However, their dining option features more aside from their delectable dishes. Stay on a holiday getaway while top celebrity chefs Marco Pierre White, Gary Rhodes, and Atul Kochhar serve you the topmost dishes of all times. Regardless of what kind of food you crave, these three highly acclaimed chefs will surely have something to satisfy all tastes.

Having your meals prepared and cooked by such marvellous chefs while on board feels like luxury.

Gary Rhodes’ continued pursuit and dedication for perfection has brought him to the top of the culinary world. He gives diners high-quality meals and serves up dishes like Roast Beef with Foie Gras and Morel Mushroom Madeira sauce and Asparagus and Lambs Lettuce salad. Marco’s specialty is simple yet classic Italian dishes; this has given him the title of ‘Godfather of Modern Cooking’ and the youngest Briton chef to be awarded three Michelin stars. Last but certainly not least is Atul Kochhar, who has signed a deal with P&O cruises to bring on board his culinary skills to the company’s newest super liner, Azura.

P&O’s market strategies have inspired cruise lines across the country bring other outstanding chefs to put up restaurants on their ships. Plan ahead and spend your next vacation on board as these cooks serve you the greatest dishes on earth!

The itineraries vary, depending on the cruise and port being visited. The time of docking frequently varies and the range of excursions on offer will be advertised in the programme provided. You may go ashore whenever you choose, so you must check on the time indicated on the itinerary in order to ensure you are not late for a particular excursion.

P&O cruises offer full and half-day excursions, half-day cost between £20 and £40, while a full day is usually between £50 and £90, depending on the itinerary.

Some of the great shore excursions offered by P&O include a tour of Barcelona’s highlights, a trip around luscious St. Lucia in the Caribbean and a cultural and artistic journey around Florence and Pisa. If you are looking for a great adventure, P&O can offer a great helicopter ride in Monaco, a Ferrari experience in the Italian countryside or a glacier trek in Olden. You can also go kayaking in the Aurland Fjord, explore Costa Blanca in a 4×4 jeep or snorkel in the blue waters of Antigua.

If you’re into the Lonely Planet backpack type of adventure, you can always explore cities on your own. P&O offer city and beach transfers, where you are dropped in a safe place and picked up later, at a specified time. This is available in ports like Rotterdam for Amsterdam, Civitavecchia for Rome or Piraeus for Athens.

Once you have decided on the excursions you wish to take, you make a booking with P&O, a shore excursion confirmation will be given to you and the tickets are handed over once you’re on board. If you want to book independently, port guides are available in staterooms.

Early in January 2010, the P&O cruise ship, Arcadia, will set off from Southampton on a round the world cruise, returning on the 15th April. There is little doubt that this has to be one of the most desirable of all cruises, but for those passengers without the time or more probably the money, to make the whole journey, P&O have broken it down into segments. This option makes it possible for a wider cross section of cruise enthusiasts to at least experience a flavour of the Arcadia’s epic journey. It also provides passengers with a choice of destinations from the entire itinerary.

Whether your idea of paradise is to walk along a palm fringed beach on a remote Pacific island or to experience the excitement of Hong Kong from the comfort of your own floating luxury hotel moored in the harbour, there is guaranteed to be something to suit even the most demanding passenger.

Usually cruise holidays of this nature would be beyond most budgets, but with companies struggling with the global credit crunch and general financial malaise, discounts and offers are plentiful. By booking early, it is possible to receive a 45 % discount and there are various offers for cruise and stay holidays. Coupled with the opportunity to arrange your own flight transfers and hotel accommodation on the journey to and from Arcadia, even more savings are possible.

P&O Cruises is the largest ship operator supplying the cruising needs of the British market. The ships cruise from Southampton, and several of the cruises are fourteen nights in duration. On the other hand, every year its ships provide a host of quick mini-breaks of between two to seven nights. The ships — the Artemis, Oriana, and Aurora – also take long cruises of 80 to over 100 nights annually, and some of their ships sail around the world.

P&O Cruises’ guests could choose from a wide selection of vessels, of which each one is distinct from the rest; there are ships that are innovative and contemporary in design like the Oceania and Arcadia, as well as traditionally-themed vessels like Oriana, Aurora, and Artemis.

The guests of P&O Cruises would surely experience fun and elegant cruising because of its fine dining and mouth-watering dishes offered on the buffet tables, excellent service of the crew as well as ample facilities that cater to the needs of guests of all ages. Included in the extravagant amenities that come along with the cruise are the spacious and well-equipped rooms, swimming pools, nightclub, gym, health and wellness spa, as well as a beauty and hair salon. P&O Cruises simply provides an amazing cruise that leads to astonishing memories.

The P & O Cruises programme highlights a wide selection of cruises to the Caribbean; Baltic, Mediterranean, Norwegian fjords, Atlantic Isles, the United States and Mexico. If guests delight in the hustle and bustle of diverse cities, P & O Cruises can take them on a once in a lifetime experience of an exhilarating mixture of arts, architecture, and cultures. Guests can sip a cup of coffee while sitting at a café in exciting cities like mediaeval Dubrovnik, New York, St. Petersburg, Venice, or Reykjavik. All of these wonderful cities and more await P & O Cruises’ guests.

Verdant isles and silken beaches are the usual idea of a perfect holiday getaway; P&O Cruises offers these types of fabulous holiday destinations exclusively for its guests. From Southampton, guests can cruise all the way to the sunshine of the Atlantic Isles, then to cactus gardens and volcanic craters, until they reach the swaying palms and azure waters of the Caribbean.

Every cruise on P & O Cruises provides a unique insight into the places that the guests visit. From the ancient glaciers and snow-capped mountains, to the isolated fishing villages and contrasting busy capital cities, cruising through several of the most breathtaking and dramatic places in the world is a truly wonderful experience. Indeed, P & O Cruises provide unbeatable cruising packages that guests of all ages can enjoy and will remember forever.

Full information concerning the visa requirements should be obtained from the Foreign Office, or your consular department and your passport should have 6 months reaming on it at the end of your cruise or home airport if you are on a fly-drive cruise.  If you are a British or Irish citizen and that includes children and infants, you must have your own full 10 year passport, 5 years for children. Please note that Irish infants up to age 3 are issued with a 3 year passport. It is no longer possible for children to be included on their parent’s passport. Please remember that it can take up to 6 weeks for a passport to be issued, much longer in busy periods.

P & O liners depart from Southampton. Over one hundred and twenty cruise ships sail from the UK’s premier cruise port and there are plenty of holidays to choose from. If Southampton is not convenient, P & O has chartered departures from London Gatwick and Manchester for all their Caribbean fly-cruises, as well as a range of regional airports, such as Glasgow, Edinburgh and Cardiff for select cruises.

Once aboard, you will be charmed by the thorough professionalism of the staff. From turning down your bed every evening to a special welcome pack for children, you will be made to feel as if you are well taken care of. In fact, the cruises start to feel like a home away from home. 

If you are of the opinion that food makes the world go round, you will not be disappointed by the culinary offerings of P & O Cruises. From classic Italian fare by Marco Pierre White, the ‘godfather of modern cooking’ with three Michelin stars, to modern British cuisine by Gary Rhodes to intimate dining on your private balcony under a starry sky, dining aboard a P & O cruise will titillate your aesthetic senses as well as your taste buds.

Holistic spa therapies, yoga and tai-chi are only a few of the fitness opportunities that you will get aboard a P & O cruise ship. Entertainment ranges from comedy acts to cabaret and even panel-discussions.

Diverse and enjoyable while remaining warmly intimate, a holiday aboard a P & O cruise ship is a truly wonderful experience.

P & O cruises offers getaways to the Caribbean and even to the Mediterranean. If you want a relaxing getaway, check out their Caribbean cruise that specializes in water fun and beautiful sandy beaches. However, if you want to see historic landmarks and some of the world’s most beautiful sites, consider Barcelona and Rome. Each cruise features the finest restaurants, entertainment, and spa facilities so that you don’t even have to leave the ship to feel pampered and be entertained. They even have special packages catering to families with children and honeymoon getaways. Whether it’s your first cruise or your tenth, P & O Cruises will have the right trip for you. Embarking on one of these trips is like living one of your wildest dreams. Check out their pre-planned packages or have one customised to fit your needs. You will have the freedom to choose every detail, from how long you travel, to what sites to see along the way. This way, the cruise is tailored exactly to your needs and wishes. You can’t go wrong with such a personalised experience. P & O Cruises is definitely the way to go if you’re ready to set sail and see the world.