Deciding to board a ship at the last minute, regardless of where it is heading, is the stuff of romantic legend. You place your future, your destiny, in the hands of providence and board a ship heading for pastures new – wherever the wind takes you, it does not matter.

So perhaps you wouldn’t quite board a cruise ship without knowing where it was going, but you can still maintain some of that epic romance with last minute cruise deals.

Leaving the decision to the last minute can mean you’ll save a lot of money on your cruise, and you could also find yourself heading to a destination that would have otherwise been beyond your wildest dreams. Last minute cruises from Southampton head for such destinations as North Africa, Australia and even the Caribbean. It all depends on where you want to go, and where you imagine yourself heading.

Of course, when you embark on one of the many P&O cruises deals, it’s more about the journey itself than the destination. When you fly out to a holiday in the Caribbean, the flight is a chore – your holiday cannot begin until you arrive, unpack and recover from the dreaded jetlag. When you travel to the Caribbean on a cruise ship your holiday begins from the moment you board the ship. The trip itself is pleasurable, relaxing and luxurious and, importantly, you never have to worry about jetlag as you gently move across the time zones while sitting by the pool watching the sun set into the ocean.

Holidays are supposed to be romantic, relaxing and enjoyable. While air travel may have made getting to remote locations much quicker, it has also made going on holiday more stressful – cruises from Southampton return the much needed romance to holidays.