What do Winston Churchill, Abraham Lincoln and Napoleon Bonaparte all have in common? Well, apart from all being renowned leaders they all made incredible comebacks and achieved even greater success than they had done previously.
And as Britannia set sail this evening, with 1,000 eager guests anticipating their holiday on board it gave me such hope for the restart of our UK business. As the whistles blew from surrounding ships as Britannia left the Ocean Terminal, it seemed a tangible moment of celebration. I have often felt as though I have been holding my breath for 15 months but now we can revel in the moment and in the return as we welcome guests back on board.
Our restart is a milestone for crew, guests, our staff, Southampton and also the industry as we return to playing our key role supporting the array of local growers, suppliers, hotels, B&Bs, restaurants and taxi drivers for whom the cruise industry is so vital and whose businesses have been so challenged by our pause in operations.
Last week’s overnight test cruise on Britannia was a great success and was a true testament to the relentless hard work and detailed planning by vast teams both on the ship and on shore. Seeing so many of you on board for the evening and seeing our full complement of crew back on board created such a feeling of “togetherness” which made me so proud. The guidance, plans and protocols had changed and evolved so many times over the months but each time you all faced it with spirit and a determination to get it right. The Bureau Veritas accreditation quote was that “the ship was exceptionally well prepared and we give full credit to the entire ship’s crew and management” so there can be no higher accolade than that.
And as we achieve the accreditation for Britannia we now move on to the same for Iona, which brings new challenges for the teams on board who have not yet experienced the ship in service.
The two night Iona shakedown cruise, whilst fun for some will also be 48 hours of sheer hard graft for others as they put to the test and execute all their plans and preparation. We must never under-estimate the hours and hours of work which have gone into getting Iona shipshape – the placement of every chair, every cushion, every piece of artwork and getting 2614 cabins ready for guests has taken considerable time and thought – that’s no mean feat!
I really am so sorry though that the vaccine policy means many colleagues are unable to join us on August 2nd but we must stick to the advice we have been given, which is constantly evolving, and the policies we have in place for guests, in order to protect everyone’s health and wellbeing. I do hope though, that at some point at the end of this season we’ll be able to give you more opportunities to see Iona. She is, as Olly Smith described her on Friday “looking glorious.”
Hearing Olly and Marco chatting wistfully about their times on board made me long to see them interact with our guests – those special celebrity moments really do create memorable holidays.
Our announcement last week which detailed our deployment for autumn onwards was met with very positive sentiment from our guests – although the disappointment of more cancellations was, I hope, understood. The complexities of international travel are immense but I am confident that our current plans are feasible and will enable thousands of guests to enjoy a holiday “abroad” before the end of the year.
And for those on board Aurora, Arcadia, Azura and Ventura who have to wait a little while longer before they are sailing again, please be assured that we are so appreciative of your patience and stoicism. I know it’s not the life you want and you cannot wait to be back but your efforts and positive attitude do not go unnoticed.
And as the sun shines (well, periodically!) I do hope that you will take some time off to re-charge. I recently had a few days by the beach “on the north island” and it really was a very restorative break and I came back feeling energised and refreshed.
As for the future, well, I am feeling very positive that we too, like those great names, will have a victorious comeback which is even more successful, prosperous and positive than before. It’s history in the making.
Take care everyone,
Paul
Paul Ludlow
President, P&O Cruises