Prior to booking this Christmas Cruise on Britannia I had read a number of differing reviews about the ship so was looking forward to trying her for myself. We are experienced cruisers having used many different cruise lines but we are fans of P & O for Caribbean cruises as they have this down to a fine art. After a good flight on the Dreamliner we were at the ship in no time and through check-in in a heartbeat. Our cabin D516 was on deck 11 midships port side and in a great position close to the lifts. We had a balcony which admittedly was small with just enough room for 2 chairs and a small table but it was not overlooked from above. The bed was huge and very comfortable and I slept so well on this cruise. There is plenty of storage and a large flat screen TV on the wall. The bathroom was quite small but adequate and at least the shower had a glass door. White Company shampoo, conditioner and body lotion was provided with shower gel in a dispenser on the wall. One thing I did appreciate in the cabin was 2 full length wall mirrors which were especially useful on formal nights!

Our first impression of the ship was that it was lovely with understated décor. It can be difficult to navigate and we did find ourselves at a dead end on a couple of occasions. The atrium is a big topic of conversation but for me whilst it is beautiful it lacks something intangible. There never seems to be any atmosphere so it is like a lovely waiting room. The lack of the usual lifts and only one staircase from deck 5 to 6 and 7 is strange and just not what we are used to. Not sure what the designers of the ship were trying to achieve here unless it was just to be different. The lifts are always busy and occasionally frustrating when they seemed to go to every floor except the one you wanted but hey we had a few laughs! There is a very good library which I made good use of as there were a few sea days on this cruise. As it was the Christmas cruise it was lovely to see all the trees and the decorations and the best thing that happened in the atrium for me was on Christmas Eve when the children sang carols – their little faces when it snowed at the end was wonderful to see. After their singing we all went on deck to see Father Christmas arrive on the funnel which is a great touch for the young ones. There is a very good gym on board which my husband made good use of but he was concerned that in the steam room there is no sign to alert users to the steam vent location and he worried that someone could get scalded. He did report this to reception but do take care if you use it.

We were on freedom dining and were allocated to the Meridian. I think the dining rooms are a big success for Britannia as the design and use of pillars gives the impression of lots of smaller rooms which is more intimate than the huge rooms that can feel a bit like a canteen. I also like that the waiters stations are hidden so avoiding all the clatter and rush right beside you. However the service in the dining room was a disappointment. There were of course exceptions but on the whole I found the service to be perfunctory at best and almost rude at times. This is the area where we can see the greatest effects of cut backs since our early days of cruising as the waiters just seem too busy to give you any attention. As a Coeliac I need a gluten free diet and I was looked after pretty well in this respect except that when the after dinner treats were served with coffee it was always with a 'not for you madam' with no attempt to offer something I could have and that really would not be difficult. This was especially disappointing on Christmas Day when mini mince pies, stollen cake and chocolates were brought out but nothing for me. It felt mean to be honest which I have already told P & O. The food on the whole was OK without having much in the way of a wow factor – the fillet steak on Christmas Day was beautiful however. I do wonder if this is a tactic to persuade more people to use the specialist restaurants on board. We never do this but there are quite a few to choose from. We used Horizon for breakfast and lunch and as it is a very large space we never struggled to find a table although we never mind sharing. There did seem to be lots of choice at breakfast although I always stick to gluten free toast. I was served by the same waiter nearly every morning for my toast and never once did he even smile at me despite my best efforts with him – he clearly was not happy in his work. This was such a contrast to our last cruise which was on Princess where the young lady who did my toast every morning quickly got to know me and my requirements and always told me to go and sit down and she would bring it to me. Just little things that make a difference. I did struggle sometimes to find anything suitable for me at lunch times and even on the days when there was a roast carvery there was no gluten free gravy offered. However on Lido Deck there is a little area called Grab and Go and to my delight I found that I could get gluten free Hoisin Duck wraps which I loved. In Horizon there is a small area dedicated to special diets for desserts. This included gluten free, dairy free, diabetic etc and there was usually one or two options for each – however there was a big problem with this. The little signs which indicated which diet it was for were on small plastic blocks which just kept getting moved about so on 2 occasions I almost ate the wrong thing which could have made me ill. This was reported twice by me and I know by a number of others also but nothing was ever done to rectify the situation so again please take great care if you need a special diet. Read more