P&O Cruises vs MSC Cruises
A detailed side-by-side comparison of P&O Cruises and MSC 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 MSC Cruises if you want…
- Value for money
- All-inclusive packages
- Families (kids sail free)
- Mediterranean itineraries
MSC Cruises may not suit you if…
- Those wanting British-focused experience
- Small-ship intimacy seekers
- Adults-only preference
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
MSC Cruises Fleet (22 ships)
MSC Virtuosa
Built 2021 · 6,334 guests
MSC World Europa
Built 2022 · 6,762 guests
MSC Euribia
Built 2023 · 6,334 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 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 1%7 NIGHTSMediterranean
14 NIGHTSWestern Mediterranean cruise from Southampton
Ports: Southampton · Cádiz · Ibiza Town · Ibiza · Cagliari · Sardinia
7 NIGHTSNorwegian Fjords cruise from Southampton
Ports: Southampton · Haugesund · Olden · Innvikfjorden (Scenic Cruising) · Flam · Aurlandsfjord (Scenic Cruising)
Save 8%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 1%7 NIGHTSMediterranean
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 1%7 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
MSC Cruises Sailings
Save 2%4 NIGHTSCaribbean and Antilles
Hot deal7 NIGHTSAlaska 7 Nights From Seattle, Washington
Ports: Seattle · Ketchikan · Icy Strait Point · Juneau · Endicott Arm · Victoria
7 NIGHTS7 nights Western Mediterranean from Palermo (Monreale)
Ports: Ibiza · Barcelona · Marseille · Genoa · Rome · Palermo
7 NIGHTS7 nights Western Mediterranean from Naples (Pompeii)
Ports: Sicily · Malta · Barcelona · Marseille · Genoa · Naples
7 NIGHTS7 nights Western Mediterranean from Marseille (Provence)
Ports: Barcelona · La Goulette · Palermo · Naples · Florence/Pisa · Marseille
7 NIGHTS7 nights Eastern Mediterranean from Kusadasi
Ports: Marmaris · Naples · Rome · Mykonos · Kusadasi
7 NIGHTS7 nights Western Mediterranean from Marseille (Provence)
Ports: Florence/Pisa · Cagliari · Palermo · Malta · Barcelona · Marseille
7 NIGHTS7 nights Western Mediterranean from Civitavecchia (Rome)
Ports: Genoa · Marseille · Valencia · Ibiza · Cagliari · Rome
7 NIGHTS7 nights Western Mediterranean from Barcelona
Ports: La Goulette · Palermo · Naples · Florence/Pisa · Marseille · Barcelona
7 NIGHTS7 nights Western Mediterranean from Livorno (Florence)
Ports: Florence/Pisa · Cagliari · Palermo · Malta · Barcelona · Marseille
9 NIGHTS9 nights Eastern Mediterranean from Piraeus (Athens)
Ports: Kusadasi · Istanbul · Corfu · Bari · Venice (Trieste) · Olympia (Katakolon)
7 NIGHTSMediterranean 7 Nights From Piraeus
Ports: Piraeus · Katakolon · Argostoli · Corfu · Bari · Santorini
Save 12%7 NIGHTSMediterranean 7 Nights From Civitavecchia
Ports: Civitavecchia · Genoa · Marseille · Tarragona · Valencia · Livorno
7 NIGHTSMediterranean 7 Nights From Genoa
Ports: Genoa · Marseille · Valencia · Ibiza · Cagliari · Civitavecchia
7 NIGHTS7 nights Western Mediterranean from Messina (Taormina)
Ports: Malta · Barcelona · Marseille · Genoa · Naples · Sicily
10 NIGHTS10 nights Western Mediterranean from Malaga (Granada)
Ports: Cadiz · Lisbon · Alicante · Mahon · Olbia/Sardinia · Genoa
12 NIGHTSUniversal Orlando Resort Stay with Bahamas & Caribbean Explorer
Ports: Port Canaveral · Nassau · Cozumel · Puerto Costa Maya · Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve
Save 2%4 NIGHTSFar East
Ports: Shanghai, China
Save 5%7 NIGHTSMediterranean
7 NIGHTSMediterranean 7 Nights From Marseille
Ports: Marseille · Valencia · Ibiza · Cagliari · Civitavecchia · Genoa
Save 2%10 NIGHTS10 nights Caribbean from Port Canaveral (Orlando)
Ports: Port Canaveral · Nassau · Ocean Cay · Cozumel · Puerto Costa Maya
9 NIGHTS9 nights Eastern Mediterranean from Istanbul
Ports: Istanbul · Corfu · Bari · Venice (Trieste) · Olympia (Katakolon) · Athens
Save 5%7 NIGHTSMediterranean
Ports: Naples, Italy
Save 5%7 NIGHTSMediterranean
7 NIGHTSMediterranean 7 Nights From Marseille
Ports: Marseille · Tarragona · Valencia · Livorno · Civitavecchia · Genoa
Save 5%7 NIGHTS7 nights Western Mediterranean from Barcelona
Ports: Barcelona · Marseille · Genoa · Rome · Palermo · Ibiza
Save 5%7 NIGHTS7 nights Western Mediterranean from Valencia
Ports: Valencia · Ibiza · Cagliari · Rome · Genoa · Marseille
7 NIGHTS7 nights Western Mediterranean from Palermo (Monreale)
Ports: Naples · Florence/Pisa · Marseille · Barcelona · La Goulette
7 NIGHTS7 nights Western Mediterranean from Barcelona
Ports: Barcelona · Marseille · Genoa · Naples · Sicily · Malta
7 NIGHTS7 nights Western Mediterranean from Marseille (Provence)
Ports: Genoa · Rome · Palermo · Ibiza · Barcelona
Save 2%4 NIGHTSCaribbean and Antilles
Save 5%7 NIGHTSMediterranean
Save 6%7 NIGHTSMediterranean 7 Nights From Civitavecchia
Ports: Civitavecchia · Mykonos · Kusadasi · Marmaris · Naples
7 NIGHTS7 nights Western Mediterranean from Tarragona
Ports: Valencia · Florence/Pisa · Rome · Genoa · Marseille
Save 6%12 NIGHTSNorthern Europe
Save 12%7 NIGHTSMediterranean 7 Nights From Valencia
Ports: Valencia · Livorno · Civitavecchia · Genoa · Marseille · Tarragona
Save 12%7 NIGHTSMediterranean 7 Nights From Venice
Ports: Venice · Kotor · Mykonos · Syros · Ancona
Save 12%7 NIGHTSMediterranean 7 Nights From Split
Ports: Split · Venice · Dubrovnik · Corfu · Kotor · Brindisi
Save 12%7 NIGHTSNorthern Europe 7 Nights From Copenhagen
Ports: Copenhagen · Warnemünde · Eidfjord · Bergen · Kristiansand · Oslo
Save 12%7 NIGHTSMediterranean 7 Nights From Genoa
Ports: Genoa · Civitavecchia · Palermo · Ibiza · Barcelona · Marseille
Save 5%7 NIGHTSCaribbean and Antilles
Save 5%7 NIGHTSCaribbean and Antilles
Save 5%7 NIGHTSMediterranean
Save 5%7 NIGHTSMediterranean
Save 5%11 NIGHTSCaribbean 11 Nights From Port Canaveral, Florida
Ports: Port Canaveral · Nassau · Cozumel · Costa Maya · Ocean Cay · Port Canaveral
Save 12%9 NIGHTSAsia 9 Nights From Shanghai
Ports: Shanghai · Busan · Fukuoka · Shanghai · Jeju Island · Busan
Save 12%7 NIGHTSMediterranean 7 Nights From Civitavecchia
Ports: Civitavecchia · Palermo · Ibiza · Barcelona · Marseille · Genoa
Save 5%7 NIGHTSMediterranean
Save 5%7 NIGHTSMediterranean
Save 12%7 NIGHTSMediterranean 7 Nights From Venice
Ports: Venice · Dubrovnik · Corfu · Kotor · Brindisi · Split
P&O Cruises vs MSC Cruises: the bottom line
Choosing between P&O Cruises and MSC 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.
MSC Cruises, established in 1970 from Geneva, Switzerland, has a fleet of 22 ships. As a contemporary line rated 4.3/5 from 15,600 reviews, it excels at value for money and all-inclusive packages. If those are your priorities, MSC Cruises deserves serious consideration.
On food, P&O Cruises scores 8/10 compared to MSC Cruises's 7/10. For entertainment, P&O Cruises comes in at 7/10 versus MSC Cruises's 7/10. Value for money favours MSC 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 MSC Cruises — FAQ
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