Almost 5000 passengers were on board as the 141,000 tonnes luxury ship – launched by Her Majesty the Queen earlier this year – was given a traditional welcome from tugs displaying their water cannons. The floating holiday hotel, which docked in Forth Ports’ new anchorage point on the south side of the river, off Newhaven, offers a “sophisticated, contemporary holiday experience across health and beauty, shopping and entertainment”. The Britannia has a “strong focus on dining” with a state-of-the-art cookery school, a three-tier feature atrium with Eric Lanlard patisserie, a charcuterie and gelateria; a Sindhu restaurant by Atul Kochhar and Olly Smith’s The Glass House; gala menus created by Marco Pierre White plus The Limelight Club, an entertainment and dining venue in the tradition of the supper club.