Having visited the Caribbean several times on a/I holidays we decided to do our first cruise after taking some advice from our travel agent. Holiday got off to a good start when Thomas Cook folded and we were give Virgin flights as an alternative. Being excited but very apprehensive we got to the terminal at Barbados and check in was really quick and efficient. The boat itself was amazing, plenty of sun Ed’s although did get a little cramped on sea days but not really an issue, staff were good at removing towels from reserved beds after the allotted 30 mins. The food was really good, whether it was the buffet restaurant or the other freedom restaurants, no complaints at all about the food. The updates from the Captain and his crew were really good and informative, ports of call were great, some better than others which is normal, the entertainment was amazing, the shows in the theatre were like the west end, plus the guest acts were also really good quality acts, the staff don’t stop, ever, constantly serving, cleaning, always with a smile. The room (an inside cabin) was ok, comfy bed but would definitely consider a balcony on our next cruise. Overall we were both really really impressed with our first cruise and will definitely cruise again. Read Less

We embarked at Southampton and this was quite smooth and uneventful but when we were issued our cruise cards we noticed our dining arrangements had been changed to a table of 8 ? I asked and the attendant said you’ll have to modify it on the ship, On the ship we made this our first order of business when we went to the restaurant to check our table we were told we cannot adjust this you should have booked this earlier, I replied with I booked 18months ago how much earlier do you want? He managed to swap our table all at once, then the next night we were told your in freedom dining instead again we were tried to be forced onto a table of 8 we again said no and they literally put a table for 2 in the end of a table for 8, I went a bit mad at the manager who promised from now on every night I could have a decent table for 2 at 7pm , but every night this table was double booked so we always ended up waiting up to a hour and a half so very often missed shows and left the whole dining experience very stressful, Our cabin was very nice a balcony, although the actual balcony seemed smaller than other ships we’ve been on, the ship itself seemed very hot as if the air conditioning wasn’t on and quite a odd design is you cannot walk around the deck as a lot of other ships I’ve been on, and a lot of people commented on this so you always had to continually walk through the ship going up and down stairs or constantly waiting for lifts, The lido deck is nice area for families with plenty of sun beds, but only two small hot tubs which was constantly full of children bouncing in and out, the adult only area is quite nice but no hot tubs unless you pay 30 pounds a day to go into the retreat but we couldn’t because it was fully booked before the cruise started, we had the feeling facilities had been scrimped on a bit for a ship of this size two hot tubs for over 3000 passengers?. food in the horizon buffet was ok but the desserts were very poor ok if you like desserts full of gelatine and no flavour, drinks were of a reasonable price but we purchased more than we wanted to because of waiting for our dining table every night, The stops in the Caribbean were very good experience and the trips seemed quite well organised, would I go on this ship again, only if no other ships were doing the stops I wanted to go on or if it was at the right price, so Britannia would be quite low on my choice of ships. Read Less

To spend time with my son and enjoy activities on board and ashore. The quizes were fun but one of the quiz masters made them more about him and entered into the realm of vulgarity on a family ship at 12.30.pm. Not a good idea! The food was exellent at all times and service was fairly good. I would like to single out Milton for High praise, he was an excellent and couertous waiter and took a real interest in us. The drinks system took a lot of getting used to by us passengers and the staff. I am guessing that the ultimate drinks package is a new venture and staff were very slow at times to return the all important cruise card to us, I am sure these teething problems will be sorted out in time. All in all a very enjoyable experience bit not without glitches and some improvements could be made. Read Less

We had previously cruised on Oceana and loved it. We chose Britannia as we could only travel in August and we liked the ports of call in the med. We had a balcony cabin on deck 12 midship. The cabin was modern and equipped with all we needed. Our cabin steward was very polite although he didn’t clean as I thought he should have, eg he never hoovered once in 14 days. Food was excellent in all restaurants. We had a dining experience in the Epicurean which was outstanding. We found all staff polite and welcoming. There was a packed itinerary of activities all day. In my opinion cruising is value for money. The gym wasn’t the best. There was lots of cardio equipment but the free weights area was somewhat lacking. There was one lat machine with only one side working. The main pool on Lido deck was very busy and noisy but the adult on section on the deck above was peaceful. The air conditioning inside the ship was set to quite cold so I’d advise a cardigan or sweater in doors if you are sensitive to the cold. Disembarkation was organised, we were able to find our luggage without any problems Read Less

We where a little apprehensive regarding the cruise due to some of the reviews posted previously,but we all really enjoyed the cruise from getting on to getting off. We arrived at check in at 2:00 pm expecting to wait till our 3:30 slot but we where able to walk straight to desk credit card given straight through security took about ten minutes when we got to cabin suitcases waiting. Impressions of ship very good only been on Thompson's before. Very large found signage very good took a few days to work stairs out due to being deck 15 . Food found evening meals very good only waited once for fifteen minutes for four of us and sat with some really pleasent fellow passengers. As said earlier good variety of selection. Always went into meridian on a evening around 7:30. Breakfast can not really go wrong with the buffet pick your own always got seat and table even sea days. Lunch selection fine for me only had salads but would off like s little more fruit Cabin was deck 15 A219 very nice plenty of room for clothes and liked the shower more room them previous cruises and enjoyed balcony opened door outside so could talk and drink with our friends. Really enjoyed entertainment saw a few shows in headliners theatre enjoyed all of them never had a problem getting seat. Live lounge good shows but too small . This was my only moan on ship people are sitting in seats on side and other people stand in the gaps by stairs no one can get past or see the stage.They have two Tele screens either side of stage should film the act and show on screens people could watch them .Pulse the band where good they enjoyed themselves whilst singing.One other moan still see people wearing football tops if they are banned tell them. Fyords where fantastic had really good weather apart from Bergen really loved the views. In the end decided not to have drinks package good decision but it was s close call. Read Less

We booked a family cruise, 4 adults and an 18 month old, we had two superior balcony cabins of which we could not fault. Our cabin man Romel was amazing, as was the lady that did my son’s cabin. The car drop off and embarkation was easy and very quick, the cases were outside our cabins when we reached them. Sadly getting around the ship was incredibly difficult with a buggy as the lifts were constantly full due to there being no stairs in the middle of the ship, why? How much easier would life on board be for everyone if it had been possible to move easily around it. Lifts would have been freed up by able bodied people walking places. Bad design definitely. The Horizon buffet was hit and miss, not the best food I have encountered on a ship, breakfast was the best, afternoon tea was served from 3 to 5, followed by children’s tea at 5, this caused lots of confusion, surely they could have a section for children at all meals, common sense really. We had freedom dining, avoid the Peninsula restaurant, they do not like people going in there, the staff are rude and very unhelpful. However the Meridian restaurant was lovely, the staff were great, cheerful and very helpful. Avoid the Beach House, set in a corner of Horizon, next to the empty buffet stands, food mediocre, Meridian miles better and no extra charge, service charge, discreetly hidden, 7.50 per person. Staff on the rexception of the ship were equally unhelpful, as was the IT lady, wi if a disaster and very expensive. Choosing not to do excursions we did our own thing, coming back on staff were helpful and attentive, letting parents with babies and small children get priority, I also witnessed them be very kind to the ‘older’ people letting them effectively jump the queue. All in all there were some very good points but also some very poor bits. Bingo and quizzes in a very small bar next to the casino, a big noise issue, the timing of lots of things for 530, not a lot of good to parents with children who were eating tea at 5. Also it meant you had to make a choice of what you missed. Not sure about the Headliners, I am tone deaf, genuinely thought they were too! Gervaise Flynn talk was amazing, loved it. To sum up I would not go on the Brittania again, it lacked atmosphere, interest and at times appeared like an old people’s home, just look in the crows nest on a sea day!!!!! Read Less

Our first cruise and a superb experience. Food and entertainment was first class. So much choice in the main buffet and restaurants. The buffet was splendid and had so many stand out dishes. I so enjoyed an Indian Bombay Potato Curry that I ended up eating it a lot. Stand out service and big smile award goes to Ronald in the Horizon buffet. Entertainment was high quality and being a retired ex professional DJ and Club Marketing Manager my expectations were high... Britannia exceeded my fussiness. If you get the chance go see Harmony3, the Bluejays or Pete Howarth (from the Hollies) absolutely top notch with the sound, orchestra and lighting all well coordinated and beautiful. We booked an inside cabin and were pleasantly surprised. Immaculate and just enough room for our many clothes, gadgets and my wifes make up ++++ Our cabin steward Freddy was a lovely person and kept everything to our high standards. We enjoyed exploring the ship and getting lost in many moments wherever we wanted. It would be remiss of me not to mention the absolutely top service from the P and O customer support folks when I had a a bit of a problem which I won't go into. The staff were first rate and a credit to P and O Lovely time and we are back with P and O Cruises in October and December 2019 + looking at 2020. David and Elizabeth Saunders Read Less

Did ncl Did royal caribbean Now done PO The seamless transit from london to Barbados and boarding the ship and returning to london was good. The only critic I have with that process is with the thomas cook return leg flight. Poor is the best way to describe it. Staff , entertainment, in flight meal , all poor. Captain of the ship on my cruise was brilliant and comical with his announcement. Staffing was mediocre and not very friendly some had difficulty giving reply to my queries. Food was mediocre in the buffet and the restaurant. Navigating around the ship was challenging as not all sides lead somewhere and some stair not accessible. Waiting for coffee cups at the drink station. Waiting for glass at the drink station. Side of pool drinking water containers , all 3 empty on a baking day. Buffet always been directed to go to a different part as they were closing the section I was going to. Was great visiting those 8 islands . Would I go on this ship again ? Yes IF THE PRICE WAS RIGHT. Low Read Less

This was our second cruise on Britannia, chosen because we were disappointed with cruise on Ventura in 2017. We had a terrible journey via Intercruise from Durham to Southampton. Despite efforts of Hays Travel and ourselves to make P & O and Intercruise understand that because of my disability I am placed under extreme pain having to climb any more than 2 steps and, in fact descending stairs is even worse. When our coach arrived we realised the only downstairs seats was a cramped row of 3 seats which were behind driver and 2 of those seats were already occupied. There was no way I wanted to travel 7/8 hours in that cramped seat without my husband(also my full time carer). However, we decided that I would have to try to climb the stairs of coach, with help from my husband and fellow passengers. I was in a lot of pain at end of journey, but hopeful that the rest of holiday would be ok. Our cabin was very good (same as we'd had on previous cruise on Britannia). Weather was not too good for first few days of cruise but food in Peninsular restaurant was still very good . As weather improved we realised that immediately after breakfast everyone made a mad dash for pool area, as I'm disabled it takes me such a long time to walk, get myself ready etc. One morning my husband went upstairs placed our towels on sunbed and was immediately told by an Officer to remove them as it was against P & O policy. My husband pointed out a number of other sunbeds were reserved with towels, books etc., and pointed this out to the Officer, but did not receive any sensible answer. During the second week I was very pleased to find out that Jimmy James was on at the Theatre. My husband and I turned up in good time at the disabled section of the Theatre and took our seats. A young lady employee came over and said that my husband could not sit there, as she had promised the seat to someone else. We reminded her of the P & O policy and during the ensuing discussion she used the words reserved and promised again. By this time I was aching from having to now stand and very, very embarrassed by the situation and as the discussion was going nowhere I walked away and with the help of my husband and sympathetic fellow passengers we found seats. However I had to negotiate some ill lit stairs. I was so upset that we left after a short period of time and I went down to Reception to report the incident. We subsequently received two calls regarding the incident, neither of which provided any answers about what had happened. Britannia is a lovely ship with some great facilities but policies regarding disable need looking at. We'll probably not cruise with P & O again Read Less

Selected this cruise because we wanted to visit the Norwegian fjords, and this suited out schedule. In reviewing this cruise, I am comparing with a previous experience - Celebrity Solstice one week from Barcelona to Tunisia, Italy and France. Initially embarkation works quite well. We taxied from Southampton airport to terminal where our bags were whisked away from the taxi and delivered to our cabin. Registration and boarding was somewhat slow, and no complimentary drinks or snacks were served. See cabin review for cabin details. There was a choice of dining when booking. Club dining - where you are allocated a restaurant (2), table and a time for eating dinner. Freedom dining - where you are allocated a restaurant (2), but can dine when you like, and at whatever table size you prefer. Menu seemed to e the same which ever option selected. In addition to the 4 dining rooms allocated to Club and Freedom, there were three specialty restaurants each of which have a cover charge which ranged from about £20 to about £30 per person for a 3/4 course dinner, and a fourth - The Glasshouse - which offered a la carte dining. Additionally there is a large buffet restaurant operating all day - including dinner - and is excellent for breakfast. Breakfast and lunch are available from most restaurants as well as smaller snack and pizza type poolside. Food was good in the freedom - and presumably cabin - restaurants. Service was excellent, even though these restaurants are very large. In freedom, you may have to wait for your choice of table when you turn up. But they give you a pager and you can head off and have a drink while you are waiting. Ask for a window table! Food in the specialty restaurants was better, but not of a standard that would overly impress. We did not try the Epicurean - which is supposed to be the best. On day of embarkation there was a guided tour of the ship. This is worth going on, as it can be a little difficult to get detailed information about all the facilities on board. The cabin TV is equipped with a good range of channels and movies, including Britannia's own channels offering information on the cruise and destinations. However, the destination information is very skimpy, and lacks detail of the individual excursions. Additionally, information about on board facilities is lacking. We were very luck with weather. Sunny and warm for the whole week. So deck facilities - pools, loungers, etc. - were very busy. There are two pools. One for everyone and one - Serenity - for adults only. For additional cost, you can access the Retreat area. Right at the bow, and quiet and relaxing with two hot tubs. However, quite expensive. They will try and sell you a week pass for about £100 per person. However, we took a day pass option for the first cruising day for £25. Given the subsequent schedule, we didn't use the area again, so that was a good option for us. WiFi is available on board, but is confusing and expensive. Be careful of the "pay as you go" option. There seemed to be no way to monitor usage, and we ran up a large bill - even though only using our phones for occasional email and messaging. They offer other packages, but these are also very expensive. Bars on board are well staffed, and have good selection of drinks. However, no alcoholic drinks are included, and they are expensive. Wine typically at about £6/£8 a glass. Drink packages are poorly arranged, limited in their scope and expensive. Only option was to pre-buy a number of bottles of wine. This compares badly with the creative packages offered on Celebrity cruises, where a package could include wines by the glass, beer and basic cocktails. Entertainment on board was good, but not impressive. We saw two of the shows, and went to the Lamplight specialty restaurant for dinner and a show. Service throughout the ship was good and at times excellent. West coast Norway is stunning! Particularly as we saw it in lovely weather. In Stavanger, we opted for a four hour walking tour which was not great - probably better options. However, Flam, Allusund and Bergen were wonderful locations. Highlights - the Flam railway trip, the Sugar Lump in Allusand, and the funicular railway in Bergen. If going to Norway again, we would probably fly to Bergen, and take small cruises from there. Overall we enjoyed our trip, but would not use P&O again. It is, after all, a British cruise line, and appeals to mostly British people. Britannia has a large number of internal cabins which are offered at quite low prices. So expect a significant number of tattoos and beer! We preferred the more international flavor of Celebrity cruises. Finally, we would recommend the Berlitz Cruising and Cruise Ship Guide. A great book which reviews virtually every cruise line and ship in the world. Their summary of Britannia was very accurate. Read Less

Being a first time cruiser myself and my friends had no idea what to expect. The Brittania exceeded all of our expectations!.. We had the most amazing experience from the minute we turned up at Southampton. Embarkation was really well organised and stress free, and from the minute we stepped onboard we felt relaxed and at ease.There were many good points about this cruise but the one thing we all agreed on that made the holiday was the staff. We met so many friendly and helpful staff members who went out of their way to make our experience special, and to chat with us about the ship! The choice of food and dining experiences were fantastic, and we never felt bored with what we were eating. We chose freedom dining which worked so well for us as it gave us the flexbibility to enjoy our day without feeling rushed for dinner. We also booked 2 evenings in the Limelight Club watchin Claire Sweeney and Christina Bianco and these were both fantastic shows. Entertainment on board was so varied and seemed to have something to please everyone. Neil Oliver and his entertainment staff work so hard, but a big shout out has to go to Jo B who got up to sing karaoke with one of our party, she really didnt have to but went out of her way and made his evening. Brittania is a beautiful ship and we loved its decor. We went for an inside cabin and a concern was that we would feel claustraphobic but this wasnt the case. Cabins were clean, comfortable and the beds so comfy with pillows to die for!! All in all we would have to be really picky to find anything wrong with our holiday, as a matter of fact we enjoyed it so much we booked while onboard for our next cruise, only 18 months to go and cannot wait! Read Less

We decided to go on the Britannia to celebrate a 30th Birthday. We didn’t know what to expect because we heard that the entertainment on board was more focused on older people, we have been with Disney many times besides the fact of me being an entertainer and performer for disneyworld and Disney Cruise Line for 8 years. Also, we have cruised with Royal Caribbean and we knew we wouldn’t find a climbing wall, a flow rider or ice skating on this ship but the reality is that we really wanted to cruise on the beautiful and famous Britannia, so we gave it a try. To start with, the ship is one of the most elegant ones I’ve ever seen, the deco and furniture are just fantastic so I couldn’t stop loving it since I got on board. Obviously when you have been on other cruise ships it’s hard not to compare one with the other ones, so I decided to compare it with a different ship that also leaves from Southampton, in this case I compared my experience with the Navigator of the Seas by Royal Caribbean. This is very difficult because both ships are very different in many ways but I liked more some things about the Britannia and I liked more other things about the Navigator. Let’s start with the dining experience. -The differences I saw between the Britannia and The Navigator are more positive for the Navigator. Even when the food is really good on the Britannia and with menus made by celebrity chefs, I will stay with the great hospitality from the servers on the Navigator, which to me makes my dining experience more pleasant. The Buffet in the upstairs restaurant on the Britannia was very limited and with a very poor variety, curry based everyday. In the other hand the buffet on the Navigator was fantastic and with a great variety of dishes everyday. Something I have to give to the Britannia is the late night Buffet open until 2am, that was great I have to say. The Navigator doesn’t have any of this which is a shame to be honest. Drinks and Bars -Even when the bars and venues are so much better on the Britannia in many ways, the lack of a drinking package makes me prefer the Navigator once again. The prices of alcohol on the Britannia are pretty decent but I still prefer the drinking package which makes your cruise experience even better. The internet -Wow the internet, I haven’t seen such a terrible internet since 1999. The internet on the Britannia is expensive and incredibly bad. Royal Caribbean uses a company that offers the latest, fastest internet at sea (VOOM) and even when its very expensive, it’s worth every penny. I couldn’t work at sea because the terrible internet would even open my email account. The shops -This time I am going to give it to the Britannia because the shops are actually really good, not expensive at all and the merchandise staff are friendly and not pushy. The Gymnasium -Fantastic equipment, location and venue. The entertainment in your room. -For the very first time in my cruising life I actually wanted to be in my room and watch TV without using my own shows or movies I have in my iPad because normally TV in your cabin on other cruise lines is boring and repetitive. The room entertainment on the Britannia is fantastic in every single way. Great job! The Entertainment on Board. -Well, this part is my favourite and absolutely one of the main reasons I want to come back to the Britannia again. As I mentioned from the beginning, my expectations about the entertainment were very low, because I knew the ship didn’t have as many attractions as the Navigator or The Independence of The Seas but I will tell you that the program and the entertainers on board make you forget about all that. To start with, the shows on board are original and fantastic, with the latest technology and production in the theatre and one of the best talented casts I’ve ever seen. All the shows are 5 stars but definitely my favourite ones are “ASTONISHING” and “The Sounds of The Underground”. Astonishing, is a fantastic show not just because of the magic tricks which are not something you haven’t seen many times before, but it is fantastic because the same cast actually takes part of all this, making a fantastic show out of a combination of magic, great voices and dancers. BRAVO! And all my respect for the creator of this fantastic and original idea. The sounds of the underground, I won’t spoil it for those who haven’t seen it, but in this show the cast shows their talent in such a fantastic way. Adam the piano player was fantastic, always friendly and his singing show with the guests was definitely a highlight of the cruise. -The Entertainment team is in charge of keeping the guest having fun during the day with activities, quizzes, dancing classes etc. Good job guys! Special mention to Fiona who besides being an excellent host an entertainer she was always smiling and keeping everyone up and going the whole time. I wanted to take her with me but my lady wasn’t really very agreed with this. The entertainment on the Britannia was just fantastic! In summary, I will definitely go back to the Britannia because after getting off two days ago, I still miss it and remember with a nostalgic feeling and a happy face. Thank you to all the crew who made my first visit a really good one. Except for the internet company, you suck! Oscar Coria Read Less

just returned from our 12 nt cruise around the med. I always read the reviews and often wonder what a lot of moaners us Brits have become. embarkation: once through security we found our cases already by our cabin. Good start Cabin: Inside (as always) not a bad size. Plenty of storage space. One small picky thing, no hooks anywhere just to hang lets say your bag or coat when you enter cabin (they have them on their other ships). comfy bed, changed regular and looked after by our cabin steward Cristo. Flat screen large tv., films etc but couldn't access your bill as on Azura. Bathroom usual size but brilliant shower with glass doors, better than any other in the fleet. Restaurants: we were freedom dining, had table for 2 a couple of times but enjoyed the tables for 6 and 8. met some nice people and had good conversations. Enjoyable. Beach House: surcharge of £7 50 pp. nice food but very american and big portions (very filling). Limelight club: We had a lovely table for 2 by the dance floor. Shaun Williamson (eastenders) Good all rounder and a very good singer. Good meal and a very enjoyable night. Horizon Buffet: very large, we always found a table even though its gets very crowded, baffles me why people walk around with a tray full of food trying to find a table and causing trouble bumping into everyone.find a table first. Plenty of choice of all foods, breakfast, lunch and afternoon teas (which we used). The amount of food people pile on their plates at each venue is astounding. Peninsular: this is the freedom dining venue, served well by all waiters and wine waiter too. Enjoyed the company each night with lots of nice food. no probs. Lifts: now we never had a problem with them, we were on deck 11 for/mid so walked to mid for Peninsular and aft for horizon. This is where people caused arguments and lots of moaners. remember there are 4000 passengers on this ship and the lifts will be up and down all the time. People seem to think as soon as they press the button the lift should be there!!!! Pools. always found a bed to sun bathe, we liked the aft very quiet to read your book. Theatre: not as nice inside as other ships in the fleet, but enjoyed all the headliner shows, Sam Bailey, Peter Howard (the hollies) tucker (comedian) Stephen Mullhern, produced a new show for P&O named 'astonishing' with tech lighting and an illusionist. very unusual but enjoyable. Live lounge. resident band Pulse good singers, good nights in there Brodies: sports bar, live football and quizzes. Crows nest: quiet bar with pianist all in all we had a lovely cruise, which we always do what ever problems there are. We have been on all of P&O fleet, and really like the mid size ships, but will still use Britannia again in the future, We have quite a few booked on their other ships. Each ship as its own character. Disembarkation: I have just read the latest reviews people saying it was dreadful organisation people sitting on the floor waiting to be called. we have seen this alot on the other ships, i am afraid to say its not the organisation its the people themselves. we were in brodies and never uncountered a problem although there were some moaning. It must be a nightmare to organise 4000 passengers, all wanting to get off when they they want to get off not when they are given a time!!!! go on your cruise and enjoy it take no notice of the moaners about P&O standards dropping, this is the what it is, prices have never been so low for cruising enabling all walks of life to enjoy a cruise. Read Less

I was disappointed I put my expatations so high when I left home as it was British. Ship Brittinia was let down 3 year old ship felt more like 20 year old ship rusting most parts. I been on other 5 cruise ship smunched older they were far supier and no rust. The ship felt more like 5 star hotel. No atomephere anyway on board. The toilets so far away from bars and resturants and in general one main door leading to gents and ladies totlets when you did find one always blocked. The food in freedom dinning and Horizon basic standards cheap quality. Unless you went and pay lot of money to eat in other resturants. The sindue resturant £20 cover charge and lunchtime tapers £4.75 not value for money as is already paid for food on board all inclusive that was that was the on board pay extra for everything. The sindue resturant was disappointing the different than normal Indian it wasn't the michelin chaff standard the service was good. The Spar was a total RIP off heavy sale. The Elemiss Detox programme they do free simnar no pressure sale to book appointment for a test for £72 person or same price if there is only one. They say depending on the result of your test it's one of £80 DEXTOX programme no obligation to buy. When you go Christrieen said to me my sister in law have simlair results it's never happened before if we don't do any thing know we could head for stroke heart attack concert etc he says it doesn't mean it will happen but the tests are indacteing that. He wouldnt give us the name of products or diet and exercise programme unless we buy it for £490 each 6 months. He can't give us the test paper he needs to send result to doctor who will look at and he will proscribe the one for us. The diet exercise programme is same programme you put people on heavy weight training programme so much diffrent programme for each person. I can't believe I felt for his sale plater It's a total rip. But otherwise the cruise wasnt bad. Read Less

14 days Cruise. Flight out from Gatwick was ok ..couple of movies and food sorted. On landing has to get in a cramped mini bus that had seen better days. Took a few days to sort out the lifts and what stairs, but that part of the adventure.. freedom Dining is a Must, we turned up most nights at 6 to 6.30 in the Meridian . Good service and Good choice of food choice of sitting with 2 or as part of a big table. Never had problem with Sunbeds if you up before 10 .. plenty of room unless you need to by the main lido deck we found the End of the ship for great service and Sun... The excursions were expensive , some were worth it but other Not... most of the Guides were very aknowledgable. We did our own thing on a couple of times and found the cost at least half.. Drink prices were ok except the cocktails have Mocktails 3rd of the price .. The shops were high end but the Pandora was cheaper than Uk The main show was ok a bit dizzy but the ships show crew was disjointed ie the show called Underground.. On song about the Undergroung then the rest was going around the UK, Should have been called Rule Britannia Enjouyed the live lounge with the pulse band different set most night Guest slots were Good, The Limelight club has Barry from Eastenders, Very good and the 4 course meal was worth the £25. Also available was Darren Day, Gareth Gates etc. Overall a good cruise, Beautiful Carribean. Booked again for 2 week but this with the Azure...counting the days Read Less

My wife has always wanted to visit Aruba and we used the cruise to see the islands and it has been sometime since we last cruised , our honest impression of Brittania were good yet a confusing layout. The waiters and general staff seemed very sullen and disinterested that they formed part of our holiday. Also disappointed in disembarkation, cases outside your cabin by 11pm and cabin vacated by 8am following morning and wait on board for return to airport some passengers told me that some other cruise lines attitude to disembarkation were even worse. Also with fine dining & special select show at extra charge also shopping sales every evening it seems to be a money fest by P&O. One of the shop announcers of the ships radio said “ for every £1000 you spend you will receive £100 to spend in the shops” . Will take sometime to consider who/if to cruise again. Read Less

Lovely cruise, did our own tours with the locals, P&O tours far too expensive in my opinion. Lovely food, good entertainment in headliners. Couple of acts not so good, but we all like different things. Piped music far to loud on deck and in live lounge, no chance of having a conversation with fellow guests. I think a charge of £25 to watch Gareth Gates and Madeliene Bell in the Limelight Club ridiculous, when they could have had them in the Headliners theatre for all to see. I don't think you should have to pay to go to a venue onboard when you have payed a lot of money for your cruise. Lovely cabin and cabin boy so kind and helpful.all the ships staff were polite kind and go out of there way to help you. It was first time on Britannia but would do it again. First class service. Read Less

Staff & Service; Got the holiday feeling, the staff will get it out of you; Moody, ignorant and unhelpful on the reception desk, Sun decks and self service restaurants. The only exception for us was the Oriental Restaurant evening dining with an excellent, happy service staff. Also the room cleaner was happy and welcoming and did an excellent job keeping our room nice. Ship & Cabin; 3 years old and lacks functionality, lifts are a problem, sun beds jammed in and inside rooms are very small but just about manageable. Dinning & Bars: Food is excellent always something nice to eat; Bars are expensive with no all inclusive options. Ports and excursions. All the ports were well managed, clean and tidy. We had only 3 sea days out 14 so lots to see and do. P&O Excursions are very expensive compared to finding your own way through local taxis and tour operators which are many. You can save £ hundreds by doing your own exploring. Entertainment and Activities; £25 each per night for evening Diner and entertainment in the club..... RIP OFF!!!!!!!!!!!! Otherwise other entertainment will include 10-20 pub quizzes per day to keep the bar till ringing. Activities are basic Flights; P&O Charter Thomas Cook on the cheap; No free drinks service, food is OK. Flight back was 2 hours late on the way back after a late plane change. Problems getting the seats we had booked and paid for as 2 P&O staff would not move out of the extra leg room seats that we had paid for, delayed the plane for another 30 mins while they were going to be removed by security. They had 120 P&O staff returning into the UK on the flight, most were well behaved however, these 2 had been drinking heavily and in my opinion were not fit to fly. Read Less

Flight from manchester and transfer to ship excellent. Luggage delivered to cabin within a few hours. The hygiene standards seem to be slipping. Hand washing seemed to have been forgotten by a lot of passengers in the restaurants and when boarding the ship after excursions. It did not seem to be as strictly enforced by the crew as on our first cruise. It was only on our last day that a crew member was stood outside the restaurant with hand gel, and she ensured that we used it. Will it need a norovirus epidemic for something to be done? We never had any problems with service in the peninsular restaurant, the waiters were very efficient but not as friendly as i remember from our first cruise on britannia and on other ships. The food was always very good. We also enjoyed the special restaurants sindhu and epicurean - service and food excellent. We were quite disappointed with the entertainment in the theatre as having been on britannia before had seen most of the shows. We did go to see some of the shows and they were still very good, but would like to have seen something different. We found it impossible to get into the live lounge after 10.30. It seemed that the people on the early dinner sitting managed to get seats but no room for anyone who wanted to go in there later. We did not do any p&o shore excursions. They are always very expensive, and it is relatively easy to arrange trips ourselves using local taxis and guides. We would definitely go on britannia again and have had an excellent trip. Read Less

At least half our cruises, more than 20, have been with Celebrity Cruises so that's our yardstick for our first P&O cruise. Very slick check in, best we have ever had without priority check in. We arrived 12:35 and were in our cabin at 13:00. Luggage was there by the time we had a snack. Cabin a reasonable size, open fronted wardrobe sharing the access to the compact bathroom, no less than 40 wooden hangers! A single narrow cupboard for clothes and a couple of open fronted shelves. Two bedside tables with 2 draws each. Large flat screen TV. Balcony was economy, size less than a meter deep, just room for two upright chairs and a small table. Several power points with UK sockets. Kettle, tea, coffee and milk supplied in generous quantities. Despite being a large ship with 4,000 passengers there were plenty of comfy seats indoors - important as when we crossed the Bay of Biscay the deck was out of bounds. No shortage of sun beds unless you wanted to sit by the pools. A big plus for us was the lack of endless loud musak from singers who can't sing! Theatre holds just under 1,000 people, get there early if you really want to see the show, you can't see the stage from the seats at the back! Be warned the music is very loud. Main shows were very good. Food was reasonable and varied, staff very friendly and helpful. Dinner and breakfast waiter service was slow to very slow, not the waiters fault they have too many tables each. Speciality restaurants included the Epicurean at an eye watering £28 per head and the Beach House at £7.50 per head and then extra for several of the courses. We tried the Beach House, food was good except the sorbet which was frozen, took far too long. A lot of the decks did not allow transit around the ship without diversions to other decks and yes there was a lot of waiting for elevators. I missed a central staircase. Entertainment - usual deck games, bingo etc. No port or educational lectures. Internet was very expensive 65p per minute for casual browsing £39 per hour! Will we sail P and O again? Yes, better than some of the reviews implied. Read Less

This was our second cruise with Brittania, we chose it again because of the cleanliness of the ship, also the menues in the restaurant were good, staff very friendly, and the food was all ways lovey and hot,, This time we found the menus didn’t have so much choice, too much fish for us, food still lovey and hot I must say, The Buffet at lunch time didn’t have a lot of choice also again much the same everyday! The entertainment hasn’t changed a lot so Some of the acts we had seen before, But it was nice to see Sam Bailey and Zoe Tyler and Jimmy James,The Dance troupe we’re very good.. We used the Live Longe a few times but didn’t think the Group was as good as the last time,But they had a good singer tribute to Whitney who was very good.. All in all good cruise just hope Brittania now calls at some different ports in the future, Read Less

We decided to set sail on brittania once again..we were so excited... it was my hubbys 50th birthday,our anniversary,my in laws anniversary who were sailing with us and my mum whose 74 first ever cruise... we embarked at southampton which we ad never done before as we ad flown to destination before. Embarkation was so well organised.then on to our cabins on deck 11 ,in laws next door to us on balcony side with balcony open for more room. Balloons and a birthday card in our cabin for the hubby fabulous.then on to mums cabin deck 16 (not happy she was so far away due to not going to pay extremely large supplement) ..a single inside cabin which was fabulous smum loved it...well from then on it was amazing so pleased to be back on brittania all the staff were amazing,especially our cabin steward Mira who looked after us extremely well.also fabian and orland in our restaurant were top notch waiters..all of us had an amazing time ,the shows, the excursions,the entertainment staff, the live acts,the food,the drink.the amazing cadiz sailaway,which i cried as we were due to disembark 2 days later after a 2 day trip at sea to southampton.and to top our cruies rob brydon was sailing with us filming the new advert for p&o,he was very accomadating to anyone who asked for autographs and photos.. Disembarkation went smoothly too... so we bid a farewell to brittania but we will see u again..love cruising love brittania.xxxx Read Less

Had always wanted to visit fiords - only our second cruise - first with Royal Caribbean - but dates fitted and reviews looked generally OK. Check in at Southampton was excellent as was debarkation - both really well organised and speedy. Booked a superior deluxe cabin as this had an extra seating area which we thought would be useful with 2 full days at sea. Even though quite expensive cabin was excellent and allowed us to eat in our room a couple of times in comfort - great while cruising up the fiords with balcony doors open. Very spacious with plenty of storage and an excellent steward - also comes with canapes in your room on couple of evenings, bathrobes and slippers and bottle of champagne and chocs 0n first day. The 2 tours we took were both excellent although again very expensive - part of this definitely down to Norway being a very expensive country but paying over £150 for 2 people on 2 hour train trip which leaves only 100 yards from the boat was a bit steep! Only have Royal Caribbean as a comparison but didn't feel restaurants or food were as good - no "wow" factor in restaurants, portions small and food bland. Drinks very reasonable. Shows were very professional but a bit uninspiring with exception of the last night which was much better. Paid extra to see Darren Day in Limelight club - definitely best night of the cruise with better food and an excellent show. Lots of other places to eat - other than buffet restaurant cover charge for all of these - some very expensive which was disappointing. Definitely more positives than negatives and would consider P&O again - only let down was standard of most of the restaurants and entertainment - which for us is a really important part of a cruise. Read Less

Took my first cruise, sailing from Southampton as quite local to my home. Had a lift to the docks so arrived earlier than planned but embarkation was a dream. Nice man took my cases and was directed towards the check-in. Expected to wait a couple of hours as I was way early, but called and booked in within 20 minutes. Straight onto the ship and had a good look around. Not long after an announcement told us that all the cabins were ready. I found mine easily and the suitcases were already there and the cabin steward to assist. Loved the cabin. Clean, roomy and bright an light with the floor to ceiling sliding doors. Plenty of hanging space, nice double bed, huge flat screen tv - wow. Had safety talk when we all put our life belts on. That was a hoot, especially folding them up again afterwards. I chose to eat at the Horizon restaurant so I could dine at a time that suited me and eat what I wanted rather than from a more restricted menu. There were always plenty of tables available with nice sea views. Coffee and chilled water on tap. Also fruit juices at breakfast and wine/beer in the evening( which was chargeable). The staff were mostly cheerful and attentive - occasional grumpy one. The theatre shows were awesome and timed to fit around the set meal times in the restaurants. I attended shows at both 7pm and 8.30pm and never had a problem getting a seat. The 7pm shows often had empty seats remaining so that's the one to aim for to guarantee seats. I had pre booked morning shore excursions for each of the four ports we visited. That was my preference as I was on my own and wanted to feel safe and also learn about the places I visited from the guides. Our first port was Stavanger where I did a walking tour of the town. Unfortunately it poured with rain throughout and I was the only person not to bring an umbrella, shall put it at the top of my packing list next time. Despite the weather, the sites were interesting and the guide was knowledgeable. Needless to say we had brilliant sunshine in the afternoon. After that first morning the weather was fine throughout though occasionally cloudy. Olden the next day and a fairly strenuous walk up to see the Birksal glaciar. For me this was the prettiest of the places we visited. Very rural and unspoilt with lots of trees and aquamarine water. We also visited Aalesund and Bergen. In every port we berthed right in the town. If I were to visit Norway again I would not pre book any excursions. At every stop the local tour guides were waiting beside the ship ready to offer their own tours at much lower prices. So don't forget to take some local currency with you. About the only bad thing I can think of is that on some of the decks where there were furniture with cushions on out in the open, often these were covered in sooty smuts. Part way through the cruise we were advised of a set time when the balconies and outside glass was to be cleaned - which I think was because of this problem. However, when I went out onto my balcony the next day there were small soot spots everywhere which I had got on my feet before I realised. Would I go to Norway again - been there, done that now but if it was part of a much longer cruise I would be quite happy about it. Would I sail with P&O again? Absolutely, in fact have booked for next month and hubby has decide to come with since he heard how much I loved it!! Read Less

We were a family with young children on a med cruise during the school holidays. The ship is relatively new and kept spotlessly clean. The cabins are very well designed and comfortable, and our cabin attendant did a great job of tidying up after us. We liked the decor in the public areas, but do agree with other reviewers about the lack of central stairs being a minor hindrance, but no big deal. The food at both Sindhu and The Glass House was exceptional. We also found the only great service on the whole ship at The Glass House, thanks to Naresh and his colleague (we made sure we sat in the section that Naresh worked for this reason). This is where the praise ends. The food on the rest of the ship is average at best. There's a lack of quality control. Food in the main dining room was drab and boring. However the Horizon (buffet) restaurant was clean and well run, especially given the traffic. Had a bad meal at the Epicurean Restaurant which is supposed to be their best. The biggest problem with the ship is the service. Staff are just not orientated around guests. They don't smile anywhere near enough (with the exception of a handful that do make the effort). Some examples. Asking for signature on a bill whilst my wife was eating her dessert (I think the guy just wasn't thinking, but that is symptomatic). Unhelpful reception staff when we lost something near the port. The bar waiters will constantly ask if you want more drinks (OK when you do, but annoying if not). No attempt at small talk the whole time we were on the ship (apart from Naresh in The Glass House). I watched a waiter be rude to a guest and then curse behind his back after some complaint about something. These are specifics, but in general some of the staff seem grumpy, and most are disengaged. We did a couple of excursions. One was just average (a little train tour in Italy) and the other was really great (a walk up the steps of Gibraltar). Overall, the ship just lacked that something special. We've been on Celebrity before and they get the red carpet out when you return back to ship, with a DJ, staff welcoming you back, drinks, towels, etc.. On Brittania you just stand there like cattle in a line. The sailaway parties are just a bit too naff, think red coats at Butlins. Surely it's possible to give them a bit more of a cool Ibiza beach club vibe without losing the fun? The ship needs much better service and more of a wow factor. Read Less