- Headquarters
- Southampton, United Kingdom
- Founded
- 1837 (as P&O); 1977 (cruises division spun out)
- Fleet
- 7 ocean-going ships (2026)
- Loyalty
- The Peninsular Club
P&O Cruises is the British-market flagship of Carnival Corporation and the UK's largest cruise line by capacity. Headquartered in Southampton and priced entirely in sterling, it operates seven ocean-going ships split between family-oriented flagships (Iona, Arvia, Britannia, Ventura, Azura) and two adults-only classics (Aurora, Arcadia) — a structural fleet split unique in the mainstream market.
About P&O Cruises
P&O Cruises traces its lineage to 1837 and the Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company — the oldest continuously operating cruise brand in the world. The modern cruise business was reorganised out of the P&O group in 1977, floated as P&O Princess Cruises plc in 2000, and became part of Carnival Corporation on the 2003 dual-listed merger.
The line's core proposition is Britishness: sterling pricing (no dollar exchange exposure), Southampton departures (no long-haul flights), UK plug sockets, three-pin kettles, British food and service standards, and an onboard product tuned to a UK guest mix rather than a US or European one. For domestic cruisers this removes several of the friction points that come with booking a US-based line.
The fleet operates two distinct sub-brands within one line. Iona, Arvia, Britannia, Ventura, and Azura are family-oriented flagships with children's clubs, Cirque-style headline entertainment, and multiple pools. Aurora and Arcadia are adults-only (18+) and sit at the smaller, more traditional end of the fleet — the closest thing P&O offers to a Cunard-style classic voyage experience.
Fleet
7 published ship profiles — more coverage rolling out.
Launched 2020
Iona
P&O's first LNG-powered flagship — a Norwegian Fjords and Northern Europe specialist sailing exclusively from Southampton.
Launched 2022
Arvia
P&O's Caribbean-tuned Excel-class sister — SkyDome, Altitude Skywalk rope course, and P&O's most complete fly-cruise product from Barbados.
Launched 2015
Britannia
P&O's modern national flagship — the ship named by the Queen and the platform that repositioned the brand as a genuine large-ship operator.
Launched 2008
Ventura
P&O's original modern family flagship — refurbished mid-life and still one of the fleet's core round-Britain family ships.
Launched 2010
Azura
Ventura's sister — refurbished, family-oriented, and P&O's second Caribbean fly-cruise ship alongside Arvia.
Launched 2005
Arcadia
P&O's adults-only mid-size flagship — the fleet's dedicated long-haul and world-voyage ship.
Launched 2000
Aurora
The smallest and most classic ship in the P&O fleet — adults-only, port-intensive, and the closest thing to a traditional ocean liner in modern British cruising.
Ship Classes
Compare the P&O Cruises fleet at a glance — classes, ship highlights, and who each is best suited to.
Showing 5 of 5 classes
| Class | Introduced | Tonnage | Capacity | Ships | Highlight | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Excel Class | 2020 | 184,700 GT | 5,206 (max), 4,300–5,200 (double occupancy) | Iona, Arvia | LNG-powered flagships with SkyDome — the largest ships in the British-market fleet. | FlagshipSkyDomeFly-free Southampton |
| Britannia Class | 2015 | 143,730 GT | 4,372 (max), 3,647 (double occupancy) | Britannia | The ship named by HM Queen Elizabeth II — modern P&O's signature large ship. | Modern flagshipNamed by the QueenBalanced |
| Grand Class | 2008 | 115,000 – 116,000 GT | 3,500–3,600 (max) | Ventura, Azura | Refurbished family flagships — round-Britain summer, Caribbean fly-cruise winter. | Family valueRound-BritainCaribbean fly-cruise |
| Vista Class | 2005 | 83,781 GT | 2,388 (max), 2,016 (double occupancy) | Arcadia | Adults-only mid-size — the fleet's world-voyage and long-haul flagship. | Adults-onlyWorld voyagesMid-size |
| Sun Class | 2000 | 76,152 GT | 1,950 (max), 1,874 (double occupancy) | Aurora | The smallest and most classic ship in the fleet — adults-only, traditional, world-cruise flagship. | Adults-onlyTraditionalWorld cruise |
Class · 2020
Excel Class
P&O's LNG-powered flagship class — the largest ships in the fleet and the platform on which the modern British cruise experience is being built.
Class · 2015
Britannia Class
P&O's single-ship modern flagship class — the vessel that repositioned the brand as a genuine large-ship operator ahead of the Excel-class newbuilds.
Class · 2008
Grand Class
P&O's mid-2000s family flagships — large enough to carry the full family product, small enough to reach ports the Excel and Britannia classes cannot.
Class · 2005
Vista Class
An adults-only mid-size classic — Arcadia sails as the more traditional flagship of P&O's 18+ sub-fleet.
Class · 2000
Sun Class
The smallest and most classic ship in the P&O fleet — adults-only, port-intensive, and the closest thing to a traditional ocean liner voyage in the modern fleet.
Onboard Experiences
Suite enclaves, fare tiers, and signature onboard products.
Fare tiers
Loyalty Programme — The Peninsular Club
The Peninsular Club is P&O's five-tier loyalty programme (Pacific, Atlantic, Mediterranean, Ligurian, Caribbean, Baltic) earned on nights cruised. Status is retained for four years from the last qualifying sailing — one of the more generous retention windows in the industry.
Meaningful benefits kick in from Atlantic (welcome drinks, loyalty magazine) and scale to complimentary internet minutes, priority embarkation, and onboard-spend discounts at the top tiers. For frequent P&O cruisers the programme repays itself quickly; for guests choosing between P&O and Cunard, note that status matching between the two Carnival-UK brands is permitted at booking.
Destinations
P&O's core deployment is round-Britain — Mediterranean, Norwegian Fjords, Iceland, Baltic, and Canary Islands programmes all leaving direct from Southampton. This fly-cruise-free model is the line's structural advantage in the UK market and the reason its cost-per-day figures often beat competing fly-cruise itineraries once flights are added in.
For Caribbean and long-haul programmes P&O deploys Britannia and Azura as winter fly-cruise ships from Barbados, with charter-flight packages included in the booking. Ventura and Aurora also run Grand Voyage-style world sectors most winters.