P&O Launch All Seven Ships Together for 175th Anniversary Cruises
In a cruising extravaganza that is remarkable for its logistics as much as its visual impact, cruise line P&O launched all seven of its stately ships on 3 July 2012 to mark its 175th anniversary.
15,000 passengers waved goodbye to the many thousands of spectators who lined the waterfront of Southampton to see them off. Included in the passenger list was the illustrious company of the Princess Royal, Her Royal Highness Princess Anne. With 6,000 P&O staff to organise, navigate, cater and generally provide their guests with the perfect cruising experience, The Grand Event was hailed as a great success.
A Significant Day In Cruise Liner History
Though a display of the famous aerial acrobatics of The Red Arrows due to go ahead to mark the event, sadly the bad weather kept the illustrious flyboys grounded. Although the crowd weren’t treated to a stunning show of immaculate discipline and daring, this did not take the gloss off the momentous occasion.
P & O Cruises managing director, Carol Marlow, said: “This day is one of the most significant days in our history, as all our seven ships gather in their home port on the same day for the first time ever. As we look forward to exciting plans for our next new ship in 2015, it is fitting to be celebrating our past as it has helped us become known as Britain’s trusted cruise experts.”
“The idea started in jest,” Marlow admitted. “I forgot all about it until the logistics team said we could get the ships together. It’s taken 18 months to work it into the schedules.”
It’s unsurprising that this is the first time in the history of P&O cruises that all seven ships have been gathered in one place, due to the wide range of destinations that the cruising fleet sail to. With cruises heading to the Caribbean, South America, the Indian Ocean, the Baltic and Australasia to name but a few, bringing all seven back to their spiritual home of Southampton was a mammoth undertaking.
P&O staff and management must have thought that the Herculean logistical and marketing efforts were all worth it, given the overwhelmingly enthusiastic response that The Grand Event received. Not only did crowds of thousands throng the Southampton piers, cruise lovers also took to Twitter in droves to announce their delight at the proceedings. The hashtag #GrandEvent received a constant stream of happy cruisers and onlookers remarking on the festivities of the day.
One tweeter, @adamjbarnard, underlined how the spectacle of the day demonstrated that the cruise industry as a whole is in rude health:
“Today really does show the #cruise industry is still booming and here to stay.”
With a new cruise ship commissioned and scheduled to join their roster in 2015, P&O look like they will have plenty more celebrations to look forward to!