Just three months and three days since she was named in Southampton, the P&O Britannia sailed into Dublin Port on her inaugural visit, with 3,600 passengers and 1,400 crew aboard this majestic ship, under the command of Captain Paul Brown.
Onboard the emphasis is on food, and P&O has signed up TV chef James Martin to create the first cookery school onboard a British ship, simply named the Cookery Club. He will be joined by the so-called ‘Food Heroes’ – P&O regulars Marco Pierre White, Atul Kochhar, wine expert Olly Smith, acclaimed patisserie Eric Lanlard and cheese expert Charlie Turnbull – in leading cooking classes during the day and hosting intimate dinners for up to 18 passengers in the evening. The classes given by any of the celebrity chefs cost £100 per person.
The cookery school is a first for P&O and on Britannia it is run by Wicklow-born Lizzie Kennedy, who also opened the first cookery school in Belfast. The course costs £45 per person and is very popular with guests onboard.
The ship cost €473 million and was built in Italy, but sails under the UK flag. The currency onboard is Sterling and there is no service charge on food and beverage.
There is a great selection of wines in all of the restaurants, reasonably priced and in the £15 to £20 range. The theatre seats 936 guests for the evening shows onboard.
Another unique experience that passengers can partake of on Britannia is a renewal of wedding vows ceremony, at a cost of £450 – but you cannot get married by the Captain as UK maritime law does not permit that.
This is a fine ship and Irish passengers will like the onboard ambiance. Definitely a winner for P&O line!
