Caribbean Mediterranean Ships

Perfect 10: Ten ways to embrace sport on a P&O Cruises holiday

The summer of sport has officially kicked off, and we can’t wait to get in on the action. Here are some of our favourite ways to score a win on your next P&O Cruises holiday

8 min 28 Jun 2024

Editorial Team

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1. Go back to the starting line in Athens

For millennia, humans have been competing against one another in grand displays of elite skill and sporting achievement. The ancient Olympic Games date back some 3,000 years, and the first modern Games were held in Athens in 1896. You can get a sense of this history in The Acropolis and The Plaka shore experience on a cruise to Piraeus (tours to Athens), which takes you past the Old Olympic Stadium, built entirely of marble for the first modern games. You’ll also explore ancient Greek gems such as the awe-inspiring Acropolis and its crowning glory, the Parthenon, and spend some time strolling the cobbled streets of the Plaka neighbourhood.

Find your cruise to Piraeus (tours to Athens) here.

The Parthenon temple on the Acropolis, Athens.

2. Challenge your shipmates – and your nerve – on Arvia

Feeling competitive? On Arvia, you’ve got plenty of opportunities to go head-to-head with your friends, family or fellow travellers (while soaking up some sea views to boot). Outside on deck 19 you’ll find the Altitude activity zone, a destination for family-friendly fun in the sun. The tropical-themed Altitude minigolf course will put your putting skills (and your patience) to the test. And if it’s your own mettle you want to test, try the Altitude Skywalk, our first-ever high-ropes experience. There are different routes to suit all abilities, but at 54 metres above the sea, the real challenge will be to your courage.

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Altitude Skywalk on Arvia

3. Go football mad in Barcelona

Walk in the footsteps of Messi, Maradona and many more footballing greats on the FC Barcelona shore experience, which takes you behind the scenes at Camp Nou, Barcelona. You’ll get a tour of Europe’s largest football stadium: gaze up at the exterior of the imposing 98,000-capacity stadium, visit the away team’s dressing room and walk through the players’ tunnel for a pitch-side view. You can even ‘interview’ each other in the media area and stroll around the museum to see the club’s trophies up close.

Find your cruise to Barcelona here.

Aerial view of Camp Nou, Barcelona

4. Be bowled over by cricket in Barbados

In Barbados, they don’t like cricket: they love it. The sport has been a national pastime since the mid-1800s, and today, you’ll find it being played everywhere you look, from a pick-up game on the streets to the island’s many grounds or the iconic Kensington Oval in Bridgetown. Barbados produces world-class players, and local talent regularly feature on the West Indies international team. Visit the Cricket Legends of Barbados Museum in Bridgetown and discover memorabilia dating back over 100 years. If you want to catch a match, check out what’s on at the Kensington Oval or the Three Ws stadium, or wander down to any beach and see if you can spot a friendly game.

Find your cruise to Barbados here.

5. Get sporty on board

On a day spent at sea, why not get your own games going? Across our ships you’ll find football, basketball, archery, chess, short tennis, table tennis, golf nets, shuffleboard and more. You can play casually with your own friends and family or join an organised tournament. If the gym is more your thing, ours are fully decked out with Technogym machines including bikes, treadmills, cross trainers and steppers, as well as weights and a selection of free fitness classes. And of course, we don’t want you to miss the big game at home while you’re sailing the seas, so we show live sports in Brodie’s across the fleet.

Discover more on-board activities.

6. Get the need for speed in Monaco

Monaco is home to some of the world’s most prestigious coastlines, casinos and real estate – and arguably the world’s most prestigious automobile race, too. On cruises to Monte Carlo, you can experience a bit of Grand Prix magic. The race takes place in May but the track remains year round, and you can stroll the entire 3.3 kilometres of the circuit. It’s a brilliant way to get in a bit of sightseeing – the course’s twists and turns take you through the narrow streets of Monte Carlo, past the harbour and sights such as Casino Square and the swimming pool complex.

Find your cruise to Monaco (from Villefranche) here.

View of the Monte Carlo Grand Prix track

7. Walk in the footsteps of ancient Olympians in Katakolon

Olympia in Greece is a beautiful place of ruined temples, olive trees – and of course, the very first Olympic stadium. It’s here that the Olympic flame is relit every four years and delivered to each new city that hosts the games. On the Olympia Site and Folkloric Show shore experience from the cruise port of Katakolon, you can feel the magic of this ancient site. Imagine yourself as an elite athlete as you explore the Temple of Zeus with its mighty stone columns. Walk or – if you’re up for a challenge – run the original course in the stadium with its marble starting blocks still intact.

Find your cruise to Katakolon (tours to Olympia) here.

Ancient ruins, Olympia.

8. Step up to the plate in New York City

While baseball might seem a bit of a novelty to British audiences, in America it’s considered the national sport. And nowhere is baseball more important than in New York. The city’s two Major League teams – the Yankees and the Mets – pack their 45,000 capacity stadiums throughout the summer. Minor league teams play elsewhere in the city and statewide, while the National Baseball Hall of Fame is a few hours’ drive north in Cooperstown. You can also visit Yankee Stadium in The Bronx and Citi Field in Queens to see where the Major League magic happens. Cruises on Arcadia and Aurora visit New York at the end of the regular season, so if you’re lucky you could even catch a game in person – the Mets have a series of home games while Arcadia is in town for her 30-night USA and Canada cruise in 2024.

Find your cruise to New York here.

Aerial view of a baseball field in Manhattan

9. Take a swing in Antigua

Nothing is more satisfying than a good game of golf… especially if that game is played under the Caribbean sun. On the Golf at Cedar Valley shore experience in Antigua, you’ll tee off on the stunning course at Cedar Valley. Take in the magnificent sea views from the elevated tees and watch as your ball sails down the beautifully manicured, emerald fairways that run through the valley, surrounded by clusters of tropical trees. The 18-hole, par 70 course is a tough but fair challenge for golfers of all abilities, and no matter how your game goes, you can celebrate (or commiserate) with a drink at the clubhouse.

Find your cruise to Antigua here.

Overhead photo of Jolly Harbour, Antigua. Jolly Beach and golf course.

10. Walk in the footsteps of football legends in Lisbon

Figo, Ronaldo, Beckham, Rooney… Lisbon’s Estádio da Luz has hosted some of the most legendary names in football, and the Estádio da Luz FC Benfica shore experience gives you the chance to retrace their footsteps. The building’s name translates to ‘Stadium of Light’, and once you’re inside you’ll see why: it was designed to let the sunshine in. Pose for a picture with the statue of Portuguese legend Eusébio, visit the executive boxes, take a seat in the visitors’ dressing room, walk down the players’ tunnel and take a stroll along the pitch to get that game-day feeling. A must for all fans of the ‘beautiful game’.