P&O Cruises is offering its largest ever cruise programme next year, including fly-cruise holidays to the Mediterranean on new small ship Adonia joining the fleet in May 2011 and the first full year of cruising for 3,100 passenger ship Azura.

Marco Pierre White will be travelling on board P&O Cruises superliner Ventura at various dates throughout the year and will be offering the chance for passengers to get up close and personal.

P&O Cruises is bucking the industry trend towards ever larger vessels by introducing a ship to its fleet that will accommodate just 710 passengers and will be able to visit the “off the beaten track” destinations that are inaccessible to some of the bigger ships of today.

The number of Brits taking cruises this year increased by 5% despite the downturn in the economy, according to the latest figures from the Passenger Shipping Association. More than 1.5m Brits took a cruise this year compared to last – and this trend is expected to continue next year with a projected 6.5% increase to more than 1.6m passengers.

Cross-channel ferry services to France are carrying more passengers than last year as Britons head south in search of the al fresco summer lifestyle being denied to them by UK downpours.

The prospect of a summer of travel chaos has been raised a notch after several airlines, led by British Airways and Virgin Atlantic, have started refusing to check-in holidaymakers suspected of suffering from swine-flu like symptoms, unless they can provide a “fit to fly” note from their doctor.