P&O's new 85,000grt superliner Arcadia was originally ordered by parent company Carnival for Holland-America Line but was transferred to Cunard to be Queen Victoria before being transferred yet again to P&O during 2004 despite construction being well underway.
We went down to the marina for her much-publicised debut on the morning of the 6th April 2005 and expected huge crowds but only about 30 people turned out, probably due to the rain, gales (force 7 or 8 depending on what you read) and cold. Slowly but surely she came into view and as she passed Hythe pier, the front fire tug started the waterspray followed by the second once that had passed. She gave 3 blasts on her whistle. She is the first P&O vessel to be registered in Hamilton, Bermuda, like all Princess ships so they can have wedding onboard (Artemis and Oceana are also registered there now while Oriana changed at the end of 2006 and Aurora in December 2007). We didn't stay and watch her dock at noon because we were so numb from the cold.
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