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P&O Cruises sails away with Strictly, Classic FM and Food and Wine themed cruises in 2013

P&O Cruises has teamed up with some great British brands for 2013, to enrich the on board experience and indulge the palates of those passionate about food, wine, music and dance.

The programme includes a collection of Strictly Come Dancing cruises, a new exclusive partnership with Classic FM to host Music Festivals at Sea, and new Food and Wine themed cruises with Marco Pierre White, Atul Kochhar and Olly Smith.

These themed cruises are detailed, for the first time, in the 2013 brochure, featuring holidays from March 2013 to April 2014.

Oceana will be sailing 31 cruises out of Southampton between March 2013 and March 2014

There are 200 new cruises in the brochure, calling in 215 ports in 84 countries, with seven new ports of call including Ceuta and El Ferrol in Spain, Saaremaa Island in Estonia and Holyhead in Wales.

Stars from the BBC series Strictly Come Dancing will be joining seven cruises in 2013, offering passengers cruising to the Canary Islands and Mediterranean the chance to have a front row seat for special performances, see the dazzling outfits, hear first-hand stories from the hit show and participate in a special P&O Cruises Strictly Come Dancing dance competition judged by the Strictly team.

The glitz and glamour of Strictly Come Dancing will be on the following cruises:

13 night Canary Islands on board Azura, departing May 11, from £1,349pp

17 night Central Mediterranean on board Azura, departing May 31, from £1,799pp

17 night Central Mediterranean on board Aurora, departing June 18, from £1,849pp

12 night Canary Islands on board Ventura, departing July 1, from £1,299pp

17 night Central Mediterranean on board Arcadia, departing August 4, from £1,949pp

14 night Western Mediterranean on board Oceana , departing September 1, from £1,449pp

17 night Central Mediterranean on board Azura, departing October 1, from £1,499pp

P&O Cruises Music Festivals at Sea itineraries have brought classical music and musicians to sea for over 25 years. In 2013, these popular cruises will be hosted exclusively by Classic FM - bringing its expertise to a finely tuned repertoire of opera, operetta and recitals hosted by the well known radio presenters.

Classic FM Music Festivals at Sea will be on the following cruises:

17 night Central Mediterranean on board Aurora, departing April 28, from £1,699pp

14 night Iceland on board Aurora, departing June 4, from £1,699pp

16 night Baltic on board Adonia, departing July 3, from £2,249pp

14 night North Cape on board Oriana, departing August 5, from £1,699pp

17 night Central Mediterranean on board Oriana , departing September 20, from £1,699pp

New for 2013 celebrity partners Marco Pierre White, Atul Kochhar and Olly Smith will be hosting two Food and Wine themed cruises where they will lend their expertise and local knowledge as they host a range of shore excursions to vineyards, breweries, distilleries, restaurants and markets and also host a variety of activities on board.

Atul Kochhar and Olly Smith are travelling on the following Food and Wine themed cruise:

14 night Western Mediterranean on board Azura, departing April 27, from £1,249pp

Marco Pierre White is travelling on the following Food and Wine themed cruise:

28 night Caribbean no fly on board Adonia, departing November 22, from £2,649pp

Marco, Atul and Olly will also be travelling regularly throughout 2013 on eleven different cruises hosting talks, demonstrations and book signings. These cruises are brochured for the first time and are as follows:

Marco Pierre White

7 night cruise break on board Ventura, departing April 7

14 night Baltic cruise on board Arcadia, departing May 8

14 night Baltic cruise on board Oriana, departing June 9

17 night central Mediterranean cruise on board Arcadia, departing September 4

14 night Western Mediterranean cruise on board Ventura, departing October 11

13 night Canary Island cruise on board Oriana, departing October 7

Atul Kochhar

17 night central Mediterranean cruise on board Azura, departing July 9

12 night Canary Island cruise on board Azura, departing October 20

15 night Caribbean Transatlantic cruise on board Azura, departing November 1

Olly Smith

14 night Eastern Caribbean cruise on board Azura, departing February 8

24 night Black Sea cruise on board Azura, departing September 7

The brochure contains details of a new addition to Ventura – 18 new single cabins. The cabins are being added in March 2013 and will mirror sister ship Azura. Single cabins, with no single supplement will now be available on three ships in the fleet – Azura, Oriana and Ventura – with more to come on the new P&O Cruises ship, joining the fleet in 2015.

In addition, there has been a cabin re-grade for all ships. Cabins are now graded according to their size, whether they have an ocean view or have a balcony, whether they are on a high or low deck, and their location on the ship – forward, mid or aft.

P&O Cruises managing director, Carol Marlow, said: “We have a really broad programme of cruises and it’s not just the best selection of ships, itineraries and prices, but also a carefully considered range of on board experiences and themes that we know will be real highlights to our holidays. This choice is in addition to the exceptional service, fine dining and attention to detail that our passengers receive, no matter which cruise they choose with us.

“The 2013 programme really highlights our smallest ship, Adonia, as an adventurous traveller, with six of our seven new ports next year featuring on her itineraries.  Next year this adventurer spirit will not only be seen in her more unusual ports but will also in more discovery led shore excursions and on board entertainment , with captivating expert guest speakers, plays and classes that will be a real chance to discover something new such as painting or photography.”