Our first experience of cruising was 5 years ago on the Oceana to western mediterranean over easter - my husband and I got married on this ship and so we have very fond memories. Since our first cruise we had cruised twice more with P&O and once with Royal Caribbean prior to this cruise, tending to book either mini-suites or suites. We booked our cruise on a previous P&O cruise to the Norwegian Fjords on the Aurora - May 2014. This was when we first heard about the new cruise ship and we decided to book a cruise on the Britannia for our 5th wedding anniversary.
Embarkation went very smoothly mainly because we had priority due to our grade of cabin. Once on the ship we were escorted directly to the Peninsula dining room for lunch. This was something of a surprise given that we had only just had breakfast and on previous cruises we were seated in a lounge with canapés (hence our decision to have a hearty breakfast). The upside of the more formal dining experience was that the cabin was ready just as we finished our lunch.
As a new ship we were inclined to explore the ship top to bottom and we were impressed with the decor - whilst some areas were a little understated I thought it looked modern and sophisticated. The atrium is impressive - didn't blow me away like Oceana but this was not my first experience so I was less likely to be wowed.
A well equipped and tastefully decorated suite. This was the first suite we have travelled in with P&O. In terms of size it was slightly smaller than some of the mini-suites on other P&O ships but the 3 of us were comfortable. The beds were very comfortable and the TV/entertainment system offered a good selection of films.
The balcony was a good size but only 2 reclining seats and 1 footstool had been provided which meant that it was not possible for all 3 of us to use the balcony at the same time. That said, after realising that our balcony was overlooked by deck A suites and the sunset bar/deck we chose not to sit outside. This was in part because on departure from Southampton we had some people shouting down to us "is that balcony for just one family, what's your cabin number?" etc etc. Had the weather been better we probably would have got more use out of it but it was not as private as mini-suites on the back of the Oceana.
A couple of downsides with the interior - the seating area and the bedroom area are pretty open plan so if you are travelling with a child (as we were) there is little privacy compared with Royal Caribbean suites which have separate rooms for children. The shaver point does not have a socket compatible with british toothbrushes.
I'm struggling to work out what the added value is for customers who pay for a suite. The priority embarkation and disembarkation is a plus. There is a bottle of champagne on arrival, fruit bowl is well stocked, evening canapés, and of course the is the personal attention of a butler. But with so many facilities on board deemed "extras" it is difficult not to feel slightly annoyed by having to pay £250 for access to the hydrotherapy area in the spa, extra charges for premium dining and entertainment. My suggestion would be to offer suites access to the hydrotherapy/retreat deck and access to 3 premium restaurants during a 2 week cruise as part of the package. Royal Caribbean has an Executive Lounge which offers canapés and free drinks for a couple of hours each day - this avoids the somewhat soggy canapés that are delivered to the cabins.