{"id":13064,"date":"2023-03-14T01:31:43","date_gmt":"2023-03-14T01:31:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/qik.ety.mybluehost.me\/?p=13064"},"modified":"2024-06-18T12:07:01","modified_gmt":"2024-06-18T12:07:01","slug":"po-cruises-to-name-new-ship-in-barbados","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/caribbeantourismauthority.com\/staging\/1605\/po-cruises-to-name-new-ship-in-barbados\/","title":{"rendered":"P&O Cruises to name new ship in Barbados"},"content":{"rendered":"

All eyes will be on <\/span>Barbados <\/b>this week as the island hosts an unprecedented cruise ship celebration.<\/span><\/p>\n

On Thursday, March 16, <\/span>P&O Cruises<\/b>, \u201cBritain\u2019s Favorite Cruise Line\u201d, will officially celebrate the naming of its new Excel Class ship, <\/span>Arvia<\/b>, during a highly anticipated festival to be broadcast live on <\/span>YouTube<\/b>.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s an opportunity for Barbados to be featured and you can’t pay for that<\/span><\/p>\n

publicity,\u201d said Barbados\u2019 Minister of Tourism and International Transport\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Ian Gooding-Edghill<\/b>. He reflected, \u201cWe have been partnering with P&O over a number of years in Barbados … it has been a very long, very satisfying business relationship \u2026 and I would encourage everybody to view it (the ceremony) when it is being telecast because it\u2019s a wonderful accomplishment for Barbados and the Caribbean.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The first-ever naming of a cruise ship in the Caribbean will feature the world\u2019s largest bottle of rum for the traditional bottle smash.<\/span><\/p>\n

Arvia will be officially named by international performer <\/span>Nicole Scherzinger<\/b> in a beachside ceremony. With the well-known words <\/span>\u201cI name this ship Arvia, may God bless her and all who sail in her\u201d<\/b> a lever will release the specially commissioned bottle, which will hold 15 liters of Mount Gay Black Barrel.<\/span><\/p>\n

P&O Cruises president <\/span>Paul Ludlow<\/b> said: \u201cOur naming party in Barbados is a world first and so it had to be rum. Rum is the very essence of Barbados and as the world\u2019s oldest ocean cruise line we simply had to pair with the world\u2019s oldest running rum distillery and create what we believe to be the world\u2019s largest bottle of rum. Mount Gay has a long and distinguished history and affiliation with the sea \u2013 it is a perfect mix.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Mount Gay managing director <\/span>Antoine Couvreur<\/b> said \u201cMount Gay has had a long historical connection with sailing. At the heart of this shared story is Barbados, the birthplace of rum. Since 1703, honoring our authentic heritage has made Mount Gay the drink of choice for sailors and the maritime industry as a whole. We are delighted to partner with P&O Cruises for this historic bottle smash as we celebrate our 320th anniversary this year.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Arvia\u2019s naming party will be hosted by DJs <\/span>Trevor Nelson<\/b> and <\/span>Sara Cox<\/b>and will feature an exclusive performance from <\/span>Olly Murs<\/b> as well as the spectacular closing finale from the ship\u2019s godmother and new entertainment partner Nicole Scherzinger.<\/span><\/p>\n

To watch the event live on YouTube visit <\/span>bit.ly\/arviasnamingceremony<\/b><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n