Oriana retires- but what does the future hold for the P&O fleet
It came as a surprise to many when P&O announced the retirement of another of their much loved, intimate adult-only cruise ships; with Oriana’s service scheduled to come to an end in August 2019.
Given that she was only refurbished as recently as 2016, the news sent ripples throughout the cruise world. Possibly, Oriana will follow her sister ship Adonia who was sold to Azamara Cruises and now sails under the name Azamara Pursuit. However, these two departures do not mark the downsizing of the P&O fleet. In fact, exactly the opposite is the case. Not only are there two new ships replacing this pair, but these new additions are bigger and better than any P&O - and many other cruise lines - have ever seen before.
The two new ships take P&O up to another level when it comes to onboard cruising experiences. Already proudly hosting shows such as Stephen Mulhern’s magic show “Astonishing”, Strictly Come Dancing themed cruises and P&O Food Heroes with your favourite celebrity chefs , as well as once hosting Ant and Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway Live onboard Britannia , P&O have always strived to bring the best of British entertainment onboard their shops. This charming British feel is built on more than everyone enjoying getting dressed up, bingo, karaoke and Afternoon Tea. On the contrary, on Iona you can wine and dine al-fresco enjoying the view, or take in a show in the fantastic Skydome, with the feel of the best bank holiday weekend imaginable while at sea. In addition, the future - unnamed ship - will roll out in 2022 to bring even more choice to the P&O fleet, and give them two vessels capable of hosting 5,200 passengers each.
Take a look at our cruise deals for P&O Iona and see what adventures she could take you on. Meanwhile, if you were a fan of Oriana and Adonia’s intimate adult-only atmosphere and sailings, never fear as Aurora will be converted to an adult-only vessel alongside Arcadia. This means P&O cruisers have the best of both worlds, whatever your cruise holiday tastes and group size or situations. From mighty cruise ships hosting whole floating cities, jam-packed with fun and facilities to cosier cruise itineraries where one can truly unwind, it’s never been more true that there’s a cruise and ship for everyone onboard P&O.