New superliner sails into Southampton

The crew on board Britain's biggest ever cruise liner have been preparing for her maiden voyage and a naming ceremony with the Queen on Tuesday.

When Britannia sets sail, around 16,000 meals a day will be prepared and served on board.

Celebrity Chef Eric Lanlard has been training kitchen staff while the ship is docked in Southampton. He also designed some of the menus:

Our reporter Mike Pearse was an board the cruise ship as she sailed into her new home port.

A new superliner that cost more than £473m has arrived in its home port of Southampton.

The 141,000-ton vessel will be officially named by the Queen next week.

Salisbury Cathedral launches a new interactive exhibition which presents the Cathedral's copy of the Magna Carta in its medieval context, exploring its legacy, both historic and contemporary.

It opened to the public last week will be officially opened later today by Neil MacGregor, director of the British Museum.

The Cathedral is home to the finest preserved of the four original copies of Magna Carta.

The 800th anniversary of the documents' signing is in June this year.

P&O Cruises' new liner, the 141,000-ton Britannia, in on it's way to it's home port of Southampton ahead of the vessel's official naming by the Queen next week.

Capable of carrying more than 3,600 passengers and 1,350 crew, the 1,082-ft long vessel is the largest cruise ship designed specifically for the British holiday market.

Boasting 15 passenger decks, 13 bars and 13 places to eat, the £473 million Britannia has a three-tier atrium, a 936-seater theatre, four swimming pools, and a multimillion-pound art collection.

Its bow adorned with a 308-ft long version of the Union Flag, the new liner has a spa, extensive children's areas, a gym, a library, extensive shops and a sports arena.

Passengers will be able to take part in a cookery school on board and there will be guest chefs on cruises, including Mary Berry. Marco Pierre White and James Martin.

Captains Paul Brown, who joined P&O Cruises in 1989, and David Pembridge, who has been with the company since 1972, will alternate being in command of Britannia. Sailing from Southampton during the summer and operating from the Caribbean in the winter, Britannia will visit 57 ports in 31 countries in its first year, sailing more than 90,000 miles.

Its maiden cruise, leaving Southampton on March 14, will be a 14-night Western Mediterranean sailing - with port stops including Barcelona, Monte Carlo and Rome.

Next Tuesday's naming ceremony, at which the Duke of Edinburgh will also be present, will prove particularly poignant for the Queen given her long and fond memories of another vessel called Britannia - the royal yacht that saw service from 1954 to 1997 before being decommissioned.

Britain's newest ever superliner will arrive in Southampton today. Crowds are expected to welcome her into the port. She's the largest cruise ship built for the British market.

Britannia has cost nearly five hundred million pounds and will be able to carry 3,600 passengers.

The theme of the ship is a celebration of Britain and it has the largest ever union flag on its side. The Queen will name the ship next week almost 20 years after she launched and named the P&O Cruise ship Oriana

On Sunday P&O Cruises will celebrated the handover of the biggest addition to its fleet. The 141,000-tonne cruise liner will provide luxury holidays, complete with swimming pools, casino, full size theatre and 24 hour restaurants. It will have 1,400 crew .