Britannia has received a lot of flak on this forum and we were wondering what to expect aboard P & O’s latest and largest cruise ship. Embarkation from Southampton was a fairly smooth affair considering the number of passengers being processed. Arrivals were staggered, and it seems we were fortunate to have been later 4.30 p.m. arrivals at the docks, having travelled down by coach. Other passengers we spoke to had had problems on the gangway due to high winds, but weather conditions improved by the time Britannia sailed.

Make no mistake this ship is very large, the “stretch limo” of the P & O fleet - and has its advantages and disadvantages. First the downside - we found the ship layout did not flow and was confusing until we got used to it. The staircase/lift arrangement in particular does not appear to have been designed for the convenient movement of passengers and staff, but included as an afterthought. The lack of flow did not help when we first got on board - we and many other passengers gave up on finding lifts and eventually located a staircase. We had only just found our cabin towards the rear of the ship on Deck 11 when we were immediately called to a hot and very crowded Muster Station down on Deck 7, the Sindhu Restaurant, for the emergency drill. Hmm.

The interior decor and art is generally muted and we found it mostly uninteresting. We were not bowled over either by the Atrium area which functions like a large hotel lobby surrounded by bars/shopping - as a central feature it lacks the wow factor we expected. There is no dance floor here, and this has been ‘relegated’ to the Crystal Room - further forward on Deck 6 - not the best arrangement. Read more