P&O Cruises vs Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines
A detailed side-by-side comparison of P&O Cruises and Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines covering ratings, fleet size, food quality, entertainment, value for money, and available sailings from UK ports. Updated for 2026.
The head-to-head
Ratings are based on aggregated passenger reviews, editorial analysis, and expert scoring. The cobalt outline marks the stronger line for each attribute.
Who should choose which?
Every cruise line has its strengths and weaknesses. Here is an honest look at who each line is best suited for, based on passenger feedback and our editorial assessment.
Choose P&O Cruises if you want…
- UK departures (no-fly)
- Families with children
- Traditional British cruising
- Food lovers (Marco Pierre White)
P&O Cruises may not suit you if…
- Ultra-luxury seekers
- Mega-ship thrill rides
- Non-English speakers
Choose Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines if you want…
- No-fly cruising from UK
- Small-ship intimacy
- Unusual itineraries
- Solo travellers (low supplements)
Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines may not suit you if…
- Families with children
- Those wanting mega-ship facilities
- Modern luxury seekers
Ships at a glance
A quick comparison of each line's fleet including passenger capacity, tonnage, and year of launch.
P&O Cruises Fleet (7 ships)
Iona
Built 2020 · 5,200 guests
Arvia
Built 2022 · 5,200 guests
Britannia
Built 2015 · 3,647 guests
Azura
Built 2010 · 3,100 guests
Ventura
Built 2008 · 3,078 guests
Arcadia
Built 2005 · 2,094 guests
Aurora
Built 2000 · 1,874 guests
Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines Fleet (4 ships)
Borealis
Built 2021 · 1,360 guests
Bolette
Built 2021 · 1,380 guests
Available cruises
Current sailings from both cruise lines. Prices shown are per person based on two sharing the lowest-grade cabin available.
P&O Cruises Sailings
7 NIGHTSNorwegian Fjords cruise from Southampton
Ports: Southampton · Haugesund · Olden · Innvikfjorden (Scenic Cruising) · Flam · Aurlandsfjord (Scenic Cruising)
Save 2%14 NIGHTSMediterranean
Hot deal7 NIGHTSMediterranean
Save 2%7 NIGHTSNorwegian Fjords
Save 2%7 NIGHTSWestern Europe
7 NIGHTSNorwegian Fjords
Hot deal14 NIGHTSNorwegian Fjords
Save 4%16 NIGHTSNorwegian Fjords
Save 4%16 NIGHTSAurora from Southampton
Ports: Haugesund · Olden · Innvikfjorden · Cruise Nordfjord · Alesund · + 5 more ports
Save 4%16 NIGHTS16 Night Norwegian Fjords Cruise
Ports: Haugesund · Olden · Innvikfjorden · Cruise Nordfjord · Alesund
Save 3%7 NIGHTSMediterranean Fly-Cruise
Ports: Valletta · Mykonos · Rhodes · Kusadasi · Piraeus · Valletta
Save 2%14 NIGHTSNorthern Europe
Ports: Southampton, Great Britain
Save 3%7 NIGHTSNorwegian Fjords
Hot deal14 NIGHTSMediterranean
Save 3%4 NIGHTSNorthern Europe
7 NIGHTSCentral Mediterranean
Save 19%7 NIGHTS7 Night Norwegian Fjords
Ports: Bergen · Olden · Stavanger
Save 2%7 NIGHTSWestern Europe
Save 3%5 NIGHTSNorthern Europe
Save 2%14 NIGHTSCanary Islands
7 NIGHTSNorwegian Fjords cruise from Southampton
Ports: Southampton · Haugesund · Olden · Innvikfjorden (Scenic Cruising) · Flam · Aurlandsfjord (Scenic Cruising)
Save 4%7 NIGHTSWestern Europe
16 NIGHTSNorthern Europe
Save 3%16 NIGHTSBritish Isles
Ports: Southampton · Plymouth · Cobh · Dunmore East · Liverpool · Belfast
10 NIGHTSGreek Isles from Malta with Stay
10 NIGHTSGreek Isles from Malta with 3-night Stays
Ports: Valletta · Mykonos Town, Mykonos · Piraeus (tours to Athens) · Souda Bay (tours to Chania), Crete · Katakolon (tours to Olympia)
Save 2%14 NIGHTSMediterranean
16 NIGHTSNorthern Europe
Save 3%14 NIGHTSNorwegian Fjords
Save 7%7 NIGHTSSchool Holiday Sailing! Norwegian Fjords
Ports: Southampton · Haugesund · Olden · Flåm · Stavanger · Southampton
14 NIGHTSScandinavia and the Baltics P&O Food Heroes Marco Pierre White, Olly Smith and José Pizarro cruise from Southampton
Ports: Southampton · Kiel · Tallinn · Helsinki · Stockholm · Copenhagen
3 NIGHTSWestern Europe Getaway cruise from Southampton
Ports: Southampton · Zeebrugge (tours to Bruges)
7 NIGHTSNorwegian Fjords
Save 3%30 NIGHTSTransatlantic
Save 2%7 NIGHTSNorwegian Fjords
Save 2%14 NIGHTSMediterranean
7 NIGHTSNorwegian Fjords cruise from Southampton
Ports: Southampton · Haugesund · Olden · Innvikfjorden (Scenic Cruising) · Flam · Aurlandsfjord (Scenic Cruising)
Save 2%14 NIGHTSMediterranean
Save 2%19 NIGHTSMediterranean
Save 2%14 NIGHTSCanary Islands
Save 2%14 NIGHTSCanary Islands
12 NIGHTSNorwegian Fjords cruise from Southampton
Ports: Southampton · Stavanger · Nordfjordeid · Nordfjord · Kristiansund · Andalsnes
Save 2%13 NIGHTSSpain & France
Save 3%14 NIGHTSNorway
Ports: Southampton · Åndalsnes · Bodø · Narvik · Tromsø · Stavanger
Save 3%16 NIGHTSNorthern Europe
Save 10%14 NIGHTSTransatlantic
Save 3%16 NIGHTSCanary Islands
Save 8%15 NIGHTSCaribbean Transatlantic from Southampton
Ports: Southampton · Santa Cruz, Tenerife · Philipsburg, St. Maarten · Roseau, Dominica · Castries, St. Lucia · Bridgetown, Barbados
Save 3%7 NIGHTSNorthern European City Escape
Ports: Southampton · Hamburg · Rotterdam · Zeebrugge
Save 2%14 NIGHTSCanary Islands & Spain
Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines Sailings
Save 3%5 NIGHTSBritish Isles
Save 3%13 NIGHTSNorthern Europe
Save 3%9 NIGHTSWestern Europe
Save 3%10 NIGHTSNorthern Europe
Save 3%13 NIGHTSNorthern Europe
Save 9%12 NIGHTS12 Night Mediterranean Discovery
Ports: Cadiz · Malaga · Cartagena · Gibraltar
Save 3%14 NIGHTSNorwegian Fjords
Save 3%8 NIGHTSNorwegian Fjords
Save 3%10 NIGHTSNorthern Europe
Save 3%14 NIGHTSBritish Isles
Save 3%5 NIGHTSBritish Isles
Save 3%10 NIGHTSNorwegian Fjords
5 NIGHTSBritish Isles
Save 3%6 NIGHTSNorthern Europe
Save 3%10 NIGHTSNorwegian Fjords
1 NIGHTSOne Night Mini Cruise from Rosyth
Ports: Rosyth · Newcastle
5 NIGHTSExploring the Landscapes of Green Spain from Southampton
Ports: Southampton · Getxo (tours to Bilbao) · Santander
Save 3%10 NIGHTSNorwegian Fjords
Save 3%9 NIGHTSWestern Europe
Save 2%11 NIGHTSExploring the Scenic British Isles
Ports: Southampton · Belfast · Tobermory · Kirkwall · Stornoway · Galway
Save 3%5 NIGHTSBritish Isles
Save 3%12 NIGHTSSpain & the River Cities of France
Save 2%7 NIGHTSRegions of Northern Spain
Ports: Southampton · Santander · Getxo · Gijón · La Coruña
Save 3%16 NIGHTSMediterranean
Save 3%8 NIGHTSWestern Europe
23 NIGHTSIslands & Bays of the Mediterranean from Liverpool
Ports: Liverpool · Ceuta · Cartagena · Cagliari · Messina · Siracusa
Save 3%16 NIGHTSMediterranean
14 NIGHTSCanary Islands & Geminid Meteor Shower from Liverpool
Ports: Liverpool · Leixoes · Funchal · Santa Cruz de La Palma · Santa Cruz · Vigo
Save 3%6 NIGHTSNorthern Europe
5 NIGHTSA Celebration of Dance at Sea with Dame Arlene Philips & Ian Waite!
Ports: Southampton · Amsterdam · Honfleur
Save 3%6 NIGHTSNorthern Europe
15 NIGHTSCanary Islands Christmas & Cadiz New Year from Liverpool
Ports: Liverpool · Santa Cruz de La Palma · Santa Cruz · Las Palmas · Puerto del Rosario · Cadiz
Save 3%14 NIGHTSCanary Islands
Save 3%14 NIGHTSCanary Islands
Save 3%16 NIGHTSMediterranean
Save 3%14 NIGHTSCanary Islands
Save 3%10 NIGHTSNorwegian Fjords
Save 3%14 NIGHTSNorwegian Fjords
Save 3%10 NIGHTSNorwegian Fjords
Save 3%10 NIGHTSNorwegian Fjords
Save 3%10 NIGHTSNorthern Europe
Save 3%8 NIGHTSFrance & Belgium Easter Break
7 NIGHTSCapitals & Cultures of Scandinavia
Save 3%10 NIGHTSNorthern Europe
Save 3%14 NIGHTSBritish Isles
Save 3%9 NIGHTSWestern Europe
Save 3%14 NIGHTSNorwegian Fjords
9 NIGHTSScenic Summertime Fjords of Norway from Liverpool
Ports: Liverpool · Andalsnes · Olden · Skjolden · Bergen
5 NIGHTSScottish Isles Bank Holiday Break from Liverpool
Ports: Liverpool · Kirkwall, Orkney Islands · Lerwick, Shetland Islands
5 NIGHTSBank Holiday Fjords of Norway from Newcastle
Ports: Newcastle · Lysefjord · Bergen · Ulvik · Hardangerfjord · Maurangerfjord
P&O Cruises vs Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines: the bottom line
Choosing between P&O Cruises and Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines ultimately comes down to what kind of holiday you are looking for. Both are well-established cruise lines with loyal followings, but they cater to different preferences and budgets.
P&O Cruises, founded in 1837 and headquartered in Southampton, UK, operates a fleet of 7 ships. It is categorised as a premium cruise line and scores 4.5/5 overall based on 12,400 reviews. The line is particularly strong for uk departures (no-fly) and families with children, making it a natural choice for cruisers who value those attributes.
Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines, established in 1848 from Ipswich, UK, has a fleet of 4 ships. As a traditional line rated 4.4/5 from 5,600 reviews, it excels at no-fly cruising from uk and small-ship intimacy. If those are your priorities, Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines deserves serious consideration.
On food, P&O Cruises scores 8/10 compared to Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines's 6/10. For entertainment, P&O Cruises comes in at 7/10 versus Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines's 5/10. Value for money favours P&O Cruises with a score of 8/10.
Our recommendation: browse the available sailings above and compare itineraries, dates, and total cost including what is bundled in the fare. The best cruise line is the one that matches your specific needs, budget, and travel dates. Use the scores as a guide, but remember that individual ship and itinerary matter just as much as the cruise line brand.
P&O Cruises vs Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines — FAQ
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