P&O Cruises is assembling the cream of culinary talent as the new ship's Food Heroes - an unprecedented line up of the country's celebrity chefs.

 

Britain's favourite TV chef, James Martin 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 Cruises 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 Cruises 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. There will also 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:

 

Dining:

13 bars and 13 different places to eat Three tier feature atrium with Eric Lanlard patisserie, a charcuterie and gelateria as well as spectacular Star Burst sculpture Sindhu from Atul Kochhar and Olly Smith's The Glass House Champagne afternoon tea by Eric Lanlard served in the fine dining restaurant Al fresco dining

 

Things to do:

Oasis Spa and open deck Retreat Sports arena Art collection worth in excess of £1million Four swimming pools including a Serenity "quiet zone" pool and bar Library

 

Entertainment:

The Limelight Club - a combined entertainment and dining venue in the great tradition of the supper club 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 or game shows The Crystal Room - dedicated to all types of dance Spectacular new on deck show Dedicated supervised children's club for ages 2 - 17 with dedicated teens area

 

Following travelling trends and customer research, Britannia has a total of 27 single cabins, more than any other cruise ship, with 15 of those having balconies. Each outside cabin has a balcony and all cabins will feature exclusive artwork by British artists and wall mounted flat-screen TVs with video on demand.

 

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.

 

P&O Cruises marketing director Christopher Edgington said: "Britannia will introduce cutting edge design combined with a range of innovations uniquely styled to appeal to those who may not have considered a cruise holiday before as well as our many loyal past passengers.

 

"Combining the excitement of cruising with the sophistication of a five star hotel, Britannia is not only the biggest ship built for the British market but the most glamorous too. We have set out to make Britannia the biggest and the best and we are confident passengers will be wowed by the experience.

 

"We are incredibly honoured to have secured the services of the best chefs at sea. The addition of James Martin and Eric Lanlard on Britannia further enhances the already incomparable level of culinary excellence we are proud to offer across our fleet."

 

Edgington added: "Britannia will showcase an incredible array of facilities for children and teenagers including dedicated teens pool area and we have ensured that our prices remain constant throughout the year irrespective of the timing of the peak school holiday periods. We are conscious of the hardship families face when taking holidays at these time and are therefore committed to fair pricing throughout the year."

 

Pre-registration opens on Thursday February 13, 2014. General on-sale date Thursday March 27, 2014. To book call 0843 374 0111 or www.pocruises.co.uk or see a travel agent.

Itineraries and prices as follows.

 

MAIDEN CRUISE

Spain, Italy & France  

Mar 14 - Mar 28 2015 • 14 nights • Britannia B502

Southampton - Gibraltar - Barcelona - Monte Carlo - Rome (tours from Civitavecchia) - Ajaccio, Corsica - Cartagena - Seville (tours from Cadiz) - Southampton

Prices from £1,149 per person

 

MAIDEN CANARIES CRUISE

Portugal, Spain & Morocco   

Mar 28 - Apr 11 2015 • 14 nights • Britannia B503

Southampton - Madeira - Tenerife - Gran Canaria - Lanzarote - Agadir - Seville (tours from Cadiz) - Lisbon - Vigo - Southampton

Prices from £1,199 per person

 

MAIDEN SHORT BREAK

Guernsey

July 4 - Jul 6 2015 • 2 nights • Britannia B512

Southampton - St Peter Port, Guernsey - Southampton

Prices from £249 per person 

 

MAIDEN NORWAY CRUISE

Norway, Nordfjord & Sognefjord   

Apr 25 - May 2 2015 • 7 nights • Britannia B505
Southampton - Bergen - Olden - Cruise in Nordfjord - Flaam - Cruise in Sognefjord - Stavanger - Southampton

Prices from £699 per person

MAIDEN BALTIC CRUISE

Scandinavia, Estonia & Russia

May 30 - Jun 13 2015 • 14 nights • Britannia B509

Southampton - Kristiansand - Oslo - Copenhagen - Stockholm - Tallinn - St Petersburg - Helsinki - Bruges (tours from Zeebrugge) - Southampton

Prices from £1,499 per person

 

MAIDEN BRITISH ISLES CRUISE

British Isles              

July 6 - July 18 2015 • 12 nights • Britannia B513     

Southampton - sailing by Flamborough Head & South Shields - Edinburgh (tours from South Queensferry) - Inverness (tours from Invergordon) - Kirkwall, Orkney Islands - sailing by Cape Wrath - Glasgow (tours from Greenock) - Liverpool - Dublin (tours from Dun Laoghaire) - Cork (tours from Cobh) - sailing by South Cornwall - St Peter Port, Guernsey - Southampton

Prices from £1,249 per person

 

MAIDEN CARIBBEAN TRANSATLANTIC CRUISE

Portugal & Caribbean                              

Oct 23 - Nov 7 2015 • 14 nights • Britannia B524

Oct 23 - Nov 8 2015 • 15 nights • Britannia B524A

Southampton - Madeira - St Maarten - St Lucia - Dominica - Grenada - Barbados (overnight in port on B524A) - Overnight flight to UK

Prices from £1,099 per person

 

CARIBBEAN

Fly UK to Barbados (Friday departures overnight in port) - Grenada - Isla Margarita - Curacao - Aruba - Tortola - St Maarten - Antigua - St Kitts - Barbados (Saturday departures overnight in port) - Overnight flight to UK (flights from selected UK airports)

 

Friday Departures

Nov 20 - Dec 5 2015 • 15 nights • Britannia B526

Prices from £1,399 per person

 

Select Prices are available on all cruises at all times. Benefits include choice of cabin number (subject to availability), dining priority, eligible for upgrades (as available), 15% deposit at time of booking and complimentary shuttle buses in ports. Select Prices also include a choice of benefits including on board spending money, car parking, coach transfers or airport parking.

 

-Ends-

 

For further information please contact:

Jennifer Humm

Tel: 02380 656652

Email: Jennifer.humm@carnivalukgroup.com