Britannia to berth at the new Mayflower Terminal.

I was pleasantly surprised, I was looking through the recent Cruise News as you do to keep up to date with everything that’s going on in the world of cruising.

I was aware that the Mayflower Cruise Terminal was to under-go a major refit costing a fortune, £6 million, quite what they are spending that sort of money on I haven’t a clue, surely it’s cheaper to knock it down and completely rebuild. Saying that the terminal will have 100 tonnes of walls and floors removed.

I have been from the Mayflower Terminal before and I must admit it is well overdue a refit and I am looking forward to seeing the changes myself in the spring.

Associated British Ports

One of the main reasons for this is (A) ABP (Associated British Ports) has signed a new agreement to keep Carnival sailing out of Southampton to avoid them moving away to another port and (B) this is said to be the new home to the brand new Britannia.

The refit is to make the Terminal more open plan, speed up check in and make entering and leaving the terminal completely stress free, the passenger areas will be made more modern and comfortable giving a more stylish start to your trip.

City Terminal and Ocean Terminal have held the title for being the two main terminals in Southampton with City Terminal being home to the larger Royal Caribbean and Celebrity ships.

It does make you wonder though with all this new technology, where is Anthem of the Seas going to dock as they had a few problems with the older technology when Quantum of the Seas docked in City a couple of months ago.

On top of this, there has also been news of a 5^th cruise terminal in Southampton, it will be in the Western Docks and be designed for the larger newer ships of today, that is all we know about that for the time being.

But the big question is, why are ABP refurbishing Mayflower when it’s not going to be ready until a month after Britannia has been launched? Just think of all the publicity the port will miss by the terminal not being ready!

ABP Southampton director Nick Ridehalgh said: “The benefits of the improvements will affect a much wider group than just those heading off on cruises. Businesses across the city, such as taxis, hotels and restaurants for examples, all benefit from the cruise industry.

“We must ensure we continue to work with the cruise lines and their guests to ensure Southampton remains the UK cruise port of choice.”

Are you due to sail on Britannia anytime soon?