British Queen to Name New Ship
Queen Elizabeth II will christen P&O Cruises’ new flagship Britannia in Southampton, England, on March 10. She will be accompanied by her husband, Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh.
The naming ceremony of the new 141,000-tonne cruise vessel will take place at Ocean Terminal in Southampton, England and will be of great national interest.
David Dingle, Carnival’s UK chairman, gave the following statement: “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.”
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.
Britannia will be one of the top 15 largest cruise ships in the world and will carry 3,600 passengers on 15 decks. The ship will have 27 inside and balcony cabins for solo passengers and all outside staterooms will have a balcony.
The Britannia was built by the Fincantieri shipyard in Italy and delivered earlier this week. The ship has 1,837 cabins, of which 75 percent have a balcony, and can accommodate 4,324 passengers, double occupancy.
There will be 13 restaurants and cafes onboard as well as four pools. The maiden voyage of the Britannia is set for March 14, 2015.
