History
As the inventors of cruising in 1837, P&O Cruises has had 170 years to perfect the art of pampering passengers at sea.
Based in Southampton and offering seagoing holidays tailored to British passengers and others keen to indulge in classic ocean cruising, P&O Cruises is the leading cruise line in the UK, with six ships accommodating more than 12,000 passengers sailing to more than 200 destinations around the world each year
In Australia, P&O Cruises’ big white UK-based ships, with their trademark corn-coloured funnels, are famous for their annual world voyages that bring at least two of the fleet’s ships to our shores each summer. Australians have been jumping onboard stately P&O Cruises’ superliners during their globetrotting journeys for decades, by sailing the full circumnavigation, joining a line voyage between the UK and Australia or sampling a short sector in the Pacific or Asia.
British businessman Arthur Anderson established what was to become the Peninsula and Oriental (P&O) Steam Navigation Company in 1837 to carry mail and occasionally passengers to the Iberian Peninsula in Spain and Portugal and also Egypt, later extending its services to Asia. Well-to-do passengers seeking to avoid the tropical sun on these non air-conditioned voyages would pay a premium for cabins on the port side out to Asia and starboard side home back to England. ‘Port out, starboard home’ became ‘POSH’, an acronym that was to become synonymous with P&O Cruises.
The first dedicated round-trip pleasure cruises were offered in 1904 aboard the first-class only ‘cruising yacht’, Vectis, which left Southampton for destinations in Scandinavia, the Baltic and the Mediterranean. Between the two world wars, cruises became more popular, with P&O introducing tourist class cruises and also voyages to and from Australia in the 1930s. Liners such as the Himalaya, Oronsay, Orcades, Orsova, Strathaird, Canberra and the original Oriana and Arcadia carried forward P&O’s rich and illustrious shipping reputation. Canberra also served as a troop ship in the Falkands War in 1982.
P&O Cruises played a major role in carrying ‘Ten Pound Poms’ to Australia as part of the assisted passage scheme created by the Australian Government to provide labour for the country’s growing post-war economy. For many migrants, their voyage with P&O was the first time they had left Britain, let alone travelled on a luxury ocean liner.
P&O Cruises linked with the US-based Princess Cruises in 1974 when it abolished passenger classes aboard its ships and subsequently bought Sitmar Cruises in 1988. The success of pleasure cruises from Australia led to the formation of a separate division of P&O Cruises in Australia.
P&O Cruises in the UK embarked on an exciting new era in 1995 when the first liner custom-built for the British cruise market, the new Oriana, was launched by the Queen. Oriana’s sweeping lines, muted elegance and superliner size attracted tens of thousands of people to the shores of Sydney Harbour when she made her maiden visit here in 1996. Meanwhile, the British cruise boom led to P&O Cruises introducing larger liners to its fleet, with the largest ship ever built for the UK market, the 116,000-tonne megaliner Ventura, launched in 2008. Her sister ship, Azura, will be launched in 2010.
Today, P&O Cruises’ UK fleet offers a range of cruise experiences from the classic style of the elegant Oriana and Aurora through to contemporary and innovative feel of Arcadia and Oceana. From the small, intimate child-free Artemis through to the largest P&O Cruises’ ship ever built, the 116,000-tonne Ventura, the cruise line promises something for everyone.
Together, P&O Cruises’ UK-based ships personify the line’s unmatched history for service, elegance and style. The fleet offers cruises to Europe, Scandinavia, the Baltic, the Caribbean and Mexico as well as the line’s renowned three-month world voyages. The onboard currency is pounds sterling.
P&O Cruises is part of Carnival Corporation (NYSE: CCL and CUK), one of the largest vacation companies in the world.
P&O Cruises’ UK fleet
| NAME | ENTERED SERVICE | GROSS TONNAGE | PASSENGERS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ventura | 2008 | 116,000 | 3100 |
| Arcadia | 2005 | 83,781 | 1950 |
| Oceana | 2000, joined P&O Cruises UK in 2002 | 77,500 | 1950 |
| Aurora | 2000 | 76,000 | 1900 |
| Oriana | 1995 | 69,000 | 1800 |
| Artemis | 1984, joined P&O Cruises UK in 2005 | 44,350 | 1200 |
| Azura | To be launched 2010 | 116,000 | 3100 |
Also in this Section
See the Ships
View Earlier EventsThursday 12 February
From 7am – Arcadia will make her way into Fremantle Harbour. She will dock at the Fremantle Passenger Terminal at 8am before departing at 6pm.
Monday 16 February
6.00am – Oriana will make her way into Sydney Harbour. She will dock at the Overseas Passenger Terminal in Circular Quay at 7am before departing at midnight.
From 7am – Arcadia will sail towards Outer Harbour, docking at 8am. She will remain in Adelaide until 6pm.
Wednesday 18 February
From 4.30am – Arcadia arrives into Port Phillip before docking at Station Pier at 8am before departing at 6pm.
From 7am – Oriana sails into Brisbane River, docking at Portside Wharf at 8am where she remains for the day. Oriana will depart Brisbane at 6pm.
Friday 20 February
6.00pm – Arcadia will arrive in Sydney Harbour, docking at the Overseas Passenger Terminal at 7.00pm. Arcadia will remain in Sydney over night, departing on Saturday 21 February at midnight. Please note: there will be no fireworks display as part of the visit.
Monday 23 February
From 7.30am – Arcadia sails into Brisbane River to dock at the Fisherman Island Wharf. Arcadia will remain in Brisbane for the day, departing at 6am.
Friday 27 February
From 7am – Aurora makes her way into the Brisbane River, docking at 8am. She will then depart Brisbane at 6pm.
Sunday 1 March
From 6.30am – Aurora will make her way into Sydney Harbour, anchoring at Point Piper Buoy at 7.00am then berth at the Overseas Passenger Terminal at 9.00pm. She will remain in Sydney overnight, departing on Monday 2 March at 6pm.