P&O Cruises in the UK will be increasing its operational capacity this weekend when the company resumes operations with Ventura. The cruise line will have three cruise ships sailing, while one more ship will commence operations towards the end of the year.
Ventura is scheduled to sail on two very long cruises in January and February, each 35 days in length, with two Atlantic crossings on each voyage. A sign of the growing interest and confidence in international cruises.
Three Cruise Ships Operational
After the hugely successful UK staycations with Iona and Britannia earlier this year, the time has now come for P&O Cruises to be equally successful abroad. The company sailed on the first international cruise with its flagship cruise ship Iona last week, sailing to Spain and Portugal; it is now Ventura’s turn to commence her operations. By the Spring of 2022, the company hopes to have all six ships operational.
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The first cruise for the 2007 launched Ventura since the pandemic will be sailing towards the Canary Islands, with stops in Funchal, Madeira, Santa Cruz de la Palma, Las Palmas, and Lanzarote, Canary Islands, and Lisbon, Portugal before returning to Southampton. The vessel will also be sailing this year on cruises to Spain and Portugal and a six-day Western Europe cruise.
P&O Cruises president Paul Ludlow said: “Ventura’s international restart is the result of guest confidence in cruising and is the very latest stage of P&O Cruises sailing resumption as we work towards the return of our full fleet in spring 2022.“
“Due to demand and the resounding endorsement of the first international holidays on Iona and Britannia we’ve opened up increased capacity to holiday with us. We’re proud to have four ships sailing internationally this year giving our guests a greater choice of where and when they travel with P&O Cruises for winter sun.”
35-Days Onboard a Cruise Ship?
With the start of the new year come new opportunities. How about the chance to cross the Atlantic Ocean twice in a little over a month while visiting some of the most stunning Caribbean ports? And if you’re from the UK, it gets even better because you can join and leave the ship in Southampton!
This January and February, P&O cruises will be offering two 35-day cruises from Southampton on board the 116,017 gross ton Ventura. The first will be sailing to Madeira, Barbados, Saint Lucia, Grenada, Saint Eustatius and Saba, Curacao, Aruba, Dominica, Guadeloupe, Antigua, Saint Kitts and Nevis, British Virgin Islands, Saint Maarten and Praia Da Vitoria, Portugal.
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The second cruise will be sailing to La Coruna, Bermuda, Bahamas, Mexico, Honduras, Belize, New Orleans, Key West, Miami, Port Canaveral and Ponta Delgada, Portugal.
Those wondering what the health and safety measures will be onboard Ventura; these rely on the same proven standards the company has been operating with for several months now. All guests aged 18 and over must be fully vaccinated at least 14 days before sailing.
All guests aged between five and 17 years old will need to have completed their vaccination course a minimum of 14 days before sailing or will require a negative PCR test within 120 hours before travel.
Guests four years old and younger will be permitted to travel, providing their traveling parents/guardians meet the above requirements. All guests will also require a negative COVID-19 test at the terminal
