P&O Cruises vs Marella Cruises
A detailed side-by-side comparison of P&O Cruises and Marella Cruises 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 Marella Cruises if you want…
- All-inclusive simplicity
- First-time cruisers
- Budget-conscious families
- Regional UK airport departures
Marella Cruises may not suit you if…
- Luxury seekers
- Food enthusiasts
- Those wanting UK port departures (fly-cruise only)
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
Marella Cruises Fleet (5 ships)
Marella Explorer
Built 2018 · 1,924 guests
Marella Explorer 2
Built 2019 · 1,814 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
Save 2%14 NIGHTSMediterranean
Save 5%16 NIGHTSNorthern Europe
7 NIGHTSWestern Mediterranean Fly-Cruise
Save 2%16 NIGHTSNorwegian Fjords
Save 2%7 NIGHTSSpain and France cruise from Southampton
Ports: Southampton · Bilbao (Getxo) · La Coruna · Vigo · Cherbourg
Save 2%7 NIGHTSMediterranean
14 NIGHTSWestern Mediterranean cruise from Southampton
Ports: Southampton · Cádiz · Ibiza Town · Ibiza · Cagliari · Sardinia
Save 2%7 NIGHTSNorwegian Fjords cruise from Southampton
Ports: Southampton · Haugesund · Olden · Innvikfjorden (Scenic Cruising) · Flam · Aurlandsfjord (Scenic Cruising)
Save 2%14 NIGHTSWestern Mediterranean cruise from Southampton
Ports: Southampton · La Coruna · Vigo · Malaga · Alicante · La Seyne-sur-Mer
Save 2%21 NIGHTSEastern Mediterranean Discovery
Ports: Southampton · Cartagena · La Goulette · Palermo · Athens · Istanbul
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)
Save 3%7 NIGHTSNorwegian Fjords
Save 3%30 NIGHTSTransatlantic
7 NIGHTSNorwegian Fjords cruise from Southampton
Ports: Southampton · Haugesund · Olden · Innvikfjorden (Scenic Cruising) · Flam · Aurlandsfjord (Scenic Cruising)
Save 3%7 NIGHTSNorwegian Fjords
7 NIGHTSNorwegian Fjords cruise from Southampton
Ports: Southampton · Haugesund · Olden · Stavanger, Norway · Kristiansand, Norway
7 NIGHTSNorwegian Fjords cruise from Southampton
Ports: Southampton · Haugesund · Olden · Innvikfjorden (Scenic Cruising) · Flam · Aurlandsfjord (Scenic Cruising)
Save 3%14 NIGHTSMediterranean
7 NIGHTSNorwegian Fjords cruise from Southampton
Ports: Southampton · Haugesund · Olden · Stavanger, Norway · Kristiansand, Norway
Save 3%7 NIGHTSNorwegian Fjords cruise from Southampton
Ports: Southampton · Haugesund · Olden · Innvikfjorden (Scenic Cruising) · Flam · Aurlandsfjord (Scenic Cruising)
7 NIGHTSNorwegian Fjords cruise from Southampton
Ports: Southampton · Haugesund · Olden · Stavanger, Norway · Kristiansand, Norway
Save 3%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
7 NIGHTSNorwegian Fjords cruise from Southampton
Ports: Southampton · Haugesund · Olden · Stavanger, Norway · Kristiansand, Norway
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
7 NIGHTSHalf Term France and Spain cruise from Southampton
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%7 NIGHTSCanary Islands
Save 2%14 NIGHTSCanary Islands & Spain
Save 2%19 NIGHTSMediterranean
Save 17%14 NIGHTS14 Night Eastern Caribbean
Ports: Barbados · St Lucia · Antigua · St Kitts
Save 4%14 NIGHTSSpain, Portugal and Canary Islands cruise from Southampton
Ports: Southampton · Santa Cruz, Tenerife · Las Palmas, Gran Canaria · Arrecife, Lanzarote · Cádiz · Lisbon
Save 3%14 NIGHTSSpain Portugal and Morocco
Ports: Southampton · Funchal · Agadir · Casablanca · Tangier · Lisbon
Save 8%4 NIGHTS4-night Belgium And France fr Southampton
Save 15%3 NIGHTS3-night Belgium fr Southampton
18 NIGHTSSpain, Portugal and Cape Verde cruise from Southampton
Ports: Southampton · Funchal · Praia · Mindelo · Sao Vincent · Arrecife
14 NIGHTSSpain, Portugal and Canary Islands cruise from Southampton
Ports: Southampton · Santa Cruz, Tenerife · Las Palmas, Gran Canaria · Arrecife, Lanzarote · Cádiz · Lisbon
Save 3%4 NIGHTSRotterdam City Break
Ports: Rotterdam · Southampton
Marella Cruises Sailings
Save 2%7 NIGHTSMediterranean
Ports: Palma de Mallorca
7 NIGHTSMediterranean
Ports: Limassol
Save 2%7 NIGHTSGreek Mystique
Ports: Dubrovnik · Athens · Olympia (Katakolon) · Corfu · Kotor
7 NIGHTSAdriatic Delights
Ports: Dubrovnik · Venice (Trieste) · Koper · Zadar · Split · Kotor
7 NIGHTSSail Three Seas
Ports: Malta · Catania · Argostoli · Corfu · Kotor
7 NIGHTSAdriatic Affair
Ports: Kotor · Split · Zadar · Venice (Trieste) · Koper
Save 2%7 NIGHTSTreasures of the Mediterranean from Majorca
Ports: Palma · Olbia · Naples · Civitavecchia · Ajaccio · Palamos
7 NIGHTSSail Three Seas
Ports: Malta · Catania · Argostoli · Corfu · Kotor
7 NIGHTSAegean Gems from Cyprus
Ports: Limassol · Souda Bay · Piraeus · Izmir · Mykonos · Rhodes
7 NIGHTSHighlights of the Mediterranean from Majorca
Ports: Palma · Majorca · Ajaccio · Corsica · Civitavecchia (tours to Rome) · Livorno (tours to Florence/Pisa)
Save 10%11 NIGHTSTransatlantic Passage to Paradise from Malaga to Barbados
Ports: Malaga · St. John's, Antigua · Roseau · Bridgetown, Barbados
14 NIGHTSEscape to the Caribbean from Malaga
Ports: Malaga · Tangier · St. John's · Basseterre · Roseau · Castries
Save 2%14 NIGHTSParadise Islands & A Christmas in the Tropics from Barbados
Ports: Bridgetown, Barbados · St. John's, Antigua · Road Town, Tortola · Philipsburg, St. Maarten · Basseterre, St. Kitts · Roseau
7 NIGHTSCanarian Flavours
Ports: Tenerife · Gran Canaria · Lanzarote · Agadir · Funchal · La Palma
7 NIGHTSAtlantic Islands from Tenerife
14 NIGHTSA Taste of the Tropics & Paradise Islands from Barbados
Ports: Bridgetown, Barbados · Castries, St. Lucia · Pointe-à-Pitre · St. George's, Grenada · Scarborough, Tobago · Kingstown, St. Vincent & Grenadines
7 NIGHTSCanarian Flavours
Ports: Tenerife · Gran Canaria · Lanzarote · Agadir · Funchal · La Palma
14 NIGHTSParadise Islands & A Christmas in the Tropics from Barbados
P&O Cruises vs Marella Cruises: the bottom line
Choosing between P&O Cruises and Marella Cruises 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.
Marella Cruises, established in 1995 from Luton, UK, has a fleet of 5 ships. As a value line rated 4.1/5 from 7,800 reviews, it excels at all-inclusive simplicity and first-time cruisers. If those are your priorities, Marella Cruises deserves serious consideration.
On food, P&O Cruises scores 8/10 compared to Marella Cruises's 5/10. For entertainment, P&O Cruises comes in at 7/10 versus Marella Cruises's 6/10. Value for money favours Marella Cruises with a score of 9/10.
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 Marella Cruises — FAQ
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