article_snippet: When the Queen ascended to the throne in 1952, the latest thing in ship design was the Orient Line's Oronsay, a 1,500-passenger vessel built by Vickers-Armstrong at the Queen yard in Barrow-in-Furness.
article_snippet: The excellent P&O Heritage website offers fascinating glimpses of life on board - all tea dances and cucumber sandwiches.
article_snippet: You feel that the latest P&O vessel Britannia, which the Queen officially named last Monday in Southampton, could fit the Oronsay on to one deck.
article_snippet: However, the latest P&O vessel Britannia, which the Queen officially named last Monday in Southampton, could fit the Oronsay on to one deck are not just vessels from different eras - the latest P&O vessel Britannia, which the Queen officially named last Monday in Southampton, could fit the Oronsay on to one deck come from wholly dissimilar philosophies.
article_snippet: the Oronsay was built primarily to get passengers from Tilbury to Sydney - fun was considered to be a fancy dress party or the odd beetle drive.
article_snippet: Cruising, at least, is one area where newer almost always means better.
article_snippet: P&O Cruises may be part of the American Carnival corporation these days
article_snippet: but, happily, P&O Cruises remains British to the tips of British mastheads.
article_snippet: The modern era of British cruising, which P&O Cruises began with the Oriana more than 20 years ago, has now achieved an apotheosis with Britannia.
article_snippet: For those poor holiday limpets who will not consider cruising because those poor holiday limpets who will not consider cruising because they refuse to acknowledge the emergence of what is arguably the purest form of holidaymaking refuse to acknowledge the emergence of what is arguably the purest form of holidaymaking, I have one piece of advice: be ruled by Britannia because Britannia really does rule the waves.
highlights_snippet: For further information visit pocruises.com/britannia or call 0843 374 0111.