P&O Cruises’ ship Britannia was lit up yesterday (Wednesday 25 March) in support of the NHS while docked in Southampton.

Senior vice president of P&O Cruises Paul Ludlow took to twitter to share the image of the line’s ship Britannia, which had been emblazoned with the message “#heart NHS’, with the words: “@pandocruises #Britannia lights up in support of tomorrow’s #NHS illuminations #ProudToSupport”.

.@pandocruises #Azura pic.twitter.com/4Sz8C2LGHx

— Paul Ludlow (@PaulLudlowUK) March 22, 2020

The light display was a trial for a multi-ship illumination, also featuring on Aurora and Oceana in Dover, taking place today (Thursday 26 March).

Earlier this week, P&O president, Paul Ludlow, promised to look after guests in a message posted on social media.

In his message, Ludlow asked passengers to show some patience and assured them that plans for the resumption of P&O sailings are underway.

He said: “I want to assure you of one thing though. P&O Cruises will look after you, our guests. These are not just empty words.

“A travel company is nothing without the loyalty of its customers and P&O Cruises is nothing without the loyalty of its guests, both guests who have been cruising with us for many years and guests who have yet to sail with us but have made the decision to book a holiday with us in the future.”

It follows a similar light show from Princess Cruises, which lit up Sky Princess with the hashtag #WeWillBeBack.

Princess Cruises announced it was voluntarily pausing its global operations for 60 days in response to the circumstances evolving from the global spread of coronavirus, thereby following in the footsteps of many cruise lines that have also suspended sailings.

Sky Princess will return to sail a season across Scandinavia and Russia after the suspension has been lifted.

Carnival Corporation, which owns P&O and Princess Cruises, has announced that it will borrow $3 billion under a credit agreement for six months as the coronavirus crisis has resulted in its cruise lines suspending their operations globally.

To view the latest government advice visit gov.uk.

Our view:

The cruise industry is facing an unprecedented and ever-changing situation, and we are committed to keeping you informed with the most up-to-date news. However, we firmly believe that the cruise industry will bounce back. When it does, we’ll be on hand to help you get back to selling the cruises that people love.