Britain’s largest and most environmentally-friendly cruise ship, P&O Cruises Iona, has arrived into her home port of Southampton ahead of her official naming ceremony.
P&O Cruises‘ new flagship Iona is powered by liquefied natural gas, ground-breaking for the UK cruise industry and one of the cleanest fuels in the world.
P&O Cruises president Paul Ludlow said “It is a landmark day for both P&O Cruises and for the travel industry as a whole. We are on the cusp of a bright new beginning and Iona’s arrival into Southampton this morning is very visible evidence of this much anticipated future.”
Iona was welcomed to the port of Southampton with a ceremonial water salute.
The ship will be named in a glittering quayside ceremony hosted by Jo Whiley and broadcast to a “virtual” audience, the highlight of which will be Iona’s music director Gary Barlow performing a short set.
Dame Irene Hays, chair of Hays Travel, Britain’s largest independent travel agency, will name the ship and a specially produced Nebuchadnezzar (equivalent to 20x 750ml bottles) of Alex James’s Britpop cider will smash against the hull of the ship to bring it good fortune in the future.
Life on board Iona
Iona features 30 bars and restaurants with many new speciality dining options including tapas from award-winning Spanish chef José Pizarro paired with wines selected by Olly Smith and a new Chef’s Table menu from Marco Pierre White. Entertainment venues include the first “SkyDome” – an extraordinary glass structure which will be a relaxed poolside environment by day and then transform at night into a spectacular venue with DJs, stage and aerial acrobatic shows.
There will also be the first gin still on a cruise ship, created in association with Salcombe Gin, distilling tailor made spirit on board. The gin’s maiden production will take place in Iona’s custom-made still named “Columba” and will be distilled, bottled and labelled on board.
This summer Iona will sail a series of UK coastal cruises. During her maiden voyage on August 7 she will sail to her namesake island of Iona. For more details visit pocruises.com.