Some cruise launches promise another winter in the sun. P&O Cruises has produced something that requires considerably more luggage: 130 destinations, a grand farewell, and enough itinerary variations to make a well-used atlas apply for annual leave.
The British cruise line has unveiled its winter 2028/29 collection, combining familiar escapes to the Canary Islands and Mediterranean with lengthy voyages through the Americas and beyond. Departures run from November 2028 to March 2029, with Southampton sailings and fly-cruise holidays offering different ways to escape the northern winter.
But the real story is not simply where the ships are heading. It is the one preparing to say goodbye.
Arcadia’s last great adventure
After more than two decades under the P&O Cruises flag, Arcadia is approaching her final season with the line. Her enhanced 126-night World Cruise, scheduled to depart Southampton on 6 January 2029, promises a farewell worthy of a ship that has spent years giving passengers good reasons to misplace their passports somewhere exotic.
The itinerary introduces calls including Nosy Be in Madagascar, Hiroshima and Osaka in Japan, Mahé in the Seychelles, Kochi in India and Puerto Princesa in the Philippines. Maputo in Mozambique and Mexico’s Puerto Vallarta also return after notably long absences from the company’s itineraries.
P&O says Maputo last featured 29 years ago and Puerto Vallarta 26 years ago. That is quite a wait for a return visit. One hopes somebody remembered to leave the porch light on.
Before the world voyage, Arcadia is scheduled to welcome the New Year in Madeira, where Funchal’s celebrated fireworks should provide an appropriately theatrical send-off to 2028.
Importantly, Arcadia is not heading for the scrapyard. Her P&O farewell programme concludes on 21 August 2029, after which she will transfer to sister brand Holland America Line. Meanwhile, Cunard’s Queen Anne is set to join P&O Cruises in 2029 after refurbishment and a name change.
It is a remarkable piece of Carnival Corporation fleet choreography: musical chairs at sea, with the chairs weighing thousands of tonnes.
Big adventures, smaller boarding hurdles
Elsewhere, Aurora’s 75-night USA and Caribbean Grand Tour stretches well beyond the Caribbean, taking in South America, Uruguay, the Falkland Islands and Chile. The programme highlights overnight time in Rio de Janeiro and a visit serving São Paulo, allowing passengers to experience more than a fleeting glimpse of Brazil.
Azura, meanwhile, is giving Canary Islands fly-cruise passengers greater flexibility. Gran Canaria joins Tenerife as a turnaround option, while additional Morocco calls, including Agadir, add a North African flavour to the Atlantic itineraries.
The European fly-cruise season also extends by two weeks into October, with Mediterranean calls including Dubrovnik, Split, Civitavecchia for Rome and Livorno for Florence and Pisa.
Other choices include Britannia’s 18-night Atlantic Islands voyage combining Morocco and Cape Verde, a 14-night itinerary with an overnight in Madeira, Aurora’s 24-night round-trip Caribbean journey from Southampton and Ventura’s 21-night Mediterranean sailing in February.
Discounts, deposits and the fine print
For the travel trade, this is a substantial early-selling opportunity, particularly for clients who favour longer itineraries and more time ashore. Australian travellers considering these UK-based departures should also budget for international flights and check how fly-cruise arrangements apply to their chosen sailing.
P&O Cruises president Paul Ludlow summed up the appeal: “Our winter 2028 programme combines much-loved destinations with new opportunities to explore further afield.”
For eligible holidays booked by 16 December 2026 and departing on or after 12 October 2028, the launch offers include a 10 per cent discount on applicable Select Price fares, an additional five per cent Peninsular Club discount on selected bookings, free upper berths on selected cruises and a 10 per cent deposit option on qualifying fares.
Naturally, the deposit is the amount paid upfront, not another discount. Terms, fare categories and availability matter, so advisers should check the conditions before promising clients a spectacular bargain.
Pre-registration runs from 8.30 am on 13 October until 8 pm on 19 October 2026. General sales begin on 21 October, with some departure groups scheduled for release on 22 October.
The takeaway? This is a winter programme with considerable range, but Arcadia gives it a heart. Destinations come and go. A much-loved ship’s last grand journey is something cruisers tend to remember.
Full details are available from P&O Cruises or through a travel adviser.
By: Christine Nguyen – © 2026.
Read Time: 4 minutes.
Author Bio:
Christine’s story is one of quiet courage, told without fuss and lived with remarkable grace. She arrived in Australia as a young refugee from Vietnam, carrying little more than hope, family, and a curiosity that refused to be extinguished. Sydney became home, built patiently, brick by careful brick.
She studied Tourism at TAFE and soon found her place in inbound travel, working with one of the city’s leading destination companies. Christine loved showing visitors the Australia that lives beyond postcards, warmer, truer, and far more interesting.
When the sea began to whisper, and life asked for a gentler rhythm, she listened. Designing brochures, writing blogs, she discovered storytelling waiting quietly inside her.
Today, at EGT Media, Christine writes with warmth and wisdom, reminding us, softly and persuasively, why travel still matters.
