The finishing touches

We’ve put the finishing touches to the brand new livery on the newest ship in our fleet; Britannia. She’s the largest ship built for Britain and will be officially named in her glittering naming ceremony in Southampton in March 2015.

The bold new look on the bow features the world’s largest contemporary version of the Union Flag, which required huge volumes of paint! In total, we needed 280 litres of red paint , 40 litres red for the shadow, 80 litres of blue, 20 litres of blue for the shadow and 160 litres for the big logo of P&O Cruises on the front of the bow.

Britannia will also have two distinctive blue funnels carrying an illuminated rising sun motif, which depicts the Oriental part of the Peninsular and Oriental (P&O) name on our coat of arms.

When working to full capacity, Britannia’s four engines will generate 62.4 Megawatts or 84,000 horsepower which is equivalent to the power generated by 168 supercars, allowing the 141,000 ton ship to cruise at a speed of 22 knots.

Seven of P&O’s Weirdest Cruise Cabins

Cruise cabins.

Pretty bog standard stuff aren’t they, with their narrow twin beds and just about enough room to swing a stowaway cat (or your glad rags for the black tie nights)?

If this is what you think then you haven’t cruised with P&O!

Not only does it have six classes of comfortable cabins to cater for those with modest budgets but high expectations right through to the money’s-no-object cash splashers; they also understands that not everyone’s part of a cosy couple (or a gruesome twosome)!

 

Lofty Heights

For the ultimate onboard (and offboard!) bragging rights, opt for a fabulous dual-level suite onboard Aurora – but don’t blame us when you get dirty looks from other passengers when you oh-so-casually drop going ‘up’ to bed into the dinner conversation (although it’s probably worth the extra money for this alone, just to see them try to hide their jealousy!)

 

 

 

Single and Sorted

Instead of making single passengers cough up for a bed they don’t need with the dreaded ‘single occupancy fee’, P&O prides itself on providing a wide selection of single cabins.

These aren’t in forgotten, hard-to-get to parts of the ship as if to underline your sorry singleton status mind!

There’s a choice of inside, outside or balcony cabins where you’ll have plenty of space to sit with a glass of bubbles and toast how fabulous freedom is!

 

P&O’s fantastic new floating fun palace Britannia has more single cabins than any other cruise liner – take that smug couples!

And it’s not just solo travelers who want their own space.

You may love your cruise companion to bits but it certainly won’t feel like it at 2am on the first night when you find out your bestie is a secret snorer!

 

 

Connect Four

Or two, or three. No we’re not saying the cabins come with board games.

Aurora, Adonia and Azura all have interconnecting cabins which are perfect for groups of friends who want to be together but not too together – they’re perfect for ducking in and out of each other’s spaces for a glass of wine, a gossip and a look at what you’re planning to wear that night but when it’s time for bed the doors can be firmly locked (yes, that’s right –we’re respectable Brits abroad!)

Plus, most of the interconnecting balcony cabins can also be joined up outside – who’s up for a private deck party?

 

 

Hubble Bubble

 

Is there anything more magical than enjoying a celebratory glass of champagne than in your own private bubble bath?

Baths are something we Brits take for granted but on cruise ships they’re as rare as a passenger who doesn’t overfill his plate at the buffet!

On P&O however, not only do the mini suites and suites have full-sized whirlpool baths, some of the best value inside cabins have baths too!

P&O, we salute you for your bath time democracy!

 

Image credit

 

All Hail the Accessible

 

All P&O’s accessible cabins feature wide doors, plenty of inside space to maneuver wheelchairs or mobility scooters and ramped access to balconies.

There are also wet room style bathrooms with grab rails and pull down shower chairs, meaning your cruise will be smooth sailing even if the weather’s rough!

Disabled cruisers should note that Adonia’s accessible bathrooms are smaller than the rest of the fleet.

 

 

Practical Magic 

 

“Go on then, I’ll iron your shirt if you make me a cuppa.”

This is usually a pretty humdrum sentence but on a cruise it’s actually a pretty special one!  As irons are a fire hazard they’re generally banned on all cruise ships but P&O is alone in trusting their mini-suite and suite customers to wield one!

 

OK, it’s not the most exciting perk but it sure is a handy one when it comes to getting those smart togs gala ready – as are the tea and coffee-making facilities that we Brits so desperately need when we wake up before we can even think about anything as complicated as getting dressed!

New chief executive appointed for Carnival UK

New chief executive appointed for Carnival UKDavid Dingle has been appointed chairman of Carnival UK, with current executive vice-president of operations David Noyes (pictured) taking over as chief executive.

Noyes will have operating responsibility for P&O Cruises and Cunard from October 1, and both he and Dingle will report to Carnival Corporation president and chief executive Arnold Donald.

Donald said: “This moves allows us to strengthen further our overall leadership in the critically important UK marketplace, while also promoting from within to leverage the skills, experience and capabilities of our executive team.”

Dingle, who became chief executive in 2007, joined P&O Cruises in London in 1978 where, after holding a series of commercial positions, he became managing director in 2000. At the time of the merger of P&O Princess Cruises plc and the Carnival Corporation in April 2003, he became managing director of Carnival UK.

Noyes joined Carnival UK in 2011, in his current position.  Prior to joining Carnival, he worked in the UK travel industry for 25 years, mainly with British Airways, where he was responsible for BA’s worldwide customer services operation, and latterly with Gray Dawes Travel as chief executive.

Elaine Holt will join Carnival UK on October 1 as David Noyes’ replacement as executive vice president operations following a career in the rail, road and airline industries. She has led a series of transformational programmes as executive chairman of East Coast Mainline and before that as managing director of First Capital Connect.  Most recently she has acted as a non executive director of the Highways Agency.

Dingle said: “David Noyes is exceptionally placed to lead P&O Cruises and Cunard into the future and grow the business for the next generation. Elaine brings with her a strong blend of operational and customer services skills and will be a very valuable addition to our executive team.”