P&O Cruises is the British domestic cruise line, sailing predominantly from Southampton with a fleet of seven ships, and it is a genuinely different product from the American mass-market lines rather than a British-branded version of one. The practical consequences for an American traveller are that fares are priced in sterling, the onboard currency and tipping conventions follow British rather than American norms, the passenger mix is overwhelmingly British, and most itineraries begin with a flight to England rather than a drive to Florida. Two of its ships, Arcadia and Aurora, are adults-only. It is not the same company as P&O Ferries, and since 2003 it has not been the same company as P&O Cruises Australia.
P&O Cruises is the British domestic cruise line — seven ships, almost all of them sailing from Southampton, priced in sterling and filled overwhelmingly with British passengers. For an American reader that is the whole story in one sentence, and it makes P&O either exactly what you want or entirely the wrong booking. Very little in between.
What “British cruising” actually means on board
The passenger mix is the product. This is not a line with a British theme; it is a line whose guests are British, whose entertainment references are British, and whose staff expect British conventions. If you have ever wanted to holiday somewhere genuinely foreign to you while still speaking the language, this is a remarkably efficient way to do it.
The rhythm is different. Afternoon tea is a fixture rather than a novelty. Dress codes on formal nights are observed more seriously than on the American mass-market lines. The bars fill up earlier and empty later. None of this is better or worse — it is simply not what a Carnival or Royal Caribbean regular is calibrated for.
Sterling, and everything that follows. Fares, onboard accounts and gratuity conventions all run in pounds. Your exchange rate becomes part of the price of the holiday, and it moves. That is a real consideration for an American booker and it is almost never mentioned in coverage aimed at one.
You will need a flight to England. Most itineraries begin at Southampton, roughly ninety minutes from London. That converts a cruise into a cruise plus a transatlantic trip — which is wonderful if you were going to London anyway and an expensive detour if you were not.
The seven ships, and the split that matters
P&O operates seven ships: Arvia, Iona, Britannia, Azura, Ventura, Arcadia and Aurora. The useful division is not by age but by who is allowed on board.
Arcadia and Aurora are adults-only. The two smaller, more traditional ships in the fleet, and the reason a chunk of P&O’s loyal following is loyal. If a child-free ship is what you are after, these two are the point of the line — and note how unusual that is, since almost every other operator offers adult areas on family ships rather than adult ships. Our adults-only cruising guide explains why that distinction changes the holiday more than people expect.
Iona and Arvia are the big family ships. The two newest and largest, built for the modern British family market, with the waterparks and the multi-storey atria that implies.
Britannia, Azura and Ventura sit in the middle — family ships of an earlier generation, and generally the best-value end of the fleet.
Two things people confuse P&O with
P&O Cruises is not P&O Ferries. Entirely separate companies sharing a historic name and nothing else. This trips up a genuinely surprising number of first-time bookers, and the search results do not help.
P&O Cruises is not P&O Cruises Australia, which operated separately for the Australian market and no longer exists as a distinct brand. If you find an itinerary that looks like it belongs to a different line, it probably did.
And P&O is not Cunard or Princess, although they share a corporate parent. That shared ownership leads people to assume a shared product and it is not one — different fleets, different fares, different cultures. If what appeals to you is the British feel at a higher tier, Cunard is the line you actually want, and Queen Mary 2 will take you to Southampton without a flight. If what appeals is the itinerary rather than the Britishness, Princess covers similar ground for an American audience.
Should an American book P&O
Yes, if the point is the experience of a British holiday, if you are already travelling to the UK or Europe, or if Arcadia or Aurora’s adults-only proposition is what you have been looking for and could not find at home.
No, if you are comparing it with a Caribbean week from Florida on price. Add the transatlantic flights and the exchange rate and it stops being a fair comparison — you are buying a different holiday that happens to also be on a ship.
And not for a first cruise, unless you are British. Learn what you like about cruising on a line that is calibrated for you, then come to P&O deliberately. Our first-time cruise guide and the full cruise lines directory are the better starting points.
The itineraries are the underrated part of the case. Sailing from Southampton puts Norway, the Baltic, Iceland and the Canaries within reach of a round trip with no flight at either end — which is exactly the convenience an American cruiser gets from Florida and never gets in Europe. If you were already going to fly to the UK, P&O turns that flight into the only one the holiday needs.
One practical caution. Because the market is domestic, school-holiday weeks are pronounced and the fleet’s family ships fill accordingly. British school terms do not line up with American ones, so a week that looks quiet on paper may not be. Worth checking against the calendar rather than assuming.
Common questions
Is P&O Cruises the same as Princess or Cunard?
They share a corporate parent but are run as separate brands with separate fleets, fares and cultures. Booking P&O expecting Princess is a mistake; the ships, the currency and the passenger mix all differ.
Can Americans sail with P&O Cruises?
Yes, with no restriction. What to plan for is the practical side: sterling pricing, a Southampton embarkation that usually requires a transatlantic flight, and being in a clear minority on board.
Which P&O ships are adults-only?
Arcadia and Aurora, the two smaller and more traditional ships in the fleet. The rest carry families.
How many ships does P&O Cruises have?
Seven: Arvia, Iona, Britannia, Azura, Ventura, Arcadia and Aurora. Iona and Arvia are the two largest and newest.
Is P&O Cruises the same as P&O Ferries?
No. They are entirely separate companies that share a historic name and nothing else. This confuses a surprising number of first-time bookers.
P&O is one of the few lines where the answer really is a straight yes or no rather than a matter of degree. If the Britishness is the appeal, nothing else replicates it. If it is incidental, almost everything else is easier to reach and cheaper to get to.
We book British and European sailings as readily as Caribbean ones, and we will tell you honestly when a P&O itinerary is not worth the flights. Tell us what you are after and we will point you at the right line, ours or otherwise.