The 5,200-passenger ship is due to enter service in 2020 and its name will be revealed on Thursday (May 24) at 4pm on the brand’s Facebook’s page.
P&O ran a competition last year when it invited members of the public to come up with their suggested names for the ship. The line said that it received more than 30,000 submissions with a panel of experts making the final decision on the name.
The Carnival Corp-owned line also held a steel-cutting ceremony for the 180,000-tonne ship at Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg, Germany, which was attended by Paul Ludlow, P&O Cruises’ senior vice president, and Carnival UK president Josh Weinstein
Weinstein said: “This is the first time in 20 years that P&O Cruises has had a ship built by Meyer Werft and I’d like to thank everyone who has worked so hard to get us to the first stage in the life of this groundbreaking vessel.
“Meyer Werft has an enviable track record of producing genuinely innovative ships which also deliver tremendous levels of operational efficiency and we look forward to continuing our successful partnership over the next couple of years to this ship’s completion in 2020 and beyond.”
The new ship will feature more than 15 dining options, including eight speciality restaurants, more than 10 bars and lounges, four pools, plus theatre and adults-only venues.
Ludlow added: “Our new ship will be the largest ship ever operated by the brand and the largest ever to be dedicated exclusively to the UK cruise industry. It will also be the first ship in our market to be powered by LNG, the most environmentally friendly power source yet for large-scale cruise ships.
“We are confident in cruising’s future and believe that there will be an exceptionally positive UK response to this ship and the innovations it will bring. We also expect this ship to persuade many UK consumers to take that all important first cruise.”
P&O Cruises has already ordered a second 5,200-capacity sister ship, which is set to be delivered in 2022.
