We are in our 50’s and completed some 15 cruises. These have all been generally very good even when we used to take our two kids with us! Like most UK cruisers we started with P&O and then moved to Princess and Celebrity to be with a mixture of nationalities.

Our first experience of Royal Princess was three years ago when we were toured it briefly the day before its naming ceremony. We were really impressed but the itineraries didn’t appeal until this year. As a result we thought we would give P&O another try last summer after an absence of 10 years and cruise to the Canaries aboard Britannia. Being the younger sister to Royal and Regal Princess I thought I would be just as impressed but it wasn’t so.

Even though Royal Princess is over three years old and due for a dry dock later this year the general condition was just as I remembered. Seeing the atrium again and being able to compare it with Britannia’s made it seem more impressive than I recalled. Britannia’s atrium was soulless by comparison and apart from its central glass shard the interior design was lacking in detail unlike Royal Princess which really does have the wow factor. Every night there was a buzz, with bands and dancing in the Piazza, and pianists above in the Crooners bar until 1 am in the mornings. Read more