Concerned about the poor reviews of Britannia

[Presto2]

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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We don't bother with the evening entertainment and only used the theatre to wait for excursions so none of this bothered us at all as you can imagine!

 

Re the food - that's a whole new thread. I think that Celebrity's buffet is better but we much prefer the evening meals on P&O and the select dining restaurants are way cheaper....

 

Re the lifts - never once had a problem and genuinely did not see one.

 

Décor - loved both

 

Space - same on both to us, same time of the year, high season, school holidays.

 

To be fair to P&O this holiday was far cheaper (£1000 less comparable time of year and more or less exactly the same cabin than 12 night cruises we've done with Celebrity. We always book early so don't do the cheap deals)

 

Let's be honest - we just love our holidays and see the good and bad in all. We're never your moaners ... until we come home :(:(

 

Love both, accepting their differences, and would we sail on either again - in a heart beat :D

 

Ironically, having said all of this we seem to have booked another 14 nights on the smaller / older Oceana for next year, knowing that in many ways she can't compete with Britannia or Silhouette. Just love that ship though and the itinerary is amazing ;);)

[Presto2]

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

 

I suppose the ship is what she is now - she is big, with no central stairs. They can review guest surveys we hope and improve on things that are a general theme. e.g. entertainment in the atrium.

[dallas16]

I suppose the ship is what she is now - she is big, with no central stairs. They can review guest surveys we hope and improve on things that are a general theme. e.g. entertainment in the atrium.

 

 

Yep there's lots of things they can improve on now to make the cruise experience better.. Things such as ship design / opening up central stairs will have to wait until they have a dry dock

[Presto2]

Yep there's lots of things they can improve on now to make the cruise experience better.. Things such as ship design / opening up central stairs will have to wait until they have a dry dock

 

I wouldn't hold your breathe. Have they done that on the Princess ships ?

[dallas16]

I wouldn't hold your breathe. Have they done that on the Princess ships ?

 

 

I'm not sure if royal/regal princess have had drydocks since they were built. There are plenty of things that can be fixed now by P&O to make the cruise experience on Britannia better but there are things that they may leave until drydock

[kevinyork]

I dont understand the suggestion of the central stairs being opened up to passengers given that they are alongside the staff lifts. I cannot see how they could reconfigurre that area. Also, this area is for staff access to all decks from the central area and they would still need access.

 

 

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[besberry]

We were on a 7 day Norwegian cruise last month. I liked Britannia, but there was nothing that made me say 'wow'. I liked the decor and the atrium. I had no problem finding places to sit, even on the two dismal (weatherwise) sea days. We went to the theatre 4 times and never had a problem finding seats. I did find it strange that there were only two set of stairs that went all the way to the top deck, but hey, that's the design. The food was good and Sindhu was up to standard. Drinks prices are London pub prices and the Crow's Nest has 20 different types of gin :). We had a large inside and was amazed by the space. Go with an open mind and you'll love her. Here's my web page about the cruise. http://www.mickberry.co.uk/norway.htm

[kevinyork]

Hi Mick. Hopefully we will both be wowed by our Anthem cruise in Sep!

 

 

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[scifimonkey]

We are on Britannia now and having a great time. it is possible to see the basis for many of the complaints but if you are on holiday to enjoy yourself rather than to moan you will have a terrific time on this ship. The positives vastly outweigh any niggles and the problems such as they are are JUST niggles in the great scheme of things.

:):cool::D

[Presto2]

We are on Britannia now and having a great time. it is possible to see the basis for many of the complaints but if you are on holiday to enjoy yourself rather than to moan you will have a terrific time on this ship. The positives vastly outweigh any niggles and the problems such as they are are JUST niggles in the great scheme of things.

:):cool::D

 

Oh now you've just made us very jealous! :D:)

 

Your comment above is exactly how we see things when on holiday :)

 

Glad you are having a great time - we left 2 weeks ago and still have SPCD

(Severe Post Cruise Depression) !

[WillZander]

Can't believe the dross that some people are saying, Britannia is a beautiful ship, the best in P&O fleet in my opinion, and with exception of Azura have been on them all. Anyone who complains about the lack of a staircase in the middle of the ship is a numpty, I did not miss this, never waited long for a lift and found my way around without a problem. Some people mention the lack of a promenade deck, it took me 10 days to notice there wasn't one on deck 7, but there is a smaller one on deck 15 or 16, I forget which, but I go on holiday to enjoy myself, not go on a march. Food was excellent, entertainment OK, and although it is big, it does not feel any bigger than say Ventura. All in all, an excellent ship, P&O should ignore the complainers, and tell anyone who does to book another cruise line. Enjoy your holiday, it will be great.

Edited August 22, 2015 by WillZander

[chris11256]

I've also got an interest in this. My girlfriend & I are going on out very first cruise in June on board Britannia. I've watched as many tour videos and read as many reviews as I can find. So far I'm not finding anything that puts me off. I don't think the lack of a central staircase will bother me, I've got a forward cabin anyway. I don't mind getting to a show early, to be honest that's the type of thing I do anyway. I prefer arriving with time to spare, than rushing at the last minute.

 

The only thing that surprises me is not being able to view my onboard account via the TV. I'd expect that as standard on any new ship.

 

I suppose I'll find out in June. But so far I'm going wow just watching videos. :)

Edited August 22, 2015 by chris11256

[Presto2]

Can't believe the dross that some people are saying, Britannia is a beautiful ship, the best in P&O fleet in my opinion, and with exception of Azura have been on them all. Anyone who complains about the lack of a staircase in the middle of the ship is a numpty, I did not miss this, never waited long for a lift and found my way around without a problem. Some people mention the lack of a promenade deck, it took me 10 days to notice there wasn't one on deck 7, but there is a smaller one on deck 15 or 16, I forget which, but I go on holiday to enjoy myself, not go on a march. Food was excellent, entertainment OK, and although it is big, it does not feel any bigger than say Ventura. All in all, an excellent ship, P&O should ignore the complainers, and tell anyone who does to book another cruise line. Enjoy your holiday, it will be great.

 

Well said - nothing else to add :D:D

[Florry]

Chris, we had a fwd cabin, I thought it was a good situation for the facilities and stairs etc. Happy crushing [emoji106]🏼

[Presto2]

 

The only thing that surprises me is not being able to view my onboard account via the TV. I'd expect that as standard on any new ship.

 

I suppose I'll find out in June. But so far I'm going wow just watching videos. :)

 

You will love her - they will give you an up to date account mid way through your holiday and if you are worried just ask for an update at Reception.

 

If this is the only thing you can worry about then we can guarantee that you will have a great time :)

 

PS If you compare a P&O ship with a 4 start hotel --- how many have a tv that gives an on going account? Just a thougth

[kevinyork]

Can't believe the dross that some people are saying.

 

They are other people's opinions, just as valid as yours. You are entitled to disagree but it doesnt make other's views dross.

 

Britannia is currently at just 47% in the review section on this site, from 166 reviews. This compares to 88% for Celebrity Eclipse. Thats some difference in satisfaction levels.

 

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Edited August 23, 2015 by kevinyork

[chris11256]

I think one of the problems might be that people only tend to give feedback when they are unhappy about something. Perhaps people board Britannia with a specific set of ideas in mind and if it doesn't meet up with that, they are very unhappy.

[WillZander]

They are other people's opinions, just as valid as yours. You are entitled to disagree but it doesnt make other's views dross.

 

Britannia is currently at just 47% in the review section on this site, from 166 reviews. This compares to 88% for Celebrity Eclipse. Thats some difference in satisfaction levels.

 

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After spending two wonderful weeks on Britannia and hearing on various forums people criticise fairly petty things like the lack of central staircases and a deck 7 promenade, and balance that against the ship as a whole, then in my opinion those views are dross, sorry.

[kevinyork]

After spending two wonderful weeks on Britannia and hearing on various forums people criticise fairly petty things like the lack of central staircases and a deck 7 promenade, and balance that against the ship as a whole, then in my opinion those views are dross, sorry.

 

 

I consider everyones views as being valid, whether I agree with them or not. It would be a sad world if no one was allowed to express their negative feelings about their cruise experience or were criticised for doing so by those with a different point of view.

 

However when you take a collective view of 166 reviews and it results in just 47% satisfaction overall then thats an awful lot of people talking 'dross'. Over 50% of those passengers had a negative experience compared to just 12% on Celebrity Eclipse.

 

 

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[Mynki]

I consider everyones views as being valid, whether I agree with them or not. It would be a sad world if no one was allowed to express their negative feelings about their cruise experience or were criticised for doing so by those with a different point of view.

 

However when you take a collective view of 166 reviews and it results in just 47% satisfaction overall then thats an awful lot of people talking 'dross'. Over 50% of those passengers had a negative experience compared to just 12% on Celebrity Eclipse.

 

 

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A very good point, well made. Personally the lack of a staircase isn't an issue to me, and I'm guessing it's not much of an issue for a large percentage of those who gave Britannia the poor rating it has currently.

[besberry]

Hi Mick. Hopefully we will both be wowed by our Anthem cruise in Sep!

 

 

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Kevin, I'm certainly expecting to be wow'ed. :)

[Mysticalmother]

A very good point, well made. Personally the lack of a staircase isn't an issue to me, and I'm guessing it's not much of an issue for a large percentage of those who gave Britannia the poor rating it has currently.

 

I don't know. A lot of the reviews I read did criticise the lack of a central staircase as it meant long waits for the lifts. Some of those who were highly critical probably couldn't be bothered to walk further down the ship - but i suspect a lot more were people with impaired mobility of one kind or another who needed to use the lifts - which were full up with people who may normally have used the stairs...had there been any to use...

 

This was certainly a big issue for one lady I met recently on Arcadia (who had been on Britannia) who was the carer for a gentleman in a wheelchair and found she needed to plan to leave their cabin (on Britannia) for dinner some half an hour earlier just to make sure they got there in time....that cant be right. She said that many passengers were very inconsiderate and seemed determined not to let wheelchair users in the lift ...even if there was just about enough room.

[majortom10]

I don't know. A lot of the reviews I read did criticise the lack of a central staircase as it meant long waits for the lifts. Some of those who were highly critical probably couldn't be bothered to walk further down the ship - but i suspect a lot more were people with impaired mobility of one kind or another who needed to use the lifts - which were full up with people who may normally have used the stairs...had there been any to use...

 

This was certainly a big issue for one lady I met recently on Arcadia (who had been on Britannia) who was the carer for a gentleman in a wheelchair and found she needed to plan to leave their cabin (on Britannia) for dinner some half an hour earlier just to make sure they got there in time....that cant be right. She said that many passengers were very inconsiderate and seemed determined not to let wheelchair users in the lift ...even if there was just about enough room.

 

Your last statement says more about the ill mannered people and rude people that use P&O rather than a criticism of Britannia. I am convinced that in time those reviews figures will rise there was just as many poor reviews about Arcadia, Ventura (especially) and Azura in their maiden cruise season and we really enjoyed Britannia on the maiden cruise and heard very few "moans" and those that did I think just love to moan which P&O seem to attract more than any other cruise line.

[Presto2]

Kevin, I'm certainly expecting to be wow'ed. :)

 

Now that is a ship that I know that I would hate as it has a lot of things that I dislike. As a result we won't sail on her and then give her terrible reviews because she doesn't suit us as lots of people seem to do with lots of other ships.

 

Have to add about references to the Eclipse reviews. She is a much more established ship. We were on the first proper cruise on the Silhouette and she was slated by almost every review we read at that time.

 

I think that we can compare reviews with the Eclipse when the ship has settled in and people know what to expect.

[Presto2]

I don't know. A lot of the reviews I read did criticise the lack of a central staircase as it meant long waits for the lifts. Some of those who were highly critical probably couldn't be bothered to walk further down the ship - but i suspect a lot more were people with impaired mobility of one kind or another who needed to use the lifts - which were full up with people who may normally have used the stairs...had there been any to use...

 

This was certainly a big issue for one lady I met recently on Arcadia (who had been on Britannia) who was the carer for a gentleman in a wheelchair and found she needed to plan to leave their cabin (on Britannia) for dinner some half an hour earlier just to make sure they got there in time....that cant be right. She said that many passengers were very inconsiderate and seemed determined not to let wheelchair users in the lift ...even if there was just about enough room.

 

I'm not saying that the person you met wasn't telling the truth as they may have had bad experiences , but have to say that there just may be the possibility that some people who moan exaggerate. On our last cruise on Celebrity we met a group of ladies who were extremely cross because they couldn't get the life to take them to the front of the ship just up and down. Hey ho !:D

 

Anyway, on our cruise we never once saw anyone being inconsiderate. If passengers are inconsiderate that isn't the company's fault, it says more the people involved.