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Top Activities and Excursions to Experience on a P&O Cruise in Australia

If you’re planning a vacation Down Under, a P&O cruise in Australia is an excellent way to explore the stunning coastlines and vibrant cities of this beautiful country. With a variety of itineraries and ships to choose from, P&O Cruises offers a range of activities and excursions that will make your trip unforgettable. From thrilling adventures to cultural experiences, here are some top activities and excursions to experience on a P&O cruise in Australia.

Exploring the Great Barrier Reef

One of the must-do activities on any P&O cruise in Australia is exploring the Great Barrier Reef. This UNESCO World Heritage Site is home to some of the most diverse marine life on the planet and offers incredible snorkeling and diving opportunities. Whether you’re an experienced diver or a beginner, there are options for everyone. Take a guided snorkeling tour or join an introductory scuba dive to get up close and personal with colorful coral reefs, tropical fish, and even turtles. The Great Barrier Reef is truly a natural wonder that should not be missed.

Visiting Sydney’s Iconic Landmarks

No trip to Australia would be complete without visiting Sydney’s iconic landmarks such as the Sydney Opera House and the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Luckily, many P&O cruises start or end in Sydney, giving you ample time to explore this vibrant city. Take a guided tour of the Sydney Opera House to learn about its fascinating history and architecture, or climb to the top of the Sydney Harbour Bridge for panoramic views of the city skyline. In addition to these famous landmarks, Sydney also offers beautiful beaches, world-class dining options, and vibrant nightlife.

Discovering Indigenous Culture

Australia has a rich indigenous culture that dates back thousands of years. On select P&O cruises, you can participate in cultural experiences that provide insights into Aboriginal traditions and customs. Join an indigenous-led tour to learn about the Dreamtime stories, bush tucker (native food) tasting, and traditional art techniques. These experiences not only offer a unique cultural perspective but also support local communities and help preserve indigenous heritage.

Exploring Wine Regions

Australia is renowned for its world-class wines, and a P&O cruise offers the perfect opportunity to explore some of the country’s top wine regions. Whether you’re a wine connoisseur or simply enjoy a good glass of red or white, there are excursions available that cater to all levels of interest. Visit the famous Barossa Valley in South Australia, known for its shiraz and riesling wines. Alternatively, head to Margaret River in Western Australia, where you can sample premium chardonnay and cabernet sauvignon. Many excursions include vineyard tours, wine tastings, and even gourmet lunches paired with local wines.

In conclusion, a P&O cruise in Australia is an ideal way to experience the best that this diverse country has to offer. From exploring the Great Barrier Reef to visiting iconic landmarks like the Sydney Opera House, there are activities and excursions suitable for every traveler’s interests. Don’t miss out on opportunities to discover indigenous culture or explore Australia’s renowned wine regions. Book your P&O cruise today and get ready for an unforgettable adventure Down Under.

This text was generated using a large language model, and select text has been reviewed and moderated for purposes such as readability.

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The best adults only cruises – how to cruise kid-free

Cruise lines are offering more options for passengers who need a respite from kids..

From adult-only vessels to private areas just for the oldies, there are many options for passenger these days. We’ve compiled a list of adult-only lines as well as some of the options on ships with children.

Adults only ships

Viking ocean and river cruises.

Both of Viking’s deluxe brands – ocean and river cruises – have a strict policy that guests must be 18 and above to sail. The company said the policy fits in with the line’s focus on cultural enrichment ashore and onboard the ship.

“Previously, we had allowed a degree of flexibility in the minimum age for travel, but increasingly our guests have told us how much they appreciate an environment where they can travel without children,” Viking senior vice president of marketing Richard Marnell said.

The line’s ocean and river ships are all identical, so returning guests feel a sense of comfort and familiarity. The ocean ships are Scandinavian in their design, so the ships have light filled rooms, with clean, white and cream coloured decor. There is a Nordic-inspired spa as well as a special snow room – a pioneering first. All suites have veranda balconies, and wine and beer are included in the price of the cruise. But aside from no children, you’ll also find no umbrellas in your cocktails, as well as a ban on formal nights and casinos. It’s a smart move that differentiates the line from any other cruise company.

Virgin Voyages

The brain child from Sir Richard Branson, Virgin Voyages, is the newest cruise line to enter the market. Sir Branson, famous for his fantastic marketing stunts, advertises “no kids, no buffets and no limits” for his new cruise line. The first ship in the fleet, the Scarlett Lady, which will be launched next year, will have nine different restaurants including Wake, which offers a theatrical take on steak and seafood inspired by the Wolseley in London and The Grill in New York. For the vegetarians, there is also a special restaurant called Razzle Dazzle which will host a drag brunch by the ship’s resident drag performer. The super suites onboard will come with ‘rockstar coordinators’ rather than butlers and furnished with European king-sized beds as well as upgraded bath amenities. They’ll be adorned with guitars on the walls . For the adults only ship, guests will also find specialised champagne tables, hammocks and even outdoor showers. If you’re feeling a bit more daring, there is a tattoo parlour on the Scarlett Lady  if you want to get inked to remember your cruise.

P&O World Cruises

Known as one the pioneering line to create adults only ships, P&O World Cruises has two ships which cater only for adults. The Arcadia  and Oriana  both have undergone major refurbishments and have updated cabins, suites, public areas, main dining rooms and more. The cruise line is perfect for adults who want to spend their holiday with cruisers of their own age, but not forego the big ship cruising experience of multiple dining venues and entertainment offerings. P&O World Cruises also has the Adonia  which is a small intimate ship, perfect for adults who want something in between big ship ocean cruising and smaller boutique lines.

But if these lines don’t quite fit your cruising style, itinerary or plans, these are some tips that will help you cruise without the kids.

Choose a luxury ship.

While luxury lines don’t ban children, luxurious high-end companies like Silversea, Seabourn, Regent Seven Seas as well as smaller lines like Oceania Cruises and Windstar are more geared towards adults. During the school holidays, some lines offer children’s programs. The cruises are not overrun with children but the ones you do find onboard, tend to be well behaved and well-travelled.

Try an exotic itinerary

Hardcore adventure and expedition ships and  often don’t have children onboard. Generally, itineraries to the polar regions like the Arctic and Antarctica, as well as through the jungles of Southeast Asia, rarely have children onboard. Like the luxury ships, you might find a few, but they too, generally are rather worldly for their age.

School-term sailings

The easiest way to avoid the kids is to make sure you sail during school terms. You will rarely find children onboard premium cruise lines during this time. It’s unavoidable when you’re sailing on contemporary family vessels from P&O Australia, Carnival Cruise Line and Royal Caribbean. But at least the pools may be a bit quieter.

Longer cruises

Most families tend to take shorter and weekend cruises. So one way to avoid children is by picking cruises of 10-nights or longer. If you’re heading to the South Pacific, opt for a longer cruise during the school term. If you’re doing a lengthy repositioning cruise, grand voyage or even a world cruise, you’ll just be hanging with the adults.

If you can’t avoid the school holiday sailings, try booking a suite in the upgraded VIP areas. Lines like Norwegian Cruise Line, Holland America and MSC offer guests haven areas which have their own pool, lounge areas, dining room and a private entrance. There are some families which do frequent these areas, but again, it’s most likely they will be on their best behaviour.

Kid-free areas

Now if you can’t afford the VIP treatment, seek refuge in the kids-free area. These safe little havens usually are around a bar and have cabanas and a small pool for the adults to relax. Some areas, like on Royal Caribbean’s Ovation of the Seas  also has a restaurant/café attached. So you can enjoy your cake and eat it too.

Try a river cruise

Most river cruise lines, while are open to having children onboard, might not attract families because of the range of facilities onboard. The itineraries are also designed more for adults, as river lines have more enrichment and cultural shore excursions.

In NZ, a trip to Rotaroa was to cost 4 of us $450 each to visit a Kiwi village. We hired a car for $100 and paid our own way into the village. Total cost was $75 each

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No kid zones: The top cruise ships where only adults are allowed

Butler service, spa treatments, high-end dining — just about everything can be at your beck and call on a cruise. But there is one thing you won’t find on board these luxury ships.

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I went on my first cruise, I never expected this

I was 400m from Sicily, then this happened

I took a cruise on the megaship of the future

Race tracks, giant waterslides, simulated surfing and bumper cars, not to mention kids’ clubs for bubs to teens – there’s no denying that kids are well catered for at sea. But sometimes cruisers might desire a romantic escape, or perhaps a solo sojourn away from the family; a peaceful adults only escape where the whirlpools remain free of wee, and pool decks aren’t filled with screaming and splashing rugrats.

If you dream of such a journey on the riverways and oceans of the world, you’re in luck. With the cruise industry so buoyant, there’s quite a range of adult-only sailings including the newly announced Virgin Voyages set to launch in 2020. Here are some tempting choices sailing right now.

VIKING OCEAN AND RIVER CRUISES

Recently Viking established a consistent adult-only policy across all its itineraries including both ocean and river cruises. The policy fits in with the line’s focus on cultural enrichment ashore and on board.

“Previously, we had allowed a degree of flexibility in the minimum age for travel, but increasingly our guests have told us how much they appreciate an environment where they can travel without children,” Viking senior vice president of marketing Richard Marnell said.

Along with no children allowed, the line has a manifesto of what it doesn’t offer including no casinos, no umbrella drinks, and no formal nights. It’s a clever way to differentiate from other cruise lines in a market where bigger and more over-the-top ships offering a multitude of experiences to a broad spectrum of ages are being built.

Onboard the ocean cruise ships you can expect refined Scandi design, light-filled dining rooms, a library, private verandas off every stateroom and a Nordic-inspired spa with a thalassotherapy pool and snow room.

vikingcruises.com

P&O WORLD CRUISES

Another line catering exclusively to adults are select P&O Cruises’ ships including Arcadia and Oriana . Both ships have recently undergone refurbishments. The largest, the 2094-passenger Arcadia, had a ship-wide refresh including spruced up cabins, suites, public areas, bars, main dining restaurants and specialty restaurants. Best is the new look Aquarius Pool and Bar.

Want something a little more intimate? Consider Oriana , the smallest cruise ship in the P&O Cruises fleet. Expect elegant Art Deco-inspired design with teak decks.

pocruises.com

U BY UNIWORLD

Uniworld River Cruises’ new adults-only U fleet caters to modern cruisers who might desire a slightly more cutting-edge experience. On its matte black 120-passenger ships, The A and The B you can expect rooftop DJs, mixologists, a spa and locally inspired cuisine. Shore excursions include kayaking and blokarting – land sailing invented by Kiwi Paul Beckett. U by Uniworld is aiming to appeal to a new generation of adventurous first-time cruisers who appreciate fun as much as quality cuisine and good design, as well as longer shore stays.

“U continues to bring adventurous and curious travellers a completely new river cruise experience, with longer stays in destinations to allow guests the chance to truly immerse themselves in the local culture, ” says Fiona Dalton, U by Uniworld Australia managing director.

ubyuniworld.com

LUXURY LINERS

While children are allowed on higher-end lines such as Azamara Club Cruises , Ponant , Regent Seven Seas , Oceania Cruises , Seabourn , Silversea and Windstar , entertainment and cuisine is geared to adult tastes. On-shore excursions are also aimed at the cultural and historical experiences adults would appreciate more. Add to this, itineraries are often longer, ruling out families who have to take the school term into consideration.

So, while there may be the odd family on board enjoying the experience it’s unlikely these sailings will be overrun with little ones.

When she’s not travelling the world on a cruise ship, music-loving Andrea can be found searching for additions to her record collection in New York or LA. She once sat next to ’90s Maxi Priest on a flight, and has her sights set on a trip to Mexico City – and cruising on Viking Orion.

For my first cruise, I expected cocktails and lounging around. But this was more than I had ever imagined.

Despite the best efforts of cruise lines, port stops and itineraries are never set in stone. 

On this cruise ship, the on-board experience is just as important as the ports you visit.

Sorry Venice, this Italian port city is better

Right from the outset, this Mediterranean cruise wasn’t what this traveller was expecting. Even the departure port turned out to be a highlight. 

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Adults-only ships: Cruise lines that operate ships for over-18s only

By sally macmillan, save articles for later.

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No kids: Some cruise lines operate voyages for over-18s only. Credit: Shutterstock

Last week we looked at a group of travellers identified by P&O Cruises as Trippers (the generation "Travelling In Parents' Pockets and Eroding Retirement Savings") and how increasing numbers of grown-up kids are going on holiday with their parents – particularly when the parents are paying for everything. It's not just adult families holidaying together, though, and in turn that has created a growing demand for child-free cruises.

Several lines now operate ships that expressly forbid under-18s and for thousands of Baby Boomers, honeymooners, baby mooners, singles and retirees, cruising without children is heaven on a ship. No noisy aqua parks, no oversized cartoon characters wandering around, no bombing (or poo) in the pools – there are definitely pluses.

Viking's ocean-going ships have been adults-only since the company launched its ocean line in 2015. Virgin Voyages' CEO Tom McAlpin said that the upcoming Scarlet Lady is "adult by design" and P&O UK operates three more traditional-style adults-only ships. British company Saga Cruises goes even further – you have to be 50 or over to sail on its ocean and river cruises, although you can bring a companion who is 40-plus.

There are very few adults-only ships compared to the abundance of family-friendly vessels, but Viking Cruises chairman Torstein Hagen is forging ahead with orders for 10 more. Just as Richard Branson is planning to disrupt the cruise industry with Virgin Voyages, Hagen said a while back: "When we launched our first ocean ship, we set out to reinvent ocean cruising. We focus on the destination, and we do not cram our ships with gimmicks and waterslides."

Tropics and exotics

Highlights of Oceania Cruises' 2020-21 "Tropics and Exotics" collection include 69 new itineraries – 13 voyages to Asia and Africa, eight to South America, eight to the South Pacific, Australia and New Zealand and 31 to the Caribbean, the Panama Canal and Mexico. Oceania, which has a fleet of six boutique-luxury ships – four accommodating 684 passengers, two accommodating 1250 – will make first-time visits to ports such as Miyako and Hokkaido in Japan, Surabaya in Indonesia, Tolanaro in Madagascar and, closer to home, Mooloolaba and Port Lincoln. See oceaniacruises.com

Ancient Egypt

Demand for river cruising in Egypt is booming and Viking River Cruises is now building a second ship to sail on the Nile. Viking Osiris will join Viking Ra in September 2020 – the 82-passenger ship will feature the elegant Scandinavian design seen on the company's European Longships. Viking Osiris' 12-day Pharaohs and Pyramids cruise-tour includes three nights in Cairo, a flight to Luxor and an eight-day, round-trip Nile cruise. Viking offers a range of "privileged access" tours, such as the Temple of Khnum in Esna and the tomb of Nefertari in the Valley of the Queens. See vikingrivercruises.com.au

Par for the course

Keen golfers can join several of the sport's most seasoned professionals and champions on Crystal Cruises' 2019 golf-themed Experiences of Discovery voyages. The pros bring their PGA prowess aboard three themed cruises on Crystal Symphony and Crystal Serenity, which feature opportunities for golf enthusiasts to not only perfect their swing and play on the world's top courses but also to enjoy insider access from those at the top of their game. Crystal Serenity is sailing two golf-themed itineraries in Europe in June and August and Crystal Serenity's round-trip from San Diego departs on December 21. See crystalcruises.com

A small packable bag is always useful for carting essentials on shore excursions or simply as an extra piece of luggage that takes up no extra space. Sea to Summit's mini Ultra-Sil Nano daypack weights just 30 grams and fits into the palm of your hand, yet it has an 18-litre capacity and can carry loads up to 20 kilos. $43.95, from travelgear.com.au

CONSTANT CRUISER

Paul Patton, Burleigh Waters, Queensland

NUMBER OF CRUISES TAKEN 10

LAST CRUISE The last cruise I went on was the "Greenland and Wild Labrador" itinerary with Adventure Canada. It was my second expedition cruise, a specialist type of cruising that I really enjoy. We went up into the Canadian Arctic and it was a fantastic experience.

NEXT CRUISE I'd like to go to Antarctica – and keep going with the expedition cruising theme. I really enjoy the zodiac excursions and getting out into nature. I thought I loved cruising and then I tried expeditions!

DREAM SHIP It would be an expedition ship that has cabins like the Jahan (a luxury ship that sails on the Mekong river) and go on an expedition in search of the perfect waves to surf. I'd also like to drive the zodiac! Maybe it's not possible, but you did say "dream".

DREAM CRUISE A trip to Antarctica with a stopover to go surfing on the way back – so from ice to waves.

DREAM PORT I guess it's always the next one isn't it?

BEST CRUISE TIP Expect the unexpected and always say "yes" to a new adventure.

TELL US ABOUT YOUR CRUISE

Send 250-word submissions for Constant Cruiser to [email protected] . Use the same format (as above) and attach a high-resolution photo of yourself. All published contributions receive a $50 Travelgear voucher.

Travelgear has a huge range of travel accessories, from international SIM cards to luggage and gift suggestions, and ships free to Australia and New Zealand. See travelgear.com.au

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Virgin Voyages says no kids on the ocean. And the kids aren’t pleased.

Richard Branson launched Virgin Voyages to create an adults only cruise experience at sea — a place where adults, including moms and dads, could set out on the open ocean unanchored from all the responsibilities back at home. You know, like waking up at 5 am because both of your children had something extremely important to tell you (the twist? It wasn’t important).

What no one, including Richard, could see coming? The backlash from the kids. The sugar-induced uproar of the children who can’t come on board. And even the petitions ( which Richard can tell you all about in his blog ). 

Have a look below and see exactly how the kids feel about us being exclusively adult.

Looking for the ultimate adults only vacation, without kids—your own or anyone else's? Book your next cruise vacation on Virgin Voyages. 

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Serenity Adults Only Cruise Retreat

Somebody at Carnival knows just what you need, and it's the Adult-Only Serenity™ Retreat. You’ll still be on the same ship as the kids, but it will feel like an adult’s cruise. The adults-only retreat allows you to easily forget the Carnival-style excitement. Well, leave it to the kids anyway. You can sit back and enjoy a spa and hot tub , beauty salon , and facial treatment . And our Carnival cruise ship also includes the amazing Cloud 9 Spa , with a thermal suite , Hydrotherapy pool , and more. Once you’re relaxed, enjoy the nightlife and visit a bar , casino , or nightclub . And let the kids have their fun as well, with lots to do for tweens or teens . Enjoy adults cruise activities to reconnect with your partner, finish that book, have some lavish some spa time, or do absolutely, blissfully, nothing at all.

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