P&O Cruises

P&O Cruises is a UK based cruise line company, whose current fleet consists of six cruise ships. It is one of the many cruise lines operated by the largest Cruise Corporation i.e. Carnival Corporation & PLC. P&O Cruises was a part of the Peninsular & Oriental Steam Navigation Company till 2003 and this company entered into the cruise business in the 1840s. In 1904 this company is merged with the British India Steam Navigation Company. In the same year the company had to surrender its two third of its fleet for the war service. Fortunately it lost only 17 ships in the First World War. During 1961, P&O brought out the left over stake in Orient Lines and renamed its passenger operations as P&O Orient Lines. In 1977 its passenger division was re- named as P&O Cruises.

P&O Cruises ordered its first new ship for the British business market, the Oriana. It is delivered in 1955, Canberra also accompanied new joiner for two years and after that she was scrapped in 1997 and replaced by Star Princess with new name Arcadia. After that it was transferred to the Ocean Village Cruise Company and was renamed as Ocean Village. In 2000 Aurora entered into service for P&O. it is a fabulous ship as it has a larger Gross Tonnage as she has an enclosed centre swimming pool. In the same year it was announced that P&O Cruises was to be demerged into a new company, P&O Princess. There were also the airs of the Royal Caribbean and Festival Cruises merger in 2001. But the shareholders voted for the merger with Carnival Corporation, who brought back the P&) Princess back into separate companies.