The two of us would not normally chose to book on a Carnival ship line because of their nickel and dime business model. But their transatlantic service is a Cunard specialty and, if you have the time, cruising is at least as plush as a business class flight and at about the same price. We’d recommend it for that reason alone.

We were in a Britannia Club cabin meaning we ate in the Britannia Club Dining Room. That might sound like a benefit but we’re not so sure. The dining location is the farthest aft dining room and most Britannia Club cabins are far forward. Not a serious problem but also not much of a benefit. The Britannia Club Dining Room is a low ceiling area with no ambiance beyond the across-the-room views of the water. Unfortunately, your Britannia Club Dining Room seating is assigned at the beginning of the cruise and remains unchanged for the duration. A few higher priority cruisers are assigned windows seating: we witnessed most window seats going unused through the entire voyage. A very disappointing and dumb system. The food was adequate but nothing special in the Britannia dining rooms . Lobster has been replaced onboard by prawns. Steaks are cheap, tough cuts. The wines are $40-$60 per bottle (before the automatic 18% gratuity) but would cost under $10 retail back home. The one benefit of the Britannia Club singing room over the main dining room is a page selections always available to order while the main dining room selections are limited to the daily menu.

We did enjoy the specialty steak house dining option. At $50 pp, it was a 1 time thing but the food was excellent. Read more