More than 150 holidays – both from Southampton and Mediterranean fly-cruises – are available to book, with offers including a 5% deposit on all itineraries. A 10% discount for past guests also applies, as well as a 5% discount for new guests making a Select Price booking.

Cruises range from four-night breaks to Amsterdam through to a 30-night itinerary to North America and Canada. 

Summer 2022 will also feature Iona’s second season in the Norwegian fjords. 

Other highlights include Britannia cruising the Med with calls in La Spezia (for Florence and Pisa) and overnight in Barcelona. The ship will also offer Baltic holidays including two-day calls to St Petersburg and visits to Helsinki and Tallinn. 

Azura will offer fly-cruises from Malta and sailings to Taranto in Italy - the first time P&O has taken guests to the city.

Meanwhile Ventura’s holidays to Spain, Portugal and the Canary Islands include calls to Lisbon and Bilbao and Aurora’s Arctic Circle cruise features an overnight stay in Reykjavik.

Pre-registration for summer 2022 opened on Tuesday (3 November) with all holidays on sale from 11 November. 

President Paul Ludlow said: “As so many of us have missed out on summer holidays this year, we know our extensive range of cruises for summer 2022 will be eagerly anticipated.

“We are already delighted with the demand for holidays in 2021 and we are confident that our guests will be looking forward to further opportunities to sail with us the following year. 

Discussing the 2022 programme with trade media, vice-president of sales and marketing, Alex Delamere-White, said going on sale early "gives agents something positive to get behind" amid the challenges facing the industry.

He explained how the programme’s launch would be “very different” than previous years due to coronavirus restrictions.

Covid rules and a restructuring of its on-the-road sales team has seen P&O favour a “one to many” virtual communications strategy, which Delamere-White said had proven  “really effective”.

A trade webinar due to be held later this week around summer 2022 has already attracted 500 agents, he explained.

He also revealed Stephanie Adams had been appointed trade engagement manager and will act as P&O’s “face of the trade” across social media, its Shine Rewards Club platform and agent training.

“We’ve had to make difficult decisions involving the regional team out on the road but none of that should be a reflection on the importance of the trade to P&O Cruises,” he stressed.

“Essentially we will have fewer people out on the road but we have strengthened the team that run Shine Rewards Club, the team that do our social media, emails, our webinars, our training and from an account management perspective that remains largely unchanged.” 

To reward agents and support the launch of summer 2022, P&O will be running a "double points" incentive for Shine Rewards across 9-22 November.

Points earned as part of the scheme – which celebrates its third birthday at the end of the month – can also now be earned against e-vouchers.