P&O
Cruises today celebrates 175 years of heritage with a ‘Grand Event’
in its home port of Southampton.
The
company’s seven ships will first be welcomed into port by ship’s
Godmother Darcey Bussell for a day of celebrations. HRH Princess
Royal will later review the fleet as it departs in formation in the
Solent, after a spectacular ‘flutterfetti’ evening send-off, and
a display by seven jets of the Red Arrows.
The
seven ships – Adonia, Arcadia, Aurora, Azura, Oceana, Oriana, and
Ventura – with a combined gross tonnage of 569,000 tonnes, will
sail into Southampton at dawn, marking the first-ever occasion all
seven P&O Cruises ships have gathered together in their home
port.
On the
aft deck of Azura, Darcey Bussell, who named the ship in 2010, will
be presented with seven captain’s hats – one for each ship in the
fleet – as jets from the Red Arrows perform a flypast over the
ship.
Later,
HRH The Princess Royal will be greeted by the seven ship’s captains
in a special ceremony. Her Royal Highness, godmother to two P&O
Cruises ships, will join a VIP reception on board Oriana, with P&O
Cruises consultant chefs Marco Pierre White and Atul Kochhar and wine
expert Olly Smith in attendance, as well as a special cake baked by
celebrity patissier Eric Lanlard.
With
2,600 bottles of champagne and 1,750 whole lobster loaded on board,
passengers will enjoy barbeques on deck as the ships leave their
berths in the early evening.
Once
in formation, the ships will be reviewed by HRH The Princess Royal,
who will be on board the Trinity House vessel Patricia. HRH The
Princess Royal will be escorted by the Royal Navy’s newest Type 45
destroyer, HMS Dragon. After a ‘flutterfetti’ departure with
streamers and daytime pyrotechnics and a display over Southampton
Water by the Red Arrows, the ships will take the Royal salute. They
will then go their separate ways on seven Grand Event cruises around
the world, including the Mediterranean, the Baltic, Scandinavia and
the Canary Islands.
In a
complex logistical operation, 15,000 passengers will disembark and
15,000 new passengers will board the ships during the ‘Grand Event’
day. Over 10,000 spectators are expected to gather at vantage points
around Southampton Water to watch the departure of the ships. The
whole event will bring an estimated £17 million to the local
Southampton economy.
P&O
Cruises managing director Carol Marlow said: “Our ‘Grand Event’
celebrations on July 3 promise to be a truly impressive spectacle,
and we are honoured to be joined by HRH The Princess Royal, godmother
to two of our ships, to carry out our Royal Review. During our 175
years of heritage, the ships and crew have been at the cutting edge
of maritime and cruising innovation, served with distinction as troop
carriers in several wars, and, most importantly, offered our
passengers a superb cruising experience year in and year out.
“With
so many passengers and spectators joining us, we are sure that the
day will be a great opportunity to celebrate the past and present and
look to the future of Britain’s best-known and best-loved cruise
line.”
