Concerned about the poor reviews of Britannia

Just as the title says really - we've booked a 7 day sailing on Britannia departing Southampton for the Norwegian Fjords. But I've just seen the bad reviews and am now panicking I've made a mistake in recommending it to my family.

A little bit about us for context....

We're a couple in our thirties with a baby (will be 1) and our parents (fun, young at heart) will be travelling with us. We booked an inside and parents booked a balcony.

I love spas and hot tubs - how many are there on the ship? Do you have to pay extra for them? Mother enjoys the casino (roulette) and shows. Father and DH love their food, music and cocktails/beer.

We picked the itinerary because it looks fairly easy with a baby and we don't need to fly, plus of course it is beautiful (we've not been to this part of the world before). We are, however, all fit and willing to walk lots with baby in her buggy.

We've all been cruising before: parents with RCL and MSC (awful - never again!) and Costa...hubby and I with Celebrity and NCL.

Personally I love the classiness of Celebrity and elegant decor, plus the thasslotherapy pool (I'm not into Las Vegas style cruise ships). DH loves their cocktails and bar service. Parents like the bells and whistles of RCL and friendly american service.

I'd be keen to hear from others who have experienced Britannia. Are the reviews just written by whiners who don't like change? Are there problems with Britannia and are these likely to be ironed out before May 16? We are sailing in school holiday btw.

Just remember there are over 3000 guests per cruise, how many bad reviews have you seen? Some people write a bad review if it rains so don't take much notice..[emoji106]

As for hot tubs they will be free unless in the retreat area?

Have fun..[emoji41]

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Just as the title says really - we've booked a 7 day sailing on Britannia departing Southampton for the Norwegian Fjords. But I've just seen the bad reviews and am now panicking I've made a mistake in recommending it to my family.

 

 

 

A little bit about us for context....

 

 

 

We're a couple in our thirties with a baby (will be 1) and our parents (fun, young at heart) will be travelling with us. We booked an inside and parents booked a balcony.

 

 

 

I love spas and hot tubs - how many are there on the ship? Do you have to pay extra for them? Mother enjoys the casino (roulette) and shows. Father and DH love their food, music and cocktails/beer.

 

 

 

We picked the itinerary because it looks fairly easy with a baby and we don't need to fly, plus of course it is beautiful (we've not been to this part of the world before). We are, however, all fit and willing to walk lots with baby in her buggy.

 

 

 

We've all been cruising before: parents with RCL and MSC (awful - never again!) and Costa...hubby and I with Celebrity and NCL.

 

 

 

Personally I love the classiness of Celebrity and elegant decor, plus the thasslotherapy pool (I'm not into Las Vegas style cruise ships). DH loves their cocktails and bar service. Parents like the bells and whistles of RCL and friendly american service.

 

 

 

I'd be keen to hear from others who have experienced Britannia. Are the reviews just written by whiners who don't like change? Are there problems with Britannia and are these likely to be ironed out before May 16? We are sailing in school holiday btw.

It depends on which reviews you read on the FB sites I look at the positives far outweigh the negatives. We are on her in a few weeks and will have a great time. The people I know who have been on her love her including one lady who cruises 7/8 times a year and she has been on Britannia 3 times already. She is a long time P&O cruiser who does other lines as well.

Review pages, especially one which cannot be commented on do bring out the moaners and wingers.

We found Britannia to an excellent ship. It has a lovely contemporary design.

The problem nowadays is you get a lot of people who love moaning.

I found the review by KevinYork to be a very well balanced review. Well worth reading. Search for that one. It'll answer most of your question.

Also Jo's video review

Ignore the moaners. You'll have a great time

Well, I am not a lover of big ships. I love Oriana and if I believed all the bad reviews about her, I would be worried. But I'm not, so go and enjoy your cruise. Sounds like you chose the right ship going by what you like to do.

Everyone has their preferences. I prefer the smaller ships but got off Britannia less than 2 weeks ago and absolutely loved her. Would happily sail in her again.

Ignore the moaners & have a fabulous cruise.

Thanks everyone for your feedback and reassurance; I feel much better about it now. I know that you need to take reviews with a pinch of salt and reading back through them, the low number of stars awarded by reviewers doesn't fairly match the gripes that they expressed. If you thought the food and cabin were great, why award 1 or 2 stars only?! It is just that having read so many bad reviews after one another (on cruise critic), I started to think there must be a real problem with this ship....

Thanks for Jo's video which offers a really good overview of the ship and amenities. The ship looks very impressive and I'm very excited having seen it. I also located Jo's review on cruise critic; she gave the ship 3/5 and said they are some big issues which need sorting out...reading her review, which was very fair & balanced, I now understand that these are teething problems that P&O will possibly look to address (especially if these issues are losing them revenue).

I'm now going to check out Kevin in York's review...

I loved Britannia. They will not be making the lifts bigger, they won't knock through a door, where you think one should be, etc, etc. So enjoy and cope with what is there. Let the people give it bad reviews, it's makes sure it's not sold out when we want to go.!!!

If you like your hot tubs, saunas etc. Give the Hydrotherapy suite a go. It cost me £150 for 2 weeks, but well worth it.

Enjoy

Just as the title says really - we've booked a 7 day sailing on Britannia departing Southampton for the Norwegian Fjords. But I've just seen the bad reviews and am now panicking I've made a mistake in recommending it to my family.

 

A little bit about us for context....

 

We're a couple in our thirties with a baby (will be 1) and our parents (fun, young at heart) will be travelling with us. We booked an inside and parents booked a balcony.

 

I love spas and hot tubs - how many are there on the ship? Do you have to pay extra for them? Mother enjoys the casino (roulette) and shows. Father and DH love their food, music and cocktails/beer.

 

We picked the itinerary because it looks fairly easy with a baby and we don't need to fly, plus of course it is beautiful (we've not been to this part of the world before). We are, however, all fit and willing to walk lots with baby in her buggy.

 

We've all been cruising before: parents with RCL and MSC (awful - never again!) and Costa...hubby and I with Celebrity and NCL.

 

Personally I love the classiness of Celebrity and elegant decor, plus the thasslotherapy pool (I'm not into Las Vegas style cruise ships). DH loves their cocktails and bar service. Parents like the bells and whistles of RCL and friendly american service.

 

I'd be keen to hear from others who have experienced Britannia. Are the reviews just written by whiners who don't like change? Are there problems with Britannia and are these likely to be ironed out before May 16? We are sailing in school holiday btw.

Don't pay any attention kfowinst - I was feeling exactly the same way before our cruise on Azura 2 years ago after reading the reviews and was thinking I'd made a mammoth mistake. Decided to go with an open mind and needn't have worried, we had a fab holiday. We are on Britannia at Christmas this year and can't wait.

I think there are 4 hot tubs around the main pool area - they are free. Your mother will find the casino smaller than on the American ships and shows are more tailored to a British market. DH and father will love the fact that drinks are much cheaper than on Celebrity and RCI (like normal, reasonable UK pub prices). Not as many bells and whistles as RCI, but P&O ships are classy, especially with the insistence on appropriate dressing on the formal nights. I LOVE looking at everyone else's dresses and thinking "Oooh, that's gorgeous". Friendly service - well, that depends, we've had good and not so good (I'm really hoping our waiters from Azura have gone to Britannia and we will see them again!), but it really is luck of the draw. Cabin stewards are all superb, waiters and bar staff a bit more hit and miss IMO, but still generally v.v. good. The fjords are gorgeous, I'm sure you will have a wonderful time and... just think... you will have to go again when your daughter is old enough to fully appreciate it! :D

Go on the cruise and enjoy yourself as you form your own opinion.

We went on the Britannia maiden voyage and enjoyed the cruise. We have said that we would not go on her again unless it was to a place that we particularly wanted to visit and there was no other ship going there, this was not because there was anything wrong with the Britannia, she is a beautiful contemporary ship but just a little too big for us. We like big ships such as Azura and Ventura but the Britannia was just that little bit bigger so we now know our limit on size.

When we were on her there was nothing much to moan about other than the fact that we thought that the theatre was too small for the number of passengers on board and we had to go there early just to get a seat. I have seen reviews complaining but we are all different and you may well really like her.

I had a lovely time on Britannia, it's a stunning ship and has a fantastic choice of dining and entertainment venues. Sindhu and Glasshouse are both fantastic :) The Glasshouse is a superb wine bar and offers excellent food. Sindhu provides the most fantastic Indian food and is a real experience. The pools look really good and as well as the main pool area there is a free quiet pool area that's very well presented. The ship felt modern and contemporary and easily as good as offerings from Cunard. It's taken the best of the P&O offerings and added in a few new options like the Cookery Club and Limelight Club. It's definitely very modern and not flashy or in your face as some of the offerings out there. It's more Cunard than P&O in that way, well certainly like the QE and QV than the more bright and colourful offerings of Azura and Ventura. Here are some links to my tour round the ship!

I've travelled on QM2, QE, QV, Azura and Oceana and I would definitely be looking to book my next cruise on Britannia. You won't be disappointed, I thought the bedrooms and bathrooms were well done and yes they are slightly smaller than on Azura but that isn't the end of the world. They are furnished to the standard of a 4 star hotel bedroom.

Tour part 1 -

Tour Part 2 -

Tour Part 3 -

I had a lovely time on Britannia, it's a stunning ship and has a fantastic choice of dining and entertainment venues. Sindhu and Glasshouse are both fantastic :) The Glasshouse is a superb wine bar and offers excellent food. Sindhu provides the most fantastic Indian food and is a real experience. The pools look really good and as well as the main pool area there is a free quiet pool area that's very well presented. The ship felt modern and contemporary and easily as good as offerings from Cunard. It's taken the best of the P&O offerings and added in a few new options like the Cookery Club and Limelight Club. It's definitely very modern and not flashy or in your face as some of the offerings out there. It's more Cunard than P&O in that way, well certainly like the QE and QV than the more bright and colourful offerings of Azura and Ventura. Here are some links to my tour round the ship!

 

I've travelled on QM2, QE, QV, Azura and Oceana and I would definitely be looking to book my next cruise on Britannia. You won't be disappointed, I thought the bedrooms and bathrooms were well done and yes they are slightly smaller than on Azura but that isn't the end of the world. They are furnished to the standard of a 4 star hotel bedroom.

 

Tour part 1 -

Tour Part 2 -

Tour Part 3 -

Well put Gaz. I'll see if I can follow that.

Just as the title says really - we've booked a 7 day sailing on Britannia departing Southampton for the Norwegian Fjords. But I've just seen the bad reviews and am now panicking I've made a mistake in recommending it to my family.

 

A little bit about us for context....

 

We're a couple in our thirties with a baby (will be 1) and our parents (fun, young at heart) will be travelling with us. We booked an inside and parents booked a balcony.

 

I love spas and hot tubs - how many are there on the ship? Do you have to pay extra for them? Mother enjoys the casino (roulette) and shows. Father and DH love their food, music and cocktails/beer.

 

We picked the itinerary because it looks fairly easy with a baby and we don't need to fly, plus of course it is beautiful (we've not been to this part of the world before). We are, however, all fit and willing to walk lots with baby in her buggy.

 

We've all been cruising before: parents with RCL and MSC (awful - never again!) and Costa...hubby and I with Celebrity and NCL.

 

Personally I love the classiness of Celebrity and elegant decor, plus the thasslotherapy pool (I'm not into Las Vegas style cruise ships). DH loves their cocktails and bar service. Parents like the bells and whistles of RCL and friendly american service.

 

I'd be keen to hear from others who have experienced Britannia. Are the reviews just written by whiners who don't like change? Are there problems with Britannia and are these likely to be ironed out before May 16? We are sailing in school holiday btw.

Good afternoon - I won't even try to pronounce your screen name.

You probably have an inkling of those reviews as you have used the word 'whiners'.

Britannia has everything and it really is all about going with an open mind.

You may be interested in the review I wrote. I don't claim it to be comprehensive as I go to enjoy myself and don't spend hours worrying about a budget. Here is the link...

http://solentrichardscruiseblog.com/2015/03/30/britannia-the-maiden-cruise/

I too have sailed with Celebrity and enjoyed it however Britannia is not Celebrity. For a start, you won't get a pool area like this on Celebrity...

Bon voyage

I do think it depends on what you want from a cruise. We like peace and quiet, don't need hyrdo spas, climbing walls, etc. etc. We like ships to look like ships. Oriana, Aururoa, even some of Fred's. BUT we are older and although we don't go to bed early, we like to drink in the piano bar, have a dance etc.

So the smaller ships provide us with space, open decks, not crowded.

We did try Azura, but it was a mistake. too big for us, too crowded. Miles to walk everywhere.

different things appeal to different folk. And that can only be good.

Hi, we really enjoyed Britannia, nothing to complain about and will definitely cruise on her again. I looked at your 'wish list' and I think all the boxes are ticked! The hydropool area has hotbeds and waterbeds in addition to the steam rooms and sauna. I went in every restaurant, thought the food in Sindhu was the best and had a great night in the Limelight Club with Dean Andrews. My husband went into Brodies Bar a few times as he likes real-ale. I can recommend the house wine on Britannia, surprisingly good! Have a wonderful cruise [emoji4]

So often I read reviews of cruises I've been on and I think .... what ? Were they on the same cruise as me ? Once I read a complaint that the waiters were unfriendly. Ours were *so* friendly I was worried they might get into trouble....

It is a mixture of things. Some people are just pathetic whingers. Some people have unrealistic expectations - P&O is pretty good but it's not "5 Star" like say Regent or Seabourn. I think sometimes people want butlers and suites but to pay £100pppn. It's like if you travel on CMV - it's cheaper, it's not going to be the same standard as if you pay three times as much.

Sometime it's one thing. There was one review I read of an excellent hotel in Turkey which was all hell and damnation (tripadvisor) because of .... a broken light bulb. (and one complaint that there was "no pork" particularly amused me .... duh)

Some people may do it for money as well. I know from a French lady I know who runs a B&B and one in the UK there are unsubtle implications of "adjust the price for my (ridiculous) complaint or else".

Rationality is a good sign. Someone who liked it, and says the service was a bit worse than previously or something, usually worth reading. Those who posts THE WAITER IS A PSYCHOPATH aren't :)

Every cruise, every holiday I've been on there's been something wrong. It's about having a glass half full attitude, and realising that staff can only try their best, they can't work miracles. First time my son flushed the loo on board it kept going .... and going .... - they bent over backwards to fix it, to provide alternatives until it was fixed .... should I complain about it ?

(Sometimes it's their own stupid fault. Someone the other day complained about there being too many people on Azura.... didn't you look and see how big it was ?)

I had similar reservations about Azura before I sailed on her: too large, too many people, horrible people, no sunbeds etc etc, and I had a great time, and have been on a 2nd cruise on her and booked a 3rd with a friend.

I have to say that size matters for me; my favourites are Aurora and Oriana (and as others say, you get some gripes about these 2 particularly Oriana), and I love their meium size and very traditional "feel". Azura was just a bit too large for me, but it hasn't stopped me sailing on her gain as long as I have a balcony for some private space!

I think Britannia would just be too big for my personal taste ( I saw her before the launch and watched the naming ceremony on Oceana in march) but having said that if the right itinerary came along at the right price I'd go with an open mind and make sure I enjoyed myself!

We were on Britannia two weeks ago.

The ship is really nice and we had a great time because it was a "Strictly" themed cruise but in my review I gave the cruise 3 stars. The reason being we just think P&O isn't as good as Princess.

I could not fault Britannia but it is just not quite as good as its sister ships Royal and Regal in my opinion.

We also much prefer the cosmopolitan feel aboard Princess and Celebrity ships generated by the many nationalities on board and found the food on Britannia just too British for our tastes.

However, I would still recommend P&O and Britannia, but I just prefer Princess.

People on cruises are notoriously fussy and you hear ludicrous complaints such as the quality of soap and the absence of HP sauce. People will always complain and there will always be negative reviews. Just get on with your cruise and enjoy yourself. I'm sure it will be great.

Hi,

We were on the same cruise as other fellow CC members above and we absolutely loved the ship. Have done the Celebrity Silhouette 3 times and we were more than happy that Britannia compared favourably with her.

I did a review as well under Presto2 which I hope is helpful to you for the Canary Island cruise on the 25th of July. Have had serious post cruise depression since though :(:(

Judging by the other cruise lines you use I am sure that you will all have a great time --- and like others have said, "Avoid those moaners" .... ;-))

We went on a ship visit on Britannia in June and found a lot of things which were very good and plenty of areas which we enjoyed, there were a few things that could be improved on the ship and we found that some areas of the design didn't make you go wow and looked a little bit beige. The food we had at our meal was very good and the waiters who served us were very friendly. I have never had a bad cruise on any ship that I have been on as I enjoy just being at sea and being on holiday, there are always things that could be improved and our guide commented when asked about poor reviews that there were quite a few unhappy passengers on some of the first cruises whereas on more recent cruises, he had noticed and heard a lot of passengers who had enjoyed cruising on Britannia.

The key point to remember is that the ship is only five months old and hopefully any issues that can be rectified by P&O will be rectified as from reviews, there appear to be lots of issues that could easily be rectified with a few small changes

We went on a ship visit on Britannia in June and found a lot of things which were very good and plenty of areas which we enjoyed, there were a few things that could be improved on the ship and we found that some areas of the design didn't make you go wow and looked a little bit beige. The food we had at our meal was very good and the waiters who served us were very friendly. I have never had a bad cruise on any ship that I have been on as I enjoy just being at sea and being on holiday, there are always things that could be improved and our guide commented when asked about poor reviews that there were quite a few unhappy passengers on some of the first cruises whereas on more recent cruises, he had noticed and heard a lot of passengers who had enjoyed cruising on Britannia.

 

The key point to remember is that the ship is only five months old and hopefully any issues that can be rectified by P&O will be rectified as from reviews, there appear to be lots of issues that could easily be rectified with a few small changes

A crew member told us that they expected the reviews to get better as the first cruisers may have been past P&O cruisers who just wanted to 'give it a go' as it was a new ship, but may never go back, whereas cruisers are now increasingly being 'new to P&O' who may have different views and like the fact that it is a new, bigger ship etc. Seems to make sense and from what we saw on the ship (the happy faces and laughter) then the reviews seem to be getting better and better. (If they don't I will be very confused?!) :)

We are doing the fjords cruise next week, seven days in which we can make our own minds up on the vessel. Nothing to lose really.

A crew member told us that they expected the reviews to get better as the first cruisers may have been past P&O cruisers who just wanted to 'give it a go' as it was a new ship, but may never go back, whereas cruisers are now increasingly being 'new to P&O' who may have different views and like the fact that it is a new, bigger ship etc. Seems to make sense and from what we saw on the ship (the happy faces and laughter) then the reviews seem to be getting better and better. (If they don't I will be very confused?!) :)

The reviews for Britannia do seem to be getting better looking at the reviews on cruise critic. There do appear to be minor issues that could be rectified easily however when I was on Britannia, I didn't find any major issues that would ruin someone's holiday. There appear to be a few people who will complain about anything regardless of how minor it is and give overly negative reviews based on minor issues

Hi,

 

 

 

We were on the same cruise as other fellow CC members above and we absolutely loved the ship. Have done the Celebrity Silhouette 3 times and we were more than happy that Britannia compared favourably with her.

 

 

 

I did a review as well under Presto2 which I hope is helpful to you for the Canary Island cruise on the 25th of July. Have had serious post cruise depression since though :(:(

 

 

 

Judging by the other cruise lines you use I am sure that you will all have a great time --- and like others have said, "Avoid those moaners" .... ;-))

We have sailed Celebrity Eclipse 4 times. Its our favourite ship. For us Britannia is miles behind Celebrity in terms of space, decor, food and entertainment. Try getting in the theatre or showbar! The venues are way too small for the capacity. Not to mention the lifts. Allow an extra 15 minutes to get anywhere if it involves a lift. Way to small, too few, and poorly programmed. For us there is zero comparison.

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