The wait for Britannia is nearly over!

The long wait is almost over and in under two weeks Britannia will sail on her maiden voyage from Southampton much to the excitement of all those thousands of guests booked on this amazing new ship. Did you know she is the third Britannia to sail with P&O, dating back to the very first ship in 1835.  I am also very excited as on Sunday I  am lucky enough to have a sneak preview of the ship…and yes as you can imagine I am very very excited!

Britannia is going to be the ship that has the wow factor for P&O, different to the other ships in fleet with so much to offer her guests both seasoned and new cruisers. Of course the excitement around Britannia has just got even bigger with the official news that the Queen is going to name the ship on the 10 March!

As a cruise specialist one of the best parts of my role is getting a chance to experience the most amazing ships at sea….and seeing Britannia for the very first time will be without doubt one of my favourite experiences this year cruise wise!

Everyone I speak to can’t wait to see and experience what will be their Britannia highlights. With my trip not long away I thought I would have a look at my pre Britannia highlights so I can then compare them after my visit!

I can’t wait to set eyes on what I can only imagine is going to be a spectacular atrium. The three deck high Star burst sculpture which will be the star of the atrium looks amazing and I bet in real life it’s even more dazzling!  Don’t worry I will be taking lots and lots of photos so make sure you take a look at my blog next week for your sneak preview of the ship.

Another highlight for me will be Eric Landlard’s twist on afternoon tea. There are promises of decadence and indulgence… and with prices set at £15 per person I think this is a must on board. I hope I get a chance to try this out on board.

P&O are going to introduce the Limelight Club, the first time they have combined food and entertainment and I’m sure this is going to be a great venue and also a very popular choice for guests. It’s different to what P&O usually offer on board and I think they need something like this for their guests. A new and exciting idea for Britannia.

One of the visual highlights for me will be the Union Jack flag painted on the bow of Britannia….an impressive 94 metres and I’m sure a sight that will make me proud to be British! P&O will be rolling this out fleet wide and it’s going to make them stand out from the crowd at sea that’s for sure….a ship you will remember seeing in port.

My final highlight has to be the cookery club and although on my overnight visit I’m not sure I will get chance to experience this first hand I think it’s a fantastic concept and I know I have lots of guests booked on Britannia looking forward to getting involved with the Food Heroes. Some will be lucky enough to learn from the famous chefs, including the one and only James Martin! I have even had ladies book their cruise because James is going to be on board! yes it’s true!

Stay tuned for next week’s blog when I will have lots of photos to show you of all the different venues on board and of course just what I think of P&O’s flagship Britannia , I’m sure I will have lots more highlights to share with you!

Abbi x