christmas on britannia

I have been looking at a 14 night caribbean cruise on Britannia starting 22nd December 2017.I have cruised the Caribbean a few time but never at Christmas And New Year.Could anyone please give me any advice on weather and ship.I have not sailed with P&O before.Will there be a good party atmosphere on board.

Weather will be the usually Caribbean winter weather, around 30-32 degrees, occasional rain but generally lovely.

We've sailed Ventura in the Caribbean at Christmas and there is a great atmosphere. A lovely big tree, luxury decorations, carols, staff wearing Santa hats, Santa visiting for the kids, model Christmas villages made by the galley staff plus Christmas dinner (although admittedly much later in the day than we are used to).

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I have been looking at a 14 night caribbean cruise on Britannia starting 22nd December 2017.I have cruised the Caribbean a few time but never at Christmas And New Year.Could anyone please give me any advice on weather and ship.I have not sailed with P&O before.Will there be a good party atmosphere on board.

We did the equivalent cruise (18 Dec.) last Christmas and it was wonderful. Temps started off about 26 degrees at 8 am, often with showers which then died out by about 9.30, and rose to about 30-32 as kevinyork says. However there is almost always a pleasant breeze, so it doesn't feel so hot. The only really wet day we had was Dominica, when there were downpours about every 15 minutes. Still warm though.

It was Britannia's maiden season in the Caribbean, so I don't know if they made a special effort, but the Christmas atmosphere was fantastic. Beautiful decorations, including a small one outside each cabin, visit from Santa on Christmas Eve and Santa's grotto for the children, presents (P&O themed Monopoly - much derided by some - for each cabin, very nice quality hoody and watch for teenage son). It was my first Christmas ever away from wider family and I didn't know if I would like it, but I had a lovely time. Only let down was Christmas dinner.

We were on Britannia last xmas / new year and have booked it again for next year. I thought Britannia was lovely overall, with plenty of room in the buffet to find a seat, classy interior and a nice feel.

They decorate the ship without being tacky, and have for example, ginger bread house making, nice decorations and carol singing, as well as a visit from Santa.

Its formal night on Christmas day and New Year's Eve, and one or two parties around the ship. They celebrate midnight on NYE with an on deck party and the countdown. They also "celebrate" new year in UK at 8pm, so you get to do it twice!

You can be involved in the Christmas activities as much or as little as you like. We tend to spend most of our time reading on our balcony and as we don't have children we don't experience some of what's on offer. We love these cruises though and it's so lovely to be warm while the UK is freezing.

The weather is usually around 28 - 30 deg C with rain showers, which soon dry up. Last time though we had more rain that usual, with one port of call raining all day so we didn't even get off. It's probably a sign of the times though, but it's still better than being at home.

The ports have decorations up too and Christmas tress, which is odd to see for the first time. It felt so strange to me seeing a Christmas tree when it was so hot.

Hope you decide to do the cruise and IMHO it's a lovely time of year to be onboard. There are quite a few families celebrating as well as couples.

You could look at the reviews of Britannia on here - I wrote one after our last Christmas cruise, so they may give you a bit more detail about what to expect.

No cruise is perfect, but go with a positive attitude and you'll have a great time.

Thanks for all your help,looks like Christmas in the sun.We spent Christmas in Vienna last year,it was so cold but lovely,so some sun will be a nice treat.

Cruised azura Christmas 2013 and had a great time and would not hesitate too cruise again over the festive season. P and O even organised torrential rain for us all day on Christmas Day just to make it more homely. So much going on and my kids loved it and the atmosphere on board was the best I've witnessed.

Hi, we have just booked the Britannia Christmas & New Year cruise on 23rd December 2017 and can't wait as it will be 50th celebrations as well! Would be grateful if somebody could let me know the age range, are there lots of children etc. Also is the Retreat worth the money?!

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Hi, we have just booked the Britannia Christmas & New Year cruise on 23rd December 2017 and can't wait as it will be 50th celebrations as well! Would be grateful if somebody could let me know the age range, are there lots of children etc. Also is the Retreat worth the money?!

Hi johnnylad67, on our cruise last Christmas, from 18 Dec. - 1 Jan. there were lots of children, from babies right through to teens. Not always massively evident around the ship, though, apart from obvious places like the Lido deck pools, because the kids' clubs are so good they spend a lot of time there. There were quite a few big family groups, so adult age ranges were everything from late teens/20s, all the way through to 70s/80s and possibly beyond. The atmosphere aboard was fun and buzzy.

I have been looking at a 14 night caribbean cruise on Britannia starting 22nd December 2017.I have cruised the Caribbean a few time but never at Christmas And New Year.Could anyone please give me any advice on weather and ship.I have not sailed with P&O before.Will there be a good party atmosphere on board.

We are booked on that cruise with our friends and we know another couple that go every 2nd year. We've been at Hogmanay before and really enjoyed it.

We went on Britannia last Christmas/New Year, our first ever time with P&O, Read my review here if interested...

http://boards.cruisecritic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=2295846

We enjoyed it and felt a huge effort was made with all the Christmas events and activities. It was more of a party atmosphere than we thought it would be - not sure if that was because it was Christmas, in the Caribbean or our impressions of P&O were all wrong, but if you want dancing to live music and plenty of fun you will enjoy it.

Hope that helps!

Thanks for the responses and a great review! Looks like we've made the right choice! Only been on the Epic previously in the Med so will look forward to it. The transfer from plane to ship sounds good, have been to Barbados numerous times and know what the queues can be like at immigration!

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