This was our first cruise with P&O (we've cruised with NCL, Royal Caribbean and Princess - Princess being my favourite). I was a little apprehensive about some of the reviews of Britannia, but let me set that straight right away - it is a beautiful shop and unless you are a die-hard P&O cruiser who has lots of previous cruises to compare, you will find lots to enjoy on this ship.
The décor is understated compared to some ships, but that's not a bad thing in my opinion. Even though there are 3600 passengers, the layout of the ship disperses the crowds quite well. The only crowded areas we saw were Brodie's pub and the Crow's Nest bar. What we liked about P&O is that drinks and additional items are charged in pounds, so you don't lose out despite the Brexit vote! No gratuities on the drinks bill either. We liked the afternoon tea in the Oriental Restaurant. We loved our meal in the Epicurean. We only went there because we couldn't get into Sindhu.
The staging for the shows (the ones that used all the advanced audio visual equipment) was impressive. The performers were pretty good but I do agree with other reviewers who say the volume is seriously loud. We found the guest performers excellent from the classical guitarist to the Bruno Mars sound alike. We always got a seat in the theatre. We were on second sitting dining, so maybe that helped.
I would have preferred to book the train independently, but due to the number of ships (2) all seats were unavailable. This is very easy to do on your own if you can.
Easy walk into town. The funicular offered spectacular views and there was a nice area to explore at the summit.
Enjoyed a walk along a river and up to a scenic vantage point.
Loved the wooden houses, very close to the port. And there is a lovely park in town - again, very easy to reach.
It is so easy sailing from Southampton for those that live in the South.