My experience on P and O cruises was a first however it sure will be my last. The buffet food is the same each night and is of a low standard. The entertainment onboard was next to none and they had an awful comedian who was on twice a night and on, on more than one night. The drinks package is completely pointless unless you become friendly with the bar staff or walk from bar to bar as theres a 15 minute wait time on the drink and they serve the drinks in the smallest glasses possible it may as well be served neat. The customer service is appalling there is no Ps or Qs upon that ship and all the staff look unhappy except clifford in the Havana bar and he was the only one with any manor or able to crack a joke with you. Security dont know what day of the week it is let alone helping you out. Someone also made a noise complaint about me and my mate next thing there was two guys at 4am in the morning outside our cabin who came in arguing with us in relations to this and was very unprofessional. To top the entire experience of i was charged over £1300 when i got of the ship and had to get the bank to cancel payments as I was charged twice as well as that I was considerably over charged for the mini bar in the room. The toliet blocked over four times on the cruise and the last night we was informed it would be sorted but it never was.Overall would recommed celebrity, NCL or royal Caribbean. You get what you pay for on P&O and no more, if not less. Read Less

We last sailed on Oceana back in 2015 and felt the ship was really beginning to show it’s age. Some spectacular ports of call including Venice, Kotor, Florence, Rome and Capri together with beautiful long warm, sunny days more than made up for it. Due to recent events in the Gulf, Oceana was repositioned from it’s planned itinerary and this meant there were some really good bargains to be had. We decided to book a 7 night cruise in the English Channel and the North Sea in November. Despite the great value we felt it was a bit of a risk as we knew we would have to spend plenty of time inside the ship. As the Captain joked such an itinerary allows you to see all “50 shades of Grey”. Since last sailing on Oceana we have always preferred other ships in the P&O fleet and have sailed many times on Cunard and Princess (our most recent cruise being 2 weeks in August on Queen Victoria, which we always find to be absolutely immaculate in terms of decor). I have to say that Oceana really delivered, firstly the ship is looking far better than it was in 2015. All of the pool areas have had brand new tiling, new AstroTurf and loungers. The Yacht and Compass bar and Winners have been transformed with brand new furnishings and carpets. The Yacht and Compass is in my view the best looking pub at sea, far better than the Golden Lion on Cunard ships and Brodie’s bars on Britannia and Azura. It just seems a shame that the Hand pulled Real Ales have been added to the Winners bar. Despite this there is a brilliant selection of Real Ales and the Beer flights on offer in the Yacht and Compass (at good value). The Atrium has seen the dated Palm trees disappear and brand new carpeting throughout. It is without doubt the most impressive and most functional atrium in the fleet. It is the absolute hub of activity on the ship, in a way that even a refitted Britannia atrium can’t achieve. To put it into context the 4 level atrium can simultaneously host, professionally organised dancing on the lowest level, shopping on the level above, a musical act (whether it be a pianist, band or guitarist on the deck above) and the fantastic Cafe Jardin on the top tier overlooking all the action. Even by the end of the week you couldn’t help be wowed by the beautiful views, the Glass lifts, Grand staircases, Water features and Tiffany glass ceilings. Cafe Jardin is a real stand out! Serving complimentary breakfast and lunch, freshly cooked to order. Breakfast runs from 8am-10:30am and Lunch from 11am until 5pm. The food is delicious and it’s an offering incomparable to that found on other P&O and Cunard ships. You also have a buffet station with fresh salads and desserts should you wish to add further to your ordered dish. It’s especially brilliant when you return at 4pm from a trip to be able to sit down, order from a menu and have water, tea and coffee served to your table. We paid the additional £8.50 cost for the evening meal and had a really tasty meal. I wouldn’t describe the food as gourmet, it certainly isn’t as good as Epicurean or the Verandah on Cunard before they turned it into a steakhouse. However it’s well worth the cost and is a really refreshing alternative to the Main Dining Room. We didn’t try the Beach House on this cruise. We did back in 2015 and it was one of our stand out nights on the ship as we dined al fresco on the terrace. I think we may no longer be here if we had attempted to relive the experience on the North Sea. Despite the plaza buffet being more attractive in design than most ship buffets I felt the inside Beach House area was a little close to the buffet stations to convey the ambience you would expect of a select dining venue. The main dining room was good, dishes ranged from outstanding to generally good to occasionally poor. The Plaza buffet doesn’t have as wider choice as that on Cunard or the larger P&O ships but we found breakfast to be every bit as good on Cunard or the bigger ships. Lunch however was more average. The Plaza however has a great location at the front of the ship with great views and it’s all been completely refreshed since 2015. It has a really lovely ambience especially of am evening. Where Oceana really excelled was in terms of the entertainment. The theatre isn’t huge so the brilliant bonus of this is that each night the ship has two simultaneous shows. On our cruise that would be the Headliners (who seriously were far and away the best cast we have seen in dozens of cruises on P&O, Cunard, Princess, Thomson and RCI) in one venue a comedian/guest singer/group in the other. There would also be at least two other acts on from the resident entertainers, which included a fantastic singer and guitarist, vocal duo, pianist, party band and big band. We were often really disappointed on P&O Britannia (sailed on it 3 times) that despite the vastness of the ships there were often times from 6pm until 8pm when there was very little good live music (The same can often be said for Cunard). In terms of improvements we would love a Glass House, we are still surprised they didn’t convert Winners bar. However the bar has been really improved after the refit. The plumbing system is still a little ropey and we had one toilet failure that lasted a few hours and the occasional odour in places on the ship (it didn’t last for more than a couple of hours and was due to emptying or venting of tanks). The theatre lacks the brilliant LCD screens found on Britannia and the Cunard ships, which slightly compromised certain scenes in “Astonishing”, which required a wait for the old fashioned projector screen to move down and awkwardly projected unwanted images onto the cast. The TV system in the rooms is very dated and my iPad has a bigger display. The bedrooms are equivalent to those on Azura, not as nice as those on Britannia and the Cunard ships but storage space is the best I’ve seen. The bathroom however was probably superior to those on the Cunard ships in terms of layout and space. I really like the Sindhu Indian restaurant as well, so I’d love to see that onboard but not at the cost of Cafe Jardin which offers far more to the ship, as it was a venue we used twice every day. I’d only visit Sindhu once per cruise. In terms of drink prices P&O continue to remain very competitive in the cruise industry. The prices on Cunard, RCI and Princess have become ridiculous in our view and on Cunard in the summer meant many bars were empty and lacked any atmosphere. You are talking £9 for 250ml of wine (third of a bottle) on Cunard and £6 on P&O (£27 bottle Cunard compared with £18 P&O) and £5.50 for pint of Beer on Cunard compared with £4 on P&O) RCI are even more expensive than Cunard. In summary we fell in love with Oceana once again. It proved to us that small ships have a real charm and character that perhaps the really big ships (that we also love) lack. The atrium is spectacular and has a superb atmosphere and other public rooms such as the Yacht and Compass are absolutely top draw. The Headliners theatre cast were utterly outstanding (definitely the best we’ve seen) and the ship was always buzzing with music and life. Having two proper shows running simultaneously every night offers brilliant choice and sets he ship aside. Cafe Jardin is the best daytime complimentary venue on any P&O or Cunard ship. Read Less

Wont be using RC again or recommending them. Needed something to fit in school holidays. I wanted plenty to occupy child and flexible enough to allow them to eat / play / explore without pressure. So we could all have a break. Unfortunately it didnt work like that. Boarding was straightforward having cruised before I expected to go straight to my room find cases outside,unpack, go exploring/ have snack etc. No, cant go to room til 1:30. But my access card is in my room not issued on admission to boat? When we did get in cases not there, in corridor about 100m away. Kids club was loved by our lo when it went to plan.It was closed for 2hrs between sessions so say 12-2. Too long for a meal but not long enough to do anything else. The pm session finished at 5pm. She could not eat until 6pm cue one hangry, frustrated disabled child. It closed at 10 so if she watched a late show she couldnt eat afterwards. I am used to being on cruises where you can eat complementary food at almost any time. Granted the selection is limited by time of day but you can get something...couldnt get anything unless prepared to pay. No poolside food or tables. Cant leave child unattended in pool so you have get them out back to room to get changed. Only one buffet on ship for 4000+ people, what are you thinking? They were stopping people going in for breakfast because it was becoming dangerous. Wet floor signage that we watched 3 people fall over in 45mins!! We cannot get breakfast on time so cannot join in morning activities. So much time wasted waiting for lifts a ship this size needs more although I accept you cant retro fit them. So many facilities closed or available to book only. When you book them no-one tells you they are now closed due to weather. So when you take your child there they tell them no. Even though you have booked. Cue upset child because 'I have booked it' to them means a promise its happening. Things advertised we never found like laser tag. Then on last day it was mentioned in on board brochure as a competition. Most of what was 'exciting' for children in clubs never actually happened. Says on todays agenda 'team ball sports' or whatever. Our lo would then get excited, she likes sport. ''No we played with playdough' or a game, she's nearly 11! This added to her anxiety and she wanted to go home after 3 days because of the lack of structure. So no-one enjoyed their holiday The only positives were staff were really kind and helpful right across the ship. The food when we could access it was nice. but we wont be travelling with you again. Cabin had very limited storage and balcony was obscured by the structure of the boat but they arent deal breakers 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 chose the Ventura as this was the only cruise that suited our availability - we were not disappointed. We arrived at Southampton after a 6 hour journey to be greeted by the parking service. Speedy and efficient, my car was taken and parked whilst we went into departures. No queueing, went straight into check in and on to the ship. This was my first time on Ventura and I was stunned. Glamorous and opulent, it was a beautiful sight. It was clean, bright and well kept, the decor sumptuous. Straight to our cabin, our cases were already there! I went in and our cabin did not disappoint. We'd selected E deck as my 80 yr old mother required to be near the entertainment decks and I expected a somewhat dreary cabin. I was wrong. It was lovely, the view unobstructed and the cabin spacious. It was bright, with and well maintained, no peeling corners but a spruce and well thought out design. The bathroom was super with a lovely shower. It wasn't big but certainly very useable. The cruise was excellent, there was much to do and the food was excellent. We ate on the Lido and there was so much choice. The waterfront restaurant was designed in a way that food was Centred on islands - you don't queue up like a canteen! The service was super and our cabin steward, Rajesh, could not have been more attentive. So many bars and restaurants, a lovely library, a super Arcade games room (which we enjoyed). Deck 15 pools are well designed, one with a retractable roof and it's not windy up there! All in all, a super cruise - I loved it. One thing, though. There's no cards room for adult games. I missed that. 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

Its 10 years since we were last on Arcadia, in meantime she had a full refurbishment, the cabins and public rooms were impressive and if anyone had a problem then the Housekeeping Manager would provide a solution. She is an older ship and externally there are areas showing age but considering she is at sea virtually daily and has been around the globe many times it can be expected. Daily maintenance is carried out as would be expected and if anyone was woken by the chipping drills on the lifeboat davits then perhaps they prefer lie-ins after 10.00 a or cant be bothered if their lifeboat wasn't serviced. Change of itinerary, we were notified by email 5 days before departure explaining the reason why a prolonged stop in Malaga was necessary. Some fellow cruisers said they did not know until they boarded. Can't explain this but I would suggest that as we are registered in the P&O Cruise Personaliser, where our email is recorded, this could be the reason for those who do not use this system. Yes we missed out a port of call and stayed in Malaga while she was being repaired, the captain kept us informed of the progress of the work. Unfortunately the 22-strong team of divers, flown in from the USA and elsewhere were unable to correct the problem with the port-side pod within the expected time and after arriving on Thursday (at top speed), we departed just after midnight on Sunday/Monday morning. Malaga is a lovely place and a leisurely walk or free for all passengers shuttle bus into the main area was provided.. We missed two sea days and one port. After departure one passenger decided to be seriously ill (not norovirus) but as Arcadia does not have a heli-pad, the Captain sailed at full speed for Venice for the passenger hope all was well) to be transferred to waiting ambulance on the quayside. Safety is a high priority and itinerary change is usually, sometimes weather also for other reasons but some people have to moan and disrespect P&O, fortunately the majority of fellow passengers we spoke to were happy with their cruise. Part-way through their was an outbreak of the dreaded Norovirous. We were not affected, The crew immediately put special measures in place specifically not being allowed to touch any item, plates, cutlery etc, having everything served to you. Not such a bad thing you know! Some passengers believing that they would never suffer from the virus did not wish to gel their hands before going into the restaurant. Probably the same passengers, and you know who you are, who do not bother to wash hands after using the toilets, who rush about and don't care ignoring warning notices and whose disgraceful disrespect of hygiene spread the infection. We noticed several mature passengers not washing hands after using the toilets and not wanting to gel before entering the food areas. After precautions were lifted, sadly a few passengers in the buffet decide to double-fill their plates, charge into the queues to get their fill totally regardless of common courtesy and respect for their fellow passengers and the hard-working crew. We found the food of a good standard and no complaints and I am a fussy eater. All the staff were polite and helpful. The entertainment was of a high standard and we thoroughly enjoyed the entertainment especially the murder mystery and Johnny Youle the guitarist. The Rising Sun pub has great atmosphere and the Palladium theater is one of the best that we have sat in on a cruise ship. Our cabin on C deck was spacious and our steward was very professional and friendly. The excursions were varied, we did Malaga (both booked and ourselves, yes we had time!) we did hop-on-off bus in Cagliari, walking tour in Split (great courier). Would we go on Arcadia again, YES Read Less

This was our first cruise with P&O and it came up short in comparison with the line we previously used. In my opinion the Azura is in need of a refurbishment. Many fixtures and furnishings were worn and in poor condition and the beds in our cabin were very uncomfortable. Dining options were limited and the buffet food quality was very poor with very limited choice and the service was not available for long enough per day. The food quality in the restaurants was very good however although coping with the high passenger capacity was a problem. Complimentary room service for breakfast was very welcome and convenient. Whilst the quality of entertainment was very good indeed, all of the entertainment areas had insufficient seating to cope with the number of passengers. Frustratingly, the small atrium was constantly used for dance classes preventing it's use by other passengers for other purposes. With the exception of our cabin steward the staff were generally not as friendly and helpful as we were expecting. Embarking and disembarking was carried out smoothly and quickly at all ports. 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

Formidable crew and itinary, so beautiful things seen in a week. We appreciated especially the diversity of different harbours visited. The fact of using tender boats in certain harbours was an appreciated experience. The first stop was in Heligoland and it enabled us to see from less than a meter some sea birds such like Gannets (Fous de Bassan) it was it was incredible. We also appreciated the values of Hurtigruten as a company : it puts security and Nature at the center of everything and we felt quite involved. The fact of giving some red vests and reusable bottles at the beginning of the cruise was also a very good surprise and we will keep them as a useful souvenir. Only point on our side is the price of proposed excursion, but visiting cities by ourselves was allready quite fine. It was the first cruise for us but for sure not the last with Hurtigruten Read Less

This was probably the least enjoyable of our 17 cruises with P&O (6th on Aurora), but I should stress that the majority of this was not down to P&O. We did the Northern Lights Cruise during the same 2 weeks last year (also on Aurora) and had a spectacular display of the Northern Lights over two nights, with a weaker display on a third night. This year we had almost permanent cloud cover and on the two ocassions that we saw the Northern Lights they were incredibly weak. If last year was a 9 out of 10 display, this year was 1 out of 10. We also had fog (with the dreaded fog horn disiturbing sleep a few nights) and rough seas, with a lot of sudden lurching, for 24 hours on the return which became tiresome. Other than the 24 hours mentioned, Aurora rode the seas very well. As a point of interest, Viking Sky (the ship that ran into difficulties) arrived in Alta on our second day there and followed us back down the Norwegian coast a few days later. Last year we stopped in Tromso on the way to Alta, which was a lovely place and we really enjoyed our visit there. This year we made a maiden call (for P&O) to Narvik, which was a very poor replacement. Nothing much to see in the town. I also had a bad experience with a P&O tour. I had booked a snowmobile tour at £310 and it was stressed that the price was per snowmobile, not per person, so if you went as a couple you shared the snowmobile and the driving (and paid £310 between you), whereas if you went alone, you paid £310 but had sole use. At the snowmobile centre they tried to force me to share a snowmobile with another passenger when we had both paid £310 each. Naturally I refused, but it was a battle and spoiled the experience. Also the Snowmobiling was supposed to be ‘in mountains and places inaccessible by foot’ but was back and forth across a frozen lake. This was the same as I had done the previous year in Alta for around £100 less. The tour was also advertised as providing the history of the Narvik to Sweden railway line and its role in the Second World War. This didn’t happen either. Worst of all, my complaint about these issues back on board was handled very badly. They preferred to believe the word of the tour agent (who was naturally covering their back) than a customer of some 23 years standing. Very naive and short sighted of them, as we have now decided to do far fewer P&O tours on future cruises as a result. The scenery along the Fjords and ashore is fantastic. We had seen much of it last year, so didn’t quite get the ‘wow factor’ that passengers seeing it for the first time would have experienced, but it was lovely none the less. Temperatures were fine. Just like a cold U.K. winter. Most of the time it was within a few degrees of freezing, with the coldest we had around minus 7 degrees. Last year it was minus 15 to 20 degrees, so much colder. In spite of it not being that cold, the staff decided to keep the very heavy fire doors to the cabin corridors closed on all decks. Whilst this was needed below deck 7 (which is all they did last year, even when it was MUCH colder), this year they decided to do it on ALL decks. This just wasn’t necessary as the areas around the lift areas between decks 8 and 11 were incredibly hot and there would have been far better temperature dissipation with the doors open. We fed this back on the ‘First Impressions’ form and, thankfully, they kept the door outside our cabin open thereafter (my wife is a wheelchair user and, in addition to the door not needing to be closed, it made access to and from our accessible cabin very difficult). Service in the Medina Restaurant was absolutely superb. Well, to clarify, it was superb as far as the waiters and managers were concerned. The wine waiters were poor. Difficult to get hold of and one was actually quite rude. Food was perfectly acceptable, but not quite as good as on our previous cruises on Aurora. One disappointment (noted by many) was the absence of lobster from the Marco Pierre White menu. The current chefs seem to think that us Brits are scared of anything remotely spicy, so tone everything down to mild, bordering on bland. Great shame, as we loved trying all the tasty curries at lunchtime years ago. The Glasshouse and Beach House were great (as always) and whilst the Sindhu Restaurant on Aurora is our least favourite Sindhu in the fleet, we enjoyed Tiffin lunch in there. We met some lovely fellow passengers (including some we had met on previous cruises, which was fantastic) and enjoyed some pleasant chats. The average age of passengers on Aurora is usually mid 70’s (they didn’t quote a figure this time but last year the Captain mentioned the average age was 73) and although we are a few decades younger, this suits us. We aren’t fans of P&O’s ‘1960’s holiday camp’ style of entertainment so tend to avoid much of it, but the Headliners troupe on this cruise were very good (we find that they vary enormously from very good to poor), but sadly left after this cruise. Electra (two female violinists) were absolutely superb. Jane Davey (presenter) was very confident and engaging, but we found that her desire to find a wise crack in almost every line became irritating and diluted the substance matter so much that we lost interest. Stuart St Paul (former stuntman and film director) gave some fairly interesting talks, but was rather full of himself. The Port Presenter (Sam) was very good, other than the Butlins style “if you have been to Norway before, shout ‘whoop whoop’ additions. Dear God, when will P&O wake up to the fact that it’s now the 21st Century! When we disembarked, there were 1,000 workmen waiting to embark to assist with Aurora’s refit in Brest, France. A total of 1,800 workmen will toil over the next fortnight to bring her a little more up to date. We are back on board next month, so will play ‘spot the difference’. Read Less

Very poor entertainment, had a 10yr old with us that hated kids club (couldn’t blame her) same stuff on every night. The spa on the ship was appalling, still kicking myself for not walking out. Bar closed at midnight, nowhere else except room service to get a drink. Staff entertainment didn’t show up on numerous occasions. Was a complete waste of money, hated every moment of being on the ship. Luckily we managed to see some amazing places. Great thing was the room, always clean and tidy. Although they never topped up the mini bar. Found out towards the end that you had to ask and sign for anything after the first night. Plus only complimentary water on the first night! Just constantly felt like there was nothing to do, was definitely aimed at the older crowd. If you want to know how to get rid of fluid retention this is your ship *yawn* Read Less

I had had a lovely Canary cruise on the Azura two years ago, it was lovely. had a balcony which was great. Booked this christmas cruise for the 19th dec - 29th dec, and was not disappointed. The ship this time was the Aurora. The staff and crew were fantastic, very helpful and friendly and could not do enough for us. Had a window view this time as didn't really want a balcony for this winter cruise. lovely large picture window. Food was plentiful and good. The entertainment was first class and plenty of it. Matt the guitarist was amazing and he could play anything and did. He went from Bar to Bar and was very well liked. Favourite bar was the The crows nest. just quiet gorgeous and a amazing view. The trio who played their were brilliant and a last after dinner drink was so relaxing just listing to some beautiful music. The ship needs updating and i believe that it is going to have a refit this Spring? and will become an adult only ship as well. I shall be booking with P & O again at some stage. Read Less

This was our first Fred Olsen cruise having previously sailed with Royal Caribbean and P&O. Not long after booking we got a call offering us a tour of the ship, I asked the lady to call back the next day as I needed to discuss with the wife. No call back. Later we had a recorded message telling us that our dining room had been changed with no reason/explanation given. When we went to check in they couldn’t find our reservation eventually we were told that our cabin had been changed. I said that our luggage labels had the original allocated cabin and was told that this would be known and sorted. It wasn’t our cases were put outside the original cabin. We were not advised of our dining table number and had to wait on the first evening whilst this was found out for us. We had a nice large cabin but the ship was smaller than we are used to so we always knew we were at sea. The shower/bath towels were small and thin in fact the towels in the cabin for use when sunbathing were of better quality. The entertainment during the day was mixed, the entertainment staff were rather young and immature considering the age of the passengers. The evening entertainment was poor with only one show in fact the best show was the one put on by the crew rather than the on board “professional team”. The British Night was very good. On the plus side the food (particularly the evening menu) was excellent and the staff were very friendly and courteous speaking to us by name straight away. Having a buffet breakfast was disappointing having been used to a waiter service from P&O. Fred Olsen seem to have a very loyal customer base with most of the passengers we spoke with regular FO travellers. Read Less

We had an inside cabin.Wardrobe storage barely enough for 2 people for a week. No stationary provided. Had to remind the cabin steward that things had run out. Thin walls so we could hear rows in next cabin. Incosiderate noisy late night traffic in corridor. Smell of smoke from time to time in cabin. Very noisy all over the ship each time we docked from the side thrusters Meals in formal restaurant good with friendly and helpful staff. Self service buffet a bit of a free for all. Often difficult to get a seat. Very little choice on midnight buffet. Entertainment poor except from Welsh comedian. Ice cream bar very good. Organised excursions very expensive, better to do your own thing Lots of bars closed during the day. Not enough deck staff serving drinks. Great idea having border staff on board to check passports, made leaving the ship very easy. 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

husband and i got there early after staying in a hotel over night so had to be out by 10am so drove to ab parking great start took cases off and walked 1 minute to ship for our second cruise with rc ,embarking early as 10.40 am very smooth early signs ship looks very tired but had a lovely time cabin was 1888 the last cabin on the ship on the 12th floor very roomy balcony cabin everywhere clean lovely sheets very crisp ate in main dining room 10 out of 14 nights had my time dining beautiful food but slow at serving as they have a lot of tables to do but well worth it, ate breakfast some mornings on deck 3 in mdr as its help yourself which is fine, windjammer is lovely help yourselves lovely breakfast just wish they had trays so you could carry a few items at once, but finding a seat is pot luck its all about timing as to what time you go have to work out but views are lovely in there and presentation of food is great , shows are not to bad but not go wow factor, ice show is lovely well worth a look ,bingo some afternoons by pool and in star lounge of an evening ,plenty childrens karioke too much , went to meet and mingle on second day won shopping bag and baseball cap on raffle only about 30 came shame really as over 100 signed up, activities was good played crazy golf couple of times watched flow rider which was very good .casino was good very friendly, met plenty of friends on board mainly in smoking area on deck 11 also deck 4 otherwise you dont really meet the same people twice if you dont smoke ,we used adult pool and adult spar pools never over crowded pool very cool sea water some times a bit green but attendent said it was fine but ok daytime entertainment was hit and miss but theres a lot of everything for everyone read cruise planner that get delivered to your room every night tick off what suits you otherwise you miss things , bars are good quick serving you ,cabin steward yan was lovely cleaning all the time replacing tea and coffee all the time making towel animals every other night, staff are all chatty can not do enough for you nothing is too much trouble for any of them went on a few trips with rc and done our own thing on other stops ,great to sit on balcony with a drink and just look out at sea now for moans our room on deck 12 was lovely overall but during the night the cleaners are scraping sun loungers and chairs up on deck 13 waking us up so i would not go back to deck 12 again but would use rc again Read Less

We have cruised twice before with Princess and Royal Caribbean and decided to give P&O a chance. We had heard that P&O were more formal than many other cruise lines but found that this was not the case. Apologies if this review isn't 'professional' as this is the first review I have written for anything. The motivation for this really stems from reading some negative reviews this year on P&O Azura. I'm guessing that many people who have not cruised before read these reviews and are put off by the whinging that goes on. Hence the title of this review. The food both in the formal dining restaurants and the buffet was excellent wit a wide choice that really should suit any taste . We never had to queue and ate at our chosen table every night. Fast food on deck was also of the highest quality. The entertainment was excellent with a wide choice on offer every single night. The ships crew were brilliant :polite and happy to accommodate all your needs. I honestly don't know what some people expect on a cruise and after reading some negative reviews can't help wondering if these people just enjoy moaning ! A final note to al those thinking about there first cruise: If you can afford it go ahead and book now you won't be disappointed !! Read Less

We chose this cruise as keen fans of 'Strictly' and had been on the Britannia last year on a similar cruise. Food was good usual standard for P&O. We had freedom dinning and ate mainly in the Peninsular. Good service...friendly staff. We ate one night in the Epicurean...well worth the £28pp cover charge. Good for a special evening and we celebrated a birthday. Maitre de was a little grumpy all other staff excellent. Cabin was R708 deck 14..sheltered balcony so not for sun bathers. No noise issues however we heard ppl on the other side had complaints. We heard that sadly a crew member died on board 'no suspicious circumstances' as announced by the captain. However a team flew out from the UK to support the crew. We also had to make a detour on the return journey due to a medical emergency. We've never known a ship with so many issues and kept looking for the albatross. Read Less

This was my first cruise with P&O and will be my last , we booked the cruise ship because my wife had always wanted to go on one , and my parents had been on loads of cruises and said how luxurious it was . The embarkation was efficient and the staff were helpful , we were able to go to our cabin straightaway and were met by our cabin steward who was very helpful . On our way to the safety induction , my wife was stopped by a member of staff form going to our designated muster station and when i questioned this i was shouted at in a dismissive manner by the staff member with a sly grin on his face and told to go to another muster station as this one was full up . After the safety briefing , we went to reception to complain , and the receptionist rolled his eyes and clearly wasn't interested in tracking down the individual , although he did apologise , this did get my back up and did spoil the first couple of days. On our third night , we went to our first captains dinner , which was in the Meridian restaurant , that night i came down with sickness and diarhea which i believe was down to the food . I was confined to my cabin for 24 hours by the ships doctor because of this i was not allowed to get off at Cadiz . We used the Peninsular buffet restaurant from then on , plenty of choice , although food hygiene was poor , a member of the kitchen staff picked up meat with his gloved hand instead of using a utensil , and he wasn't the one cutting the meat . I also saw members of kitchen staff putting chips into serving trays after emptying bins without changing their gloves . The entertainment was excellent , and we enjoyed the strictly theme , and watching the master classes with the strictly stars . I found quite a lot of the waiting staff to be rude , bordering on hostile , especially in the Manhattan and Malabar , i would always say please and thank you and think manners cost nothing , but this generally wasn' t reciprocated . The ports of call were excellent , we did one shore excursion to Tuscany , half an hour is not enough time to explore . I expected the guests in the main to be professional , and was worried about it being snooty this was far from the case as a lot of the guests wouldn't have been out of place on the Jeremy Kyle show , with guests fighting over sun loungers and wearing shorts and t shirts on formal nights . We paid over £ 4000 with the gratuity and found the cruise to be very poor value . I will not be rushing off to book my next cruise , but if we go again it will not be with P&O. 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

The itinerary was interesting and beautiful. The ship was cozy, clean, comfortable and nice. The staff was service oriented. They quickly learned to anticipate our wants and needs. This vacation exceeded our expectations and will be sailing with them again. We are already planning our next Viking Cruise. An extra bonus was we’ve made some new and hopefully long time friends on this cruise. The food was delicious. The banana pancakes was my morning delight. The variety of the menu each day was another benefit. Offering both regional as well as steak and chicken, everyone could fine something to please their tastebuds. Fortunately the excursions provided some exercise or we would have gained weight. However we enjoyed all the extra activities so we didn’t gain but a couple pounds. Ha We were pampered and didn’t have to concern ourselves with planning anything. It’s truly a vacation. The transport to and from the airport was so stress free. The representative from Viking was easily to locate and welcomed us with smiles and friendliness which was appreciated after our long flight. Can’t wait to book another cruise next year. We might sail the Danube next time. Read Less

We had a Brilliant cruise on the brilliance, there was plenty to do in the evenings on the ship,with plenty of dancing to do in the Centrum area in evenings , there was great shows in the evenings in the theatre,the performers and stage sets were amazing , the food in all areas was excellent whether in the Buffett or posh restaurants, our room steward was amazing, St Petersburg amazing, used alla tours- excellent service saw all we wanted in a minibus with just 8 of us. Did our own trips also for skagen,Copenhagen, helsinki,Tallinn,Did Stockholm on our own trip with ship waste of time seeing city hall, Walked for hours in most ports,other guests had issues with hop on hop off buses as there were big gaps in arriving so couldn't see much, also with hop on hop off buses included hop on hop off boats too in helsinki and copenhagen-check what you have paid for Had a great exhausting time xx Read Less

Have been on this ship before, so tried again. It looked very nice after a supposed refit, some places were looking very tired in the guests quarters. My cabin window ( paid extra for) was filthy and never got cleaned hence not decent views We won't be on it a 3rd time Had to vacate cabin at 8 am for a flight scheduled for 7pm. They wanted £45-£85 for a cabin for 5hrs, although we paid for a full 14 night cruise. I did not pay. We sat around until 4pm waiting to be transferred to airport, we got there and told it was delayed. The ship knew this but still "got rid of us" Our arrival was 7.30pm and we were MADE to do the sea safety training (after travelling all day and hungry). Maritime law states it should be within 24 hours of embarkation.I Emailed P&O during the cruise a week before our disembarkation , about the vacating cabin issue, hoping I could get a resolve, but still I haven't had a reply. The evening shows were very good, but only lasted 45 minutes max, the only thing to do after that was be pestered to buy drinks or go to casino Read Less

you will notice a few hundred extra holiday makers on board food still good all crew we came into contact with were excellent and very helpful preferred main dinning room to windjammer never queued for any of them why people queued out side windjammer @5.30 for it to open beats me plenty to do trampoline park very good slides great lazer tag very good cocktails better deluxe drinks package excellent and plenty of premium brands to try very quick service in all bar areas wife likes balcony cabin don't see point myself not in there long enough loads of room in corridor if you use a wheelchair or electric scooter movies under the stars ok in the night you tube fails all day long can get boring after 5/6 days of seeing same people fall over lots of room in pools even with extra passengers on board ice show very good grease the musical very good disembarkation very slow needs more man power Read Less