Britannia Assembles 'Food Heroes' For Debut Season

Hot on the heels of the announcement of Royal Caribbean's debut Southampton season for new ship Anthem of the Seas next year (see our blog on Monday on this link) comes P&O Cruises and their full programme for spectacular new ship Britannia.

And Britain's oldest cruise line is pulling out all the stops by assembling the cream of culinary talent as the new ship’s 'Food Heroes' - an unprecedented line up of the country’s celebrity chefs.

The country’s favourite TV chef, James Martin (above), will develop The Cookery Club, the first cookery school on board a British cruise ship. He joins award winning master patissier ‘Cake Boy’ Eric Lanlard, in his first venture at sea, a patisserie range in the Market Café at the heart of the ship’s spectacular atrium.

Established P&O favourites Marco Pierre White, Atul Kochhar and Olly Smith will lend their expertise to the varied culinary options on board ranging from speciality restaurants and wine bars through to gala dinners in the main dining rooms.

Passengers will be able to participate in hands-on cookery tuition under the expert guidance of P&O's 'famous five' culinary giants. Guest chefs will also be on board in this state-of-the-art cookery school, which can hold classes of up to 24 people at a time and there will be a Chef’s Table to allow passengers to experience world class cuisine in an intimate space.

When the biggest ship built for the British cruise market sets sail on its maiden voyage from Southampton to the Mediterranean on March 14, 2015, it will mark a step change in holidays at sea. As well as the new Cookery Club, passengers taking a cruise on board Britannia will experience:

·       Dedicated supervised children’s club for ages 2-17, with dedicated teens area.

·       Three-tier feature atrium with Eric Lanlard patisserie, a charcuterie and gelataria as well as spectacular starburst sculpture.

·       13 bars and 13 different places to eat.

·       Oasis Spa and open deck Retreat.

·       Sports arena.

·       Al fresco dining.

·       Four swimming pools including a Serenity “quiet zone” pool and bar.

·       Art collection in excess of £1million.

·       1,837 cabins – all outsides have a balcony, including 64 suites and 27 single cabins.

·       Library.

·       Dedicated wedding venue.

·       936-seat state-of-the-art theatre with LED screen.

·       The Studio – multi-purpose “tv studio” for guest speakers, talks, demonstrations, cinema screenings, radio plays and game shows.

·       The Crystal room – dedicated to all types of dance.

·       The Limelight Club – entertainment and dining.

·       Sindhu from Atul Kochhar and Olly Smith’s The Glass House.

Britannia’s maiden season will see the ship sail from Southampton to the Mediterranean, Norwegian Fjords, Canary Islands and the Baltic Sea, as well as offering a range of short breaks and a special round-Britain cruise. The ship will then transfer to the Caribbean for the winter season sailing a range of 15-night fly/cruise itineraries from Barbados.

More info: call 0843 374 0111 or visit www.pocruises.co.uk.

For the full range of Britannia's cruises, be sure to see Time Spent At Sea tomorrow. 

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