Yesterday, March 10th 2015, Her Majesty the Queen named the newest addition to the P&O Cruises fleet, Britannia!

I was incredibly lucky to receive an invitation to the naming ceremony as well as the Gala Dinner, which was held onboard the evening before, and I have to tell you that it was most certainly the highlight of my career thus far within the world of cruise. I was honoured to be there and to be part of not only British history, but P&O Cruises history.

I wanted to share some of that day with you! I snapped a few pictures (and borrowed two from P&O Cruises) and managed to record a brief video of Her Majesty the Queen naming Britannia – I hope you enjoy the selection and let me tell you that Britannia really is the Queen of the high seas, she is absolutely STUNNING!

Britannia – A Ceremony in Pictures

There were people working throughout the night to ensure that everything ran without a hitch – this was taken during a brief moment of emptiness.

The stage was set, it was time for guests to take their seats!

Britannia herself was ready and waiting – she was about to officially be given her name.

Both ship and bottle were about to be united.

There were Food Heroes present………

……..and one or two celebs! Rob Brydon was very funny!

After several musical and other delights, Her Majesty the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh arrived – it was almost time for the moment that everyone had been waiting for!

The Queen names this ship Britannia and blesses all who sail in her before the bottle is released.

The bottle hits Britannia’s hull……….

……….smashes on impact…………..

…….and the rest, as they say, is history!

I am joining Britannia on Saturday for her 2-week Maiden Voyage – follow along! You can join me on the following social channels:

Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.