Britannia Maiden: The Verdict!

The ship is FABULOUS and the cruise was Fantastic!

 From the fantastic departure from Southampton to the Great British Sailaway in Cadiz. As soon as I stepped onboard her I immediately though "Wow!"

Our cruise was quite eventful and sadly the weather didn't stay on our side for the first week. And of course Monte Carlo was very eventful! 

There is nothing major wrong with her, yes a few entertainment venues could be bigger but that's the only flaw along with no centre staircase but this doesn't effect the ship too much.

The entertainment is the best in the fleet Stage Production wise.
There is always a seat in her buffet areas as both sides are open throughout most of the day and the venue is twice the size (easily) of that on Azura.



Her size is perfect, she's not too large and it doesn't take long to get from one end to the other. Her layout is similar to Azura/Ventura in terms of venues. Cabins are a perfect size as are her balconies.

As for people with disabilities, every major venue can be accessed by wheelchairs and mobility scooters. Also speaking to fellow passengers who have disabilities they certainly love the ship and the care they are given by P&O.

Yes I did encounter a few "moaners" but I said what everyone else has been saying "You knew how big the ship was going to be when they released her deck plans. And putting it very kindly"  "There are plenty of other ships for you to go on if she isn't for you"

Will try and post a daily review for each day and the ship at some point on here :)

Robert

A busy week for Britannia......and for me!

It's been a busy few days for P&O Cruises latest flagship Britannia On Friday  6th February she arrived in her homeport of Southampton for the very first time.

 Accompanied by three tug escorts and a small fleet of boats. The British public also turned out in force to welcome  her home, the weather was also on her side with clear skies and light winds.

 

She then met the first of her fellow sisters Oceana in Southampton on the 7th.

 

She met her once again on the 9th where Britannia hosted her Gala Evening for her VIP guests ahead of her naming ceremony on the 10th March 2015.
 

The finally on the Tuesday 10th March 2015 Her Majesty The Queen named the ship.

 

Rob Brydon hosted the naming ceremony

"I Name this ship Britannia, may God bless her and all who sail in her" - Her Majesty The Queen

All Photos by P&O Cruises editorial

And this brings and end to Britannia's inaugural celebrations, The next stage for me is her Maiden Voyage! Don't forget to keep an eye of my Facebook page for live updates from the ship starting 14th March. https://www.facebook.com/RobsTB

See you Soon!

Rob

Her Majesty the Queen named as Godmother to Britannia!

Today the 27th February, at 11:45  at Carnival House, Southampton in front of Carnival UK employees and invited press Christopher Edgington announced her Majesty  the Queen will name Britannia on March 10th at a lavish ceremony held at the Ocean Terminal.


Britannia will be the second ship belong to P&O Cruises that the Queen has named with Oriana being the first in 1995.
And in a celebration of all things British Her Majesty will use a sparkling wine from the Wiston Estate Winery in Sussex for the bottle smash moment and naming ceremony.





One of the two things that these ships share is Oriana is the current Flagship of P&O with Britannia becoming the new one once she enters service.

Dave Dingle had this to say during the announcement: We are honoured and proud that Her Majesty will name Britannia almost 20 years after she named the P&O Cruises ship Oriana. Britannia, a ship for the nation, will be the embodiment of contemporary Britain, and with her Union Jack livery she will fly the flag for Britain across the Globe.”

Also in Britannia News today the ship left the Shipyard in Italy on her delivery voyage home. However it won't be a direct voyage as the ship is making a stop in Gibraltar according to her tracking info: MarineTraffic.com So far no reason has been announced of why.

A video of her departure can be seen here: http://video.gelocal.it/ilpiccolo/locale/suonano-le-sirene-britannia-lascia-monfalcone/39378/39469

The ship is scheduled to arrive in Southampton March 6th at around 2pm.

Signs and advertisement's can be seen around Southampton to mark her Inaugural Celebrations (6th-14th March)

Only two weeks until her Maiden Voyage!

Until next time

Robert

(Photos by P&O Cruises and Beccie Marchant)

P&O Cruises gets the keys to Britannia

On Sunday 22nd February 2015 P&O Cruises  officially took delivery of Britannia  Britain's newest and largest passenger ship from her shipbuilders  Fincantieri in Italy.

At  £473m Britannia was 5% cheaper than expected because of the strength of sterling against the euro. The original budget for the 141,000-tonne cruise liner, with accommodation for 3,600 passengers and 1,400 crew, had been £500m.

P&O also announced on the same day that Britannia is fully booked for 70% of her first season.

When she arrives in Southampton on March 6th she will be the only P&O ship registered in Britain. The decision has increased speculation that the Queen could name the vessel on March 10th.




David Dingle, chairman of Carnival UK, claimed that Britannia – with its impressive Union Jack, the biggest of its kind in the world, covering the hull – was the “greenest” ship afloat. Britannia’s fuel consumption will be almost 20% below that of the rest of the fleet.

Also attending the ceremony were Micky Arison -  Chairman of Carnival Corporation, Fincantieri’s  CEO Giuseppe Bono, Three of P&O's Food Hero's - Olly Smith, Eric Lanlard and Charlie Turnbull.


In the flag exchanging ceremony, which was video-taped and then shown to a live audience of Italian guests and UK press, P&O Britannia was officially handed over to P&O Cruises.

You can see two videos below of the Handover ceremony:

 Exchange of flags: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dP383SsOB2I

Official Hand over: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=By53Enp9LK0

It is one of the most exciting ships ever built for the UK market, and as the Fincantieri slogan put it: Britannia is British style – Italian heart.



I for one am very much looking forward to Stepping onboard this fantastic ship on March 14th for Her Maiden Voyage to the Med.

Photo's by P&O Cruises.

Countdown to Britannia!

Welcome to my new blog,

Here you can follow me as I go about my travels.

My first big blog fast approaching is in my Voyage onboard P&O Cruises new superliner Britannia

I'll be travelling on her Maiden Voyage sailing from: Southampton - Gibraltar - Barcelona - Monte Carlo - Rome - Ajaccio - Cartagena - Cadiz - Southampton.

You can also follow me on my Facebook page : https://www.facebook.com/RobsTB
So expect my First blog for the trip to appear on the 13th March as I travel to Southampton from Guernsey :)

Robert