P&O Cruises will not only be repeating a full Dubai cruise season in Arabian Gulf with its cruise ship Oceana, but will also be switching up the itineraries to offer 7-night roundtrip sailings.

The announcement, made with the release of the cruise line’s 2020/21 winter cruise itineraries, is yet more evidence of the extraordinary growth in the Arabian Gulf cruise market.

Oceana of P&O Cruises is sailing her first ever Dubai cruise season in 2019.

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According to P&O Cruises, which also operates in Australia as P&O Australia, demand for cruise holidays in the Middle East from its British home market is very high.

“We were delighted with the positive feedback from our guests following our first Dubai and Arabian Gulf holidays, so Oceana will now offer new seven night holidays for her third season in the region,” said Paul Ludlow, President, P&O Cruises.

Paul Ludlow, President, P&O Cruises

Oceana will cruise roundtrip from Dubai between October, 2020 and March, 2021 on 7-night itineraries alternating between the east and west ends of the Arabian Gulf.

She’ll cruise to Doha, Qatar for the first time, and will also make port calls in Manama, Bahrain and the UAE ports of Sir Bani Yas Island and Abu Dhabi. On her eastern Arabian Gulf itineraries, Muscat, Oman will also be a port call.

P&O will cruise to Doha, Qatar for the first time during its 2020/21 Dubai season

While the British cruise line’s revamped Dubai cruise season will be a major draw, and has in fact been made the focus of a major TV ad campaign, P&O Cruises will be sailing to several dozen destinations around the world.

Iona will be introduced in 2020 and will cruise a diverse array of European itineraries, while Arcadia will offer a several-week grand voyage from Dubai to Southampton in 2020 on the homeward leg of her 99-night World Cruise.

Aurora will also be sailing a grand voyage, with a 65-night Caribbean and South America Adventure that departs from Southampton on January 6^th, 2021, featuring a full Panama Canal transit; overnight stays in Rio de Janeiro, Montevide; Santiago (from San Antonio), and Lima (from Callao), plus late night stays in St. Kitts, Barbados and Fuerte Amador, Panama.

P&O’s expanded Dubai cruise season will coincide with the launch of its new ship Iona

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“We have never offered more variety and value for our winter cruise holidays,” says Ludlow. “There is so much to choose from in this winter 2020/21 collection, be it Iona’s first winter sun escapes from Southampton, adventures in iconic Northern European cities or exploring South America on Aurora’s Grand Tour.”

P&O Cruises will also, of course, be sailing in the Caribbean during the 2020/21 season.

Britannia and Azura will continue to offer seven- and 14-night Caribbean fly-cruises between October 2020 and March 2021, while Ventura and Aurora will offer three no-fly cruises from Southampton, with departures in November, 2020 and January and February 2021.

Britannia will focus on Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao, with additional calls in St Lucia and Antigua, while Azura will offer Eastern Caribbean itineraries, including calls to Grand Turk, St. Kitts, Grenada and Tortola.

Arcadia will offer a 99-night world cruise, departing from Southampton on January 3, 2021, with an overnight stay in Sydney and calls in San Francisco, Hong Kong, Auckland and Singapore.