P&O Cruises Order New Cruise Ship for Delivery in 2015

P&O Cruises owner Carnival has ordered a new 141,000 ton cruise liner which it says will be the largest built specifically for the British market.

The liner, costing 559m euros ($807m; £489m) and scheduled to enter service in March 2015, will be built by Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri.

The as-yet unnamed ship will be able to carry a maximum of 4,372 passengers.

Rival Royal Caribbean claims to have the world's biggest cruise ship, Allure of the Seas, weighing 225,282 tonnes.

The 16-deck Allure can carry 5,400 guests and went into service late last year.

Carnival said its new ship, which will sail out of Southampton, would "offer an innovative new design and unprecedented number of passenger facilities".

Statistics

• Overall length 330m
• Maximum breadth 43.2m
• Height to top deck 47.3m
• Number of decks 17
• Number of cabins 1,812

The company's chief executive Micky Arison said: "The UK continues to be a key growth market for Carnival and innovative vessels such as this new P&O Cruises ship - targeted specifically to British clientele - underscore our commitment to this important cruise region".

Miami-based Carnival operates almost 100 ships and currently has eight ships on order, including the new P&O liner.

Fincantieri boss Giusseppe Bono said the deal demonstrated the company's efforts to secure orders in what is a "particularly depressed market".

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P O Cruises Arcadia Emerges From Refit

P&O Cruises Arcadia is recently completed a multi-million pound refurbishment, during which a total of 34 new staterooms will be added. The refit which was done at the Lloydwerft shipyard in Bremerhaven, Germany. Arcadia arrived in the yard on 26 November, 2008 and returned to Southampton on 20 December 2008.

P&O Cruises managing director, Nigel Esdale, said: “This is Arcadia’s first major refurbishment since she joined the fleet in April 2005 and we are taking the opportunity to enhance and improve the features of this already very successful child free ship.“The work that we are undertaking will add to Arcadia’s contemporary charm and she will emerge with even more facilities to surprise and delight her passengers.”

A new section of staterooms with private balconies will be added to the aft end of the ship. This will result in the creation of an enlarged deck area around the already popular Aquarius Pool. To further enhance this area, a larger and more stylish, new bar has been created.

A further new feature for passengers will be a 30-seat boutique cinema, creating a dedicated space for showing films on board. The cinema will be added in place of the existing Cyb@Study - wireless internet access will continue to be offered on board.

The photo gallery is to be revamped with more space and privacy given for portrait sittings and the addition of equipment for passengers to download images from their own cameras to be printed directly on board.

Further refurbishment is taking place throughout the ship, with new carpets, soft furnishings and upholstery added in areas including the Spinnaker Bar, Neptune Pool and passenger cabins. New teak furniture will enhance open deck space and a sprung wooden floor in the gym will improve delivery of exercise classes.