Luxury Cruising Editorial

I just returned from a long weekend at Center Parcs with the family. While we are regular cruisers, we fancied trying something different, so we booked a break at Longleat Forest in Wiltshire.

In this article, I’ll explain how Center Parcs compares to a cruise in terms of the accommodation, activities, food, convenience and, of course, the price.

Accommodation

On a cruise, you’ll have a choice of inside cabins, outside cabins, balcony cabins or suites. 

Center Parcs accommodation has similar tiers, with the cheapest being two-bedroom woodland lodges, executive lodges and apartments being a bit pricier, exclusive lodges with hot tubs being a premium option, and if you’re feeling really fancy, you can stay in a four-bedroom treehouse with a hot tub and games room.

With both cruises and Center Parcs, the most expensive accommodations cost about five times as much as the cheapest ones – so you’ll want to choose carefully.

Being in the forest, you obviously have a lot more space, and so even the smallest Center Parcs lodges are much bigger than large suites on cruise ships. It’s really nice to have two bedrooms, two toilets, a kitchen, a dining table and enough sofas for everyone to sit together.

Both forest and sea holidays can have excellent views, either of the ocean or of the woodland with squirrels, deer, geese and other visitors coming to say hello.

And both are spotlessly clean, although it’s easier to keep a cruise ship cabin that way when your cabin steward visits once or twice per day! At Center Parcs, you’re on your own. If you need fresh towels or more toilet paper, there’s nobody to help you with that.

Winner = Center Parcs

Activities

Whether you choose Center Parcs or a cruise, you won’t be short of things to do. The huge difference though, is that at Center Parcs most of the activities come with an extra fee, whereas on a cruise, they’re included in the price.

The best thing about Center Parcs is undoubtedly the ‘Subtropical Swimming Paradise’, and it’s great that this one activity is free to do. Center Parcs Longleat has a huge wave pool, lots of water slides, water rapids, a lazy river and a splash area for younger kids.

Depending on which cruise ship you choose, you’ll find almost all of these things at sea. So if you and your family love to spend all day whizzing down slides, choose one of the newer ships from Royal Caribbean, Carnival or Norwegian Cruise Line and you won’t be disappointed.

Many of the Center Parcs activities like high ropes courses, rock climbing walls, mini golf, table tennis, pool and archery can also be done on cruise ships, but for free. I’ll explain more about the cost of the activities later in this post, but let me just say, they are pricey!

While some cruise ships charge extra for things like go-karting, escape rooms or virtual reality arcades, extra charges for activities like this are pretty rare, whereas at Center Parcs, it’s the norm.

Center Parcs does offer plenty of kids activities, like this science experiment class, which was fun. But almost all of these require parents to stay and watch and they’re all for an extra charge.

When it comes to childcare, you can book your child into a longer activity for three hours and leave them there while you enjoy some child-free time. We did this while we visited the spa, which was nice, as I do think it’s important for parents to be able to relax without the kids sometimes on holiday.

On a cruise, you can usually leave your kids off from 9 am until 11 pm as long as you pick them up for lunch and dinner. The kids’ club is free of charge, and children usually make good friendships there, so my two usually want to spend as much time as they can in the club!

The Aqua Sana spa at Center Parcs was very nice. The thermal area was a little larger than you’ll find on a cruise ships, but really, there are only so many different kinds of steam room to try! Whether on land or at sea, you’ll pay extra for this, and the facilities are very similar.

The gyms on cruise ships are huge and free to use, whereas Center Parcs has the smallest gym I’ve ever seen and it’ll cost you £7 a go to use it.

When it comes to the evening, there’s so much to enjoy on cruise ships with big shows in the theatre, live music, the casino and cinema. At Center Parcs, after the evening meal there’s nothing else to do but go back to your lodge and play board games or watch TV. Cruises are for fun nights out, Center Parcs is for cosy nights in,.

Winner = Cruise ship

Food

Eating on a cruise is very different than eating at Center Parcs.

On a cruise, all your meals are included, with a choice of the main dining room or buffet. You’ll also have a choice of more restaurants and room service – these may have an extra charge or may also be included in your cruise fare, depending on the ship.

All Center Parcs lodges are self-catering, so you get pots and pans, plates, cutlery, a hob, microwave and dishwasher provided. Interestingly, there are were no cupboards left to store your actual food in our lodge.

If you don’t fancy cooking, there are lots of restaurants you can dine in, or you can get the restaurants to deliver a takeaway to your lodge.

Whether you choose to holiday at sea or in the forest, you’ll find that special diets are well-catered for, as are children. And, if you don’t mind paying extra, you can enjoy pretty much any style of cuisine you fancy.

On a cruise you may or may not have a set dining time for dinner, but you can have breakfast and lunch whenever you fancy. At Center Parcs you do need to plan ahead a bit more and make reservations if you want to eat out as the venues can be busy and don’t always accept walk-ins.

I love that on a cruise you can eat whatever you want without getting a bill at the end. And also that you never have to wash up! While the food at Center Parcs is very good, it is pretty expensive. Here’s our bill for a two-course lunch…

 Although you can, of course, cook your own meals in your lodge if you’re on a budget.

Winner = cruise ship

Convenience

Center Parcs has five locations across the UK, so getting to the park is pretty easy. 

If you’re thinking of a cruise, over 90% of  cruises from the UK depart from the port of Southampton. While you can cruise from other ports such as Liverpool, Newcastle, Bristol, Dover and London, cruises from these regional ports are usually limited to smaller ships that aren’t aimed at families.

That said, there are lots of cruises that depart from Barcelona, Rome and Venice, and you can usually fly to these places pretty quickly and cheaply from the UK.

One thing that shocked me about Center Parcs is how big it is and how far you have to walk to get around. I’m sure people say the same about cruise ships. At Center Parcs we had to leave our car at the opposite end of the park to our lodge – a 40-minute walk away! Getting from our lodge to the swimming pool was a 30-minute walk. For this reason, many people opt to cycle around the park, but it is quite hilly.

On the biggest cruise ships it will take you ten minutes to walk from one end to the other, so you can get around pretty quickly.

We took our dog with us to Center Parcs, which was convenient as we didn’t need to find a dog-sitter. But next time, I wouldn’t do that. The only indoor venue that allows dogs is one restaurant, so we had to leave her in the lodge and return every few hours to let her out. This meant that we spent a lot of time walking to and from the lodge, without the dog.

With a Center Parcs break, you need to book all of your activities in advance and time it right so that you have time to get to them. This required quite a lot of planning, whereas on a cruise you can just look at the daily schedule and decide as you go.

Winner – Cruise ship

Price

When it comes to cruises, I’m good at spotting the bargains. And I’m not sure, but I expect that there are ways to do that with Center Parcs too. So, to keep this test fair, I’m going to do a comparison for a week-long stay in the school holidays for each and see how the prices compare for a family of 4…

Looking at the table above, you can see that a midweek break at Center Parcs costs around £500 more than a cruise. However, I’ve only included that activities that you can do on both holidays. There are a lot more activities that you can do at Center Parcs and they all cost money, whereas on a cruise, all the extra activities are free.

Also, I’ve never spent as much as £1,874 on a short cruise! I’d usually get at least a week in the school holidays for that price, by booking at the right time and looking out for deals.

Winner – Cruise ship

The Verdict

I’m glad that we gave Center Parcs a go. We had a lovely time and we’ll probably go back again. It’s a very different type of holiday and I can see the benefits of both.

I found that Center Parcs isn’t as relaxing as there is quite a lot of cooking, washing up and walking involved to get to the activities on time. A cruise is much more chilled. And depending on when and where you go, the weather can be a lot better too!

The lodges are very spacious compared to cruise ship cabins, and if you enjoy cosy nights in front of the fire, it’s lovely. But if you prefer to enjoy a romantic meal in a nice restaurant without the kids, a West-End style show, some comedy and then a flutter in the casino to finish of the night, you can’t beat a cruise.

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Jenni Fielding is the founder of Cruise Mummy. She has worked in the cruise industry since 2015 and has taken over 30 cruises. Now, she helps over 1 million people per month to plan their perfect cruise holidays.

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Just a week after Royal Caribbean announced that 2025’s new Icon-class ship would be delayed, the cruise line has now revealed that the inaugural sailing for 2024’s Utopia of the Seas is also changing – but in the opposite way.

The cruise line has announced that Utopia of the Seas will actually be ready to launch early, and so has announced a new 3-night cruise that will become the inaugural cruise, departing before the original inaugural.

This could still be disappointing news to loyal Royal Caribbean fans. Being on a ship’s inaugural sailing is seen as a big deal, so to have that inaugural cruise become the second sailing for a ship devalues it.

Royal Caribbean has announced that guests booked on the 4-night 22nd July 2024 cruise can now move their booking to the new 3-night 19th July cruise if they wish.

The cruise line has said that anyone who does transfer will retain their original stateroom and will be given a pro-rated refund for one day of cruise fare along with any extras they’ve already paid, such as drinks packages, WiFi internet, and gratuities.

And anyone who has booked their airfare through Royal Caribbean will have flights amended automatically if they do transfer. The cruise line is also offering to cover up to $200 of non-refundable fees for guests who cancel non-refundable hotels or flights domestically, or $400 for international travel.

Guests must make their decision before Tuesday 12th March, as the cruise line needs to get the new 3-night sailing on sale for the general public for anyone who does not transfer their booking, as well as then selling the staterooms on the 4-night cruise on 22nd July for guests who have transferred and now left them unsold.

Royal Caribbean has also said that the second cruise will still have special events, and is asking guests to consider both cruises as inaugural, so that anyone unable to change to the new dates does not feel like they’re missing out.

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Jenni Fielding is the founder of Cruise Mummy. She has worked in the cruise industry since 2015 and has taken over 30 cruises. Now, she helps over 1 million people per month to plan their perfect cruise holidays.

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Silversea Cruises has risked causing upset with the guests onboard by changing the docking time for disembarkation day once guests had already boarded, because of a photo opportunity for the ship.

The current 10-night cruise on the newest ship in the fleet, Silver Nova, is due to finish on 15th March 2024, but the ship will now only dock at Fort Lauderdale at 11am, 4 hours after the original docking time.

The reason for this is because Silverseas’ parent company, the Royal Caribbean Group, has made plans for the ship to make a slight diversion so that she can be photographed alongside two other new cruise ships.

Royal Caribbean International’s Icon of the Seas, and Celebrity Cruises’ Celebrity Ascent, are both near the Silver Nova on 13th March and so the decision has been made to set up a shoot so that the three newest ships in their respective fleets can be seen alongside each other.

However, Silversea only announced this to guests once they had already boarded their cruise, acknowledging that some guests may now need to make changes to their travel plans as they may miss flights or other transfers once the cruise ends.

The cruise line has said that any guests who booked their onward travel through Silversea will have the schedules reviewed automatically, and that any changes will be arranged by the cruise line.

For guests who made their own travel arrangements, the cruise line as agreed to reimburse “reasonable” out-of-pocket expenses if they need to change or cancel their travel.

The letter that informed guests of the change did invite guests to the meeting of the ships, welcoming them to stand on the pool deck during the drone photography session.

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Jenni Fielding is the founder of Cruise Mummy. She has worked in the cruise industry since 2015 and has taken over 30 cruises. Now, she helps over 1 million people per month to plan their perfect cruise holidays.

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Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines, the British cruise line that offers a range of popular sailings from ports around the UK, has announced some big changes to its smoking policy.

While the cruise line was renowned as being one of the last to still permit guests to smoke on their cruise cabin balconies, that will no longer be permitted from 1st April 2025.

The cruise line has confirmed that this ban will apply to cigarettes, cigars, pipes and any e-cigarettes that emit vapour, including water vapour.

However, e-cigarettes that emit no vapour at all will continue to be allowed both inside cabins and on the balconies, but they are still banned in other areas of the ship that aren’t designated as smoking areas.

It’s not all bad news for smokers as, to help with the transition, the cruise line has confirmed that it is adding more smoking areas to some of the ships in the fleet.

The smoking areas on Borealis before 1st April 2025 are on Deck 8 aft, port side, outside The View Bar and deck 9 forward. After 1st April 2025, it will be Decks 8 and 9 aft on the starboard side, and Deck 9 forward on the starboard side outside the lifts.

On Bolette, the smoking areas are currently Deck 8 aft and Deck 9 forward. After 1st April 2025, they will be Decks 8 and 9 aft on the starboard side, and Deck 9 forward on the starboard side ahead of the retractable roof, under the staircase to Deck 10.

On Balmoral, the smoking areas won’t change, but there are already several options – Deck 7 starboard, Decks 8 and 9 aft on the starboard side, and Deck 11 starboard outside the Marquee Bar.

Most cruise lines have already banned smoking on cabin balconies for a few years, with only Costa Cruises remaining as an option for smoking guests who don’t want to use public smoking areas.

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Jenni Fielding is the founder of Cruise Mummy. She has worked in the cruise industry since 2015 and has taken over 30 cruises. Now, she helps over 1 million people per month to plan their perfect cruise holidays.

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Royal Caribbean has confirmed that one of the male stateroom attendants onboard Symphony of the Seas was arrested this week, after he was found to have placed hidden cameras in guests’ rooms.

The former attendant (he was fired immediately) has admitted the crimes and is now being detained while he awaits a trial for federal charges.

Arvin Joseph Mirasol, a 34-year-old stateroom attendant from the Phillippines, was arrested when the cruise ship returned to Fort Lauderdale on Sunday 3rd March.

It’s alleged that Mirasol had placed cameras in several staterooms and had adjusted them depending on the guests staying in the room. The reports also state that he filmed “younger passengers” though it’s unclear whether this included children.

Mirasol has also admitted that he had, on “several occasions”, hidden under the beds in the staterooms while guests were showering.

A female guest discovered one of Mirasol’s cameras. She was cruising with two other female members of her family. She reported the camera to the security team, who quickly took action and detained Mirasol.

A search of his belongings found several videos, including some which showed him installing the cameras. He’s been working on the cruise ship since December 2023 but no further information has been released on how many videos he filmed during his three months on the ship.

It comes almost a year after a guest was arrested on sister ship Harmony of the Seas for installing a hidden camera in a public bathroom.

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Jenni Fielding is the founder of Cruise Mummy. She has worked in the cruise industry since 2015 and has taken over 30 cruises. Now, she helps over 1 million people per month to plan their perfect cruise holidays.

Read more about me

P&O Cruises is the biggest cruise line aimed specifically at the UK cruise market.

With seven ships, including two that are for adults only, there’s plenty of choice, whether you want a smaller ship, or one of the newer, mega-ships.

And that’s the thing – bigger and newer don’t always mean better, and a lot of people prefer the older ships in the fleet for a quieter cruise, especially those who’ve been cruising with P&O for several years.

I love the new ships though – I’ve sailed on Arvia and Iona multiple times and loved my time on them.

But to find out which were the best, I decided to rank all of the P&O Cruises ships in order based on real customer reviews. I’ll explain what makes them different, why they’re popular, and what people don’t like as well.

I’ll be honest – the results surprised me a little. See for yourself.

What Is the Best P&O Cruises Ship?

According to average customer reviews, the best P&O Cruises ship is Aurora, which is one of two adult-only ships in the fleet. She is also the oldest ship in the fleet, first launching in 2000, and she is the smallest at less than half the size of Iona and Arvia.

The Best P&O Cruises Ships By Reviews

1. Aurora

As the smallest ship in the P&O Cruises fleet, Aurora has a very relaxed and intimate feel onboard – even with less space, there aren’t big crowds in the public areas, and the fact that the ship is adults-only means that it never feels loud or hectic onboard.

According to guests, the itineraries offered on the ship are great and the crew are typically given very positive feedback, offering great standards of service for a cruise at this price point.

But the age of the ship is definitely a negative. She was built in 2000 and last refurbished in 2019.

Many of the critical reviews focus on how the ship is in need of further refurbishment as there are parts that are looking worn or that are outright in need of repair.

The good news though, is that Aurora will have a multi-million pound refit in April 2025 with a whole lot of new furniture in cabins, on balconies and on the open decks.

2. Azura

Azura is a comfortable and popular mid-sized ship with something for everyone. While she is not packed with incredible attractions, she has four different pools where guests can relax, plenty of sports facilities, a fun kids club and a relaxing adults-only spa terrace for those quieter moments.

Most of the reviews describe a warm and welcoming ship that is well maintained, and a crew that is positive, proactive and caring about their guests.

The biggest criticisms of Azura are centered on the entertainment. As a ship that aims to appeal to all ages, it doesn’t seem to have enough excitement in the evening shows when compared to the offerings from other cruise lines, and because Azura is a smaller ship it doesn’t have enough alternative options.

3. Britannia

When she launched in 2015, Britannia became the flagship of the cruise line for the next six years. As a ship that was 25% larger than the previous biggest in the fleet, she offered guests an exciting experience with a wide variety of entertainment and places to dine and unwind.

The size of the ship seems popular with guests, with positive feedback focusing on how the ship never feels overcrowded and instead has a great atmosphere onboard, and that there’s plenty of variety when it comes to places to eat and drink.

The negative reviews seem to focus on the variety of food choices within some of the restaurants, specifically in the buffet and main dining room, but there are just as many positive reviews praising the food choices too, so it seems to be something which splits opinion.

4. Ventura

Ventura is a mid-sized ship that’s almost identical in size and style to Azura. So again, she offers a good balance for adults and for families, with plenty of relaxing spaces and some fun activities organised throughout the day, although don’t expect any big gimmicky attractions onboard.

Most guests love the quality of the overall experience, especially when they take into account the price they paid. The crew are highly rated, and guests feel like they get a great value cruise with the quality of food and entertainment, which isn’t incredible but is very good.

A lot of the negative reviews come from long-time P&O guests who feel that the whole P&O experience isn’t quite as exceptional as it once was, with complaints mentioning things like guests ignoring dress codes and cabins being tired and in need of an update.

5. Iona

Iona is one of the largest ships in the P&O fleet, and the largest to regularly sail from the UK. She has a wealth of great features onboard for all ages, including a fun-packed kids’ club, a wide variety of entertainment, a gin distillery and a host of restaurants.

A lot of guests love the ship, especially the range of food options and the quality of the entertainment. The ship is also beautiful and guests are quick to point that out – as one of the newer ships, she still impresses with her decor and style.

Some guests feel that the rooms are a bit small, and that the ship lacks atmosphere due to her size, but these are guests who are comparing Iona to other ships they’ve sailed on that are smaller and have more of an intimate feel.

There are also several references to “Butlins at sea” in terms of the busier nature of the ship, and the fact that Iona’s affordable fares attract a lot of families, although I did appreciate one positive review that placed Iona as somewhere between “Butlins and Cunard”.

6. Arcadia

Arcadia is the second adults-only cruise ship in the P&O fleet, launching five years after her sister ship Aurora. Arcadia is the bigger ship, though she’s still much smaller than the largest ships in the fleet, offering a good choice of restaurants and bars and two pools for guests to unwind.

The biggest positive seems to be the atmosphere onboard. A lot of P&O reviews seem to focus on the vibe of the ship, with smaller ships like Arcadia preferred because they feel more communal and more traditional. This also helps to make the crew feel appreciated more, since they are fewer in number and so become part of that community.

There are some negative reviews which touch on the age of the ship and her need of updates, but otherwise, again, it is mainly long-time P&O guests who feel that the cruises on these small ships aren’t quite as good as they used to be. Most first-time guests leave very positive reviews.

Arcadia is set to have an extensive refurbishment in November 2024.

7. Arvia

The newest and largest ship in the P&O fleet, Arvia accommodates over 5,000 guests at full capacity and offers a range of exciting itineraries including Caribbean cruising during the winter months. She’s packed with plenty of great places to dine and drink, and has great entertainment for all ages.

The guests who’ve had a positive experience onboard love the food selection, the exciting ports of call, and the entertainment. The crew are great at keeping kids happy with a range of activities, freeing up the adults to properly unwind by the pool or with a drink in a sophisticated bar or lounge.

Complaints again focus on a lack of “soul” from some guests, but also in her first year there have been some organisational hiccups with flights or with the onboard experience.

A lot of the negative reviews came from her debut Christmas cruise which even made mainstream media – though I was onboard and had a fantastic time!

I’m confident that next year, Arvia’s average score will improve as the kinks are ironed out after her first full year.

FAQs To Help You Choose a P&O Cruise Ship…

Which P&O Ship is the Biggest?

The biggest P&O Cruises ship is Arvia, which launched in 2022 and is the largest cruise ship ever built for the UK market. She is marginally bigger than her sister ship Iona, which launched a year earlier, but both ships are very similar in style.

Which P&O Ship is the Best For Couples?

The best P&O Cruises ships for couples who want to avoid children onboard are Aurora and Arcadia, as these ships are adults-only. However, the more modern ships including Britannia still have a relaxed atmosphere onboard, along with more varied choice of bars and restaurants.

What is the Best P&O Ship for Families?

Iona is the best P&O cruise ship for families, because she has a lot of different activities to enjoy onboard, including plenty of dining choices for picky eaters, and she sails from Southampton for easy cruises without the need to fly.

The Bottom Line

While it might seem surprising that the big new ships for P&O sit at the bottom of this list, remember that they still have good average review scores. It’s not that they’re disliked, just that people still love the older ships too.

All of the P&O ships review well, and the positive feedback always outweighs the criticism. The cruise line manages to strike a balance between contemporary cruising and a touch of tradition, whilst also catering specifically to Brits – it’s a fine line to walk but the review scores show that, broadly, it succeeds.

Using this guide, you should find it easier to pick a ship for your next cruise. But what about your own experiences, do you agree or disagree with the wider reviews? Feel free to add your own list to the comments below.

I’ve also got guides on the best and worst Cunard ships, if you want to see how that British cruise line compares, along with guides for the best and worst Carnival ships if you want to see how P&O’s sister cruise line fares.

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Jenni Fielding is the founder of Cruise Mummy. She has worked in the cruise industry since 2015 and has taken over 30 cruises. Now, she helps over 1 million people per month to plan their perfect cruise holidays.

Read more about me