New to P&O

We are frequent cruisers but the Britannia 8/20-8/27 cruise will be our first on P&O. As all of our previous cruises have been geared toward US passengers (mainly Celebrity, Princess and Oceania), we are hoping to get help from the pros. We are not concerned that there will be differences, we would just like hints as to what we might expect.

Formal wear is an issue for us. When we board, we will have been traveling in Europe for 2+ weeks, so we really won't have luggage space for a tux and evening gown. Recommendations? (other than staying in our cabin!)

Thanks in advance for any advice that might enhance our experience.

Cruisers from Spring, Texas

We are frequent cruisers but the Britannia 8/20-8/27 cruise will be our first on P&O. As all of our previous cruises have been geared toward US passengers (mainly Celebrity, Princess and Oceania), we are hoping to get help from the pros. We are not concerned that there will be differences, we would just like hints as to what we might expect.

 

Formal wear is an issue for us. When we board, we will have been traveling in Europe for 2+ weeks, so we really won't have luggage space for a tux and evening gown. Recommendations? (other than staying in our cabin!)

 

Thanks in advance for any advice that might enhance our experience.

 

Cruisers from Spring, Texas

Hi and welcome to the world of British cruising.

A good 98% of your fellow cruisers will be British, so if that's a good or bad thing is up to you to decide.

The menu will be geared to british tastes, which is different than American..

The entertainment will be aimed at the british.

You can decide whether you like the food -no huge great steaks etc.Bacon is cooked different, but I am sure I have read Pando can do crispy (I don't eat bacon so cannot confirm)

Will you like the british sense of humour...some Americans do, some don't.

I would suggest you will find P and O "quieter" and more "reserved" than American ships, certainly in the décor department! No big casinos etc.

Clothes wise, P and O do operate a dress code, only the 2 though. Evening casual and formal. It will apply to the MDR and some bars. Evening casual would I guess not be a problem..no trainers though.

Formal...if you do not wish to go down that path (dark suit-male-cocktail dress-female) you would not be able to eat in the MDR those nights or go into a couple of the bars (they will have signs outside so you will know which ones) There will be pay for venues or the buffet to eat in. The code applies after 6pm and remains for the evening, so people do not change after dinner.

Grats and drink prices will be much lower (but not as strong) and you do not have anything added onto each drink (its included in the price of the drink).

You can bring drink on board at each and every port, no problem.

We are frequent cruisers but the Britannia 8/20-8/27 cruise will be our first on P&O. As all of our previous cruises have been geared toward US passengers (mainly Celebrity, Princess and Oceania), we are hoping to get help from the pros. We are not concerned that there will be differences, we would just like hints as to what we might expect.

 

Formal wear is an issue for us. When we board, we will have been traveling in Europe for 2+ weeks, so we really won't have luggage space for a tux and evening gown. Recommendations? (other than staying in our cabin!)

 

Thanks in advance for any advice that might enhance our experience.

 

Cruisers from Spring, Texas

For ladies a nice dress or trousers and sparkly top are ok on a formal night and we have seen men in the MDR on formal nights dressed in a light suit or a pair of smart trousers with a jacket and tie so you do not have to carry a tux or evening gown if you don't want to. On formal nights there are alternative dining options for those passengers who prefer not to wear formal wear, the buffet is always casual. There will be some bars where formal wear is a requirement and so you will not be able to go into those if you choose to wear casual clothes.

It would be a shame to miss out on formal nights. I know in the pat P & O have provided Dinner Suits for hire. We met a couple from New Zealand who used this service and found it very satisfactory. then just pack a sparkly top or something floaty that doesn't take up much suitcase space and you will be fine. Also P & O have free laundry facilities so you can wash and iron your formal shirt in between use - in fact if you've been travelling for a couple of weeks you can do all your washing onboard!

Thank you for your responses. Regarding clothing, we definitely didn't want to miss formal nights, so we will try finding room for husband's dark suit and a dressy top for me. Also, we will probably follow the suggestion about utilizing the launderette!

Pictures of the ship really look beautiful, so we are eager to see Britannia.

We are open for more tips.

Jane

Lots of good advice below, just adding a few thoughts

From what I can tell American lines seem to concentrate on being floating resorts and providing lots of activities, entertainment, and shopping on board. British lines concentrate more on just being a nice way to take you to interesting places. So you will probably find it quieter than you are used to. Imagine a HAL cruise to Alaska where the passengers are more interested in the scenery than the casino.

From what I can gather American lines seem to have much earlier dinner times. And they don't open the Main Dining Room for breakfast and lunch on port days. P&O do, and just my opinion I think they do lunch particularly well.

Dont forget to do the traditional British afternoon tea - both the formal waiter served MDR version and the self serve buffet version. Just for comparison! :rolleyes:

Its true the entertainment is geared towards British tastes, for instance comedy routines on regional British accents and quizzes about the London Underground stations. But the production shows are generally Broadway / West End style, so more familiar ground there.

If your sailing in Europe many ports are easy to DIY so there may not be as many excursions available as, say, the Carribbean.

Do try to get to the formal nights if you can, it would be a shame to miss out! As said below a dark suit / sparkly top will be fine. If you dont want to take the extra luggage round Europe, and if you have time, you could try to pick something up in a cheap fashion high street store like Matalan or BHS before you board.

If you go to sailaways, P&O normally do a "Great British Sailaway" party with patriotic flag waving and songs, so you might want to bring a couple of small Stars and Stripes so you can join in!

Lastly, P&O passengers are predominantly British with very small amount of other nationalities. You will be a rarity so don't be surprised if lots of people want to say hello and ask about your holiday. Enjoy your trip! :)

All comments have been very helpful to us.

Further questions: We will be flying into Heathrow one day prior to the cruise and have anticipated traveling to Southampton that same day, staying overnight at Premier Inn West Quay. We stayed at that same facility previously and liked that it was clean, though a trifle spartan, and well located for shopping and walking to restaurants. Because these boards indicate that we will be unable to board until our assigned time later in the afternoon, what are the facilities for passengers waiting to board at the pier? Should we consider a hotel with a comfortable lobby available to us after check out time?

We dined at Coriander previously which we really enjoyed. Any other suggestions for an evening meal in Southampton prior to our cruise?

All comments have been very helpful to us.

 

Further questions: We will be flying into Heathrow one day prior to the cruise and have anticipated traveling to Southampton that same day, staying overnight at Premier Inn West Quay. We stayed at that same facility previously and liked that it was clean, though a trifle spartan, and well located for shopping and walking to restaurants. Because these boards indicate that we will be unable to board until our assigned time later in the afternoon, what are the facilities for passengers waiting to board at the pier? Should we consider a hotel with a comfortable lobby available to us after check out time?

 

We dined at Coriander previously which we really enjoyed. Any other suggestions for an evening meal in Southampton prior to our cruise?

2 options are open to you ref luggage. From about 11am, you can take your cases and put them through the hole in the wall..you will see what I mean when you get there , at the terminal. This will just leave you with hand luggage, and if you do not have a lot of that, maybe go round west quay shopping.

The other alternative is the grand harbour hotel..has a glass pyramid at the front.

They have a cruise lounge where you and your luggage can wait. They will then transfer you to the terminal. Cost ranges from £12 to 30, depend on whether you have alcohol or not

Does your hotel have a left luggage facility? Most do, where you can leave your things after check out. Then you can have a wander up to the West Quay shops or if you want to go a little further then the Sea City museum has an exhibition at the moment on ocean liners which might get you in the mood for you cruise.

I can't comment on the facilities at the terminal as not sure which one you are departing from. Both Ocean terminal and the Mayflower terminal have a small café with tea and coffee and a few snacks but not much more.

More good ideas! I'm intrigued with the "hole in the wall" for luggage. However, I think that the hotel does have ability to store our luggage after check out. The Seacity Museum sounds like a great way to entertain ourselves pre-cruise.

Thank you.

We have not found that the boarding times are strictly policed. We arrived last year around 12. nobody checked what time you were supposed to be there. The lines were small and within 30 minutes we were on board.

We were just notified of a complimentary cabin upgrade yesterday, GD to GB---same size, just more midship and lower. Is this usual for P&O? We are happy as long as decks above and below are cabins.

We booked through the only US travel site that is allowed to book P&O. We are grateful for what we have learned about P&O and Britannia from Cruisecritic members. We have promised to give our travel agent a detailed report when we return, so that he can be more informed in the future. Thus far, the main difference seems that we will have to "up our game" for formal nights, which is fine with us. To our regret, the casual approach to everything seems prevalent.

Just counting down the days until our departure!

The following website gives detailed information on where ships will be berthed and if you Google a map of your hotel location you can see the relationship and distances involved. Click on Shipping Movements and Cruise Ship Schedule then Click Cruise Ship Schedule once on the website.

http://www.southamptonvts.co.uk/Live_Information/Shipping_Movements_and_Cruise_Ship_Schedule_Cruise_Ship_Schedule/

Regards John

We were just notified of a complimentary cabin upgrade yesterday, GD to GB---same size, just more midship and lower. Is this usual for P&O? We are happy as long as decks above and below are cabins.

 

Yes they do 'upgrade' people sometimes. Good you have a balcony cabin with sofa as these are slightly larger and have two bedside tables instead of one.

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Hi kevin. How you doing?

We're booked on her next year for TA to Caribbean.

Not easy finding info as the P&O page is slow.

Thanks for the pics Kevin.

Hi kevin. How you doing?

 

We're booked on her next year for TA to Caribbean.

 

Not easy finding info as the P&O page is slow.

Thanks for the pics Kevin.

Hello matie, we are well thanks. TA westbound I think will be much better than our Eastbound on Adventure a few years back as you gain, rather than lose, an hour most days plus you leave our weather behind knowing it will get better day by day.

The pics are a balcony ca in with sofa. Without sofa you get a chair instead of a sofa and one bedside cabinet with the cabin being about 18" shorter.

(We are have booked Oasis back to back for Feb 17 using the nice future cruise benefit we were given on our Anthem cruise, we shared with you, due to the issue with the 50%/75% obstructed balconies).

If you need any Britannia info let me know. Re the slowness of the P&O pages have you tried accessing this Tapatalk on your phone? Seems much easier than the website.

Lots of good advice below, just adding a few thoughts

 

From what I can tell American lines seem to concentrate on being floating resorts and providing lots of activities, entertainment, and shopping on board. British lines concentrate more on just being a nice way to take you to interesting places. So you will probably find it quieter than you are used to. Imagine a HAL cruise to Alaska where the passengers are more interested in the scenery than the casino.

 

From what I can gather American lines seem to have much earlier dinner times. And they don't open the Main Dining Room for breakfast and lunch on port days. P&O do, and just my opinion I think they do lunch particularly well.

 

Dont forget to do the traditional British afternoon tea - both the formal waiter served MDR version and the self serve buffet version. Just for comparison! :rolleyes:

 

Its true the entertainment is geared towards British tastes, for instance comedy routines on regional British accents and quizzes about the London Underground stations. But the production shows are generally Broadway / West End style, so more familiar ground there.

 

If your sailing in Europe many ports are easy to DIY so there may not be as many excursions available as, say, the Carribbean.

 

Do try to get to the formal nights if you can, it would be a shame to miss out! As said below a dark suit / sparkly top will be fine. If you dont want to take the extra luggage round Europe, and if you have time, you could try to pick something up in a cheap fashion high street store like Matalan or BHS before you board.

 

If you go to sailaways, P&O normally do a "Great British Sailaway" party with patriotic flag waving and songs, so you might want to bring a couple of small Stars and Stripes so you can join in!

 

Lastly, P&O passengers are predominantly British with very small amount of other nationalities. You will be a rarity so don't be surprised if lots of people want to say hello and ask about your holiday. Enjoy your trip! :)

Hello,

Barring miracles, BHS will be no more by the end of this month.

However George at ASDA (The Marlands, Western Esplanade Southampton) sells dinner suits from GBP46.00 - possibly less than hiring.

I cannot vouch for their quality however - but in the dark.....??

Regards,

Cublet

Hello matie, we are well thanks. TA westbound I think will be much better than our Eastbound on Adventure a few years back as you gain, rather than lose, an hour most days plus you leave our weather behind knowing it will get better day by day.

 

The pics are a balcony ca in with sofa. Without sofa you get a chair instead of a sofa and one bedside cabinet with the cabin being about 18" shorter.

 

(We are have booked Oasis back to back for Feb 17 using the nice future cruise benefit we were given on our Anthem cruise, we shared with you, due to the issue with the 50%/75% obstructed balconies).

 

If you need any Britannia info let me know. Re the slowness of the P&O pages have you tried accessing this Tapatalk on your phone? Seems much easier than the website.

Hi Kev, Mark here.

Thanks for the info, Kieron meant slow as in not many people posting on the P&O section of CC. Not the speed of the website, lol. :)

On a quick scan through the replies I have not noticed the following points.

Pricing on board is in £ sterling.

Also, there is British electric sockets in the cabin. There are American ones but the majority are the British three pin type.

Hi Kev, Mark here.

 

Thanks for the info, Kieron meant slow as in not many people posting on the P&O section of CC. Not the speed of the website, lol. :)

Hi Mark, ah ok. Yes the posts on the P&O boards are a lot slower than on the RCI boards. Hope you are both keeping well. Seems a long time since we sat in 270 on Anthem!

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On a quick scan through the replies I have not noticed the following points.

Pricing on board is in £ sterling.

Also, there is British electric sockets in the cabin. There are American ones but the majority are the British three pin type.

Thanks for the socket reminder. As to pound sterling, that is a trickier conversion than for Euros these days. We'll need to be clear headed when we order from the bars!

Thanks for the socket reminder. As to pound sterling, that is a trickier conversion than for Euros these days. We'll need to be clear headed when we order from the bars!

Well at the current exchange rates I'm sure you will find on board prices very reasonable.

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Thanks for the socket reminder. As to pound sterling, that is a trickier conversion than for Euros these days. We'll need to be clear headed when we order from the bars!

You may be pleasantly suprised to find that the price in the drinks menu will be the price on the receipt. No pesky nasty gratuity added on. Only the Spa does that.