I went to Queen Anne naming ceremony but the atmosphere wasn't what I expected

Cunard’s newest cruise liner, Queen Anne, arrived in Liverpool on Monday (June 3) for a special naming ceremony in her ‘spiritual home’. In her honour, the Pier Head was transformed into a dedicated spectators’ area, centred around a huge performance stage where TV star Emma Willis and musician husband Matt Willis hosted the event.

Reminiscent of the Eurovision Village last year, a range of food stalls and fan areas were set up and a host of live performers were arranged to entertain the crowds, with Andrea Bocelli headlining. But it never really lived up to the hype.

Crowds began to form after lunchtime and guests lucky enough to be staying on the cruise ship began to take their specially-allocated seats near the stage from 3.00pm, ahead of the 4.00pm ceremony’s kick-off.

By 3.30pm, the Pier Head was full of people, ready to see the a huge bottle of champagne (12 litres to be exact) smashed against the ship and Italian tenor, Bocelli. But, the atmosphere wasn’t at all what I was expecting. Cunard has close ties to Liverpool, going back years and years, so I wasn’t surprised that 90% of the crowd seemed to be aged 60 and above. However, enthusiasm definitely seemed to be lacking, and a lot of the crowd - myself included - had a fairly poor view of the stage, despite being stood right at the barriers.

Liverpool DJ Lauren Lo Sung kicked off performances ahead of the naming ceremony, with a groovy, electronic set - which I personally really enjoyed - but there was an audible groan from those around me when the heavy bass began.

As an emerging artist, it must be difficult to get on a stage and face large crowds, and this crowd certainly wasn’t interested in her music. Now, it could have just been the section I was stood in, but there was no dancing, no clapping. All I heard was the likes of, ‘Ugh it’s headbanging music’, and, ‘Is she ever actually going to play any words?’. I love that the whole ceremony was dedicated to and featured Liverpool people but, maybe, dance music wasn’t the correct choice for the audience?

Speaking of the right people for the audience, I LOVE Emma and Matt Willis. I was a huge Busted fan as a child and I love Emma as a presenter, so, for me, they were the perfect presenters. But, for the majority of audience members, I think they were under appreciated. Ahead of their arrival on stage, one woman asked whether it was ‘Bruce Willis coming on stage,’ and another noted that she had never heard of the pair.

Their energy was brilliant and Matt attempted to make a few cheeky jokes but the laughter was lacking and the audience truly didn’t seem too interested. When asking the crowds to repeat phrases back to them and asking, ‘Are you ready?’, the response was pretty quiet, and it made me feel a little awkward.

The same can be said for the brilliant dancing by LIPA students, who gave an energetic performance alongside live music from the Philharmonic Orchestra and Lauren Lo Sung. They were met with a fairly poor amount of applause, considering the size of the audience.

It was a gloomy day and there were no seats for audience members - excluding cruise guests and a few deck chairs on the grass by the ferry terminal - so I understand why people weren’t feeling super enthusiastic the whole time. But, it wasn’t the atmosphere I was expecting.

There were a few moments of real excitement though, for example, when Mel C and Katarina Johnson-Thompson took to the stage.

The pair were among five surprise Liverpool icons chosen to smash Champagne against the ship, along with fellow Godparents LEAF founder Natalie Haywood, musician Jayne Casey and radio presenter Ngunan Adamu. Their arrival on stage received some real applause and cheering.

Speeches from Cunard’s President, Katie McAlister, and Queen Anne’s captain, Inger Klein Thorhauge - who became the company’s first ever female captain back in 2010 - were greeted with less enthusiasm, despite their mentions of how great Liverpool is.

The ritual of smashing of a bottle of Champagne on the hull of the Queen Anne - marking her official naming - was, as expected, the highlight, with the crowds cheering and clapping, and confetti falling on the Pier Head. It was a moment I felt truly blessed to be a part of and I felt proud of our city.

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After the ritual, Bocelli took to the stage and received the biggest applause of the day. Listening to his beautiful, powerful voice, surrounded by smiling people and the impressive ship was a brilliant moment. But, he only performed two songs. As soon as he finished, the crowd began to disappear and I heard a number of people say they would not be returning for Craig Charles’ evening performance. It felt like a huge show had been put on for Liverpool but, really, the crowd was only interested in videoing the Champagne smashing and seeing Bocelli. Maybe if it wasn’t a Monday, throwing a big party would have been more well received.

Overall, it was brilliant to witness such a fantastic moment in history, and to celebrate Liverpool’s impact on the worldwide success of Cunard liners. But, was the amount of effort that had clearly gone into staging an afternoon and evening of entertainment worth it? Probably not. Queen Anne is scheduled to set sail at 10.15pm, and her voyage will be celebrated with a firework display until 10.30pm, so maybe huge crowds will return and the atmosphere will be as electric as I had hoped. But, we shall see.