Choosing Cruising Blog

Here is a quick summary of celebrity line up aboard the maiden voyage of P&O Cruises’ new ship Azura:  Opera singer Russell Watson, Gary Wilmot, Mike Alexander and Claire Sweeney.

The innaugural cruise departs (more…)

Passengers aboard P&O cruises Ventura have the chance to attend cooking sessions with Marco Pierre White, the internationally acclaimed creative and innovative chef of Hell’s Kitchen fame.

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As the cruise industry adapts and changes to tastes of the public a more recent phenomenon above that of art, culture and hobbies has reared it’s head, that of  the ‘ Cougar cruise‘.

For those unaware a ‘cougar’ is an older women who prefers to go out with younger men known as ‘cubs’.

A recently fully booked P & O cougar cruise set sail from San Diego and there are plans for a second U.S. Cougar Cruise next year and one in Australia.

Princess Cruise Lines has announced that one of its smaller ships, Royal Princess, will be leaving  to join P&O in the spring of 2011.

Royal Princess

P&O cruise passengers will stop paying automatic tops on any cruise leaving after October 2010.  The decision was based (more…)

The last voyage of P&O Cruises Artemis which sails on 12th April from Southampton 2011 sold out in 17minutes on 4th December 2009.

Artemis will retire from P&O in April 2011

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The Ballerina Darcey Bussell (soon to appear on BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing) is to be godmother for the UK’s newest cruise ship, Azura, P&O announced today.

Azura

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Here is a summary of the latest competitions run by cruise companies:

P&O Cruises is holding a running contest to find dancing stars to perform on it’s newest ship Azura during the VIP naming ceremony on 10th April 2010

For 3 years Thomson has been “Get Up and Dance” which starts again in January 2010 onboard Island Escape.

If you are a keen photographer, submit your photo of a Fred Olsen Ship/destination to www.fredolsenphotocompetition.co.uk with a camera as first prize, a watch as second and £75 onboard spending credit as third.

Are you a sculptor? Cunard is looking for a five-metre-tall sculpture to adorn the Royal Arcade shopping area of their lastest ship Queen Elizabeth. Judging will be decided in January 2010 by a panel including Charles Saumarez Smith, chief executive of the Royal Academy of Arts.

Opera singers have the chance to vie for €15,000 and a performance at the Vienna Opera house in the Hapag-Lloyd “X Factor” style competition

The smallest P&O cruise shipm Artemis is to be sold to Arania Shipping. The completion date is 6th October 2009 although her cruises with P&O will be honoured until 12th April 2011.

Olly Smith the TV wine expect has joined forces with P&O cruises onboard Azura. He is sourcing wines for the Glass House - the stylish wine bar & restaurant. You can catch him as the special guest on 4 of Azura’s cruises in Europe & the Caribbean between April & November 2010.

Find more info on Azura cruises here