For Hannah and Mitchell Still, falling in love wasn’t a typical whirlwind romance – it was a story that began at sea and has now come full circle, one P&O Cruises ship at a time.
The couple, now married with a baby daughter, Mae, first met on board Ventura in September 2019 while sailing to Amsterdam and Bruges.
What began as a light-hearted holiday prank on the cruise’s very first night has since grown into a love story spanning an engagement, a wedding – and now parenthood.
This Valentine’s Day, Hannah, 25, and Mitchell, 28, of St Neots, are celebrating a romance that has unfolded entirely on P&O Cruises ships, with plans in place for the next chapter: their daughter Mae’s first ever holiday, sailing to the Norwegian fjords on Iona this June.
A meeting written in the stars Hannah, who has taken holidays on P&O Cruises since the age of 11, met Mitchell’s friends first – a chance encounter in Brodie’s Bar on the opening night of the sailing.
“It was destiny that I met the love of my life on a cruise,” said Hannah, who grew up in Southampton. “I’d spent so much of my childhood sailing the world with P&O Cruises and it just feels so magical that cruising is a huge part of our story.”
She added: “I was 19 and convinced it was just a holiday romance. I met his friends first and they said Mitchell was asleep in his cabin. It was his first ever cruise. They dared me to wake him up as a prank. I remember saying to him, ‘hello, it’s the girl of your dreams’ and somehow, I was right!”
As the ship sailed across the North Sea, the pair quickly grew inseparable. Their first date was ashore seeing the sights of Bruges; their first kiss followed days later in Havana, Ventura’s Cuban-themed nightclub, under the watchful eye of Hannah’s dad.
“As it happens, my dad was in the vicinity when we had our first kiss. He was giving Mitchell the ‘I have my eyes on you’ look like Robert De Niro from Meet the Parents.
“But there’s something amazing about being on a ship – you’re away from real life, work doesn’t exist, and you’re your best self,” she said. “We spent so much time just talking, including an entire night at the buffet one evening.
“It all just clicked, and I think the uniqueness of the peaceful backdrop of the sea coupled with the energy on board, brought out this beautiful chemistry in us.”
By the end of the cruise, saying goodbye felt impossible. “I cried the whole way home,” Hannah recalled. “Ventura wasn’t just where we met, it felt like a character in our story.”
From engagement at sea to wedding on the ocean Cruising quickly became the heartbeat of their relationship. The couple returned to Ventura with a Canary Islands holiday that cemented their connection.
In 2023, Mitchell proposed while the couple were cruising through the Norwegian fjords on Britannia, popping the question ashore in Flåm beside a waterfall. That evening, the ship’s dining team surprised them with a handwritten ‘Happy Engagement’ message on their menu – a keepsake Hannah still treasures.
“When I realised you could actually get married at sea, there was no question,” Hannah revealed. “It had to be a P&O Cruises ship. I didn’t care about anything else.”
In May 2025, Hannah and Mitchell tied the knot on board Azura, Ventura’s sister ship, while sailing the Greek Islands. They married in the Planet Bar, with panoramic ocean views framing the ceremony.
Hannah said: “Walking around the ship afterwards with everyone clapping was surreal – I felt like a film star. Even the entertainment hosts remembered us from our very first cruise years earlier and gave us a wedding gift. It honestly felt like all the stars had aligned.”
A new generation of cruisers Now parents to three-month-old Mae, born in November, Hannah and Mitchell are preparing to introduce her to a life of cruising, where everything began.
This June, they’ll sail on Iona to the Norwegian fjords, joined by extended family in what Hannah describes as “a real family affair”.
“Cruising has always been part of my life, and continuing that tradition for Mae feels so special,” she said. “Watching her look out at the fjords for the first time – I can’t wait.”
Their home is already filled with reminders of their journey, from model ships of Ventura and Azura to nautical wedding gifts (an anchor shaped doorbell).
“People buy us cruise-themed presents because everyone knows how much it means to us,” Hannah said.
Looking back, she says it still feels unreal that a simple holiday led to a lifetime together. “It’s like a dream,” she added. “To know that P&O Cruises played such a huge role in our love story – and that we’re now continuing it as a family – feels incredibly special. “We can’t wait to tell Mae one day that it all started on a ship. I feel so privileged to have spent so much time sailing the world and I’m just so excited for Mae to feel that same spark for cruising that I do.”
Carnival UK & P&O Cruises president Paul Ludlow said: “Hannah and Mitchell’s story is a wonderful example of the meaningful connections people make at sea. From meeting and falling in love, to getting engaged, married and now returning with their daughter, it’s incredibly special to see how P&O Cruises has been part of every chapter of their journey. Our ships are designed to bring people together, create unforgettable moments and become a part of life’s biggest milestones – and this story really brings that to life.”
For more information, call P&O Cruises on 0344 338 8003, visit www.pocruises.com or visit a
travel agent.
Source: P&O Cruises Press Centre
Images: © 2026 Carnival Corporation. All rights reserved.
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