AS Britain’s winter gloom deepens, there’s still time to check into a world cruise which leave these shores early in the New Year – and stays away until the spring.
 

The few spaces left, in some cases for only a section of the journey, begin at well under £100 per person per day. With cruise-line chiefs admitting prices will probably have to fall to keep ships full in 2009, this is probably a good time to go around the world.

P&O Cruises 2009 World Voyages programme is its biggest ever: Three ships visiting 71 destinations in 34 countries, all with a few places still to fill.

Arcadia’s Grand Voyage, departing Southampton January 5, takes in the Med, the Middle East, India, the Orient and Australia. For a total of 101 nights, the lead-in is £8,973.

Aurora, departing on January 11, is heading for South Africa, the Indian Ocean, the Orient, Australia, New Zealand, the Pacific, US, Mexico and the Caribbean: A total 93 nights leads in at £8,462.

Aurora is packing a total 135 tons of meat for the trip.

And Oriana, becoming the venerable old lady of the P&O fleet with a huge fan base, has an 82-day voyage planned via the Caribbean, Mexico, the US, the Pacific, Australia, the Orient, India, the Middle East and home via the Med.

Prices from £7,786, sharing an inside cabin, are again below £100 per day.

P&O marketing chief Philip Price says: “We find world cruises are increasingly popular with people who did not have a ’gap year’ earlier in life, and now have the inclination to do so, in a little more comfort and style

“Our cruises offer a huge range of ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ shore excursions, from the tower skywalk in Sydney to breakfast with orangutans in Singapore.”