The cruise line said: "We’ve always been a company both proud of and dedicated to providing our passengers with excellent customer service. Our reputation demands it and we are all passionate about delivering it. Our crew work extremely hard to deliver the high level of service that our passengers rightly expect of us. More recently many of our passengers have told us that tipping on board can be a source of confusion and embarrassment, not least for those who are trying cruising for the first time... We have looked at how we can make it easier and fairer for both our passengers and crew and, as a result, have developed a new arrangement for tipping that will apply to all P&O Cruises holidays sailing from April 2012 onwards."

Passengers who have booked into Freedom Dining on Azura, Ventura and Oceana will be familiar with the scheme and due to its success P&O Cruises have deemed it sensible to extend it to cover restaurant and cabin staff tipping across their ships.

Passengers are free to amend their rate of tipping at any stage of the cruise, as the £3.10 is only a recommendation. Those who feel the need to increase or lower the amount they tip the staff will be able to change this with the reception staff — though the recommended amount is among the lowest at sea, and has not changed for years.

This new scheme brings P&O Cruises in line with most cruises by removing the envelope scheme and adding it to passenger's onboard accounts, making paying your end of week bill much easier and removing the need for cash onboard your cruise, unless heading to the casino.

The new scheme is effective from the below cruises:

• Ventura, 23 March 2012 — cruise ID: 54727
• Oceana, 21 March 2012 — cruise ID: 47346
• Azura, 30 March 2012 — cruise ID: 54619
• Adonia, 9 April 2012 — cruise ID: 54490
• Oriana, 10 April 2012 — cruise ID: 54645
• Aurora, 12 April 2012 — cruise ID: 54694
• Arcadia, 27 April 2012 — cruise ID: 54529

Written by Charlie Hamilton-Beaufort
© Iglucruise

The new vessel is being built by the same shipyard as Azura and Ventura and will be decked out specifically with British cruisers in mind, offering a stylish and innovative new design and an unprecedented number of passenger facilities. The ship is ushering in an exciting new era for P&O Cruises, though we can still expect the ship to bear many of the line's classic and iconic features. The cost is approximately €155,000 per lower birth, with the ship's specific details and innovations expected at a later date.

P&O Cruises' Managing Director Carol Marlow said, "This next-generation ship will deliver the ultimate P&O Cruises experience, with 'sophisticated wows' and new features to attract thousands of newcomers to our brand, and equally to resonate with existing P&O Cruises passengers by giving them the 'P&O-ness' they recognise and love. She will offer 'the best of the best,' combining the favourite classic features of Oriana and Aurora, the choice and variety of Azura and Ventura, and a host of new ideas and concepts which together will deliver to our passengers the holiday of a lifetime, every time they travel with us."

Micky Arison, Carnival Corporation & plc's Chairman and CEO commented, "P&O Cruises is Britain's number one cruise operator, and is synonymous with high quality holidays that celebrate its rich British heritage. The UK continues to be a key growth market and innovative vessels such as this new P&O Cruises ship — targeted specifically to British clientele — underscore our commitment to leading the expansion of this important cruise region. With a progression of highly successful new ships introduced over the last 15 years, P&O Cruises is uniquely experienced in designing vessels to meet the specific needs and aspirations of British passengers. This newly ordered ship will underline P&O Cruises' position as Britain's favourite cruise line."

Could this be the new Canberra?

Written by Charlie Hamilton-Beaufort
©Iglucruise

The ship may be new to P&O Cruises, though she is not new to the company as she previously sailed with sister company Princess Cruises, as the Royal Princess. The 710 passenger ship has had a major refurbishment, bringing her in line with the rest of P&O Cruises' fleet. Though as a more intimate ship, she will be offering more off-the-beaten-track destinations such as the gorgeous harbour town of Portofino.

Adonia will join P&O's adult only ships, and will benefit from Marco Pierre White's Ocean Grill and an Oasis Spa, all as part of her extensive refit.

P&O Cruises managing director Carol Marlow said: "Adonia will be the jewel in the P&O Cruises crown and will celebrate all those things our regular passengers love about cruising with us — a classic dance floor, Crow’s Nest observation lounge, formal nights, classical music recitals, guest speakers, silver service dining and a dedicated card room."

Adonia will also benefit from a glamorous, yet quintessentially British, naming ceremony, where Dame Shirley Bassey will name the ship and actor Hugh Bonneville (the Earl of Grantham in Downton Abbey) will take the part of Master of Ceremonies.

Written by Charlie Hamilton-Beaufort
©Iglucruise

The new cruise programme includes a mammoth choice of 146 sailings from Southampton for 2012 with an increase in itineraries in Northern Europe for both the summer and winter seasons. Azura for 2012 will be sailing from the UK from March until December and will offer a 24 night maiden Black Sea cruise and a maiden 24 night Caribbean cruise. Arcadia will cruise to the Black Sea for the first time and Oceana will continue to focus on P&O Cruises' most popular destinations.

There is also an increase in fly cruises to the programme thanks to Adonia in the Med and Ventura in the Caribbean, Ventura will also be the only ship in the fleet to offer fly cruises to the Caribbean in 2012.

This spring the Adonia, the lines latest and smallest ship will join the fleet and the exclusively for adults ship will enjoy her first full year in 2012. Oriana is also set to join the selection of dedicated to adult ships in 2012. In 2012 P&O Cruises will be offering their largest selection of adult only and family friendly ships to date.

The new programme will be available on the 2nd April for all Gold Tier members of the Portunus Club with no sales taking place on the 3rd and 4th April before general release on the 5th April.

• Tuesday 5th April all March, April & May 2012 departures will go on sale.
• Wednesday 6th April all June, July & August departures go on sale.
• Thursday 8th April all September, October & November 2012 departures go on sale.
• Friday 8th April all December 2012 & January to April 2013 departures on sale

Written by Stephen Adam
© Iglucruise

The cruise line, renowned for its quintessentially British style, great service and fantastic food, are celebrating their history that dates back to the Peninsular Steam Navigation Company's first contract in 1837, before becoming the Peninsular & Oriental Steam Navigation Company (P&O) in 1840. The company carried its first passengers in 1844 and advertised its first cruise in 1904, onboard the 6,000 tonne, 150 passenger Vectis. The cruise line now offer more cruises out of Southampton than any other line and will boast 146 sailings during 2012.

As part of the Grand Event the ships will enjoy a spectacular send off including a champagne deck party, flutterfetti and marching bands, before forming a procession as the ship leave the cruise lines home port of Southampton. Once in the open water the seven ships will meet again to salute one another before sailing onwards to their respective itineraries.

Each cruise will enjoy a heritage theme and will include special onboard entertainment, a 175th Anniversary Gala Dinner, a heritage display and guest speakers. If you are a P&O Cruises fan then these seven special sailings are not to be missed:

• Adonia's 21 night Central Mediterranean cruise.
• Arcadia's 14 night Norway and Iceland
• Aurora's 17 night Baltic cruise
• Azura's 11 night Atlantic Islands cruise
• Oceana's 7 night Norwegian Fjords cruise
• Oriana's 4 night cruise break
• Ventura's 17 night Central Mediterranean cruise

The Grand Event cruise will go on sale from 5th April 2011.

Written by Troy McGuire
© Iglucruise

Marco Pierre White's latest ocean bound restaurant, the Ocean Grill, will debut onboard the Adonia at her launch in May, and will be a welcome addition to Arcadia during her refurbishment later this year. Oriana, the new adult only ship, will also be gaining Sorrento's, a new Italian restaurant, bringing the onboard dining to a new level. Dining in the celebrity chef's restaurant will incur a cover change, though Sorrento's will be included in the cruise fare some premium choices on the menu will carry a supplement.

P&O Cruises managing director, Carol Marlow, said: "Recent research has shown that passengers want an entirely different Select dining experience to that offered elsewhere on the ship and they also want a contemporary style. Marco Pierre White has proved to be a huge hit with our passengers so we have asked him to work his culinary magic on board Oriana, Arcadia and Adonia... These ships offer longer itineraries and Ocean Grill by Marco Pierre White will provide an evolving menu to offer a different choice of cuisine throughout the cruise."

Update (18/04/11): The new venues onboard Arcadia and Oriana will replace the current, popular, Gary Rhodes venues, Arcadian Rhodes and Oriana Rhodes. Rhodes: “After more than five fantastic years with P&O Cruises, I am disappointed that P&O wish to no longer continue with Rhodes restaurants on board their Arcadia and Oriana ships. However, this is a decision taken by P&O who wish to introduce a different dining concept.”

Carol Marlow, managing director of P&O Cruises, says the decision has been down to customer feedback: “We’ve done some research among our passengers and found that they’re interested in something which is a different sort of concept than that in the main restaurant.”

Oriana will also be updated with 27 new cabins and an updated Oasis Spa, as the ship prepares for her new adult only guests.

Written by Troy McGuire
© Iglucruise

The singer, renowned for her James Bond theme songs, will name the ship in a glittering ceremony in Southampton on 21st May 2011. The adult only Adonia will be the smallest ship in P&O Cruises' fleet, carrying just 710 passengers, but benefits from offering off the beaten track ports, while retaining the cruise line's exceptional standards and onboard facilities.

"I have had the most exciting career imaginable, but to be invited to be Godmother to a cruise ship is something very special and very personal," said Dame Shirley.

"Dame Shirley is Britain’s most successful female artist ever, a national treasure who defines the word ‘superstar’. We are Britain's favourite and most successful cruise line and can trace our British history back longer than any other line. It’s a perfect match and I am sure on our naming day she will need no excuse to "get the party started!" said P&O Cruises Managing Director, Carol Marlow.

"Adonia will be the jewel in the P&O Cruises crown and will celebrate all those things our regular passengers love about cruising with us – a classic dance floor, Crow’s Nest observation lounge, formal nights, classical music recitals, guest speakers, silver service dining and a dedicated card room. Loyal cruisers and those new to cruising alike will be charmed by the refined P&O Cruises experience Adonia will offer, and entertainment will form a vital part of that, so it is entirely fitting for Dame Shirley to give Adonia the best possible start to her life with P&O Cruises," continued Carol Marlow.

P&O Cruises are expected to invite 500 guests to the naming ceremony on Adonia's top deck in Southampton docks, before the ships maiden voyage the following day. Adonia's first sailing is a 16 night cruise to the Western Med, taking in Portofino in Italy, Sete in France, Port Mahon and Barcelona in Spain and Aleghero in Sardinia.

Written by Charlie Hamilton-Beaufort
© Iglucruise

The cruise line feel that with their largest ships, the Ventura and Azura, offering a fantastic selection of family friendly cruises the move over to adult-only cruising for the Oriana was a natural one.

P&O Cruises are already making arrangements for those who had previously booked the Oriana. Passengers who have booked without children will be sent a letter explaining the new changes (through their agent when appropriate) and those booked with children will be contacted by the customer services team (again through the agent where appropriate) to discuss the changes and to offer alternatives.

The P&O Cruises family will comprise of four family friendly ships in the Aurora, Azura, Oceana and Ventura and three adult-only ships, the Adonia, Arcadia and Oriana. The cruise line hope this will offer the right balance in cruises and variety for all their previous and new customers.

Written by Stephen Adam

P&O Cruises full world cruises will go on sale Thursday 15th July at 8 am, with all other holidays hitting the shelves the following day, Friday 16th July, at 8am.

Cunard will put their 2012 world voyages on sale Thursday 15th July at 1pm.

If you have a favouite cabin or there is a sector you've been looking forward to experincing get in quick and book your perfect holiday, our cruise experts will be available from 8am on 0208 544 6620.

Written by Stephen Adam