sodas.
  • "The Classic Drinks" package is priced GBP 40.45 (before) and GBP 44.95 (onboard) and includes all beverages from The Refresh and The Alcohol-free packages plus alcoholic beverages (spirits, wines, cocktails).
  • "The Deluxe Drinks" package is priced GBP 49.45 (before) and GBP 54.95 (onboard) and includes all other packages' beverages plus specialty cocktails, premium spirits and wines. Additionally, passengers who buy The Deluxe Drinks package also receive 20% off on all drinks excluded from this package.

The above-listed new packages are for P&O UK ships only and introduced/first offered on the liners Iona and Ventura (starting May 20, 2023) and available fleetwide since July 2023.

P&O Cruise Personaliser

PandO Cruise Personaliser is an online service that allows passengers to update their before-sailing information and see in a concise form all their booking details. P&O Personaliser is NOT mandatory to complete but may be of great help in cases of emergency for the company to contact family members, relatives, friends.

To log in, you'll need to input your first and surname, and cruise reference number. It is received as part of your reservation confirmation (up to 120 days prior to departure, not available for 18-yo) or upon booking (up to 1 year). The same number serves all people included in the booking. On the Web page, there's information about cruise itinerary, stateroom (category and number), boarding times, contact info (including emergency contacts), passport data, medical and dietary requirements (if requested).

PO Cruise Insurance is optional. If purchased, the Insurance policy type is also shown (Standard or higher), package deal type, all kinds of pre-made reservations (shore excursions, Air, Spa), credit card number, luggage tags, etc.

  • Dining /medical requests can't be entered online - they must be specified in the manual form.
  • The accessible information about changes and updates pertains ONLY to a phone number, address, passport, emergency contacts.
  • You can't book a cruise through P&O Cruise Personaliser - booking requires full payment and immigration details.
  • Through the Personaliser you can make online reservations (shore excursions, tours, Spa, hairdresser, specialty restaurants), to update special requests and onboard preferences, or to add some additional services (babysitting, amenities, etc).
  • Itinerary changes are also listed in the Cruise Personaliser form, along with other important updates.
  • Immediately call P&O if you have forgotten or lost your booking number. Call between 7 am – 8 pm (Australian Eastern Standard Time - Monday to Friday) and Saturday (8 am - 5 pm) - phone number 1300-159-454.

PO Cruise Personaliser is accessed by both travel agents and passengers. With personal bookings (through a travel agent or P&O Reservations Centre) passengers receive reference numbers (after confirmation). On a particular booking, each passenger can access the Personaliser using the booking reference number and first name-surname. If you're not the booking person, contact the one who did it for obtaining booking reference. After log-in, note that all passengers' names in the booking party are displayed under the same reference number.

IMPORTANT - Each of the same-booking passengers is able to access the info about you and the other, i.e. you can update and provide information of all other passengers in your booking, and they can change your information. If you wish so, you could provide P&O with other passengers' personal information. Another case is when they are minors (younger than 18 years old). Then you must be a parent or legal guardian.

After providing P&O cruise company with the personal data needed on the Personaliser (and also with additional info if asked for more details), this database is used for updating pre-cruise information.

Certain information is sometimes required under maritime-customs-immigration-security laws. Personaliser info may be disclosed to P&O Cruises service providers (ticketing companies, travel, and port agents, authorities, emergency response providers, immigration, airlines, customs, shore tour operators, related entities) for Carnival Corporation's business purposes. Certain information is collected because of customs or immigration laws requirements. If you refuse to provide the information requested in the Personaliser, they may not be able to process the booking or provide certain services during the voyage.

(Coronavirus crisis) passenger shipping pause 2020-2021

Due to the COVID pandemic, P&O's entire fleet (all UK- and AU-based liners) is with an expanded cancellation policy. All bookings on pre-scheduled itineraries (departures in the period March 14 through August 31, 2020) were given the option to cancel up to 48 hours (prior departure) without penalties.

All affected bookings received a 125% refund in FCC (future cruise credit) transferred to a booking made before December 31, 2021, or 100% monetary refund. With the FCCs customers can also pay for cabin upgrades or book a second stateroom (on existing bookings). FCCs can be also gifted or transferred (options offered through December 31, 2021).

P&O UK canceled all voyages departing between March 14, 2020, and June 2021.

  • P&O UK planned to resume operations in early-February 2021 (Caribbean fly-cruises from Barbados and St Lucia) and in mid-March 2021 (roundtrips out of Southampton).
  • P&O UK's World Cruises 2021 (ships Arcadia and Aurora) were both canceled.

Next are listed P&O UK's ships and their first departure dates in 2021-2022 - AZURA (Dec 10, 2021), BRITANNIA (June 27, 2021/UK Coastal), AURORA (April 13, 2022/Mediterranean from Southampton), ARCADIA (March 27, 2022/Canaries from Southampton), IONA (Aug 7, 2021/ Maiden Voyage /UK Coastal), VENTURA (Oct 3, 2021/Canaries from Southampton).

P&O Australia canceled all departures between March 14, 2020, and May 31, 2022. P&O Australia resumed operations in 2022 with the ships Pacific EXPLORER (May 31/from Sydney), Pacific ENCOUNTER (Aug 27/from Brisbane), Pacific ADVENTURE (October 22/from Sydney).

Citing the Coronavirus crisis' impact, in early-July 2020, P&O UK sold the ship Oceana . A total of 190 scheduled itineraries (departures from homeports Southampton UK and Dubai UAE) were canceled.

Itinerary of P&O Cruises

P&O Cruises ships sail on mostly round-trip itineraries leaving from UK (Southampton, April through October), Caribbean (from Barbados, during winter) and from Australia (Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane - year-round departures). While most PandO UK ships remain in Europe year-round, the line's largest vessels also sail in the Caribbean (out of Barbados) and offer longer world cruise itineraries.

Citing the COVID crisis' impact on the passenger shipping industry, in early-July 2020, P&O UK sold the cruise ship Oceana . A total of 190 scheduled itineraries (departures from homeports Southampton UK and  Dubai UAE ) were canceled.

P&O UK'ss 2025-2026 itinerary program (opened for booking on October 18, 2023) features 12 new for the company ports (including Los Angeles CA USA, Melbourne Victoria AU, Port Chalmers/Dunedin NZ, Benoa Bali Indonesia, Bodo Norway, Tangier Morocco). MS Britannia has scheduled two new Caribbean fly-cruise itineraries visiting Jamaica, Dominicana, Grand Turk). In January 2026, MS Aurora starts a 75-night Grand Voyage while MS Arcadia starts a 100-night World Circumnavigation Cruise (28 ports/destinations). Traditionally for P&O, both World  Voyages are roundtrips from Southampton.

(UK & AU) PO cruise itinerary changes

PO AU's vessels are all UK- flagged . However, all ships are registered in Bermuda ( Hamilton ) to allow shipboard weddings (at sea). These ceremonies are conducted by the Captains and are pretty popular.

Our P&O cruise schedules include the ships of both brands (Australia and UK).

In October 2022, P&O UK announced new "Scandinavia and Baltic Sea" itineraries debuting in 2024 summer, all of which are roundtrips from Southampton.

  • (Arcadia) 16-night from GBP 1700 pp (June 25)
  • (Aurora) 16-night from GBP 1350 pp (May 18) and 16-night from GBP 1450 pp (August 26)
  • (Britannia) 14-night from GBP 1150 pp (May 10), plus 2x 14-night from GBP 1300 pp (August 30, September 20)

Arcadia also offers a 16-night "Iceland and Norway" voyage from GBP 1650 pp (July 30), while Britannia offers a 14-night "British Isles" from GBP 1300 pp (June 7) and a 14-night "Canary Islands" from GBP 1250 pp (July 5).  The new Baltic sailings feature overnight port stays in Copenhagen (Denmark), Helsinki (Finland), and Stockholm (Sweden).

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Intrepid Escape

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Caribbean cruise on britannia: honest review with p&o cruises.

Page Contents

If you haven’t observed this already, I love the concept of taking a cruise. Waking up in a new destination with a list of activities to chose from and fresh islands ready to explore. At least that’s what you get a Caribbean cruise with P&O Cruises , together with gorgeous sunshine, crystal clear waters, wildlife and rum punch.

In my view it’s also the best way to see as many destinations as possible in the Caribbean on a reasonable budget. You get a feel for each island, and if you like them enough, you can go back. And you don’t have the expense of hotel costs. Cruises often work out remarkably reasonable compared to Caribbean package holidays.

This article will run you through my experience on a two-week cruise on Britannia. I’ll talk through the islands, what I did, what other options you have and my thoughts on the islands. I’ll start with talking about Britannia herself.

If you like to watch videos of the trip rather than reading, skip down to the videos section at the bottom of my article!

Britannia at a Glance

One of the most famous ships in the P&O fleet, Britannia holds 3657 guests and 1350 crew. That felt like a considerable size to me, but I quickly found my way around onboard and it’s small enough that you’ll bump into people you’ll met on your holiday.

Britannia has 10 dining options, 7 entertainment places and 8 bars or cafes. Featuring some of the usual P&O staple venues such as Sindhu, the Glass House, The Crow’s nest, Beach House and Epicurean. My experience dining in Sindhu on Britannia was one of the best I have had on cruise, the food and staff were fantastic.

If you’re not familiar with how dining works on P&O Cruises, then you have a number of restaurants included in your full-board package, and a few restaurants that are extra. You can eat for free at the Horizon buffet more of less any time of day, which has great food. For a sit-down experience, you can book in at the Peninsular and Oriental restaurants, also included in your standard package. The latter features a menu and waiter service, so a lovely dining experience.

To step things up, certain restaurants are extra, but they are well worth it in my opinion. These include Sindhu, Epicurean, The Glass House and Beach House which is just a small fee.

There are 3 choices of room onboard which I like because it doesn’t overwhelm you with options and price difference. I had a suite, which included a balcony. This gave me space to work (yes, I was working!), and that game-changer of a balcony. I absolutely love a balcony, those sunset beers of waking up for sunrise and watching us sail into a new destination. You honestly cannot beat that feeling. You can also get inside cabins or balcony cabins.

Finally, you of course have all the expected entertainment options. You can usually find me at the Headliners Theatre for the daily shows, the sports bar of Brodie’s which usually has acoustic music, or partying at my favourite, the Live Lounge.

Caribbean Cruise on Britannia

Now that we’ve discussed the essentials about Britannia cruise ship , let’s go through all the stops that you’ll have on the Caribbean Cruise. Spoiler alert: You won’t be disappointed!

You’ll start and finish this cruise in Barbados, so make sure you check the immigration and Covid requirements for entering Barbados. I wrote an article on this, and also check Cruise with Confidence  page on the P&O Cruises website.

Depending on which day you arrive, you’ll either have a free day in Barbados at the start of the cruise, or at the end. Mine was at the start, and if you want a relaxing day head to the Boatyard . It’s within walking distance of the ship and for $30 you can use their inflatables, rope swing, free Wi-Fi and snorkel with turtles.

Top tip : get an e-SIM that covers with whole Caribbean with Airalo and get $3 free using the code  SCOTT801  or signing up from  this link.

I set Airalo up on the free Wi-Fi as you can’t set it up on the Cruise Wi-Fi. For $10 I got 1GB for a week and was valid for all the islands we were visiting, it was brilliant.

If you don’t want to head to the beach, there are plenty of Shore Experiences in Barbados. These include a sunset cruise, a 4×4 adventure, the best of Barbados and of course beach hopping. A lot of the combined trips include snorkelling with turtles and a couple of beaches. Or why not hop in a taxi and to go the Mount Gay Rum distillery? I did that on my 2017 visit to Barbados .

After a sea day we arrived at the beautiful Dutch-Caribbean island of Curaçao, and you’ll certainly notice the Dutch influence. The ship docks at the capital Willemstad , which is well worth exploring for an hour or two.

I picked an island explorer tour, which was a whistle-stop tour of the island. I picked this one as I’ve never been to Curaçao, so wanted to see as much as possible. It also finished around 2pm, giving me a couple of hours to explore Willemstad.

The tour started with snorkelling with turtles at Playa Grandi on the northwest of the island. What a way to introduce the group to the island! Perfectly crystal-clear waters and some epic shots. After that we went to the caves and viewpoint of Shete Boka Park , followed by Playa Kenepa ; one of many stunning beaches on the West Coast. Our final stop was to see the wild flamingos at Saliña Jan Kok . That really was a wonderful way to finish the tour.

Other shore experiences I was considering were the Hato Caves and beach and the Ultimate Island Experience. There aren’t any beaches within walking distance of the port, and I really recommend seeing the flamingos in the wild as that’s something quite unique to Curaçao.

Our second port was the island of Aruba, and like Curaçao it’s another Dutch territory close to Venezuela. I’d heard mixed reviews about Aruba so as I’d just done an island experience tour I decided to go it alone and rent a car.

You dock in the town of Oranjestad , which feels busy a bit like Miami. It wasn’t that easy to find a car rental, but I did find a Hertz office inside a hotel. The car was small and a bit beaten up, and cost $60 for 24 hours. I had a list of places to visit, here are my thoughts.

My first stop was the California Lighthouse , a viewpoint where everyone stops at. It was busy and honestly not worth it; however, the trip north was made worthwhile by my stop at Hadicurari Beach , a stunning kitesurfing spot on the West Coast. I then headed south to a hidden gem of a beach called Mangel Halto (a nice insider tip I got). It’s small and you can find your own private beach hidden in the mangroves, if you’re looking for a secluded beach escape, I’d recommend taking a taxi here.

My next stop was to see the beautiful street art of San Nicolas . A good starting point is Charlie’s Bar , which certainly attracts the tourists but is fascinating. From there you can wander the streets and admire the artwork. Close to San Nicolas is Baby Beach , a popular stop with several of the tours. But this was far too busy for my liking, which is a shame as it’s a stunning spot.

I then hightailed it to the East of the island for two more stops. The first was the Natural Bridge and the second Bushiribana Ruins . I was more impressed by the ruins, and these were popular spots for the UTV tours.

The Shore Excursions I was tempted by were the Jeep Safari, Catamaran Sail and snorkel or the UTV adventure. I don’t think an island highlights trip would be brilliant here, and the UTV did look fun however keep in mind you very much follow other UTVs in a line and don’t go off-road much.

St Vincent & the Grenadines

St Vincent was the first of the island that had further Covid requirements in place. Whilst I understand this is a bit inconvenient, please keep in mind that often these islands do this to protect their population, which have lower vaccination rates than the UK. St Vincent required a PCR test done onboard at an addition cost of £25.

The PCR test was extremely easy and organised by P&O, giving me an allocated timeslot the day before, with my results added to the ship’s manifest. Once you’re in the dock you meet your tour and stay in that tour “bubble”.

I decided to get out at sea today and picked a catamaran tour of the West Coast and Volcano viewing. It was only in April 2021 when the volcano last erupted! Sadly, the unpredictable Caribbean weather meant that we couldn’t view the volcano and headed back south for blue skies. We still stopped at a secluded beach and drank rum punch. The island is absolutely stunning from the ocean, so this was a great morning. Just watch out for the rum punch, the rum was 85%!

If I’m honest I had some regrets at not exploring St Vincent by land. I had a good feeling from the island and the people and remember it as one of my favourites from when I was younger.

Shore Experiences on land that would have tempted me were the Vermont Nature Hike or the 4×4 Safari. And other options by sea were the Dolphin and Whale Adventure or the Northern Grenadines Sail away. Possibly one of biggest frustrations on this cruise was trying to choose the best adventure and FOMO (fear of missing out) if you pick the wrong one! First world problems…

It’s not very often in life you get to return to a place you really love, but Grenada was one of those. I spent a week here in 2017 and felt a connection with the island and always wanted to come back.

Grenada (pronounced Green-aida) also has restrictions in place which mean you can’t leave your tour bubble, but there was no requirement for another Covid test. Because I’ve already seen a lot of this island, I picked an experience I hadn’t done, and one that looked like a lot of fun, River Tubing!

This experience was brilliant. We drove to a spot in the rainforest (even the drive is brilliant, but I do love this island), and after a safety briefing, we were given our tubes and away we went. For a couple of hours, we floated down the river, with some calm bits and some less so. But there were a group of brilliant guides there to help us through and entertain us. Their energy was brilliant. The tour ended with the chance to jump into the river and of course a rum punch!

If you haven’t been to Grenada however, I recommend something that will show you more of the island. There are a few options like the Grenada Highlights, Island Drive and Annandale Falls, or the Eco trek to Bamboo Falls.

Grenada is also famous for the Rhum Runner boat trip, following a famous pirate route. It’s basically a very boozy boat party! Watching the Rhum Runner return to port was entertaining to say the least (check out the video below!).

Ahhh coming back to St Lucia after 21 years away. I promise it won’t be as long next time! St Lucia holds a special place in my heart because one of my travel memories as a teenager was exploring St Lucia alone. I left my family to do their thing and felt the buzz of a rainforest trek, meeting locals and pushing myself.

Okay it’s not exactly the most intrepid thing I’ve done, but at that age it planted a seed for travelling along. 10 years later I went backpacking, and 5 years after that I started this travel blog.

In St Lucia I recommend anything which includes the stunning Pitons . I picked the tour Pitons and Lunch with a Local. It was a quite easy short hike for the Pitons, and I wanted to eat Caribbean food. Sadly, as you’re on a cruise where food is included you don’t get to enjoy the food as much as I’d have liked, and I was craving some good Caribbean grub. I wasn’t disappointed!

The hike was the Tet Paul Nature Trail , which was easily signposted if you want to find it yourselves. It took under an hour with a 10-minute climb which certainly raised the heartrate but wasn’t too testing, you don’t need a guide for this hike. Once you get to the top you can walk the circular route to see both Gros Piton and Petite Piton, and fantastic views over St Lucia including the tallest mountain on the island.

Following the hike, we went to lunch and ate fantastic Caribbean food, for what was included you’ll have to watch the video below but let me tell you it was delicious, especially the plantain!

There are plenty of good tours available on St Lucia, but I really recommend anything that include the Pitons, as they are such a spectacular sight. If you don’t fancy them anything that includes the rainforest of plantations are also a great bet.

Finally whichever tour you end up on, if you fancy a few more drinks and a wonderful atmosphere head to Rum Therapy bar at the port. It’s a fantastic spot for sunset right with views overlooking the ship. However, females attending alone should be warned the bar staff here are not discrete with their attention and intentions, which was a real shame and, in many ways, let down the island. I would advise against solo females going alone.

St Kitts & Nevis

Another stunning island and without doubt one of my favourites is St Kitts (Shh don’t tell the others). It’s another port that required you to be on an organised tour or take a licensed taxi to and from the port. There is so much to explore on St Kitts, but I decided to get active and did Nature Kayaking . The bonus part was this also included snorkelling which was the best part.

Our trip was only a couple of hours and first headed to Discovery Beach where we picked up our kayaks. We kayaked for around 20-30 minutes to a small bay (there were no other people), so it was suitable for people that haven’t kayaked before.

From the bay we put on our snorkels, and it was here that the real surprise of the trip. We saw turtles, stingrays, jellyfish, octopus and a shoal of squid! Look out for the video for at least that part, as it blew me away just how much we saw in around an hour.

After a quick rum punch (yes this really is part of every tour), we headed back to the port via the Timothy Hill Overlook , a fantastic viewpoint that most tours will stop at. The Port is also lively with a few nice bars if you have time. Our tour finished by 12pm, so I was on the look out for something else to do!

Top recommendation : I met up with a few people from the cruise, and decided to head to a fantastic bar, and tip from my friend Esther; Spice Mill Restaurant . This restaurant is a rustic gem on the white sands of Cockleshell Beach , which overlooks the island of Nevis. It’s also home to Hibiscus Spirits where the owner Roger distilled local rum (which I can verify is amazing).

The website describes Spice Mill as “Caribbean dining, liming and indigenous architectural experience.” What more could you ask for? If you do end up there following this article, please say hello to Roger for me, and grab me a bottle of Hibiscus Spiced Rum.

The other Shore Experiences that tempted me were the Rainforest Discovery, Discover Nevis Island or the Jeep Safari. St Kitts is definitely somewhere I’ll be coming back to for longer.

Next up was Antigua, one half of the nation Antigua and Barbuda. Known for having one beach for every day of the year (yes it has 365 beaches!) and its famous naval history. The ship docks in the capital St Johns , and as far as I could see there isn’t a beach within walking distance.

My tour was a Segway tour of Fort Worth, and this is also where you do the Horse-Riding Tour. We headed along the beach finding our balance before a couple of beach stops. After that we stopped for some fruit at Fort Worth and wandered around.

The tour leaves you for an hour at Runaway Beach , enough time for a swim and a local beer. It’s easy to see the appeal of the beaches in Antigua, picture-perfect.

Nonetheless, if I came back, I wouldn’t necessarily recommend my tour, there wasn’t really enough to see in the area. I’d look into the Island Safari, Stingray Sensation or the Best of Antigua.

Antigua is famous for the swimming with Stingrays, and although some people frown upon experiences like this one, I’ve only heard good things! Book this one fast though as it could sell-out.

Finally, friends of mine headed to Dickerson Bay Beach in a taxi. You can also take a tour there. And they went to the floating Kon Tiki Bar , which looked like great fun and a unique experience! Antigua, I’ll just have to come back for more of these experiences.

The final stop on the cruise and the moment when you realise just how fast the second week goes! St Maarten is another one where you have the choice between a beach day or a tour. This is a port where you can walk to Great Bay Beach , and there are no Covid rules restricting you to an organised tour.

It’s also home to Maho Beach , positioned right next the Princess Juliana Airport and famous for the low flying planes. I’ve felt like this is a bucket list place to go myself, so decided to get a taxi to it. There is a taxi rank right on the port and a return cost $16 per person, they give you a wristband, so they know you’ve paid for the return journey.

I arrived around 10:30 and there weren’t too many people, but as the day went on it got busier and busier. It’s a surreal experience, to watch these planes flying in so low. And every hour or so you get a quite large one come in. Sadly, nothing really huge landed when we were there.

It’s the take-off that provides the most entertainment, as the blast from the jets caused some powerful wind. So much so that people have been seriously injured. Thankfully now it looks like the bigger planes use the runway from the other side, meaning people cannot go and stupidly hurt themselves. It was still powerful enough to blow people’s stuff across the beach, so I chose to sit away from the blast. I do not need to get sand blown in my face for an adrenaline rush.

If neither of these are for you then the tours that tempted me were the Snorkel, beach and RIB experience. And anything that took to the water, as the island looks beautiful from the ocean.

Videos of my Caribbean Cruise on Britannia

I hope that gives you an insight into my experience with P&O Cruises in the Caribbean and has given you some ideas if you are planning your holiday. There are some fantastic deals with P&O Cruises right now, and not all the ships will be full.

If you have any questions at all about my experience, please drop them in the comments below.

This article was supported by P&O Cruises but as always, the opinions and photos in the article are all my own, and I think it’s clear to see I loved every minute of my time in the Caribbean!

Founder & Editor of Intrepid Escape, a huge lover of adventure, adrenaline, sport & fitness. After travelling extensively for the last 12 years, Scott started to document his travels before fulfilling an important lifelong goal by starting Intrepid Escape. He has since become a full-time Travel Writer, Videographer, Presenter and Producer.

8 thoughts on “ Caribbean Cruise on Britannia: Honest Review With P&O Cruises ”

Looking to book Britannia January 23, definitely want to (respectfully) interact with Stingrays & snorkel to see Turtles. Found your site by accident but wow how informative for us to get the best from the Caribbean! Thank you

Hi Scott, and thanks for your extremely informative review. We are taking this cruise on 28th January 2023 and the excitement is building already! Regarding the shore excursions is it particularly sensible to take the P&O excursions for security and ensuring you get back to the ship on time?

Hi, really informative page, thank you. Is it easy to book tours and things to do when you arrive on the islands? Or do you have to book the P&O ones? Thanks.

I will be going on the Caribbean cruise for my honeymoon november 2023, how much do the excursions cost? Thanks

The only thing I cannot find, is what time you have to be back on the boat???

Yes, that’s the first thing anybody would want to know. I don’t like when ships dock at you’ve finished your breakfast then you feel you have to leave and tour the whole country and be back before 5pm which is way too early. Turns into a working day and you can’t relax for clock watching. Also in Grenada by the waterfall young local can hassle you to pay them to watch them dive into the waterfall – very offputting.

Pingback: Caribbean Cruise Travel in 2024 With P&O Cruises - Intrepid Escape

Impeccable service: The staff were friendly, attentive, and always went the extra mile to ensure a flawless experience.Cleanliness & hygiene: The ship was spotless, and the crew maintained high standards of hygiene throughout the voyage.

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8 top Caribbean P&O Cruises in 2023, 2024 & 2025

Caribbean cruises are sounding more and more appealing as the British summer draws to an end (did it ever begin?) so here are some of the best deals with P&O Cruises this winter and beyond.

In assocation with:

Bolsover Cruise Club

P&O Cruises Caribbean getaways are the perfect antidote to winter blues – they whisk you off to sun, sea and sand and they never break the bank! Win, win!

Across 2023, 2024 and 2025 P&O Cruises – available to book via travel agent Bolsover Cruise Club – have an exciting array of Caribbean cruises to choose from, whether you want to sail the tropical islands on a fly cruise or take a transatlantic voyage from the UK.

Hike St Lucia’s volcanic Pitons, explore Antigua’s 18th-century Nelson’s Dockyard, sip rum as you explore a historic distillery, snorkel in Barbados’ turquoise waters, trace the steps of the Arawak Indians…the opportunities are endless on Caribbean cruises with P&O Cruises .

Plus, with evenings and overnight stays on the majority of Caribbean fly-cruises, you’ll have even longer to absorb each culture .

As for which P&O ships go to the Caribbean, both Britannia and newest P&O Cruises ship Arvia have sailings up for grabs so you can decide which voyage best work for you!

We’ve rounded up 8 of the best P&O Caribbean cruise deals…

Antigua pink houses Caribbean cruise

P&O Cruises Caribbean holidays 2023

Caribbean cruise deals Book a Select Price holiday and you’ll bag extra onboard spending money when you book by September 4, 2023 10% deposit

When: November 18, 2023 Duration: 14 nights Where: Antiga | St Kitts | Martinique | St Lucia | Barbados | Tortola | Dominican Republic | St Maarten | Antigua Ship: Arvia Price: From £1,286 pp

When: December 9, 2023 Duration: 14 nights Where: Barbados | Tortola | Dominican Republic | St Maarten | Antigua | St Kitts | Martinique | St Lucia | Barbados Ship: Arvia Price: From £1,187 pp

St Kitts port Caribbean cruise

P&O Cruises Caribbean holidays 2024

When: January 19, 2024 Duration: 14 nights Where: Barbados | Tortola | Dominican Republic | St Maarten | Antigua | St Kitts | Martinique | St Lucia | Barbados Ship: Arvia Price: From £1,385 pp

When: March 22, 2024 Duration: 14 nights Where: Barbados | St Lucia | St Kitts | Antigua | Pont Delgada, Azores | Southampton, UK Ship: Britannia Price: From £1,138pp

Caribbean Transatlantic

When: October 25, 2024 Duration: 15 nights Where: Southampton, UK | Tenerife | St Maarten | St Kitts | St Lucia | Barbados Ship: Arvia Price: From £1,365 pp

Eastern Caribbean

When: November 30 2024 Duration: 14 nights Where: Barbados | Curaçao | Kingstown, St Vincent | Grenada | St Lucia | Antigua | Barbados Ship: Britannia Price: From £1,405 pp

St Lucia diving Caribbean cruise

P&O Cruises Caribbean holidays 2025

When: January 18, 2025 Duration: 7 nights Where: Barbados | Martinique | St Kitts | Tortola | St Maarten | Antigua Ship: Arvia Price: From £1,365 pp

When: February 8, 2025 Duration: 7 nights Where: Antigua | Grenada | St Lucia | Barbados Ship: Arvia Price: From £1,415 pp

Where in the world to cruise by season – complete travel guide

Where to go on holiday is an exciting topic to tackle – there’s such a wide, beautiful world out there jam-packed with possibilities.

MSC Cruises reveals this brand new port in the USA for Caribbean holidays

MSC Cruises has unveiled a new port in the USA as the brand furthers its Americas offering.

Where to go in February – 10 best cruise destinations

February cruises are a great opportunity to spread your wings and seek winter sun as well as the snowy charms of northern Europe.

Become the first to know about win-a-cruise competitions, on-trend holiday inspo and don’t-miss travel advice from the experts.

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Ahoy there!

Emma Cruises

7 HUGE Differences Between P&O Cruises and Royal Caribbean

If you are considering a cruise with either P&O Cruises or Royal Caribbean you may be wondering how the cruise lines compare.

I’ve cruised with both cruise lines and regularly recommend both for different reasons.

In this article, we will look at differences in the onboard experience, food, ships, passengers, and more.

What is the Difference Between P&O Cruises and Royal Caribbean?

Cruises with P&O are a little more traditional than Royal Caribbean with a higher focus on dress codes and formal dining.

Having said that, some of P&O’s newer ships are less formal and more family-orientated.

P&O’s newest ships, Iona and Arvia are less traditional and more family-friendly than some of the older ships in the fleet.

Royal Caribbean has busier daily schedules and large modern ships.

P&O Cruises are a British cruise line and Royal Caribbean is American – which affects the entertainment, activities and food.

I’ve enjoyed the cruises that I have taken with both cruise lines, but like any cruise line, they won’t suit everybody.

The most important decision you will make when finding a cruise is picking the right cruise line.

Cruise Ship Design

Royal Caribbean have considerably more ships in its fleet. They have 24 currently in operation, compared to P&O cruises 7 ships.

Generally speaking, many of the Royal Caribbean fleet are larger than cruise ships for P&O Cruises.

P&O cruise ships are much more traditional than those owned by Royal Caribbean.

P&O’s two newer ships, Iona and Arvia are far larger than their other ships, and can accommodate up to 5200 guests.

Spectrum of the seas, Emma Cruises

P&O Cruises – Cruise Ship Design

P&O Cruises has a variety of cruise ships that range in age and size.

They have quite a few small traditional cruise ships, some of which are adult-only.

Their newest, largest ships, Iona and Arvia are more family-friendly.

Iona and Arvia are exciting new ships for P&O Cruises. They are aimed at the family market and are increasingly focusing on the flexibility of cruising.

P&O’s ships are very elegant and most have central atriums that become the hub of the cruise ship.

Many of the older P&O cruise ships also have a tiered aft which is something that I particularly like in cruise ships.

All ships have plenty of outside space and the older cruise ships feel considerably less crowded than cruises on some other cruise lines.

The newer ships Arvia and Iona take far more passengers, usually over five thousand. When I last travelled on Iona there were over 900 children as we travelled in the school holidays. It did feel very crowded.

Find out about the controversial cabin I had onboard P&O’s Iona here:

Royal Caribbean Cruise Ship Design

On the newer, bigger cruise ships you’ll find things like skydiving simulators, flow riders, ice rinks, zip lines, rock climbing walls, and aqua parks.

The video below shows my first (and only) attempt to surf on the FlowRider! It was terrifying. You don’t realise how fast the water is until you are standing at the top looking down.

The smaller older ships do not have all of the same adrenaline-filled activities on board but they are very much in the same style.

All of Royal Caribbean’s cruise ships were designed for them and as a result, they have some features which are distinctly Royal Caribbean – such as a bar around the funnel and large open atriums and dining rooms.

Many of the older Royal Caribbean cruise ships have been sold and now cruise with other smaller cruise lines.

I sailed on a cruise around the Greek Islands with the Greek cruise line, Celestyal . The ship we were on was Celestyal Olympia. It was originally built for Royal Caribbean and sailed as the “Song Of America.”

It was easily the oldest ship I have ever sailed on. Find out all about that cruise here:

The ships for Royal Caribbean were built between 1990 and 2022.

Royal Caribbean ships are generally very modern, they have “neighbourhoods” in the middle of the cruise ships which are lined with bars, restaurants, and shops.

Neighbourhood, symphony of the seas

As far as cruise ship design goes Royal Caribbean is always at the forefront pushing the boundaries of what is possible.

Find out about my cruise on Symphony of the Seas, their second-largest cruise ship here:

P&O Cruises vs Royal Caribbean Ship Comparison

Cruisers who are used to cruising on Royal Caribbean cruise ships may find P&O cruise ships to be lacking in activities.

There are none of the adrenaline-filled activities on board that you’ll find on Royal Caribbean cruise ships such as surf simulators, skydiving simulators, or zip lines.

Arvia does have a chargeable ropes course on the top deck as they are trying to appeal more to families. Their smaller ships have nothing like that.

Those looking for adrenaline-filled activities and new, large ships may prefer Royal Caribbean to P&O.

Guests who like a good value, relaxing cruise would enjoy a P&O cruise. The newer ships are less formal and more family-friendly than the older ships.

Dress Codes and Dining

P&O Cruises provides a traditional cruising experience, dress codes are adhered to and formal nights of very popular on P&O Cruises.

That said, if you are on one of the newer ships, Iona and Arvia, there are plenty of other dining options that don’t require you to dress formally.

Royal Caribbean does have formal nights but they’re not as formal as ones that you would find on a P&O cruise – and many people chose to not take part.

P&O Cruises

Guests who cruise with P&O Cruises often enjoy the dressing-up element of formal nights.

Meeting the Captain is a very popular event onboard P&O, and guests wear their best clothes to do so.

Dress codes are strictly enforced compared to many of the American cruise lines.

When I recently cruised on P&O’s Arvia I wasn’t allowed in the Crow’s Nest bar, because it was just after 6 pm and I was wearing shorts. They asked me to leave , which I was happy to do…

It wasn’t a problem – I just went to a different bar instead!

cruise captain wesley p&O cruises

P&O are increasingly offering flexible dining now but has traditionally always had fixed dining.

With their newer cruise ships, they are increasingly offering flexibility as an option but on the smaller older P&O cruise ships the majority of dining is still fixed.

Dress codes are taken pretty seriously by the majority of the guests and even on non-formal nights some dress codes are still in force.

On the newer ships, if you don’t want to dress up for dinner, it is easy to avoid the main dining room, and visit one of the many other food outlets onboard.

Royal Caribbean

Royal Caribbean do have formal nights but the dress codes are mostly suggested rather than enforced.

Royal Caribbean cruises are usually more flexible than P&O Cruises – most of the dining on Royal Caribbean is flexible. 

royal caribbean formal night dress code girl red dress balcony cruise ship

That said, just because the dress codes aren’t strictly enforced on Royal Caribbean cruises doesn’t mean that some guests don’t enjoy dressing up.

You definitely won’t look out of place if you do decide to wear your best formal wear.

To learn more about Royal Caribbean’s formal nights, including what you definitely can’t wear, check out this post:

What To Wear on a Royal Caribbean Cruise – Examples and Enforcement

P&O Cruises vs Royal Caribbean – Dress Codes and Dining

Guests looking for a more traditional cruise experience which includes formal nights and dress codes would enjoy a P&O cruise.

That said, there are many other places on board to go and eat if you don’t want to dress up and go to the main dining room on formal nights.

Guests who prefer to be more flexible and relaxed may prefer a Royal Caribbean cruise.

Passenger Demographics 

P&O Cruises tend to attract an older passenger demographic on their older ships. Iona and Arvia are more family-orientated, and you will find many families with children onboard.

The majority of guests on P&O Cruise are British – as opposed to Royal Caribbean where you will find Americans, British, and many other nationalities on board.

On a P&O cruise, you can realistically expect 90% of the Passengers to be British.

They are the largest British cruise lines by passenger numbers and advertise heavily in the UK.

P&O Cruises advertises regularly to families and are very popular with them.

That said P&O cruises do tend to have an older passenger demographic than Royal Caribbean.

Royal Caribbean primarily target couples, friendship groups and families.

Their ships are designed with children in mind and have watersides, kids clubs, and children’s activities on the daily schedule.

You’ll find passengers from lots of countries onboard a Royal Caribbean cruise regardless of where the cruise is sailing.

P&O Cruises vs Royal Caribbean – Passenger Demographics

Cruisers who are not from the UK are welcome to cruise with P&O Cruises – but they should be aware that the majority of passengers on board will be British.

The P&O Cruises experience is tailored towards a British market so you’ll find UK plug sockets in the cabins, kettles in the staterooms – and Yorkshire puddings on the menus!

I would strongly recommend P&O cruises to guests from outside of the UK who want to experience a British cruise.

Itineraries

Many cruises with P&O Cruises cruise from the UK, so that makes it very convenient for British passengers. Fly cruises all over the world are also available.

Royal Caribbean have cruise ships stationed all over the world . Often they also have a cruise ship based in the UK.

I cruised on Royal Caribbean’s Anthem of the Seas to Norway from Southampton. It was very convenient. Find out about that cruise below:

P&O cruises worldwide, but the majority of cruises either leave from the UK or include flights that go from the UK.

It is assumed that the majority of passengers on a P&O cruise will be British, so will either want to cruise from the UK or book a cruise package which includes flights .

P&O Cruises do cruise to places like the Caribbean – and a very popular P&O itinerary is to fly from the UK to the Caribbean take a P&O cruise and then fly home.

Random fact: I was featured on the entertainment on the plane for guests heading over to join P&O’s Britannia in the Caribbean. When I cruised on Britannia I took part in a cookery class and it was recorded and shown on the plane as an advert for other guests.

P&O also cruise to the Norwegian Fjords, Northern Europe, the Mediterranean, the Canary Islands, and more.

p&o britannia kids

Royal Caribbean cruise all over the world.

They have cruise ships positioned in the Caribbean, Alaska, Hawaii, Europe, Asia, and doing Transatlantic and Trans-Pacific voyages.

P&O Cruises vs Royal Caribbean – Itineraries

Guests looking to cruise from the UK will have more choice if cruising with P&O cruises.

P&O has multiple ships that sail from Southampton year-round and for passengers from the UK, this can be a very easy option.

Guests looking to cruise in other parts of the world may prefer a Royal Caribbean cruise, as there are many destinations that Royal Caribbean cruises do that P&O cruises do not.

The food found on a P&O cruise is often different from that that is found on a Royal Caribbean cruise. There are of course some similarities and both are of very high quality.

The majority of food on a P&O cruise is geared towards a British palate, whereas food on a Royal Caribbean cruise is aimed at Americans.

The quality of food on both cruise lines is, in my experience very high, with a range of options available for every meal.

On a P&O cruise, you will find foods like Beef Wellington, Shepherd’s Pie, Toad in the Hole, Fish and Chips, and carvery meats in the buffet and dining room.

p & o cruises in the caribbean

P&O Cruises does also offer American-style food and other food from across Europe.

The buffet on P&O Cruises is fantastic and one of my favourites. It is open late into the night and serves a variety of food which is all very good.

If you are cruising with P&O be sure to look out for sugared bread rolls that they have available for breakfast, it’s like having an iced bun for breakfast.

p & o cruises in the caribbean

P&O Cruises are, in my experience, one of the best cruise lines for vegetarian and vegan options.

They also have a variety of different types of milk and alternative products for those who have an intolerance to dairy.

On a Royal Caribbean cruise, you will find a variety of food most of which is aimed at an American palate.

You will on occasion find British dishes on a Royal Caribbean cruise – I have had a Yorkshire pudding on a Royal Caribbean cruise and it was good – but it was not quite as good as on a P&O cruise.

Johnny Rockets, Symphony of the Seas

P&O Cruises vs Royal Caribbean – Food

If you are somebody who likes your home comforts when it comes to food and are from the UK, a P&O cruise would be a great option for you.

If you are from the US or prefer American-style food a Royal Caribbean cruise may be a better fit.

Both P&O Cruises and Royal Caribbean do have specific menus for children and dishes can be adapted where necessary.

It is worth noting that both Royal Caribbean and P&O Cruises do have speciality restaurants onboard where guests can try different cuisines and the quality of food onboard both cruise lines is very high.

P&O cruises are usually considerably cheaper than Royal Caribbean cruises.

P&O cruises include taxes, fees, and gratuities in their cruise fare.

Royal Caribbean prices (if booked from the US) have these elements added to the advertised price.

This is primarily due to the difference in pricing structures between the UK and US caused by preferences in regards to things like tipping.

The P&O cruise fare includes gratuities and taxes/fees.

The only things that guests will have to pay extra for:

  • Drinks (There is free tea, coffee, and water available in the buffet – but all drinks from the bars are chargeable)
  • Speciality Meals

P&O cruises pricing is mid-range, but there are some bargains to be found, I recently booked a 14-night cruise on the newest P&O ship for £800! That includes all gratuities.

p & o cruises in the caribbean

Royal Caribbean Cruises do not include gratuities and these can be quite expensive. At present cruise gratuities on Royal Caribbean cruises are $16 per person per night.

Gratuities are tips added on per person, per night and should be budgeted for when booking your cruise.

It is possible to prepay gratuities so that guests don’t get a surprise at the end of the cruise – but not everybody does this.

For more information about gratuities including how much they will cost you check out this post:

Cruise Gratuities: A Simple Step by Step Guide For First Time Cruisers

P&O Cruises vs Royal Caribbean – Pricing

P&O cruises include the price of gratuities within their cruise fare. Cruises booked from the UK include taxes and all port fees.

Cruises booked from the U.S. do not include taxes and fees in the same way that cruises from the UK do.

Cruises from the U.S. often look much cheaper than cruises from the UK but once you have added in the gratuities and taxes, in reality, the prices are very similar.

P&O Cruises are often quite a lot cheaper than Royal Caribbean Cruises and P&O often has discounted children’s places and other offers.

Onboard Schedule

The onboard schedule on a Royal Caribbean cruise is much busier than that of a P&O cruise.

You won’t be bored on a P&O cruise – but compared to a Royal Caribbean cruise it definitely is more relaxing.

On a P&O cruise, there is a daily schedule of things like trivia, game shows, entertainment in the theatre and guest speakers.

I’ve always really enjoyed the theatre entertainment on P&O cruises, the musicians, tribute acts, and magic shows are all brilliant.

There will be a variety of live music and singers performing throughout the cruise and things like football are often shown in the pub.

Guests who cruise with P&O Cruises often like to relax by the pool with a good book and a nice drink.

The pace of life on a P&O cruise is slower than that of a Royal Caribbean cruise but nevertheless, guests are rarely bored.

I personally enjoy the more relaxed atmosphere of P&O cruises.

On a Royal Caribbean cruise, there are lots of things to keep everybody busy.

The ships are full of adrenaline-filled activities and the daily schedule on a Royal Caribbean cruise has activities happening every hour – multiple things per hour in fact.

Ultimate Abyss Slide on Symphony of the Seas

It is almost impossible to be bored on a Royal Caribbean cruise the problem is trying to fit all of the events you want to attend into your day!

P&O Cruises vs Royal Caribbean – Onboard Schedule

Guests who like to be entertained constantly with many activities to do throughout the day may prefer a Royal Caribbean cruise.

Guests who want to relax and recharge may prefer a P&O cruise.

Arvia aft pools

Before You Go

To compare Royal Caribbean to the value Italian cruise line MSC read the article below. I sailed on Anthem of the Seas and my parents sailed on MSC Virtuosa to the Norwegian Fjords at exactly the same time.

We Took The Same Cruise With MSC and Royal Caribbean: Differences and Comparison

Find out about the cabin I had on Royal Caribbean’s Symphony of the Seas. It didn’t have a sea view at all, it overlooked a “neighbourhood” middle of the ship.

I Stayed in Royal Caribbean’s “Neighbourhood Balcony” (Unexpected Pros and Cons)

Taking a Cruise: Recommendations and Resources Get Captain Hudson Book a Cruise Get Travel Insurance Emma Cruises Shop My Favourite Bags – Mia Tui

p & o cruises in the caribbean

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p & o cruises in the caribbean

The best cruises to book in 2024 to the Caribbean, Spain & Norwegian Fjords

  • Giuli Graziano
  • Published : 16:10, 1 Nov 2023
  • Updated : 16:10, 1 Nov 2023

CRUISES are becoming increasingly popular again, so we've rounded up the best ones to book in 2024, starting from £70pp a night.

Whether you're a first-timer sailer or a seasoned traveller, these cruises are perfect for everyone and even include free onboard spending money .

We've rounded up the best P&O Cruises deals in 2024

The best deals for next year come from P&O Cruises , Britain's biggest cruise line.

The early bird deals include deposits from £100pp, monthly payment plans, free onboard spending money, coach transports and car parking.

They'll take you to some of the best destinations in Western Europe, the Mediterranean and the Caribbean.

Why choose a cruise?

Cruises are the perfect hassle-free vacation. They provide everything you need in one place - dining, accommodation, activities, and entertainment.

Your itinerary takes you from port to port, so you won't need to worry about how to get somewhere.

Plus, forget the packing and unpacking, as your cabin will be your home throughout the journey.

The majority of P&O cruises leave from Southampton, so you won't have to face crowded airports and lengthy flights.

P&O cruises are also great for family holidays , especially the Arvia or Iona. However, a tip is to book well in advance, as P&O has a cap on child availability, and it usually sells out quickly.

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Two-day cruise from the UK  that's just £99 with outdoor waterpark & free meals

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Where can you go on a cruise next year.

P&O Cruises serves almost all the cruise bucket list-worthy destinations.

Here are the best destinations to visit in 2024:

Caribbean : Cruise travellers of all kinds are drawn to it due to its magnificent beaches, tropical climate, and various ocean-based activities.

Mediterranean : Thanks to the rich variety of cultures, historical landmarks, and range of nations visited in a single journey, cruises around the Mediterranean coastline are in great demand for 2024.

Northern Europe: As interest in the scenic splendour of this region of the world grows, more people are taking cruises to the Nordic regions and the Baltic Sea, which includes nations like Sweden and Norway.

What are the best cruise deals in 2024?

If you're ready to sail, these are the best cruise deals we've found next year:

  • 14-night Canary Islands cruise - from £890pp

Visiting: Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Funchal, Madeira, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Lanzarote and Fuerteventura

  • 14-night Caribbean cruise - from £1,335pp

Visiting: Bridgetown, Tortola, La Romana, St Maarten, Saint John's, Saint Kitts, Martinique and Castries

  • 3-night Western Europe cruise - from £449pp

Visiting: Amsterdam

  • 14-night Mediterranean cruise - from £1,080pp

Visiting: La Coruña, Málaga, Alicante, Toulo, Barcelona and Cádiz

  • 13-night Spain, Portugal & Canary Islands cruise - from £999pp

Visiting: La Coruña, Funchal, Madeira, Santa Cruz de La Palma, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Lanzarote and Lisbon

  • 7-night Norwegian Fjords cruise - from £769pp

Visiting: Olden, Innvikfjorden (cruise-by), Nordjord (cruise-by), Alesund and Haugesund

For more holiday inspiration, you could explore the islands of Cape Verde with 28C temperatures, white sandy beaches and direct flights this winter.

READ MORE SUN STORIES

p & o cruises in the caribbean

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p & o cruises in the caribbean

Love Island couple in shock split after FOUR years together

We've also revealed the  holiday destination with tropical coastlines, safaris and cheap all-inclusive deals .

And the  Mediterranean destination dubbed the ‘budget-friendly St Tropez’ , that's only 3 hours from the UK.

Deals start from £70pp a night, and you could sail to the Caribbean, Spain & Norwegian Fjords

  • Beach Holiday Deals
  • Travel Deals

US News & World Report - Travel

16 Top Adults-Only Cruises for 2024

I f your idea of getting away from it all includes a vacation without the kids, consider booking an adults-only or adults-oriented cruise . While some lines provide a fully adults-only experience (i.e., children are not allowed on board), others offer adult-focused venues and activities on the ship to keep you separate from younger patrons.

When you're ready to plan your adventure on the high seas, the following cruise lines provide upscale amenities, immersive excursions, sophisticated dining options, lively nighttime entertainment and time for relaxation among like-minded – and similarly aged – travelers.

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Top Adults-Only Cruises

Viking ocean cruises.

Travelers 18 and older are welcome aboard Viking 's adults-only ships, which feature destination-focused itineraries around the world. The line's nine oceangoing 930-passenger ships offer luxurious, Scandinavian-style accommodations and comfortable spaces to relax with a book or gaze out at the ocean. Viking's exploration program boasts special access to behind-the-scenes experiences curated for travelers interested in history, food or science. Immerse yourself in local culture with a visit to a traditional farm near Bergen, Norway, or spend an evening dining on Caribbean Creole cuisine prepared by renowned chefs in a mansion in Cartagena, Colombia.

In addition to these off-the-beaten-path excursions, guests can visit iconic sites like the ancient city of Ephesus (Kuşadasi) in Turkey and the Acropolis in Athens, Greece . Viking also hosts onboard enrichment programs like destination-themed performances, cooking classes and lectures by historians. Cruise fares include stateroom accommodations with a private veranda, all meals (including specialty dining venues), wine and beer at lunch and dinner, one free excursion per port, complimentary Wi-Fi, and access to onboard amenities such as the Nordic Spa.

In addition to its ocean vessels, Viking offers river cruises in destinations around the world – including the U.S. – on the new Viking Mississippi, a ship purpose-built for Mississippi River cruises . The line also has two Polar Class 6 expedition ships, Viking Octantis and Viking Polaris, which traverse waterways from Canada to the Caribbean to remote destinations in Antarctica .

Explore Viking cruise deals on GoToSea, a service of U.S. News.

Virgin Voyages

Virgin Voyages offers an adults-only retreat for guests ages 18 and older. The line currently has two sister ships: Scarlet Lady – the first in the fleet – and Valiant Lady. The line's third ship, Resilient Lady, is set to debut in May 2023 in Athens. Brilliant Lady, Virgin's fourth vessel, is scheduled to launch by the end of 2023.

All the ships in this adults-only cruise line feature 1,330 cabins (most with balconies) and 78 RockStar Quarters suites, where guests have access to Richard's Rooftop, an exclusive outdoor deck space. The superyacht-inspired vessels boast 20-plus eateries, including restaurants by Michelin-starred chefs, and a variety of onboard fitness and wellness spaces. At Redemption Spa, relax and recharge in the mud room or salt therapy chamber. You can even order a bottle of bubbly anywhere on the ship via the Virgin Voyages Sailor app's secret "Shake for Champagne" feature.

Itineraries span destinations in the Caribbean , Europe and trans-Atlantic crossings, as well as Australia, Asia and the Middle East during repositioning cruises. Cruise fares cover meals at all the dining venues; basic beverages such as water, tea and coffee; gratuities for the crew; Wi-Fi; and unlimited fitness classes. While on board, be sure to indulge in a swanky dinner at The Wake and an immersive show at The Red Room, the first multiform theater at sea.

Book a Virgin Voyages cruise on GoToSea.

Saga Ocean Cruises

Hop across the pond to sail on U.K.-based Saga Cruises, which specifically caters to guests 50 and older (though travelers may bring a companion as young as 40). Saga's boutique luxury ocean cruise ships carry a maximum of 987 passengers each. The line's two ships, Spirit of Discovery and Spirit of Adventure, feature all-balcony cabins and depart from the Dover, Portsmouth and Tilbury cruise ports in England.

The British-inspired sailings are all-inclusive: Fares cover meals at all onboard restaurants as well as access to entertainment venues, Wi-Fi, and unlimited alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverages. Prices also include excursions in certain ports of call, gratuities and chauffeur service from locations in the U.K. to the embarkation port. Guests can enjoy wellness-focused activities on the ship, such as yoga classes, spa treatments and customized fitness programs.

The company offers itineraries in Europe, the Caribbean, the U.S. and Canada , in addition to Greenland, Iceland, the Canary Islands and West Africa. On Spirit of Adventure, Saga's newest ship, passengers can spend evenings indulging in Italian cuisine at Amalfi, sampling Nepalese dishes at Khukuri House, or settling in for drinks and dinner at the Supper Club, which features jazz music and cabaret-style entertainment.

Read: Cruise Packing List

P&O Cruises

Two ships in P&O Cruises' U.K.-based fleet – Arcadia and Aurora – are exclusively for adults 18 and older. Arcadia, the slightly newer of the two ships since it debuted in 2005, carries 2,094 guests and 866 crew. The ship departs from Southampton in the U.K. and sails to the Canary Islands , Spain and Portugal; the British Isles; Norway and Iceland; and the U.S., Caribbean and Canada.

Arcadia's five restaurants and 10 bars and cafes include Indian offerings with a British twist at Sindhu as well as steaks and seafood by renowned British chef Marco Pierre White at Ocean Grill. Passengers can sip Champagne at Intermezzo, the ship's cocktail and Champagne venue, or enjoy a pre-dinner aperitif at the yacht-inspired Spinnaker. After exploring exciting ports of call, head back on board to enjoy Arcadia's elegant interiors and top-notch service. You can splurge on a stone therapy treatment at the Oasis Spa for some extra pampering, followed by a live show at the three-tiered theater, The Palladium. Then, finish off the evening dancing the night away at The Globe.

Aurora is a slightly more intimate ship, carrying 1,874 passengers and 850 crew members. A four-level atrium gallery sits at the heart of Aurora. Itineraries include destinations in the Mediterranean, the Baltic region, Spain and Portugal, and the U.S. and Canada, plus a world cruise. There are seven dining venues as well as 11 bars and cafes on the ship. Dine at the same time every evening at club-style restaurant Alexandria, or opt for a more flexible schedule at The Beach House or Medina. Cruisers can also sit down for a tasty meal at The Glass House, which serves casual bites paired with wines from around the world. After dinner, live entertainment and dancing await you at the show lounge Carmen's, as do larger productions at the ritzy 652-seat Curzon Theatre.

Read: The Best Cruise Insurance Plans

Top Cruises Designed for Adults

While many all-inclusive – or mostly all-inclusive – boutique and luxury cruise lines are family-friendly, many of the onboard venues and activities are adult-by-design. Since there are few (or no) activities geared toward younger cruisers and no babysitting services, you typically won't find parents with young children on these ships.

Azamara's four upscale boutique ships provide immersive travel experiences geared toward adults. These smaller ships – accommodating a maximum of 702 guests – sail waterways and rivers larger ships can't access, docking in city centers and unique ports of call around the globe.

Many Azamara voyages also offer longer stays and overnights in port not found on many other itineraries, including wine and culture itineraries. Some even feature special events, such as a voyage to the Monaco Grand Prix in May 2023 and 2024, or a 12-night round-trip cruise from Buenos Aires, Argentina , to attend Carnival in Rio de Janeiro . In addition, the line is extending its offerings on Country Intensive voyages in 2023 and 2024 with itineraries in destinations like various European countries, South Africa, Australia and Japan.

On board you'll find a wide selection of casual and formal dining options ranging from Windows Cafe to the main dining room, Discoveries Restaurant. Specialty restaurant offerings include top-notch steak and seafood at Prime C or, if you prefer, Italian fare at Aqualina. First offered on Azamara Onward (the newest ship) before being expanded to the whole fleet, Atlas Bar serves innovative craft cocktails like the London Fog Martini or Tuscan Delight. Discoveries Lounge is another guest favorite for mingling with fellow cruisers at the end of the day. Wine aficionados will enjoy pairing limited-production and rare vintages from the Wine Cellar with dinner in the evenings.

Cruise fares include stateroom accommodations; select spirits, wine and beer; gratuities; and nonalcoholic beverages like bottled water, specialty coffees and tea. You'll also get access to complimentary AzAmazing Celebrations with special evening and daytime events ashore and on the ship. Additional amenities like a complimentary internet package, free specialty dining, butler service and other perks come with suite accommodations.

Find an Azamara cruise on GoToSea.

Scenic Eclipse, touted as "The World's First Discovery Yacht," offers an all-inclusive, ultra-luxurious experience for just 228 guests (with 172 crew). The ship's Polar Class 6 rating enables it to sail to destinations like Antarctica. On these expedition-style voyages, the ship will carry only 200 guests and a total of 192 crew. All suite accommodations include a private veranda or terrace; butler service; state-of-the-art amenities; Egyptian cotton linens; and an in-suite minibar stocked with Champagne, wine and other personally selected beverages. You'll also find indulgences like onboard helicopters for intimate excursions and Scenic Neptune, an underwater submarine.

Guests can enjoy up to 10 dining experiences on the ship, including fine dining at Lumière. This elegant French restaurant seats just 35 guests and features a multicourse degustation menu and a Champagne bar. For a less formal option, check out the Asian, Indian and Middle Eastern specialties – and the intimate teppanyaki grill experience – at Night Market @ Koko's. When it's time for an after-dinner drink, sample one (or several) of 100-plus whiskeys available at Scenic Lounge Bar. Other onboard activities include taking a culinary class at Scenic Épicure, getting an invigorating treatment at Senses Spa, or just relaxing with spectacular sea views and Champagne on deck 10 at the Panorama Bar.

The line's second luxury yacht, Scenic Eclipse II, set sail on its inaugural voyage from Lisbon, Portugal , in mid-April 2023. The new ship is 550 feet in length and nearly identical to its sister ship, Scenic Eclipse. One addition to the vessel is the new Sky Deck. This space boasts 270-degree views, a bar with indoor and outdoor seating, and six private cabanas. What's more, the oval-shaped Sky Deck pool is the perfect place to kick back – and it's the place to be during the sail-away deck party, especially as the sun sets over the ocean.

Read: The Best Travel Insurance for Seniors and Retirees

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Regent Seven Seas Cruises

This cruise line has five luxury vessels in its fleet – with the sixth ship, Seven Seas Grandeur, set to launch in November 2023. The all-inclusive fares on Regent Seven Seas Cruises include perks like round-trip business class or coach airfare (depending on the destination); complimentary pre-cruise hotel stays; two- or three-night land packages; all meals and beverages; free shore excursions; and more. Seven Seas Splendor , christened in February 2020, is the line's newest vessel at sea. This elegant ship boasts 373 luxurious all-balcony suites and a ratio of 548 crew members to just 746 guests.

In the evenings, diners can choose between French cuisine at Chartreuse; creative Asian fare at Pacific Rim; aged steaks at Prime 7; Italian dishes at Sette Mari at La Veranda; or design-your-own-entree options at Compass Rose. For a casual evening, plan to dine alfresco at the Pool Grill. Adults can also enjoy pre-dinner cocktails in one of the lounges and nightly entertainment at the Constellation Theater. For a nightcap, sip a fine cognac in one of the ship's favorite hideaways, Connoisseur Club. There are also plenty of options for exercise, fitness and relaxation at Serene Spa & Wellness.

If you're planning a once-in-a-lifetime adventure on the high seas, consider booking the Regent Suite. Situated on deck 14 – and boasting more than 4,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor space – this luxurious accommodation features one of the largest balconies at sea with a Treesse minipool, in addition to two bedrooms and a private in-suite spa. Cruise fare for the suite also includes a long list of high-end amenities such as access to a private dining room called The Study, a personal car and driver in port, free in-suite spa services, a private butler, and more.

Explore Regent Seven Seas Cruises on GoToSea.

Silversea Cruises

Silversea's all-inclusive luxury ocean and expedition cruises offer voyages to more than 900 destinations across the seven continents. The line's 10 ultra-luxury ships and expedition vessels range in size from 51 to 364 suites and boast spacious ocean view accommodations – most with private verandas. Cruise fares cover door-to-door transfers from home to the ship, including airfare (business class in some destinations) and pre- and post-cruise hotel stays. On board, guests will have butler service, a nearly one-to-one ratio of guests to staff, 24-hour gourmet dining, premium alcoholic beverages, one complimentary shore excursion in each port, gratuities and more.

Silversea 's newest ship, Silver Nova, is set to debut in summer 2023. The luxury flagship of the line boasts an even more upscale guest experience in the suites with butler service for every accommodation, an impressive crew-to-guest ratio, more open spaces and top-notch cuisine. Silver Nova is also the first vessel in the fleet to be powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG) and is billed as a more sustainable cruise ship. Silver Nova will begin sailing in the Mediterranean before repositioning to the Caribbean and South America for the winter.

The second-newest ship in the fleet, Silver Endeavour, was regarded as one of the most luxurious expedition ships at sea when it launched in July 2022. With its Polar Class 6 rating, the ship visits the far ends of the Earth in the remote polar regions of Antarctica and the Arctic.

Endeavour's features include state-of-the-art technology for navigation and exploration – and what Silversea bills as industry-leading ratios of Zodiac boats and experts to guests. Passengers also enjoy luxurious amenities among the ship's eight public decks, from the various dining and drinking venues to a two-story solarium with a swimming pool and whirlpool tub; cruisers can also take advantage of indoor and outdoor observation areas and a spa. You'll receive Silversea's high level of service with just 200 guests and 200 crew, providing an immersive and personalized experience aboard.

Compare Silversea Cruises on GoToSea.

Seabourn Cruise Line

Seabourn also features an all-inclusive adult-focused experience on its five luxury ocean vessels and two expedition ships. The line's newest ship, Seabourn Venture, is an ultra-luxury Polar Class 6 purpose-built vessel with 132 ocean-front veranda suites. Seabourn Pursuit, the second expedition vessel, is scheduled to debut in fall 2023. The ships are equipped with two submarines for underwater exploration, kayaks and 24 Zodiacs. They will also each have a 24-person expedition team to explore far-reaching destinations like Antarctica, the Arctic and the Kimberley region of Australia, as well as places closer to home such as Iceland, South America and the British Isles.

Seabourn Ovation , the line's newest luxury cruise ship, accommodates up to 600 guests and offers amenities found on most of Seabourn 's ships: well-appointed oceanfront suites, living areas with dining tables, verandas, a nearly one-to-one staff-to-guest ratio and a Personal Suite Host to cater to your every need. World-class dining options are in partnership with renowned chef Thomas Keller, such as The Grill, Seabourn's signature restaurant. You'll also find health and wellness programs curated by Dr. Andrew Weil.

The "Seabourn Conversations" program is another highlight, where accomplished experts host adventures ashore, participate in meals and chat with guests on board the ship. For a special treat during your cruise, don't miss "Caviar in the Surf" beach party. This event in select destinations includes chilled Champagne, caviar, music and a barbecue set against the backdrop of white sand beaches and turquoise waters in beautiful locales around the world.

Book a Seabourn Cruise Line cruise on GoToSea.

Windstar Cruises

Windstar's six intimate ships offer two styles of yachting that accommodate between 148 and 342 guests. Passengers can choose between cruising on one of the line's three masted Wind Class vessels or one of its three Star Plus Class ships. Windstar's adult-focused and casual – but still elegant – onboard experiences feature locally inspired top-notch dining (in partnership with the James Beard Foundation), guest lecturers, a water sports platform on all the ships, an open bridge policy and an engaging social environment.

If you're looking for a romantic getaway , Windstar is also regarded as one of the most romantic cruise lines for a wedding, honeymoon , vow renewal or anniversary trip, especially in magical destinations like the South Pacific, Cinque Terre along Italy's Ligurian coast and Monte Carlo in Monaco . Windstar's smaller ships can reach small ports, coves, harbors and villages not accessible by larger vessels. They also offer more than 2,000 immersive cultural experiences in port, many with small groups. You'll find late evenings and overnights in the ports of call where you can experience the local culture and cuisine after dark.

New itineraries for 2023 and 2024 include Australia and New Zealand sailings as well as intensive voyages to the Holy Lands that explore Arabia and the Red Sea. You can also travel to the Central American coast or book a 10-day sailing from Copenhagen to Amsterdam. If the Middle East is on your must-see list, the 10-day Sparkling Sands & Cities of the Persian Gulf itinerary checks all the boxes with stops in the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Oman, Bahrain and other ports of call.

Read: Bucket List Cruises for Seniors and Retirees

Other Top Adults-Only Cruise Options

While these larger ships are kid-friendly – and offer activities for families and children of all ages – adults can also find hidden retreats and dining and bar venues just for grown-ups. These spaces are typically quieter and away from the crowds. If you're traveling with (or without) children on one of these lines, you'll want to know the adults-only venues to plan your afternoon or evening out – sans kids.

Celebrity Cruises

Celebrity Cruises offers spaces created with adults in mind. On Celebrity Beyond and the new Celebrity Ascent (debuting in December 2023), guests can have a unique adults-only dining experience at Le Voyage by Daniel Boulud. The world-renowned Global Culinary Ambassador for the line, Daniel Boulud, created the menu at this elegant venue, incorporating dishes inspired by his travels. You'll also find an impressive wine list to accompany your dining experience at the restaurant.

When it's time to relax, The Solarium is a popular adults-only area that's found on the Resort Deck of all Celebrity ships, including Celebrity Beyond and Celebrity Apex . This light-filled pool area encased by a glass dome is the perfect quiet space for reading a book or taking a nap. While there, you can also grab a light breakfast or lunch at the Spa Cafe and Juice Bar – or order your favorite adult beverage while lounging in the hot tub.

Other adult-focused venues to check out on Celebrity Beyond and Apex and are the new elevated bar spaces. The Edge series World Class Bar – a popular spot on other Celebrity ships – features craft cocktails in a beautiful setting. And don't miss the two-story Sunset Bar on Celebrity Beyond, reimagined by interior designer and TV personality Nate Berkus. The aft location of the bar offers almost twice the space as previous iterations – plus beautiful wake views.

Compare Celebrity Cruises on GoToSea.

Princess Cruises

The Sanctuary, an adults-only retreat (for ages 18 and older), offers cruisers an escape from bustling public spaces on your ship. The relaxing top-deck venue is available on all Princess Cruises ships and features plush lounge chairs, a spa-like setting and Serenity Stewards, who serve light bites, spa cuisine and other refreshments. To fully unwind, consider reserving a private cabana, where you can book an open-air massage. The child-free venue varies from ship to ship. On six ships – Sky Princess , Majestic Princess , Regal Princess , Royal Princess , Enchanted Princess and Discovery Princess – adults can also enjoy an exclusive Retreat pool, cabanas and bar area. On the newer vessels – Discovery Princess, Enchanted Princess and Sky Princess – The Sanctuary also offers an expanded space with more cabanas.

If you're heading off the ship for an excursion to Princess Cays (the cruise line's private island in the Bahamas), plan to chill out for the day in an adults-only Sanctuary Bungalow. Located just minutes from the ocean and beach, the rentals accommodate four people, and the price includes two complimentary float rentals. You can also order a gourmet picnic to enjoy while lounging on shore.

Back on the ship, adults can reserve a spot for the line's new Winemaker Dinners in partnership with Napa Valley's Caymus Vineyards. These special evenings are offered fleetwide, two to three times during each cruise, for just 12 guests in the Crown Grill specialty restaurant. Winemaker Chuck Wagner personally selected the wines from the notable Napa Valley winery to pair with the elevated five-course menu.

Explore Princess Cruises deals on GoToSea.

Carnival Cruise Line

Located on all of Carnival Cruise Line 's cruise ships , Serenity Adult-Only Retreat is a tranquil oasis hidden away from bustling venues and family-friendly areas. Access to the space is complimentary for passengers 21 and older; while there, guests can enjoy relaxing loungers, daybeds and whirlpools. Take in the warm sun and ocean breeze with a signature sangria in hand, or stop for a healthy meal at Fresh Creations Salad outlet (available on select ships) for an alfresco lunch. Passengers can make the most of some alone time with a quick nap and a good book – or simply kick back and relax before heading back into the high-energy environment elsewhere on the ship.

Book a Carnival Cruise Line cruise on GoToSea.

Disney Cruise Line

Though Disney Cruise Line tends to attract families and younger travelers, it also offers multiple spaces and activities for adults 18 and older. Disney's newest ship, Disney Wish , even boasts several adults-only luxurious venues featuring characters and scenes from "Beauty and the Beast."

For top-notch steaks, contemporary Italian cuisine and panoramic ocean views, make a reservation at the Cogsworth-inspired Palo Steakhouse. If you prefer French-style fare and world-class wines served in an elegant and shimmering setting (think Lumiere), Enchanté by three-Michelin-starred chef Arnaud Lallement is the perfect place for a romantic dinner for two. Before dinner at either venue, enjoy a signature cocktail at The Rose. After dinner, you won't want to miss the galactic libations and ever-changing views of faraway galaxies at the adults-only Star Wars: Hyperspace Lounge bar.

Depending on the ship, adult travelers can also dance the night away in a trendy club, watch live entertainment or a cabaret show, catch a sports game on satellite TV, or relax with an after-dinner cocktail at a bar or lounge. Outdoors, Quiet Cove Pool is a tranquil place to relax on all the ships. For even more pampering, Senses Spa & Salon boasts treatment rooms with ocean views, luxurious spa villas and other amenities. On Castaway Cay, Disney Cruise Line 's private island, adults can head to Serenity Bay – a scenic, adults-only stretch of the beach.

Find a Disney Cruise Line deal on GoToSea.

Norwegian Cruise Line

Norwegian Cruise Line has three adults-only outdoor venues for guests 18 and older (though specific spaces vary by ship). The venues feature ocean views, bars, plush seating and other amenities. On Norwegian 's Bliss , Joy , Escape , Getaway and Breakaway ships, the Vibe Beach Club sun deck invites guests to relax in oversized hot tubs and enjoy perks like a full-service bar and chilled towels. Norwegian Encore , one of the line's newest ships, boasts an impressive two-level beach club. On Norwegian Prima and soon-to-launch Norwegian Viva, an elevated beach club experience includes the line's first infinity hot tubs. You can purchase a multiday pass in advance for Vibe Beach Club, and cabana rentals are available for more privacy.

At Norwegian Epic 's Posh Beach Club, complimentary perks include fruit skewers, cold water spritzers and a snack menu. Single- or multiday passes are available to all adult cruisers, while travelers who book a Haven suite can access Posh Beach Club for free. Spice H2O is another adults-only venue on the Norwegian Bliss, Joy, Escape, Getaway, Breakaway, Epic, Star and Spirit vessels; access is complimentary. At night, the space becomes an open-air dance club where you can spend the evening partying under the stars.

Compare Norwegian Cruise Line cruises on GoToSea.

Royal Caribbean International

Solarium is Royal Caribbean International 's complimentary, child-free space open to guests 16 and older. Located at the front of every ship in the fleet, this indoor-outdoor oasis (or indoors-only on Quantum Class ships) offers impressive vistas and endless views of the sea. Thanks to a full glass canopy over the interior space, adult passengers can enjoy quiet lounging areas, swimming pools and whirlpool tubs with a view, no matter the weather. On top of that, select ships feature a cascading lagoon for further relaxation. Be sure to grab a tropical cocktail or zero-proof drink at Solarium Bar (or Sunshine Bar, on Quantum ships) to sip poolside while enjoying the ocean vistas.

Find a Royal Caribbean cruise on GoToSea.

FAQ Module : Travel - Top Adults-Only Cruises FAQs

Why Trust U.S. News Travel

Gwen Pratesi has been an avid cruiser since her early 20s. She has sailed on nearly every type of cruise ship built, including the newest megaships, luxury yachts, classic paddlewheels, and an 18-stateroom ship on the Mekong River in Vietnam and Cambodia. Most recently, she traveled on a small luxury expedition vessel in Antarctica and crossed the notorious Drake Passage twice. She covers the travel and culinary industries, specializing in cruises, for major publications including U.S. News & World Report.

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Six adults, drinking and laughing, at the Serenity Adult-Only Retreat on Carnival Cruise Line's Mardi Gras

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  2. Your guide to the newest P&O Cruises ship Arvia, including Caribbean

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  5. P&O Cruises in the Caribbean

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  6. 5 Things You Didn’t Know About P&O Cruises

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COMMENTS

  1. Caribbean Cruise Holidays 2024, 2025 & 2026

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    And with P&O Cruises you can relax knowing your flights and transfers are included in the price of your holiday. Another option is to set sail from Southampton to explore the idyllic islands and blissful beaches of the Caribbean, along with the Azores and the southeast coast of the US on selected holidays, on an epic round trip.

  5. P&O Caribbean Cruises

    If you're considering a P&O Caribbean cruise, you've up to four ships to choose from. Two offer fly-cruises, including the line's newest ship, Arvia.The 5,200-passenger ship, a sister to Iona ...

  6. Arvia Caribbean Cruise Holiday Destinations

    Visit the Caribbean's most idyllic islands on Arvia. Arvia's itineraries let you explore eight of the region's idyllic islands: Antigua, Barbados, Curaçao, Dominican Republic (a maiden call), Martinique, St Kitts, St Lucia and St Maarten. Each has its own personality and charm.

  7. P&O Caribbean Cruise Reviews (2024 UPDATED): Ratings of P&O Cruises to

    P&O Caribbean Cruises: Read 934 P&O Caribbean cruise reviews. Find great deals, tips and tricks on Cruise Critic to help plan your cruise.

  8. Caribbean Fly-Cruise Holidays 2024, 2025 & 2026

    Caribbean Fly-Cruise Highlights. Our fly-cruises to the Caribbean offer a cocktail of discovery and charm but with heaps of relaxation to boot. We visit more destinations and see more sides of the Caribbean islands than you'd ever normally get the chance to experience - taking you to as many as nine different islands in just two weeks.

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  11. P&O Arvia Caribbean Cruise Review: Details & Opinions on our Cruise on

    One final thought about P&O Arvia, and the feature that really makes the ship work so well and the holiday so enjoyable, is the on-board staff and crew. The sense you get is that the 1,800 members of the crew have an extremely demanding job with an intense schedule in difficult, extremely busy working conditions.

  12. P&O Cruise Reviews (2024 UPDATED): Ratings of P&O Cruises

    1 - 10 of 3,865 P&O Cruise Reviews. Not up to P & O old standards. Review for a Europe - Western Mediterranean Cruise on Iona. Theoldboy. 6-10 Cruises • Age 60s. Read More. Sail Date: February ...

  13. P&O Cruises vs. Royal Caribbean U.K.

    P&O Cruises offers more inclusions than Royal Caribbean. Gratuities are included, though for a P&O all-inclusive cruise you'll need to add a drinks and dining package to your P&O Cruises ...

  14. Caribbean Cruises

    Caribbean fly-cruises Exploring the islands of the Caribbean on a P&O Cruises holiday really taps into the region's variety. Visiting as many as nine different destinations in two weeks, you need unpack only once. And besides beach bliss, there's plenty to discover, from historical forts and tropical gardens to volcanic peaks and lush rainforests.

  15. Your guide to the newest P&O Cruises ship Arvia, including Caribbean

    The new Caribbean itineraries will also feature La Romana in the Dominican Republic - a maiden port of call for P&O Cruises; Curaçao; Martinique; St Kitts; St Lucia and St Maarten. Arvia's seven and 14-night fly/cruises from the UK also all include an overnight call in Barbados. 22-night holidays departing from or returning to Southampton ...

  16. P&O Cruises

    14d Caribbean (from St.Lucia to St. Vincent, adding Curacao, Aruba, and Grenada). (2021-2022) In April 2021, P&O Britannia offers 4 itineraries (Northern European City Escape, Southern Cruise Break, Short Break, Spain and Portugal). The summer 2021 season in in Western Mediterranean (May-October), prior to the Caribbean season (winter 2021-2022).

  17. Shore Experiences

    Safe travels: Guests are able to go ashore independently but must adhere to the specific COVID-19 protocols in each destination. However, as restrictions in each destination are changeable, and some destinations may only allow cruise line organised experiences ashore, we highly recommend you purchase your shore experiences prior to travel to ensure you always have the option to explore each ...

  18. Your guide to sailing the Caribbean with P&O Cruises

    The ultimate guide to cruising the Caribbean with P&O Cruises on board their flagship Britannia and popular family-friendly ship, Azura. Enjoy a FREE John Lewis Gift Card worth up to £500 when you book by 8pm 29th February 2024 T&C's Apply. Request a call back . Call 08082394989.

  19. Caribbean Cruise on Britannia: Honest Review With P&O Cruises

    At least that's what you get a Caribbean cruise with P&O Cruises, together with gorgeous sunshine, crystal clear waters, wildlife and rum punch. If you are cruising in 2023 please check my advice and Covid Checklist here. In my view it's also the best way to see as many destinations as possible in the Caribbean on a reasonable budget.

  20. P&O Cruises: 8 best Caribbean cruise holidays 2023, 2024 & 2025

    Across 2023, 2024 and 2025 P&O Cruises - available to book via travel agent Bolsover Cruise Club - have an exciting array of Caribbean cruises to choose from, whether you want to sail the tropical islands on a fly cruise or take a transatlantic voyage from the UK.

  21. P&O Cruises unveils Arvia's Caribbean shore excursions

    P&O Cruises unveils Arvia's Caribbean shore excursions. Arvia will offer a range of brand-new shore excursions in the Caribbean which are not available on any other ship in the fleet. Arvia will set sail for its maiden season of seven and 14-night fly/cruises from the UK to the Caribbean on January 6, 2023. During the season, the vessel will ...

  22. 7 HUGE Differences Between P&O Cruises and Royal Caribbean

    Cruises with P&O are a little more traditional than Royal Caribbean with a higher focus on dress codes and formal dining. Having said that, some of P&O's newer ships are less formal and more family-orientated. P&O's newest ships, Iona and Arvia are less traditional and more family-friendly than some of the older ships in the fleet.

  23. The Best Time to Visit Aruba: A Month-by-Month Guide

    Cruise line choices include Carnival, MSC, Princess, P&O and Marella. Weather in Aruba in March : The temperatures inch another degree higher, but the steady ocean breezes keep things comfortable ...

  24. The 4 Best Adult-Only Caribbean Cruises

    P&O Cruises This UK-based company's Aurora and Arcadia ships are adult-only ships. If you want a hefty dose of the Caribbean, set sail on the Aurora from Southampton for a 24-night adventure.

  25. The best cruises to book in 2024 to the Caribbean, Spain & Norwegian

    Where can you go on a cruise next year? P&O Cruises serves almost all the cruise bucket list-worthy destinations.. Here are the best destinations to visit in 2024: Caribbean: Cruise travellers of all kinds are drawn to it due to its magnificent beaches, tropical climate, and various ocean-based activities.. Mediterranean: Thanks to the rich variety of cultures, historical landmarks, and range ...

  26. 16 Top Adults-Only Cruises for 2024

    P&O Cruises Two ships in P&O Cruises' U.K.-based fleet - Arcadia and Aurora - are exclusively for adults 18 and older. Arcadia, the slightly newer of the two ships since it debuted in 2005 ...

  27. Five destinations for swimming and snorkelling

    1. Bonaire. The Caribbean island of Bonaire has been a pioneer of sustainability since it launched a national parks foundation in 1962, and the island's efforts to protect its biodiversity over the years can be seen in its rich marine life. The reefs in Bonaire are close to the shoreline, meaning the kind of underwater landscapes normally reserved for scuba divers are accessible to snorkellers.

  28. P&O Cruises President Addresses Airline Partner Change

    P&O Cruises' 5,200-guest Arvia is an Excellence-class ship that entered service in March 2023, and was christened in Barbados, which became her seasonal homeport. The ship operates 7-day cruises ...