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P&O Cruises releases 2025/26 cruise collection with new Dubai shore excursions

P&O Cruises  has released its new collection of voyages for winter 2025/26 featuring new ports of call and itineraries, along with more extended stays in port to experience more of the activities and culture in a destination.

In winter 2025/2026, P&O Cruises will return to 12 ports for the first time in five or more years. These include cities such as Los Angeles, Melbourne, Bali, as well as awe-inspiring Bodø in Norway and Dunedin in New Zealand. 

P&O Cruises will be releasing the full range of itineraries on October 18th, and cruises booked before December 4th, 2023 will also include a 10% saving, a 10% deposit offer, and a further 5% saving for members of the cruise line’s loyalty programme Peninsular Club.

Although P&O Cruises will not be homeporting in Dubai again, as it did prior to the pandemic, the cruise line will be returning to Dubai with a port call on Arcadia’s 2026 World Cruise.

In January 2026, for the first time in nine years, Arcadia will embark on a 100-night Eastern Circumnavigation World Cruise calling at 28 destinations including Dubai, Singapore, Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney, Dunedin, Auckland, San Francisco and Los Angeles. 

Departing from and returning to Southampton, ports of call are Seville (from Cádiz), Valletta, transit Suez Canal, Sharm el Sheikh, Muscat, Dubai, Colombo, Penang, Kuala Lumpur (from Port Kelang), Singapore, Bali, Perth (from Fremantle), Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney, Dunedin, Wellington, Napier, Auckland, Tauranga, Lautoka, Fijie, Suva, Fiji, cross international date line, Honolulu, Oahu, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Manzanillo, transit Panama Canal, Curaçao, Barbados, Ponta Delgada and Azores. 

Prices start from £9,599 per person, and in Dubai P&O Cruises will be offering a new shore excursion called “Arabian desert morning safari”. The experience includes an adrenalin-filled 4×4 ride through scenic dunes to an Arabian Desert Campsite, where guests will receive a traditional welcome with ‘Gahwa’, Arabic coffee and local dates. 

While there, they can also try sand boarding, enjoy a camel ride, meet the UAE’s national bird, the falcon, and relax with a Shisha and delicious Arabian breakfast.

New  cruise  itineraries for the 2025/26 season

• Britannia will offer new Caribbean fly-cruise holidays in winter 2025/26. The two exciting new itineraries feature calls in Jamaica, Dominican Republic and Grand Turk. Ports of call are Barbados, Grenada, Curaçao, Aruba, Ocho Rios, Jamaica, Grand Turk, Tortola and Dominica. Prices start from £1,399 per person (B528).  
• In December 2025, Aurora will go on an extended 14-night northern lights cruise to search for the natural phenomenon, as well as calling at medieval towns set against spectacular landscapes. Departing from and returning to Southampton, ports of call are Åndalsnes, Bodø, Narvik, Tromsø and Haugesund. Prices start from £1,199 per person (R522).
• In January 2026, Aurora will embark on a 75-night Grand Tour around South America, adding 10 additional days compared to previous years to explore the continent, including returning to São Paulo (from Santos) for the first time in 10 years. Departing from and returning to Southampton, ports of call are Gran Canaria, St Vincent, Recife, Salvador, Búzios, Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo (from Santos), Montevideo, Port Stanley, Punta Arenas, Santiago (from San Antonio), Coquimbo, Arica, Lima (from Callao), Manta, Fuerte Amador, transit Panama Canal, Cartagena, Aruba, Grenada, Barbados, St Lucia, Antigua, St Maarten, Ponta Delgada and Azores. Prices start from £6,249 per person (R601).
• In December 2025 Arcadia will go on a special Christmas markets cruise with overnight calls to Hamburg, Copenhagen, Oslo and Amsterdam. Departing from and returning to Southampton, ports of call are Hamburg Copenhagen, Oslo and Amsterdam. Prices start from £1,149 per person (J520).
• Azura will visit maiden port of call, Tangier, Morocco on its Canary Islands fly-cruise itinerary. Departing from Valetta, Malta, ports of call are Cartagena, Tangier, Lanzarote and Tenerife. Prices start from £579 per person (A539).
• P&O Cruises newest ship Arvia will continue with its popular 14-night Caribbean fly-cruise itinerary from Barbados or Antigua. Iona will continue to offer guests a programme of Spain, Portugal and Canary Islands holidays.

All prices quoted are for the Early Saver fare type and based on an inside cabin.

Other example shore experiences in ports

Singapore – Gardens by the Bay

• Gardens by the Bay spans over 250 acres and boasts more than 250,000 rare plants, housed in giant domed conservatories. Guests will be able to explore the Flower Dome and the mist-veiled Cloud Forest, home to the world’s tallest indoor waterfall and plant life from the tropical highlands. Guests will also be able to walk along the 22-metre-high Skyway suspended from the iconic Supertrees.

Adelaide – Barossa Valley Wine & Scenery

• Guests will travel into the heart of Australia’s important wine producing region to enjoy wine tasting and gourmet food at The South Australian Company Store. Located in a refurbished historic army barracks, guests will be able to sample gourmet cheese, dried fruit, crusty bread, olive balsamic and chutney paired with matching wines. 

Melbourne – Wildlife & Wineries

• Guests can soak up the stunning scenery of the Dandenong Ranges, en route to the Healesville Wildlife Sanctuary which is home to over 200 native species, including platypus, wombats and koalas. Later, at the Rochford Winery guests can also sample award-winning premium wines, along with a delicious lunch.

Sydney – Sydney Harbour Bridge Evening Climb

• A qualified guide will lead a small group to the summit of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. At the top of the bridge, guests will be able to take in the evening lights of Sydney Harbour before descending to celebrate their experience at a local pub to enjoy a beer, wine or soft drink.

Los Angeles – Sights of Hollywood

• Setting off by coach, guests will explore some of the most eclectic areas of the city, including downtown LA and trendy bohemian Echo Park. Arriving in Hollywood at the Dolby Theatre, guests will be able to visit Hollywood’s Walk of Fame before exploring the residential areas of Beverly Hills. While there, guests will pass by the mansions of the rich and famous, as well as the world-famous Rodeo Drive, housing the Beverly Wilshire Hotel that featured in ‘Pretty Woman’.

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Categories: Middle East Cruise News , Cruise Destinations , News

Tagged as: Arcadia , Dubai , Middle East , P&O Cruises

Published by Shaun Ebelthite

Founder and editor of Cruise Arabia & Africa. I try to create the best news and information specifically for cruise passengers taking cruises to and from Dubai (where I live) and South Africa (where I was born). You can contact me at shaun(at)cruisearabiaonline.com. View all posts by Shaun Ebelthite

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Dubai and Arabian Gulf Cruises

By bee-ess , May 1, 2018 in P&O Cruises ( UK )

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We are thinking of booking a Dubai and Arabian Gulf Cruise with P&O for Feb 2019 and have a couple of questions for anyone that has one already booked.

Which airline is used for the flights and are the flights day time or overnight.

Would we need any visa's for UAE, Bahrain or Oman

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HomelessBear

We’ve got this cruise booked for Dec 2019. We’re told flights would be with Emirates from Birmingham, but far too early to have any idea of times yet.

You could always look at which airlines fly from the airport you’re departing from and what times the flights are. That should give you a good idea whether day or night flights.

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We fly out to Dubai in March next year. We have chosen to make our own arrangements for the first two nights and are flying overnight with BA. We have paid to upgrade but there was no charge for changing the date of the flight out. We join the ship on March 22nd. Our original flight details appeared on the Cruise Personaliser some time ago. We are sticking with the return flight which is with TUI in the afternoon, back to Gatwick. There is info on visas on the P&O FAQ page but for Dubai (UAE) it will be part of your landing card process and is free, and for Oman it is handled on board.

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zoe sproodle

Elviex, it looks like we are on the same cruise. We fly out overnight on the 21/22 march, with emirates leaving Gatwick I think about 8 pm. Not sure about return flights though as we are coming back from Malta, I think the OP is referring to returning from Dubai. I spoke to p & o about visas when I booked and they gave the same answer, I double checked this when I spoke to them to pay the balance on another cruise and they reaffirmed it.

Thanks all - I guessed it would be overnight going out. Emirates is good, that will probably mean a scheduled flight. I've been to Dubai before on a cruise call and didn't need a visa but we would be flying in there so I'm not sure, I guess you may get one at the airport. I think we will book for Feb 20th 2019, although Oceana is not our favourite the itinerary is good.

Hi Zoe! Maybe we will get to meet up! From FB I can see there are quite a few people who will be joining us! [emoji41][emoji41][emoji924][emoji924]

We’ve booked E904 flying from Gatwick on 8th Feb 2019, our flights are with Emirates, it’s a night flight on the way there, day flight back [emoji568][emoji2]

We’ve booked E904 flying from Gatwick on 8th Feb 2019, our flights are with Emirates, it’s a night flight on the way there, day flight back [emoji568][emoji2]     Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Thanks, we are on the one after you - make sure you leave her nice and tidy !!

Hi Zoe! Maybe we will get to meet up! From FB I can see there are quite a few people who will be joining us! [emoji41][emoji41][emoji924][emoji924]     Sent from my iPad using Forums

In that case I'll kick off a roll call when I get round to it, unless anyone beats me to it!

We fly 20th mar from Manchester and our flight is with Virgin, see you there,,

Looking forward to a roll call and meet up!

Just tried creating the roll call and it hasn't appeared. Either I've done something wrong or it takes a while to update?

February 09th Manchester Emirates.

Your post is on the roll call for the 1st March. So far, just me and you on there though. Sorry we won’t meet but hopefully some others will join soon.

Thanks for pointing that out, Pegasus. Something's gone a bit awry there I think, probably finger trouble on my behalf. I knew I couldn't trust these new-fangled computer things....!

• 8 months later...

We are flying from Manchester on 28th February to start our cruise on 1 March. Have booked a few trips with P and O but hoping to do our own thing when we get back to Dubai before flying home. Not been to Dubai before so looking for tips. 

Has anyone flying out with Emirates managed to pre book seats and/or check in before you leave yet - if so could you let me know how you got on please? Cruise personaliser seems to say contact P and O in the first instance but I was speaking to them on another subject last week and when I incidentally asked about flights they said I had to deal with Emirates directly.

We are flying with Virgin and managed to pre book our seats on the cruise per sonaliser page.

I understand that Emirates release booking references not before 30 days prior to flying.  Only then can you get into the Emirates website to book seats, etc.  This from the Customer Contact Centre at 03453 555 111.  BTW, note that you can only take one item of baggage into the cabin, so no extra handbag or laptop case.   ( https://www.skyscanner.ae/tips-and-inspiration/tips/how-to-beat-emirates-hand-luggage-rules )

Thanks for the advice, Rawmac - I'll try ringing 30 days before and see if they can be any more helpful then...

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Dubai cruise port

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P&O Ferries and P&O Cruises – How Are They Linked? (Ownership, Name, and History)

If you are taking a cruise with P&O cruises or planning a trip on a P&O ferry you may be wondering if the two companies are linked. It’s more complicated than it first appears.

If you’d prefer to watch than read, check out the video I made on this subject here: Emma Cruises YouTube Channel .

Are P&O Cruises and P&O Ferries Linked?

There is currently no link between P&O Cruises and P&O Ferries. Both companies are owned by different larger companies and are operated separately. P&O Cruises is owned by Carnival Corporation based in the USA and P&O Ferries is owned by DP World based in Dubai.

The below photo shows me with a P&O Cruises cruise ship. P&O’s cruise ships have distinctive union jack artwork on the hull.

The ferries from P&O Ferries are much much smaller and don’t have this design.

To learn more about the differences between ferries and cruise ships, check out this post: 5 HUGE Differences Between a Ferry and a Cruise Ship (Real Examples)

Who Are P&O Ferries?

P&O Ferries are a British company whose headquarters is in Dover, UK. They have 20 ships and regularly sail across the English channel, north sea, and Irish sea transporting both passengers, car, and freight.

Customers: 10 Million Passengers Per Year Cars: 1.6 Million

P&O Ferries are owned by the P&O Group which also owns P&O Group Travel, P&O Freight, P&O Ferrymasters, and P&O Heritage.

Who Are P&O Cruises?

P&O Cruises are a British cruise line whose headquarters is in Southampton, UK. They have 7 ships and sail all over the world providing cruise vacations to passengers. P&O Cruises has roughly a 2% market share of all cruise passengers.

Passengers: 241,000 (During 2021, Sailing at Reduced Capacity)

P&O Cruises are owned by Carnival Corporation, the largest cruise company in the world.

Carnival Corporation also owns the following cruise lines:

• Carnival Cruise Line
• Princess Cruises
• Costa Cruises
• AIDA Cruises
• Holland America
• Cunard Cruise Line
• P&O Cruises Australia

To find out what it’s like to cruise with P&O, check out my review of my cruise on board P&O’s Ventura (we had the worst weather I’ve ever experienced on a cruise): P&O Ventura – Christmas Cruise Review (Entertainment, Ship, Food & More)

Who Were The P&O Group?

In 1835 the Peninsular Steam Navigation Company was founded. In 1840 they began sailing to Asia and so reconstituted the company as Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company.

In 1918 the Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company bought 51% of the Oriental Line. The two brands weren’t merged at this point but did later in the 1960s merge forming the P&O Orient Line.

In the 1960s the ferry services mentioned above started.

In the 1970s P&O Bought Princess Cruises and then in 1988 P&O bought Sitmar cruises allowing them to expand into Australia. They renamed this company P&O Holidays which was later P&O Australia.

Before the year 2000, the Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company had P&O Cruises in the UK, P&O Australia, and the ferry division. In 2000 they decided to separate the cruise portion out and they formed P&O Princess.

This was its own company.

In 2003 the Carnival Corportation bought P&O Princess for 3.5 billion pounds.

The below table shows a brief outside of the history of P&O Cruises. The most important thing for the purposes of this article is that the company was taken over by Carnival Corporation in 2003.

To learn more about the history of P&O Cruises I recommend checking out this brilliant book from maritime historian Chis Frame. You can get it here (affiliate links): UK , USA .

P&O Ferries – Timeline

The below table shows a brief outline of the history of P&O Ferries. The most important thing for the purposes of this article is that the company was sold in 2006 to DP World.

Why Are P&O Ferries and P&O Cruises Both Called ‘P&O’?

The ‘P&O’ in both companies’ names comes from the Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company. P&O Ferries and P&O Cruises were created by the P&O Group. They have since been sold to other companies but have kept their name and branding.

This caused problems for P&O Cruises in 2022 when passengers wrongly assumed that P&O Cruises were related to P&O Ferries.

P&O Ferries made 800 of their workers redundant without warning. A move that was completely unrelated to P&O Cruises but they received much of the backlash.

Cruising With P&O Cruises

I have taken multiple cruises with P&O Cruises, cruising onboard P&O’s Iona, Ventura and Britannia. P&O provides brilliant value for money and as a result, I often recommend them to families and groups.

To find out how my cruise went onboard P&O’s Iona, check out this video:

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