P&O Britannia

After four years of planning, it’s finally time for newest member of the P&O Fleet, the Britannia, to sail into the limelight.

The Britannia is the largest ship built exclusively for Britain, and luckily for fans of the P&O brand, it’s going to combine the latest cruising innovations with the excellent standards of service and facilities this pioneering British brand are famous for.

In an epic display of patriotism, the brand new Britannia will feature a 94 metre Union Flag, the largest of its kind anywhere in the world, and will sail from Southampton. At 3,600 passengers in capacity, P&O’s newest ship is drawing on the company’s 175-year history to take British cruising to unprecedented heights.

Welcoming passengers to this brand new ship will be a striking atrium featuring a gorgeous centrepiece. Known as the starburst, its part chandelier, part art installation but wholly impressive. Even with this glittering, gold-lined attraction garnering a lot of attention, the Atrium itself manages to not so much tread the fine line between modern and classic, as run along it perfectly.

This is a theme which is consistent throughout the design and features of the Britannia – as iconic as the P&O brand is, they’ve made some futuristic tweaks to the ship which are pioneering changes.

For one, the dining experience is destined to become envied in the cruise industry. With not one but five world-famous experts bringing their culinary expertise to the decks of the Britannia. That’s right – Olly Smith, Eric Lanlard, James Martin, Marco Pierre White and Atul Kochhar have joined forces to create what P&O are calling their Food Heroes, an all-star team bringing Michelin stars and years of experience to the high seas.

From Olly Smith’s Glass House, where you can sample wines from all over the world, to the Cookery Club, where cruisers can learn gourmet techniques supervised by TV star James Martin, the Britannia takes food and drink to another level.

The entertainment more than measures up to the dining prestige however.  The limelight club manages to combine breathtaking performances with scintillating cocktails created from the finest spirits; the Live Lounge is the perfect place to experience a cavalcade of inspired musical guests, and there’s even a state-of-the-art studio venue where you can enjoy everything from guest speakers to live game shows.

Even with the sterling reputation P&O has built throughout nearly two centuries of being Britain’s premier cruise company, the Britannia looks set to open up a new chapter in the illustrious history of the company in superb style.