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22,000 Christmas dinners in P&O Cruises’ festive floating affair

Almost 15,000 people will be spending Christmas day at sea with P&O Cruises this year in destinations across the globe ranging from the Canary Islands to the Baltic and the Caribbean.

On Christmas Day the P&O Cruises fleet will serve the more than 22,000 Christmas dinners with all the trimmings including five tons of roast potatoes, two tons of sprouts and 1,000 turkeys weighing 24lbs each. More than 16,500 crackers will be pulled, 32,000 party hats donned and 27,500 glasses of champagne served.

Those with a sweet tooth are not disappointed, with 22,000 servings of Christmas pudding, 19,600 portions of Christmas cake, 24,500 mince pies and 17,000 portions of Yule log served on the day and all freshly made on board.

Aurora will be cruising the waters of the Caribbean over Christmas and the New Year

Passengers on board the seven ships celebrate Christmas with a difference. Those sailing from Southampton are encouraged to get into the spirit as they are entertained by a children’s choir and military-style band.

Father Christmas also makes an appearance at the terminal to wish passengers Bon Voyage and as the ship sails away he leads the Christmas send-off from the quayside along with the band, children’s choir and entertainers.

On board, public rooms are richly decorated with trees, garlands and wreaths, and festive events are offered including carol concerts, Christmas music, Christmas shows and a Christmas parade.  Nativity plays are a highlight for children onboard the family friendly ships Aurora, Azura, Oceana and Ventura.

On Christmas Day, Father Christmas arrives on board, which is a highlight for young and old.  Christmas church services are held on board, and there are traditional Christmas menus in the dining rooms featuring turkey with cranberry sauce and traditional Christmas pudding with brandy butter.

New Years Eve is also a special occasion on board, the evening will be formal dress for a sense of occasion, with a five course gala dinner in the dining rooms followed by live music, West End style shows or comedy acts, casino and then there is a countdown to midnight in all the bars and nightclub.

Christmas itineraries

A 16 night Canary Islands cruise on board Adonia, departing December 23 and calling in Lisbon, Cadiz, Casablanca, Tenerife (New Years Eve), Gran Canaria, Madeira and La Coruna. Prices from £1,999 per person (Getaway fare).

An 18 night Mediterranean cruise on board Arcadia, departing December 18 and calling in Lisbon, Cadiz, Valencia, Tunis (from La Goulette), Naples, Rome (from Civitavecchia), Florence/Pisa (from Livorno), Cannes, Barcelona (New Years Eve) and Gibraltar. Prices from £1,599 per person (Getaway fare).

A 22 night no fly Caribbean cruise on board Aurora, departing December 16 and calling in Vigo, Madeira, Barbados, Antigua, Tortola, St. Maarten and Ponta Delgada. Prices from £2,149 per person (Getaway fare).

A 12 night Canary Islands cruise on board Azura, departing December 15 and calling in Madeira, La Palma, Gran Canaria, Tenerife and Lisbon. Prices from £999 per person (Getaway fare).

A seven night northern cruise break on board Oceana, departing December 22 and calling in Bruges (from Zeebrugge), Amsterdam, Copenhagen and Gothenburg. Prices from £899 per person (Getaway fare).

A 23 night Eastern Mediterranean cruise on board Oraina, departing December 14 and calling in Oporto, Malaga, Malta GC, Limassol, Ashdod, Cairo / Giza, Athens (from Piraeus), Katakolon, Messina, Cadiz and Lisbon. Prices from £1,499 per person (Getaway fare).

A 15 night Caribbean fly-cruise on board Ventura, departing December 21 and calling in Barbados, Antigua, St. Maarten, St. Vincent, Grenada, Barbados, St. Kitts, Tortola, Dominica, St. Lucia and Barbados. Prices from £2,249 per person.

Getaway fares require full payment at the time of booking, carry 100% cancellation charges and do not have a specific cabin allocated at the time of booking.