Britannia sails into Southampton
Britain's newest ever superliner Britannia has arrived in its home port Southampton ahead of its official naming ceremony. It’s the largest cruise ship built for the British market.
It will bear the same name as the Queen's former Royal Yacht Britannia, which was decommissioned in 1997 after more than 50 years of service. The Queen will officially name the vessel in Southampton on 10 March.
Capable of carrying more than 3,600 passengers and 1,350 crew, the 1,082-ft long vessel is the largest cruise ship designed specifically for the British holiday market.
Boasting 15 passenger decks, 13 bars and 13 places to eat, the £473 million Britannia has a three-tier atrium, a 936-seater theatre, four swimming pools, and a multi-million pound art collection.
Britannia is 1,082 feet long – equivalent to four-and-a-half nose-to-tail Airbus A380s and longer than both The Shard and Eiffel Tower. She weighs 141,000 tons (84,000 less than the world's largest ship, Allure of the Seas, which holds 5,400 passengers) and her decks and cabins number 15 and 1,837 respectively. She can carry 5,000 people (including 3,647 paying passengers) - a quarter of the number it takes it takes to fill London's O2 stadium.
Chefs Marco Pierre White and Atul Kochhar, master pâtissier Eric Lanlard and oenophile Olly Smith are all lending their expertise, while TV chef James Martin will lead culinary lessons.
“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,” David Dingle, chairman of Carnival UK said.
