Anton Du Beke and Arlene Phillips join P&O Cruises’ Strictly Come Dancing line-up

P&O Cruises has announced that Strictly Come Dancing’s Anton Du Beke and Arlene Phillips will be sailing on-board Azura and Britannia this summer.

Three Strictly Come Dancing themed cruises remain for the 2015 season.

The first is aboard Ventura which departs Southampton on a 14-night no-fly Mediterranean cruise on 28 May. This itinerary sees the ship call at Vigo (Spain); Lisbon (Portugal); Gibraltar; Monte Carlo (France), Livorno (for Florence / Pisa; Italy), Rome (Italy), Ajaccio (Corsica); and Cadiz (Spain). Strictly stars Iveta Lukosiute and Tristan MacManus, Karen Hauer and Kevin Clifton and Strictly judge Craig Revel Horwood will all be on-board. Early Saver prices start from £949 per person based on two sharing an inside cabin.

The second Strictly-themed cruise is aboard Azura which departs Southampton on 20 June on a 14-night no-fly cruise to Scandinavia, Russia and Estonia. This itinerary includes calls to Bruges (Belgium); Helsinki (Finland); St. Petersburg (Russia) for an overnight call; Tallinn (Estonia); Stockholm (Sweden); Copenhagen (Denmark); and Oslo and Kristiansand (Norway). Aboard this sailing will be the Strictly stars Robin Windsor and Kristina Rihanoff, Pasha Kovalev and Anya Garnis and guest judge Anton Du Beke. Early Saver prices start from £949 per person based on two sharing an inside cabin.

The third Strictly-themed cruise planned by P&O Cruises for this year is aboard Britannia which departs Southampton on 25 July on a 14-night no-fly Canary Islands cruise. This itinerary includes calls to Vigo (Spain); Lisbon (Portugal); Cadiz (Spain); Lanzarote, Gran Canaria, and Tenerife (Canary Islands); and Madeira (Portugal) for an overnight stay. Aboard this sailing will be the Strictly stars Janette Manrara and Aljaz Skorjanec, Karen Hauer and Kevin Clifton and guest judge Arlene Phillips who will replace Artem Chigvintsev. Early Saver prices start from £1,649 per person based on two sharing an inside cabin.

Strictly pro dancer Anton Du Beke and former judge Arlene Phillips complete the line-up for P&O Cruises’ popular Strictly-themed cruises in 2015. As one of Strictly’s most popular professional dancers, Anton has been with the show since the series started in 2004 and will be returning to the BBC line-up for 2015. Arlene has also been a part of the Strictly family since its launch and most recently has been giving her expert views on BBC2’s It Takes Two.

This year’s Strictly cruises include 2014’s professional finalists Karen Hauer, Kevin Clifton and Kristina Rihanoff as well as series 12 winner Pasha Kovalev. Each cruise will feature four of the show’s favourite professional dancers with the opportunity to meet them and learn from the experts themselves during the regular dance classes. Also joining each cruise will be a guest judge to offer a Strictly experience to remember.

The Strictly team will offer interviews on board, photo and meet-and-greet opportunities, and Strictly Come Dancing showcase performances produced by BBC Worldwide. P&O Cruises will also be joined by a team from DanceSport International, the official designers and suppliers of dresses and costumes to the show. A selection of these costumes will be on display around the ship and organised fashion events will help to showcase them at their very best.

Passengers can also participate in a dance competition culminating in grand finale performances in the ship’s main theatre, with a judging panel including a Strictly professional dancer and guest judge.

(Photo credit to Ray Burmiston / Strictly Come Dancing / P&O Cruises)