p o cruises ships

P&O Cruises Ships by Size, Age and Class (2022)

P&O Cruises has an active fleet of seven ships currently. They plan to launch a further ship in late 2022 ( Arvia ).

The fleet is primarily based in Southampton but during certain periods of the year they homeport in the Caribbean or perform World Cruises.

Introduction to P&O Cruises

P&O Cruises is a British cruise line and part of the biggest cruise company – Carnival Corporation. They are based in Southampton and were originally a subsidiary of the shipping company, P&O.

In 1977 they split from the parent company, along with sister line P&O Cruises Australia to form P&O Cruises.

P&O Cruises is one of the oldest cruise lines in the world, dating back to 1837 – which is even before Cunard Line .

This guide will help you work out which P&O Cruises’ ship is which!

P&O Cruises Frequently Asked Questions

Which p&o ships are adults only.

Both  Arcadia  and  Aurora  are adult-only ships in the P&O Cruises fleet.

Which P&O Ship is the best?

This would depend on the type of cruise you wish to have and the region.  Britannia ,  Azura  and  Ventura  are very popular family ships. Whereas  Iona  caters for families too but specialises in Norwegian / Northern Europe cruises – which are usually for the more mature passenger.

What ships have P&O sold?

P&O Cruises have sold three ships in the last five years.  Adonia  was sold in 2018,  Oriana  was sold in 2019 and  Oceana  was sold in 2020.

Which is the biggest P&O Ship?

The biggest P&O Cruise ship to date is  Iona , she can carry over 5,200 passengers and is also the longest ship in the fleet at 344 metres.

Which is the smallest P&O Ship?

Currently,   Aurora  is the smallest ship in the P&O Cruises fleet at 270 metres long and carrying 1,950 passengers.

Are P&O Ferries the same as P&O Cruises?

No! They are totally different companies (only sharing the same name!) Back in 1977 P&O Cruises separated from its parent company P&O Shipping.

They are now two totally different entities, with Carnival Corporation owning P&O Cruises.

P&O Cruises Ships by Size (from largest to smallest)

What does ‘tonnage (grt)’ mean.

GRT (Gross Registered Tonnage) is a term used to calculate the volume inside a ship. It is a measure of cubic capacity and is calculated by the total volume from inside the hull and decks of the ship. 1 GRT = 100 cubic feet of space. In essence, the bigger the GRT – the more ‘space’ the ship has for passengers, cargo, etc.

How are ‘Passengers (Max)’ calculated?

You’ll see multiple numbers for passengers on ships – this is because many ships include extra beds in cabins (such as the sofa/couch can convert to a pull-out bed) – but the majority of cabins usually have 2 people in them. the ‘Max’ number is if every cabin used their additional pull-out bed, etc. This number is unlikely to be reached very frequently.

P&O Cruises Ships by Age (from newest to oldest)

Are all p&o cruises ships new builds.

Yes, although almost all P&O Cruises’ ships are sister ships ‘in class’ with other ships from other Carnival brands.

Examples of this are:

• Britannia (Royal-class – like Royal Princess )
• Ventura/Azura (Grand-class – like Diamond Princess )
• Arcadia (Vista-class – like Queen Victoria )

P&O Cruises Ships by Class (from newest to oldest)

Final thoughts.

When it comes to picking one of the P&O Cruises’ fleet to cruise on – you have a wealth of choices between adult-only and family-friendly ships with some in-between too!

New to the fleet flagship, Iona has proved very popular with UK cruisers and when her sister, Arvia sets sail in late 2022 cruisers will have even more choice of cruises from Southampton on P&O Cruises .

Enjoyed this article? Check out our other guides on MSC Cruises , Royal Caribbean and Holland America Line .

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P&O Cruises

P&o cruises fleet location ships, imo numbers, mmsi, webcams.

Where is the current position of P&O Cruises Fleet presently?

About P&O Cruises

P&O Cruises has stood for British cruise tradition for over 180 years. The shipping company has 8 ships with a capacity between 1,874 and 3,647 passengers and is at home on all the world’s oceans. The company, which is part of the Carnival Group, offers a traditional deep-sea experience with English flair. The new flagship Britannia (3,600 guests) joined the fleet in spring 2015.

In May 2020, the Iona (5,200 passengers), the largest ship in the company’s history, will follow. It will be operated with liquid gas, as will another newbuilding, which is planned for 2022.

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• Pacific Explorer®

Pacific Explorer®

Something for everyone.

See why we love Pacific Explorer®. Whiz down waterslides by day, enjoy great restaurants, bars and edgy stage shows at night. There’s something for every member of the family.

When it comes to dining, you are spoilt for choice with our range of everyday dining venues including Modern Australian fare at WaterFront and Italian dining at Angelos. Treat yourself to something special at Luke's, our amazing celebrity chef restaurant in partnership with Luke Mangan. Enjoy a mouth-watering signature burger at lunch or a delicious 3 course la carte dinner with the sunset.  For a more casual bite-to-eat, enjoy a delicious pizza at P&O Trattoria or try some exotic Asian fusion flavours at Dragon Lady. The world is your oyster when you dine at sea with P&O.

P&O’s stylish yet relaxed modern Australian interior designs make Pacific Explorer the perfect place to holiday.

We can’t wait to welcome you onboard.

Disclaimer: Onboard offerings are subject to change. Charges apply for some activities, venues and menu items. 400 Gradi to be replaced by P&O Trattoria from September 2023.

What did Hughesy get up to?

Check out some Dave Hughes adventures onboard Pacific Explorer. Plus, stay tuned for more exclusive Hughsey moments.

Onboard Activities

Get splashy and ride our Disco Diver and Super Slider Waterslides as many times as you like, splash out in our interactive waterparks or take a dip in one of the pools or spas.

Challenge your mates or family to a friendly game of Barefoot Bowls. Go on, just roll with it!

Choose your Adventure with P&O Edge. The P&O Edge Adventure Park is your ticket to action and excitement. Try Rock Climbing, The Flying Fox, Walk the Plank and more. Plus there's a special program designed just for kids.

Head to the Arcade and test your skills with the latest video games.

The Bonded Store

In partnership with Archie Rose Distilling Co.

Sit, swill and savour the finest liquors at warm and inviting The Bonded Store. Set your tastebuds free in this glamorous speakeasy as our mixologists serve up fantastic cocktails. Or get inspired during a gin or whisky masterclass.

Black Circus

Enjoy new levels of entertainment with exclusive dinner and show packages and a glamorous cabaret style show, Purple Rabbit . A five-star evening of mischief, magic and mind-blowing mayhem.

Hit the dance floor and cut some shapes to some funky live tunes in the Blue Room. You’ll catch some home grown live acts every night.

Stage Shows - It's Showtime!

All of our original stage shows are developed and choreographed by a leading Australian production company exclusively for P&O Australia audiences, so you can’t see them anywhere else. With an exciting program of shows to choose from, you’ll want to catch them all.

Find your new local

Try a range of delicious craft and small batch beers at the cosy pub atmosphere of Explorer Hotel. We recommend you visit all of our inviting bars and pubs. You’ll find your favourite in no time.

Sit back and relax while Luke Mangan takes care of the menu. Enjoy a casual yet mouth-watering burger for lunch or a delicious three course dinner with the sunset.

*Charges apply

P&O Trattoria

PIZZA & ITALIAN

Foodies rejoice! P&O Trattoria wil be your new favourite place to eat, serving rustic, home-style Italian fare and delicious freshly-cooked pizza. Buon appetito!

Complimentary Dining

When it comes to dining, you are spoilt for choice with our range of everyday dining venues. Dine a la carte at Waterfront, or if you after something more casual, choose from some deliciously different outlets at The Pantry, our food-court style restaurant.

Upcoming Cruises on Pacific Explorer

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The Trophy Case

Not to brag, but we've kind of cleaned up lately thanks to cruisers like you.

2018 Cruise Critic AU Editors’ Pick Award Best Ship Refurbishment for Pacific Aria

2018 Cruise Passenger Reader's Choice Award Best Contemporary Cruise Line (third year in a row) Best for Kids

Readers Digest Trusted Brands 2018 Gold Award - Cruise Operator category

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P&O Cruises' Britannia sets sail after extensive refurbishment

P&O Cruises UK 's flagship Britannia left from Southampton on April 21st following an extensive multimillion drydock refurbishment .

The company recently announced that Britannia will be featured in its travel agent ship visit schedule, offering 3 opportunities for visits.

Completed earlier this month, the refurb prepares the vessel for its upcoming 10th-anniversary celebration cruise on June 6, 2025.

The upgrades encompass various areas of the ship, including public spaces, all staterooms, as well as an extension of the loyalty desk and cruise sales area. Additionally, enhancements have been made to the Market Cafe, and a substantial investment has been allocated for crew areas. The children's splash area has been revamped with interactive water features. Furthermore, the capacity of the Sunset Bar has been increased with extra seating, incorporating design elements from P&O UK's newest ships ( Iona and Arvia ).

Paul Ludlow (the company's President and CEO) said Britannia was their flagship, and with her 10th anniversary celebration cruise next summer they knew the importance of ensuring the vessel looked "its absolute best to deliver an elevated experience" for their new and loyal guests.

The best adults-only cruises to try if you can’t stand being around kids on vacation

What are the best adults-only cruises — the ones that not only ban kids but cater to grown-up tastes and interests?

You may be asking because you just spent time on a megaship where the kids took over the pools and hot tubs (not to mention the elevators), much to your chagrin. Or, you might be looking for a vacation with more lectures and less limbo, or perhaps a cruise that skews more R-rated than G.

The list of cruises for adults only is, alas, very short. Only a handful of cruise lines ban children from their ships and promise cruises for grown-ups — perhaps the most notable being cruise newcomer Virgin Voyages and fast-growing Viking .

The trend in recent years in cruising is, in fact, more family-focused, with more kids appearing on ships of all types. Indeed, some of the biggest, best-known cruise brands have gone full-bore after the family market , to the extent that the sun-soaked top decks of their ships sometimes can feel more like a scene out of "Daddy Day Care" than a blissful vacation retreat.

For more cruise guides, tips and news, sign up for TPG's cruise newsletter .

Don't despair, though. Even as many lines double down on the family market, a small group of cruise operators remains all-in on the idea of adult-only cruises.

Here are our picks for the best adults-only cruise lines, with a grown-up vibe to boot.

Related: A beginners guide to picking a cruise line

Virgin Voyages

The much-ballyhooed new line from Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Group has banned children under the age of 18 from its ships. It's part of an effort to create a hipper, more-sophisticated, adult-focused vibe that company leaders think is sorely lacking in the cruise world.

"We have done a ton of research really trying to create a sophisticated experience," Virgin Voyages CEO Tom McAlpin said in the days before the line's 2021 debut . "I've done some personal research. We found that when you put kids in the pool, they scream, and we don't want that."

Related: I've been on more than 150 cruise ships. Here's what I thought of Scarlet Lady

Virgin Voyages' first three adults-only cruise ships, the 2,770-passenger Scarlet Lady and sister vessels Valiant Lady and Resilient Lady , cater to grown-ups looking for a decidedly adult sort of fun with such offerings as interactive dance parties and a drag queen performance. It also offers a karaoke lounge with pink-and-purple karaoke rooms and a tattoo parlor (read about how one of our staffers was among the first to get inked on board ).

What you won't find on the three ships (a fourth is due later this year) are waterslides, watery splash zones, teen lounges and all the other family-friendly features that are becoming so common on bigger ships.

To create an adults-only cruise experience, Virgin Voyages took a page from fast-growing Viking 's playbook. Viking's 12-ship ocean cruise division has banned children under the age of 18 since it debuted in 2015. In addition, its 80-ship river cruise division has had a minimum age limit for more than two decades. (Initially, the cut-off was age 12; as of 2019, that jumped to 18, too.)

Not that Virgin and Viking are anything alike. Virgin is designed to appeal to millennials and older travelers who want to party like they are millennials. Viking, by contrast, is the anti-millennial line.

Viking's target market is squarely in the 55-plus bracket. It zeroes in on that demographic with an upscale, destination-focused experience that is heavy on what the industry likes to call "enrichment" — onboard lectures and other learning opportunities. It also emphasizes tours focused on history and culture (with at least one free excursion in each port) and entertainment offerings that veer more toward string quartets than dancers in string bikinis.

"What we're looking to do is try not to be everything for everyone," Viking's executive vice president of marketing, Richard Marnell, told TPG. "We do not have a kids' program. What we have is . . . [an] immersive experience that is best suited for people that are intellectually curious."

P&O Cruises

This storied British line clearly sees the demand for adults-only cruise ships, but it isn't giving up on the family market, either. The line splits the difference between the two segments. Five of its seven vessels (Arvia, Iona, Britannia, Ventura and Azura) are marketed as "family-friendly" and open to passengers of all ages. The other two (Arcadia and Aurora) are reserved exclusively for adults.

Given that more than 95% of the Southampton, England-based cruise line's passengers are British, you'll probably want to be either British yourself or a major Anglophile to consider booking one of the latter two vessels. Sailing with P&O Cruises is a very British experience, something that becomes clear the moment you see its vessels. They feature hulls painted with massive Union Jacks.

In addition, you'll find quintessentially British offerings on board P&O Cruises ships, such as elaborate afternoon teas, quoits on the top deck and restaurant menus designed by chefs big in the United Kingdom, such as Marco Pierre White.

That said, if you're a Princess Cruises fan, you might feel right at home on a P&O Cruises ship. Nestled under the same corporate umbrella, the two brands are longtime sisters that have swapped ships back and forth (though Holland America fans might be interested to know that Arcadia actually shares a ship design with that line's Vista class).

For booking purposes, P&O Cruises considers anyone who will be 18 or older when sailing an adult.

Saga Cruises

Like P&O Cruises, Saga Cruises is a British line that has honed in on the business of offering voyages just for adults. But it goes way beyond what P&O Cruises or any other line does in shunning younger travelers. The minimum age at Saga Cruises isn't 18 or even 21 — it's 50.

That's right — you won't find a single millennial or even that many Generation Xers on board a Saga Cruises ship (at 58, even the oldest members of Generation X only make the cut-off by eight years). You will find a heck of a lot of baby boomers, many of them retired.

Saga Cruises operates just two ocean vessels, sailing exclusively out of the U.K., plus several river ships. Like P&O Cruises, it's a product that is probably best for British travelers or big-time Anglophiles.

Other adult-focused cruises

In addition to lines that ban passengers under the age of 18 outright, a number of cruise operators allow young children but get relatively few of them.

Examples include such upscale lines as Regent Seven Seas Cruises , Silversea Cruises and Seabourn , which cater heavily to an older crowd. Small-ship specialist Windstar Cruises allows tweens and teenagers on its six ships, but it doesn't allow any children under the age of 8.

Scenic Luxury Cruises & Tours, which sells both ocean and river cruises, traditionally discourages customers from bringing passengers under the age of 12 on vessels except during Christmas holiday sailings.

Also, the longer the cruise, the fewer children you will find. Book a two-plus-week sailing to a more exotic location, like Asia or South America, during the school year on a line like Holland America or Princess, and you'll share the ship predominantly with adults.

Planning a cruise? Start with these stories:

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• A beginners guide to picking a cruise line
• The 8 worst cabin locations on any cruise ship
• The ultimate guide to what to pack for a cruise
• A quick guide to the most popular cruise lines
• 21 tips and tricks that will make your cruise go smoothly
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Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.