Topic: Fly-cruise first for P&O

It's official... P&O Cruises will be offering fly-cruises to the Med in 2011.

Official press release:

P&O Cruises is offering its largest ever cruise programme next year, including fly-cruise holidays to the Mediterranean on new small ship Adonia joining the fleet in May 2011 and the first full year of cruising for 3,100 passenger ship Azura.

For the first time, family friendly ship Oceana will offer cruises from Southampton throughout the winter (October to April), to the Western and Eastern Mediterranean, Atlantic Islands and the Caribbean and USA.

Holidays in the P&O Cruises 2011/12 brochure can be booked from Tuesday April 27, 2010.

P&O Cruises, managing director, Carol Marlow, said: “P&O Cruises offers the British cruiser the greatest amount of choice tailored to their needs, with more departures, more ports of call, more choice of ships and more holiday durations suited to them than any other line. This is our biggest ever programme launch, with 156 cruise holidays to 270 destinations in 90 countries. More people will spend more time with us next year than ever before.”

“The introduction of Mediterranean fly-cruising is an exciting step forward for P&O Cruises, and one that we know will make many of our existing passengers very happy. We listen to our customers and always try to give them what they want.

“At the same time, we hope this will attract new customers who have previously chosen a holiday in a Mediterranean resort.”

Adonia will join the P&O Cruises fleet in May 2011, and will offer ex- Southampton cruises between May and October , from seven to 26 nights in duration to the Mediterranean and Northern Europe featuring some smaller and off the beaten track ports of call as well as the must see destinations. These itineraries will also feature overnight calls in Athens and St. Petersburg, as well as a round Britain cruise.

In October, Adonia will reposition to the Mediterranean and offer six open-jaw Central and Eastern Mediterranean fly-cruises, departing from Savona, Athens, Trieste and Naples. Itinerary highlights include a Christmas and New Year cruise to the Holy Land.

Prices on Adonia start from £1,924* for the 16 night Western Mediterranean maiden cruise from Southampton in May 2011, and £1,399 cruise only, for a 14 night Central Mediterranean holiday from Trieste to Athens in December 2011. A holiday package add-on including flights is available for £99.

“We are also thrilled to be introducing a number of new ports of call to our itineraries this year, as well as a number not visited since the days of P&O Cruises Victoria. Our cruise holidays combine an eclectic mix of destinations and on shore experiences to offer passengers the chance to get to know the places they visit,” continued Marlow.

New ports of call featured in the 2011/12 brochure are:
Bourgas, Bulgaria (Adonia)
Flekkefjord, Norway (Adonia)
Foynes, Ireland (Adonia)
Jersey, UK (Adonia)
Koper, Slovenia (Adonia, Oriana)
Liverpool, UK (Arcadia)
Sassnitz, Germany (Adonia)
Savona, Italy (Adonia)
Zadar, Croatia (Adonia)

There are also 20 ports of call featured that have not been visited for several years, including Oporto in Portugal, being visited by Oceana, Arcadia, Aurora and Oriana; Patmos and Samos in Greece, Tangiers in Morocco and Trieste in Italy, all featuring on Adonia’s itineraries.

Cruises will also feature ‘Spotlight’ – a new programme of daytime events for passengers wanting to learn a skill, develop their knowledge or find hobbies. Talks and interactive workshops will be offered on subjects as such as history, current affairs, the natural world, dance, art and gastronomy. All are delivered by experts in their field, some including familiar TV personalities.

Early bird savings are available for bookings made by 30 June 2010, subject to availability. Double savings are offered on balcony cabins and above, with savings up to £800 per couple for a 14 night cruise, and also on all cabin grades on 20 ‘Seasonal Savers’ cruise holidays.

Free car parking is available on all cruises from Southampton of seven nights or more, and on board spending money of between £50 and £250 per cabin is available on cruises of four nights or more.

Other highlights of the brochure are:

Azura
Cruising to the Central and Western Mediterranean, Baltic, Norwegian Fjords, Iceland, Western Europe and Caribbean
Sailing 17 ex-UK cruises from April 2011 to October 2011 and 11 Caribbean fly cruises from October 2011 to March 2012
Cruises range from a four night cruise break to Azura’s inaugural 15 night Icelandic cruise
Overnight calls in Venice and St. Petersburg
Prices starting from £599 for a seven night cruise break in April 2011

Oceana
Cruising to the Eastern and Western Mediterranean, Norwegian Fjords, Atlantic Islands, Western Europe, Caribbean and USA
Sailing 31 ex-UK cruises from March 2011 to March 2012
Cruises range from a two night party cruise to a 24 night Eastern Mediterranean cruise
New ports of call – Ashdod and Haifa, Israel, and Oporto, Portugal
First time offering year-round cruises from the UK
Prices starting from £199 for a two night party cruise in May, September or October 2011 and £1,099 for a 14 night Mediterranean cruise in April or November 2011

Arcadia
Cruising to the Eastern, Western and Central Mediterranean, round Britain, Baltic, Canada and USA, Alaska, Caribbean and Atlantic Islands
Sailing 13 ex-UK cruises from March 2011 to January 2012
Cruises range from a 13 night round Britain cruise to a 72 night Grand Alaska Adventure
Eight new sectors available on the Grand Alaska Adventure, ranging from 10 to 28 nights
New Ports of call - Liverpool and Oporto, Portugal
Overnight calls in San Francisco, New York, Quebec and St. Petersburg
Prices starting from £1,049 for a 12 night Atlantic Islands cruise in November 2011 and £1,149 for a 14 night Western Mediterranean cruise in April 2011
Oriana
Cruising to the Western and Central Mediterranean, Baltic, Caribbean, Western Europe and Atlantic Islands
Sailing 20 ex-UK cruises from March 2011 to January 2012
Cruises range from a two night party cruise to 34 night Caribbean cruise, roundtrip from Southampton
New ports of call - Koper, Slovenia, Oporto, Portugal, Ravenna and Salerno, Italy
Overnight calls in New Orleans, Venice and St. Petersburg
Prices starting from £199 for a two night party cruise in June or December 2011, and £3,049 for a 34 night ex-Southampton no-fly Caribbean cruise in September 2011

Aurora
Cruising to the Western and Central Mediterranean, Atlantic Islands, Black Sea, Baltic, Norwegian Fjords, Greenland, Caribbean, Canada and USA
Sailing 16 ex-UK cruises from April 2011 to January 2012
Cruises range from a two night party cruise to a 24-night Canada & New England cruise, roundtrip from Southampton
New Ports of call – Catania, Italy, and Oporto, Portugal
Overnight calls in New York, Quebec and St. Petersburg
Prices starting from £199 for a two night party cruise in November 2011 and £2,299 for a 21 night Black Sea cruise in August 2011

Ventura
Cruising to the Western and Central Mediterranean, Norwegian Fjords, Atlantic Islands, Caribbean and Western Europe
Sailing 21 ex-UK cruises from March 2011 to October 2011 and 11 Caribbean fly cruises from October 2011 to March 2012
Cruises range from a two night party cruise to a 17 night Central Mediterranean cruise
Overnight call in Venice
Prices starting from £599 for a seven night cruise break in April 2011 and £1,199 for a 14 night Caribbean fly-cruise in December 2011

Marlow continued: “Our recent research shows us that our passengers particularly love the way we tailor everything to their British needs; the way we actually celebrate being on a ship, with the officers and crew making this a real nautical experience, as only we can due to our long heritage. They also love the way that a cruise with us is a special occasion that they will remember for a long time to come.

“And of course, this is the ‘P&O’ness’ that they will experience whichever of our fleet of seven modern and stylish ships they travel on – from small and elegant, Adonia, exclusively for adults, to vast, fun and family friendly superliner Ventura.”

Shame they aren't offering family fly cruises but at least they're trying!

QUOTE:

Shame they aren't offering family fly cruises but at least they're trying!

Well they do to the Caribbean in winter but maybe you wanted some in the Med in summer?
Brian

QUOTE:

Well they do to the Caribbean in winter but maybe you wanted some in the Med in summer?
Brian

Indeed, wasn't mighty struck by the Caribbean pretty but boring!

Great idea but as you say Shelled Pea, what a pity it is an Adults only choice at present. For me personally I would be delighted to jump on a short flight to say Barcelona rather than spend three days at sea in home waters, which are sometimes most inhospitable! (Having said that, the Bay of Biscay has never been very kind to me!) Then there is the weather - one wouldn't have a three day wait for sunshine!
It would be simple for us to fly direct from Scotland and we would arrive at the port many hours earlier than we would arrive at the south coast by car! When I do 'fly cruising' I must admit to a small amount of panic about luggage (it happened to a friend of mine on a Christmas cruise and her luggage only caught up on 2nd January!)

As English cruisers who live in Spain, I am delighted to here that P.O. will be having cruises departing from Barcelona ( wish they were going from Malaga). I have only been on P.O.Ventura once on a fly cruise from Barbados, which we enjoyed the englishness of thecruise line, but I just do not fancy leaving from England, with a possible 3 days of rough seas just to get to the Med. I wish they would do pick ups from here in Malaga, as MSC cruises do. Can anyone tell me why they don't do it more, especially if ships are not completely full from home port departure. Carol

Thinking & hoping to do a 7day cruise in the Med taking in ports in Italy so we can visit Rome Sept 2011. We were told Thomsons or M.S.C were our best bet as they did fly/cruise, but if P&O are going to start doing them so much the better. Will have to compare prices but preferred a British ship.

QUOTE:

Thinking & hoping to do a 7day cruise in the Med taking in ports in Italy so we can visit Rome Sept 2011. We were told Thomsons or M.S.C were our best bet as they did fly/cruise, but if P&O are going to start doing them so much the better. Will have to compare prices but preferred a British ship.

You can fly to any cruise ship/cruise line anywhere in the world, it doesn't have to be a 'set piece' in a brochure. Choose your cruise, choose your flights and away you go.

All my cruises over the last 12 years have been fly cruises but they didn't come out of a brochure, that way the choice is endless.

If you don't fancy the DIY route get a good cruise agent to do it for you........Wilba

QUOTE:

As English cruisers who live in Spain, I am delighted to here that P.O. will be having cruises departing from Barcelona ( wish they were going from Malaga). Carol

I have not seen where any of the newly announced P&O cruises are departing from Barcelona. The only fly cruises are on Adonia departing from Savona, Athens, Trieste and Naples on an open jaw itinery, i.e. departing from one port and finishing in a different port.
Brian

QUOTE:

Great idea but as you say Shelled Pea, what a pity it is an Adults only choice at present. For me personally I would be delighted to jump on a short flight to say Barcelona rather than spend three days at sea in home waters, which are sometimes most inhospitable! (Having said that, the Bay of Biscay has never been very kind to me!) Then there is the weather - one wouldn't have a three day wait for sunshine!
It would be simple for us to fly direct from Scotland and we would arrive at the port many hours earlier than we would arrive at the south coast by car! When I do 'fly cruising' I must admit to a small amount of panic about luggage (it happened to a friend of mine on a Christmas cruise and her luggage only caught up on 2nd January!)

I don't particular want fly cruises if I can help it! Although the weather in home waters and the Bay of Biscay can be dodgy even in summer, and we have to wait three days to get to the sun, I love being at sea full stop! I don't really care where I go, the longer I spend actually at sea the better. So far we have experienced force 10 gales on several occasions - twice to and from Spitzbergen and once actually in the Adriatic!!! And I loved every minute of it!