Cruise with these famous sports stars and celebrity explorers at no extra cost

P&O Cruises is taking guests to the stars in 2023. The beloved British cruise line will be welcoming an array of celebrities from the worlds of sport and exploration onto its Europe cruises next year.

Yes, that’s right, this is an incredible opportunity to meet legends and enjoy a fabulous European holiday onboard cruise ship Ventura all for a fantastic price.

The popular cruise brand – available to book via travel agent Bolsover Cruise Club – revealed its ‘P&O Cruises Presents: Sail with the stars’ series this month which will showcase celebrated UK stars in 2023 on cruises from Southampton.

Travellers will be able to cruise with the famous faces at no extra cost, listen to their intriguing tales and even ask them questions.

P&O Cruises Presents: Sporting Icons departs September 2, 2023, and visits Spain and Portugal so you can soak up the wonders of the Med and Atlantic coast while getting up close to legends of the sports world. You’ll be sailing alongside Sue Barker, Phil Tufnell and Matt Dawson.

Sue Barker (above, left) is a legend of British tennis. As a player she won Junior Wimbledon at the age of 17, before going on to win the French Open at the age of just 19 in 1976, making the semifinals of Wimbledon the following year. After a career that saw Sue reach number three in the world, she retired in 1984, going into broadcasting immediately with a commentary stint on Australian television.

But it was fronting the BBC’s coverage of Wimbledon from 1993 until her retirement in 2022 that made Sue a sporting TV icon. Her glittering second career saw her cover countless flagship broadcasts, including the Olympics, BBC Sports Personality of the Year and Grandstand.

Phil Tufnell (above, centre), or ‘Tuffers’ as he’s frequently known, is a former England international cricketer turned TV and radio personality. Having won I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here, Phil remains a favourite in the BBC Test Match Special commentary box. His reputation as one of the friendliest, funniest voices in sports broadcasting should help ensure some quality entertainment!

Matt Dawson’s early career was spent as a successful professional rugby player, making a total of 290 appearances for the Northampton Saints and London Wasps between 1991 and 2006. He also appeared 77 times for England and was selected three times to tour with the British and Irish Lions.

He won his 50th cap for England in their Grand Slam-winning 2003 Six Nations campaign, and later that year played a crucial role in England’s World Cup win, including delivering Jonny Wilkinson the ball for that drop goal. Since retiring from rugby, Matt (above, right) forged a successful career in television and media which continues to play an important role in his life, with commitments including BBC Radio 5 Live and BT Sport.

The price of this P&O Cruises sailing with these sporting celebs includes full board meals*, entertainment and children’s clubs. Ventura will depart and return to Southampton, calling at Vigo, Lisbon, Porto (from Leixoes) and Cherbourg en route. Prices start from £629pp for an inside cabin.

If the world of adventure holds greater appeal for you then don’t miss the P&O Cruises Presents: Global Explorers departing September 19, 2023 onboard Ventura (below). This one is joined by Ben Fogle, Simon Calder (above, right) and Monty Halls (above, centre).

Ben Fogle (above, left) is an award-winning broadcaster and adventurer. He has written nine Sunday Times Bestselling books and is the United Nations Patron of the Wilderness. Ben has climbed Mount Everest, rowed across the Atlantic, raced across Antarctica to the South Pole and crossed the deserts of the Empty Quarter in the Middle East. He has presented numerous programmes for the BBC, ITV, C5 and Discovery including the hit series New Lives in the Wild.

Ben’s career has spanned over 20 years, having first found himself on BBC’s first reality TV show Castaway. His love of adventure at home and abroad is paramount to all aspects of his life and career. He is a fellow of the Royal Geographic Society, ambassador to Hearing Dogs for the Deaf and patron of The Red Cross and United Nations.

Simon Calder is Britain’s leading travel commentator and is known as ‘the man who pays his way’, meaning he pays for his own travel. He began his career at Gatwick Airport, where he cleaned out planes for Sir Freddie Laker, and later even frisked passengers! He then started to write travel guidebooks and travel articles.

Today, Simon is travel correspondent for The Independent, and also writes for the Evening Standard, the i newspaper, National Geographic as well many other publications. Simon is a regular guest on national TV and radio, often seen on BBC Breakfast, Good Morning Britain, This Morning, CNN, ITV News, Channel 5 and Sky News, as well as BBC Radio 2, 4, 5, LBC, Times and Talk.

Monty Halls is a broadcaster, speaker, naturalist, marine biologist, travel writer and leadership specialist. He is an ex-Royal Marines officer who worked for Nelson Mandela during the peace process in the early nineties, before leaving to pursue a career in expeditions, travel journalism and biology, eventually becoming a qualified marine biologist. He is also the president of the Galapagos Conservation Trust.

Monty rose to fame after winning the Channel 4 show Superhumans, leading him to present further series for Channel 4, National Geographic, the History Channel, Channel 5, and the BBC. He is best known for his three BBC2 series Great Escapes, where he lived on the west coast of Scotland and Ireland with his dog Reuben.

The five-night P&O Cruises Presents: Global Explorers cruise includes all meals*, entertainment and children’s clubs. Ventura will rail round trip from Southampton, stopping at Le Havre and Rotterdam (above, with tours to Amsterdam). Prices start from £549pp for an inside cabin.

On both cruises, these renowned figures will be hosting Q&As and presentations so you’ll have ample opportunity to listen in to their wisdom and stories.

Dates and times of shows with the celebrities will be available and open to book 14 days before you sail via My P&O Cruises – and it is recommended to book in advance to avoid disappointment. Note booking closes three days before the cruise but will be available onboard although it will be on a first come first served basis.

Don’t worry if you miss your speaker of choice, each act will individually perform twice per cruise.

*some supplements apply for selected restaurants