- Launched
- May 2000
- Gross tonnage
- 76,152 GT
- Passengers
- 1,950 (max), 1,874 (double occupancy)
- Crew
- 850
- Length
- 270 m
- Home port
- Southampton
Aurora entered service in May 2000, named by HRH The Princess Royal, and is the smallest and oldest ship in the current P&O fleet. She operates as the second of the line's two adults-only ships and is the fleet's traditionalist flagship.
Aurora is deliberately old-school. Two-tier main dining room, resident dance orchestra, formal Black Tie evenings, and a strong British-repeat guest base give her a fundamentally different onboard atmosphere from the modern flagships. There are no children on board.
Deployment mixes round-Britain summer programmes with the ship's annual world cruise — one of the highest-profile British-market circumnavigations and consistently one of P&O's fastest-selling itineraries. She is also the fleet's most likely ship for one-off niche sailings — Iceland circumnavigations, Baltic deep-dives, and Norwegian Fjord specialty programmes.
For guests who want a smaller, quieter, more traditional cruise — closer to Cunard's Queen Victoria than to Iona — Aurora is the correct choice within the P&O fleet.
Highlights
Adults-only (18+)
No children on board — the more traditional of P&O's two adults-only ships.
Traditional product
Two-tier main dining, resident dance orchestra, formal Black Tie evenings, extensive lecture programme.
Annual world cruise
One of the most heavily booked British-market circumnavigations of the year.
Named by The Princess Royal
Royally named in 2000 and named a second time (after refit) in 2018 — a rare double naming.
Also in P&O Cruises
Other ships in the fleet
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.
Available on this ship
Onboard experiences
Cruise line
Explore the brand
P&O Cruises
The UK-sourced British-market leader — Southampton-departing, sterling-priced, and split between family flagships and adults-only classics.
Carnival Corporation & plc (parent group)
Carnival Corporation is the world's largest cruise operator by fleet and passenger volume, parent of nine cruise brands spanning contemporary to ultra-luxury — including Carnival, Princess, Holland America, Cunard, Costa, AIDA, Seabourn, and Britain's P&O Cruises.
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