P&O Reveal Exclusive Wine and High Street Brands For Britannia
As we get closer to the arrival of Britannia, we were anticipating when the next reveal would be and sure enough it came...
The Wiston Estate
We were invited to The Wiston Estate in Sussex for an exclusive presentation from P&O Cruises about their new drinks programme onboard Britannia. The beautiful building, surrounded by stunning gardens was the perfect location to celebrate what is to be a refined and quintessentially British ship.
The Wiston Winery is owned and managed by the Goring family who have grown vineyards here since 2006. The estate and grounds are truly exquisite and produce unique wines that have become a British phenomenon.
Olly Talks Drink
After a presentation from P&O Cruises Executives showcasing everything Britannia will have to offer, famous TV Presenter and Wine Expert Olly Smith took to the stage to introduce the Wiston Sparkling Wine set to be the flagship wine of Britannia. Tasting extremely similar to champagne, it is the only drink of its kind to be produced in England. Often compared to some of the world's finest champagnes it was clear to see why this has been chosen for such an iconic ship.
It will be a bottle of this wine that will also be used to smash against the hull of Britannia during her naming ceremony.
It is not only this that will excite you on Britannia's drinks menu, P&O Cruises have devised a whole new British Beer and Ale menu. Being one of the first to catch a glimpse of this menu, we already know it is going to raise the bar in cruise drinks menus.
Keeping with the strong British inspiration, this exciting menu has been thoroughly sourced, designed and executed to really change the game for P&O’s newest member of the fleet. You will not find a selection like this on any other ship.
Some of the ales include Cotsword Way from Gloucestershire, Brentwood Gold from Essex, Old Speckled Hen from Somerset and Orange Peel from Wiltshire.
It was also revealed famous chef James Martin will be inviting a selection of celebrity friends to join him at his onboard cookery school. Two of the confirmed guests include Mary Berry and Antonio Carluccio.
From Drinks To Shopping
It is not only the new drinks menu that will ensure you fall in love with Britannia, a new retail space featuring high street brands is set to be like no other shopping area at sea.
Britannia will boast a 720-square metre retail space and feature a range of popular brands to ensure you can shop and browse to your hearts content as you would at your favourite shopping centre.
When designing Britannia, P&O thought thoroughly about how much people enjoy shopping on a cruise, especially during sea days. This lead to them wanting Britannia to have a shopping area as varied as land based shopping centres. Again, keeping with the British theme it made sense they brought popular British brands to the high seas for the first time.
Making their debut on Britannia will be:
Crew Clothing - The popular brand worn by celebrities such as Kate Middleton and Ben Fogle.
Beaverbrooks - This family owned business rapidly became a favourite on British high streets. Specialising in jewelry, diamonds and designer watches, it is the perfect store to bring to Britannia for those who want to shop for a special treat.
The White Company - A brand that became popular for their attention to detail within their clothing garments, The White Company have been trading for over 20 years. Loved for the finest cotton used in their clothing makes their range perfect for cruise clothing.
Rituals - A cruise is the perfect way to take some time out and evaluate how you look after yourself so it makes perfect sense to have a Rituals store onboard. Specialising in high quality products to enrich body and soul, it is hoped their products will influence guests to transform their daily routines. Popular products include facial care, body creams, scented candles and perfumes.
Desigual - A Spanish brand that made its way onto the British scene a few years ago to excite people with their quirky designs of clothing and handbags. They have become popular for their patchwork designs, graffiti designs and intense prints.
Chopard - The iconic swiss-based luxury watch and jewellery company have been designing watches since 1860.
Other brands available on Britannia will be Lancome, Dior, Chanel, Ralph Lauren, Omega, Citizen, Tag Heur, Michael Kors, Radley and Armani Jeans.
Britannia will debut in March 2015 and sail a range of itnieraries from Southampton including Norwegian Fjords and Mediterranean. See our Britannia Cruise Deals.