Caribbean · Mediterranean · Asia · Australasia · South America · Around the World

P&O Cruises World Cruising

The ultimate voyage. P&O Cruises’ world cruises take you on an extraordinary journey spanning multiple continents, with iconic ports, overnight stays in bucket-list cities, and the refined British hospitality that has defined this cruise line for generations.

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The Voyage of a Lifetime

P&O Cruises has been taking travelers around the globe since 1837. That heritage matters. A world cruise with P&O isn’t a rushed whistle-stop tour – it’s a proper circumnavigation designed around extended stays in the ports that deserve them, scenic cruising through waterways most people only ever read about, and the kind of refined British service that makes three months at sea feel like coming home every evening. World cruise guests enjoy exclusive benefits, priority boarding, and a dedicated World Cruise team who look after every detail long before you step aboard. And when you book through SmartCruiser.com, Division of Oasis Travel Network, it costs nothing extra – you get a dedicated, experienced agent plus group rates and exclusive amenities on top.

At a Glance

Cruise Line: P&O Cruises – Britain’s favorite cruise line, part of the Carnival Corporation family

World Cruise Duration: Full world cruises typically span around 100 days, with shorter world cruise sectors also available

Destinations: Caribbean, Central America, South America, South Pacific, Australasia, Asia, Middle East, Mediterranean, and more – spanning up to 30+ countries

Signature Feature: Overnight and extended stays in landmark ports, exclusive world cruise events, onboard enrichment program, and dedicated World Cruise team

Philosophy: A true circumnavigation that combines discovery with the comfort of refined British cruising

  • Full-board accommodation in your chosen stateroom or suite
  • All main meals across multiple restaurants including specialty dining allowances for world cruise guests
  • Afternoon tea and late-night snacks
  • Onboard credit allowance exclusive to world cruise bookings
  • Gratuities included for full world cruise guests
  • Shuttle buses in selected ports
  • Enrichment programs including guest speakers, workshops, and themed events
  • Access to fitness centre, pools, and entertainment
  • World cruise exclusive cocktail parties and events
  • Luggage delivery service from your home (full world cruise bookings)

  • Nearly two centuries of seafaring heritage – P&O has been exploring the globe since 1837
  • Overnight stays in iconic ports like Sydney, Singapore, and San Francisco give you time to truly explore
  • Dedicated World Cruise team provides personalized support before, during, and after the voyage
  • Exclusive world cruise benefits including onboard credit, specialty dining, and gratuities included
  • Flexible booking options – sail the full circumnavigation or choose shorter world cruise sectors
  • British-style service with familiar comforts, so three months at sea never feels overwhelming
  • A genuine community forms among world cruise guests – friendships that last well beyond the voyage

Main Dining Room: Traditional multi-course dinners with Freedom Dining or Club Dining options for set tables and times

The Limelight Club / Glass House: Specialty restaurants with complimentary dining credits for world cruise guests

Epicurean: Fine dining featuring tasting menus crafted with premium seasonal ingredients (available on select ships)

The Quays / Horizon Buffet: Casual all-day dining with international themed nights reflecting destinations visited

Afternoon Tea: A properly British tradition served daily with finger sandwiches, scones, and pastries

World cruise guests also enjoy exclusive gala dinners, themed evenings celebrating the regions visited, and special culinary events throughout the voyage.

P&O Cruises offers a wide range of accommodations for world cruise guests. Inside staterooms provide a comfortable retreat at a great rate. Sea-view staterooms add natural light and ocean views. Balcony staterooms – the most popular choice for world cruises – give you your own private outdoor space to watch the world go by from Sydney Harbour to the Panama Canal.

Suites offer generous living areas with separate sitting rooms, priority embarkation, and enhanced amenities. Select ships feature the exclusive suite enclave with private deck areas and dedicated butler service.

For a voyage this long, stateroom choice makes a real difference. That’s exactly where our experienced agents can help – we know which cabins offer the best positioning, noise levels, and views on each ship.

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An elegant and spacious ship lounge aboard a P&O Cruises vessel, featuring modern design

Nearly Two Centuries of Seafaring Heritage

Southampton to Southampton, the Long Way Round

P&O Cruises didn’t invent world cruising. But few cruise lines can match their pedigree. Founded in 1837, P&O has been charting routes across every ocean for nearly two centuries, and their annual world cruise remains one of the most anticipated voyages in the industry. The itinerary typically departs from Southampton in January and returns around 100 days later, having crossed the Atlantic, navigated the Panama Canal, explored the South Pacific, called on Australia and New Zealand, wound through Southeast Asia, and traced the coast of the Indian subcontinent. It’s the kind of journey that changes your perspective – not because someone tells you it will, but because waking up in a new ocean tends to do that on its own.

World Cruise Sectors – Flexibility Built In

Not everyone can take 100 days off. P&O understands that, which is why they offer world cruise sectors – shorter segments of the full itinerary that let you experience a portion of the route without committing to the entire voyage. You might sail from Southampton to the Caribbean and fly home. Or join partway through for the Australasia and Asia legs. It’s a smart way to experience world-class itineraries on your own timeline. Sector guests still enjoy many of the same destinations and onboard experiences, though the full world cruise package benefits – like included gratuities and luggage delivery – are reserved for those booking the complete circumnavigation.

A luxurious cruise ship stateroom featuring a king bed with white linens and blue accents
A modern cruise ship stateroom bathroom featuring a curved white marble vessel sink, illuminated

Enrichment at Sea

Sea days on a world cruise are anything but empty. P&O Cruises fills them with a rich program of guest speakers, workshops, and themed events tailored to the regions ahead. Expect talks from historians, naturalists, and travel writers who bring each destination to life before you even arrive. There are photography masterclasses, dance lessons, art workshops, and language sessions. The ship’s theatre stages full-scale productions. And when you want quiet, you’ll find it – a library stocked for a 100-day voyage, peaceful corners of the promenade deck, and the spa waiting to help you mark the passage from one ocean to the next.

The P&O World Cruise Difference

True Circumnavigation

This isn’t a long cruise dressed up with a fancy name. P&O’s world voyage is a genuine circumnavigation spanning multiple oceans, continents, and hemispheres. You’ll cross the dateline, transit the Panama Canal, and watch the Southern Cross replace Polaris overhead. Around 30 countries in roughly 100 days.

Overnight Stays That Matter

Some ports deserve more than eight hours. P&O builds overnight and extended stays into key destinations – think Sydney, Singapore, and San Francisco, among others. You get evenings ashore, time for a proper dinner in the city, and the chance to see a place after the other ships have sailed away.

A Community at Sea

Something happens when you spend three months with the same group of people. Friendships form. Traditions develop. World cruise guests often describe the experience as joining a floating village where everyone looks out for each other. Many rebook the following year specifically to reunite with friends they made.

A large modern cruise ship, the P&O Iona, is docked in a stunning Norwegian fjord surrounded

Your Home for 100 Days

When your stateroom is your home for three months, the details matter in ways they wouldn’t on a week-long cruise. Think about the daily rhythms: morning coffee on the balcony as you pull into port, evenings spent reading while the ocean stretches to the horizon, the quiet comfort of a familiar space after a full day exploring a new city. This is why cabin selection on a world cruise deserves more thought than on any other voyage. The difference between a stateroom that catches the morning sun and one that doesn’t, or a cabin positioned for the smoothest ride versus one that feels every swell, adds up over 100 days. Our experienced agents have walked these ships deck by deck. We can pinpoint the specific cabin numbers that offer the best experience for the way you travel – the kind of insider detail that truly sets your voyage apart.

Gallery

Ships Built for the Long Voyage

World Cruise Questions, Answered

A full P&O world cruise typically spans around 100 days, departing from Southampton in early January and returning in April. The exact duration varies slightly from year to year depending on the itinerary. If 100 days feels like too big a commitment, P&O also offers world cruise sectors – shorter segments of the full route that range from roughly two to six weeks, letting you experience a portion of the voyage on your own schedule.

Full world cruise guests enjoy a generous package of extras beyond the standard cruise fare. This typically includes gratuities (crew tips) covered for the entire voyage, onboard spending credit, complimentary specialty dining experiences, luggage delivery from your home to the ship, shuttle buses in selected ports, exclusive world cruise cocktail parties and gala events, and priority access to shore excursions. The specific inclusions can vary by sailing year, so our agents can walk you through exactly what’s on offer for your chosen departure.

World cruise sectors are shorter segments of the full circumnavigation that P&O sells as standalone cruises. As described in the sections above, these let you experience a portion of the route – from a couple of weeks to six weeks or more – without committing to the full 100 days. Sector guests sail the same ship and visit the same ports during their segment. It’s a popular option, and our experienced agents can help you choose the sector that best fits your schedule and travel interests.

P&O Cruises typically assigns one of their flagship vessels to the annual world cruise. The specific ship can change from year to year. Recent world cruises have featured ships like Arcadia and Aurora, which are well-suited to longer voyages with their adult-only atmosphere and extensive onboard facilities. Our cruise experts stay on top of which ship is assigned to each year’s world cruise and can advise on the differences between vessels to help you choose the right sailing.

Early. World cruises sell out faster than almost any other product in cruising. P&O typically opens bookings well ahead of departure, and the most sought-after staterooms – particularly balcony cabins and suites on higher decks – can go within days of release. If you have a specific cabin in mind, booking as soon as sales open gives you the best selection. That said, our team monitors availability and pricing closely, and we can alert you to cancellations or opportunities that open up closer to sailing.

Absolutely. Travel insurance is essential for a voyage of this length and scope. You’ll want a policy that covers the full duration of the cruise (standard policies often cap at 30 or 60 days), includes medical evacuation from remote ports, and provides adequate cancellation coverage given the higher fare. We strongly recommend arranging insurance as soon as you book. Our agents can point you toward providers who specialize in extended cruise travel insurance.

P&O ships offer multiple dining venues. The main dining room serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner with both Freedom Dining (eat when you choose) and Club Dining (set table and time) options. Specialty restaurants vary by ship but may include The Glass House wine bar and restaurant, Epicurean fine dining, and Sindhu Indian cuisine. World cruise guests typically receive complimentary specialty dining credits as part of their booking. The buffet restaurant offers casual all-day dining, and themed food nights celebrate the regions you’re visiting. Afternoon tea is served daily – because some traditions are non-negotiable.

Plenty. Sea days are woven into the itinerary deliberately, and P&O fills them with a rich enrichment program. Guest speakers cover topics from the destinations ahead to history, science, and the arts. There are cooking demonstrations, craft workshops, dance classes, and photography sessions. The ship’s theatre stages full productions. The spa offers everything from massages to thermal suites. There’s a well-stocked library, a cinema, pools, fitness classes, and quiz competitions. And one of the best parts of a sea day is doing absolutely nothing – just watching the ocean from your balcony with a cup of tea.

Yes. P&O offers world cruise sectors that allow you to join at certain ports and disembark at others. You’d book the specific sector that covers the portion of the route you want to sail. You can also book the full world cruise and arrange to fly home from a port partway through, though this requires careful planning around flights and any visa requirements. Our agents can help coordinate sector bookings or bespoke arrangements if you want a custom portion of the route.

For full world cruise bookings, yes – gratuities are typically included as part of the world cruise package. This covers the daily crew tips that would otherwise be charged to your onboard account. For sector bookings, gratuities are generally not included and will be added to your onboard account at the standard daily rate, though you can adjust or prepay these. The specific inclusions can vary by year, so check with our team for the details on your sailing.

A world cruise is likely the biggest single cruise booking you’ll ever make. Getting the right cabin on the right ship at the right rate matters more here than on any other voyage. When you book through SmartCruiser.com, Division of Oasis Travel Network, you work with a dedicated, experienced agent – never a random reservations line – who guides you through every decision from itinerary to cabin placement. Our group rates and exclusive amenities can mean savings of up to $1500+ depending on the time of year and destination, plus value-added extras like onboard credits. See a lower price elsewhere? Ask and we’ll do our best to price match. With over 30 years under the same management, our agents have the firsthand experience to make a 100-day voyage feel effortless from the very first conversation.

Ready to See the World?

A P&O world cruise sits at the top of the bucket list for a reason. Around 100 days, 30+ countries, and memories that redefine what travel means to you. When you’re ready to start planning, the cruise experts at SmartCruiser.com, Division of Oasis Travel Network are here with exclusive group rates, valuable amenities, and a dedicated agent who guides every step. Booking with us costs nothing extra – and it delivers more value than booking direct. Call us at 1-800-444-1560 or email info@smartcruiser.com to get started.