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Britannia cruise ship makes maiden voyage around the British Isles

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  • At 141,000 tons and 1,082ft, Britannia is the largest ship ever designed specifically for the UK holiday market
  • It reached the halfway mark of its 12-night journey this weekend as it arrived at Greenock, near Glasgow
  • Britannia will sail to Liverpool and Dublin before making its final stop at a port in Guernsey on Friday

By

Chris Kitching for MailOnline


Published:
09:53 EST, 12 July 2015

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Updated:
17:27 EST, 12 July 2015

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The largest cruise ship ever designed specifically for the UK holiday market is making its maiden voyage around the British Isles.

PO Cruises’ Britannia, which was officially named by Queen Elizabeth II in March, is drawing crowds as it makes its way around Britain’s beautiful coastline.

This weekend the 141,000-ton vessel reached the halfway mark of its 12-night journey as it cruised by Cape Wrath in the Scottish Highlands – the most north-westerly point of the mainland UK – and arrived in the town of Greenock, near Glasgow.

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PO Cruises' Britannia arrives at Greenock, near Glasgow, while making its maiden voyage around the British Isles

PO Cruises’ Britannia arrives at Greenock, near Glasgow, while making its maiden voyage around the British Isles

The 141,000-ton vessel reached the halfway mark of its 12-night journey as it cruised by Cape Wrath and docked in Greenock

The 141,000-ton vessel reached the halfway mark of its 12-night journey as it cruised by Cape Wrath and docked in Greenock

The 1,082ft cruise ship boasts a three-tier atrium, 936-seat theatre, four swimming pools and a multimillion-pound art collection

The 1,082ft cruise ship boasts a three-tier atrium, 936-seat theatre, four swimming pools and a multimillion-pound art collection

This is not Britannia’s maiden voyage, however. The £473million ship’s first journey saw it sail to the Mediterranean and back.

But it is the first time it has sailed around Britain, departing Southampton on 6 July.

From there it cruised by the sheer white cliffs at Flamborough Head on the Yorkshire coast and the magnesian limestone cliffs of South Shields before stopping in Edinburgh, Invergordon and Kirkwall.

Tomorrow it will arrive in Liverpool before making a stop in Dublin on Tuesday. It will then stop near Cork before cruising past South Cornwall and stopping at Saint Peter Port in Guernsey on Friday.

Britannia departed Southampton on 6 July, cruised past Flamborough Head and South Shields, and stopped at a port near Edinburgh

Britannia departed Southampton on 6 July, cruised past Flamborough Head and South Shields, and stopped at a port near Edinburgh

Before making its final stop in Guernsey, Britannia will arrive at ports in Liverpool, Dublin and Cork, and cruise past South Cornwall

Before making its final stop in Guernsey, Britannia will arrive at ports in Liverpool, Dublin and Cork, and cruise past South Cornwall

The 1,082ft long ship - the third PO Cruises vessel to bear the name Britannia - can carry 3,647 passengers and 1,350 crew over 18 decks

The 1,082ft long ship – the third PO Cruises vessel to bear the name Britannia – can carry 3,647 passengers and 1,350 crew over 18 decks

The voyage features three celebrity chefs or cooks – Mary Berry, James Martin and Theo Randall – who are holding QA sessions and book signings on board, and intimate dinners with a limited number of guests.

Britannia has been dubbed ‘the ship for the nation’, and is the biggest of its kind in the world when it comes to commercial cruising.

Built in Italy, the new vessel has 15 passenger decks, 13 bars and 13 restaurants, a three-tier atrium, a 936-seat theatre, four swimming pools, and a multimillion-pound art collection.

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Built in Italy, the new Britannia has 15 passenger decks, 13 bars and 13 restaurants - and is registered in Southampton

Built in Italy, the new Britannia has 15 passenger decks, 13 bars and 13 restaurants – and is registered in Southampton

Britannia has been dubbed 'the ship for the nation' and is the biggest of its kind in the world when it comes to commercial cruising

Britannia has been dubbed ‘the ship for the nation’ and is the biggest of its kind in the world when it comes to commercial cruising

Britannia is the length of 10 blue whales and has an engine power equal to 70 challenger tanks or 86 Bugatti Veyrons

Britannia is the length of 10 blue whales and has an engine power equal to 70 challenger tanks or 86 Bugatti Veyrons

It also boasts a spa, children’s areas, a gym, library, extensive shops and a sports arena.

The 1,082ft long ship can carry 3,647 passengers and 1,350 crew over 18 decks.

It is the length of 10 blue whales and can squeeze in more people than London’s Royal Albert Hall. Britannia also has an engine power equal to 70 challenger tanks or 86 Bugatti Veyrons.

Based in Southampton during the summer and operating from the Caribbean in the winter, Britannia will visit 57 ports in 31 countries in its first year, sailing more than 90,000 miles.

For more than four decades the name Britannia was synonymous with the royal yacht, which was in service from 1954 until it was decommissioned in 1997.

Unlike the other PO Cruises vessels which carry the flag of Bermuda, the new Britannia has been registered in Southampton and bears the name of the Hampshire city on its structure.

Unlike the other PO Cruises vessels which carry the flag of Bermuda, the new Britannia has been registered in Southampton

Unlike the other PO Cruises vessels which carry the flag of Bermuda, the new Britannia has been registered in Southampton

Based in Southampton during the summer, Britannia will visit 57 ports in 31 countries in its first year, sailing more than 90,000 miles

Based in Southampton during the summer, Britannia will visit 57 ports in 31 countries in its first year, sailing more than 90,000 miles


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