In an age where superliners tend to resemble shopping malls on water, Darcey Bussell’s new role as godmother to the P&O’s Azura will inject some good old-fashioned glamour into the world of pleasure cruises.

Cruise ships used to be places where, if the movies are anything to go by, you might have chanced upon a dapper group of African-American musicians jamming with Fred Astaire in an Art Deco ship’s engine room. Now we have Darcey to rekindle the idea that cruise ships should be places of style and charm rather than floating theme parks where cattle roam hungrily amongst the video game arcades and 24-hour buffets.

Bussell, who is well known internationally for her career as a ballerina as well as her current role as Strictly Come Dancing judge in the UK, will smash open the champagne at a naming ceremony for Azura in Southampton in April next year.

Only a few months ago the world’s largest cruise liner, Oasis of the Seas, began its maiden voyage from Helsinki to Florida. Weighing in at roughly 226 000 tonnes to Azura’s 115 000, I would say it probably heaved rather than glided out of the harbour. Quality over quantity should certainly prevail when members of the Royal Ballet perform on deck at Azura’s launch next year.