Adonia's Diamond Naming Ceremony

Simone Clark, Iglu's Managing Director, was onboard P&O Cruises newest and most intimate ship, Adonia, for her launch party on Saturday, and here's what she has to say about this exciting new cruise liner.

We arrived in Southampton on a very sunny Saturday for the naming ceremony of P&O Cruises' new ship, Adonia.  Small, but perfectly formed, she was dwarfed by the other ships in port: Aurora, Celebrity Eclipse and the newly refurbished, Grand Princess.  The ship carries just over 700 passengers and she has a small ship charm, with beautiful furnishings and a relaxed ambience.

The celebrations began on deck in the sunshine, with British, pink sparkling wine; cucumber sandwiches and delicious (very British) canapés of coronation chicken and scones — how civilised.  We enjoyed music and dancing, before Dame Shirley Bassey made her grand entrance to name the ship.  She pressed a giant diamond button and the bottle of Balfour Brut Rose swung across the pool area — all very exciting!

Then time to explore the ship... which was beautifully decorated, with tasteful soft furnishings, giving the public rooms a light and airy feel. I felt that she had a country house type feel — very relaxed, yet elegant.  As a small ship, there are two main areas for the evening entertainment and we sampled both... we enjoyed pre-dinner canapés in the lovely Curzon lounge and enjoyed Cabaret in there later on, from the Overtones group.  We also enjoyed post dinner drinks in the Crow's Nest at the top of the ship, which has a small dance floor and enjoys panoramic views.

Dinner for the naming ceremony was a delicious feast of British specialties — fresh seafood including crayfish, lobster and salmon, followed by asparagus soup, Beef fillet, chocolate deserts and finally a selection of regional cheeses.  Oh, then coffee, home made truffles and sweets. Absolutely delicious!