Louis and Iona

For anyone who has ever had a child or a pet or even a house or a boat that you have had to name, you will know that it is not an easy task and will always create discussion.

In the past few weeks, two new names have been announced which very quickly will become very familiar to us, Louis and Iona.

In April we welcomed a new member of the Royal family, Prince Louis, named, so we are informed, after Lord Louis Mountbatten. Of course it could just be that William and Kate are huge One Direction fans or maybe their new addition was named after Louis Vuitton or Louis Armstrong. There is of course the possibilty that they just chose the name because they like it. Whatever the new baby was called would never be to everyone’s taste and must have been a huge decision for his parents.

Just in case you have not heard P&O’s latest news, their new baby will be launched in 2020 and has been named Iona after the beautiful island in the Inner Hebrides in Scotland.

So, how would you go about trying to name a ship to entice thousands to sail on her? There were over 30,000 suggestions for her name. What would you have called her?

At least a short name takes less space on the side of the ship so the lettering can be large and stand out and be noticed. It also saves on paint! The sailing itineraries will be released and on sale by September this year and are expected to sell fast.

Personally, I still think MS Boaty McBoatface was the best suggestion ever for a vessel but maybe not so suitable for a cruise line whose latest addition to the fleet, Britannia, was named no less than Her Majesty The Queen.

What would you name a new ship? I’d love to hear your ideas.