14 night Britannia Review 10th -23rd April

[livinforcruisin]

Having sailed predominantly on Princess for years, this was our 4th P&O Cruise and 3rd on Britannia. We were in Aft Balcony room A723. We will be sailing on Azura in 8 days time.

 

Firstly lets talk about the 'thorny' issue -EMBARKATION.

Yes we pulled the less desirable 3.30pm embarkation slot and like many before us found the process painful, slow and what feels quite unfair. By the time they started to call out the RED letters there were well over a 1,000 passengers cheering and booing in equal measure. This cannot be good for any cruise line and P&O really do need to start taking notice. It is not pleasant to arrive on the ship with less than an hour to go before muster. As we all know the great British Public will queue and normally fairly patiently, but when it starts to feel as though the system is unfair then unhappiness sets in and that is what is currently happening at the Ocean Terminal.

 

Our cabin was fine with a good sized balcony and some cover from above which includes passengers and the sunshine. We cannot sit in the sun for health reasons so chose this cabin carefully. We sailed last October in the cabin next door A725 which is also a nice cabin with a slightly less wide balcony but the depth is still great. Last October the noise of deck chairs being moved at 6am each morning was very disturbing and this was fed back. It does appear to have improved a little although there was plenty noise on some nights from 3 am onwards - ? passengers or crew, I don't know. We didn't allow it to spoil the holiday though. We knew beforehand what to expect.

 

We prefer to eat in the buffet so I cannot comment on Main Dining Room. We enjoyed the food in the most part. Not quite as much choice as on Princess but still plenty. You sure don't need to go hungry. I particularly like the lunchtime offerings of baked potatoes and also the stir fry meals.

 

The weather was fairly good whilst out in the Med, cold outward and rough crossing the Bay of Biscay but very calm on the return journey.

 

The ports of call were good and we managed to meet up with our daughter and son-in-law in Seville who are singers on another cruise line and were docked in Seville on the same day so that was a real highlight for us.

 

The entertainment was plentiful and of a pretty good standard. We do like the abundance of entertainment venues on Britannia.

 

We found some real golden nuggets of waiters in Brodies and the atrium but much less so in the buffet. We always go out of our way to say good morning, how are you, please, thank you etc but a lot of the staff wouldn't even respond with a hello. They actually verged on the rude and ignorant. There were plenty wait staff but the majority seemed reluctant to clear tables, offer tea and coffee or smile. Overall there was a very lackadaisical attitude to service which we found very noticeable. However, there were several passengers with disabilities and the staff were always polite and helpful to them. As a nurse I was touched by their caring approach with those individuals. Perhaps overall the crew were just a bit jaded or weary.

 

We reflected on the ship. We have given her a good try (3 times in a year) but she doesn't offer us what we particuarly like from cruising. In fact Princess are going exactly the same way with bigger -cruising for the masses - ships. We have also sailed on the Regal Princess. The bigger ships feel more like Butlins at sea rather than how special a cruise used to feel. We miss the promenade deck greatly and just being able to see the sea close up or sit beside it. We just found it difficult to do that as the ship didn't lend itself to it.

 

It was good for us to reflect on what we do like about cruising and what we miss with the bigger ships and that will help us choose going forward. I do hope that cruising doesn't loose its magic as more and more bigger ships come along. We are anticipatory of the Azura as she is identical to our preferred 'grand class' ships of Princess. Fortunately next week we are booked into a full suite so embarkation should be much less painful, at least for us.

 

Disembarking was a breeze, walked off at 6.45am without any problems at all.

Overall we enjoyed ourselves but won't be returning to the Britannia again for the reasons stated.

[Esprit]

It's always a pleasure to read a well written and balanced review.

 

Thank you.

[P&O SUE]

It does seem a shame these new cruise ships don't have Prom decks. Like you I love the sea and can watch it for hours!

 

Thanks for your balanced review.

[jeanlyon]

Yes good review. I am afraid that's how we felt on Azura and knew that bigger ships weren't for us. I love the traditional wide Prom Deck in teak and I don't like loud piped music everywhere, not to mention the seascreen blaring out all day. Anything bigger than Oriana is a no-no for us.

 

Sorry to hear about the staff though, as I find (or I have so far) P&O staff to be absolutely wonderful. Same on Fred O.

[kevinyork]

Thanks for a balanced review. Particularly your boarding time experiences as whenever it is raised on here as being a problem the P&O supporters come out and thrash down any dissenters. I have to agree re staff attitude, very variable in our experience including bickering waiters in freedom dining.

 

 

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[Ecuador]

livinforcruisin

 

Thanks for the review.Was interested in your comments re embarkation.Does anyone know how the process works, is it by tiers or decks?

[spf]

I also travelled on this cruise and totally agree embarkation was a shambles. There were too many people waiting around and a huge assortment of coloured cards being handed out.

We were on Freedom Dining and only ate in the main dining room twice in the evening where we had one good meal(Captains Welcome Aboard) and one dreadful meal ( The Chefs Parade) night. Waiters not very friendly, seemed too busy just got on with job.

Ate in Sindhu,Glasshouse and Beach House (our favourite) where we found food and service to be excellent.

The themed buffets at night were also good Indian and Tandoori our favourites.

Had an aft cabin on F deck which was spacious and in a quiet position.

Loved all the ports and thought the weather was better than I expected.

Entertainment was variable but theatre too small to cater with demand.

Disembarkation was good much better than embarkation.

It was our second cruise on Britannia and on the whole we had a great time.

[Granny bee]

When you check into a hotel it is usually 2 or 3 pm so do you go earlier and wait. I know if you have to arrive in Southampton earlier then you just want to go to the port as we did when we flew from Scotland and arrived at Around 12.00. Fortunately we had priority booking but our friends didn't and they had to wait until the allocated 3.30. What I did notice was at the disability check in when one person on his motability scooter checked in with his wife the other six members of his party were also able to check in via the disability check in the same time.. I just wonder why livinforcruisin it took,three cruises on Britannia before you realised you wouldn't do another one. We cruised on Brittannia in December and loved it. What I don't understand is why all the complaints and you all keep returning

[livinforcruisin]

When you check into a hotel it is usually 2 or 3 pm so do you go earlier and wait. I know if you have to arrive in Southampton earlier then you just want to go to the port as we did when we flew from Scotland and arrived at Around 12.00. Fortunately we had priority booking but our friends didn't and they had to wait until the allocated 3.30. What I did notice was at the disability check in when one person on his motability scooter checked in with his wife the other six members of his party were also able to check in via the disability check in the same time.. I just wonder why livinforcruisin it took,three cruises on Britannia before you realised you wouldn't do another one. We cruised on Brittannia in December and loved it. What I don't understand is why all the complaints and you all keep returning

 

Hi Granny bee,

I don't feel I was complaining just giving a view on our recent experience which certainly wasn't all bad. The first time on her we were in a full suite and only for a weeks cruise so everything was brand new. The second time was last October in an aft balcony cabin. We had terrible weather and a very full ship of screaming babies and a film crew, so we wanted to give it another try. it was only this 3rd time that we managed to pin down our overall feelings towards these newer bigger ships and recognise that they aren't giving us what we love most about cruising. Perhaps we are just slow learners :)

[Skierguy]

Thank you for the review. We are sailing on Britannia in June, it's very disappointing to read about the attitude of the staff and embarkation sounds very unorganised. It will be our first time with P&O and there have been many negative points raised recently so it will be interesting to see what we think as we usually sail with celebrity and love it.

[Whitechapel girl]

Skierguy - we are of same opinion. It's our first time in June to the fjords with P&O and normally do Celebrity/RCI so must admit concerned about standard of food/staff. Embarkation doesn't concern me too much as we'll turn up when we have our allocated time. Trying to keep an open mind as surely it can't b as bad as I am reading.

[yorkshirephil]

Just what a review should be, your opinion of the cruise. We cruised on Britannia earlier this year, we did not have any issues with staff at all, but it is clear that they are becoming overworked in the restaurants. One thing you can be sure of is that the staff cannot be any ruder than some of the passengers. We enjoyed Britannia but felt it did not have the wow factor that had been advertised, and preferred Azura.

[livinforcruisin]

Thank you for the review. We are sailing on Britannia in June, it's very disappointing to read about the attitude of the staff and embarkation sounds very unorganised. It will be our first time with P&O and there have been many negative points raised recently so it will be interesting to see what we think as we usually sail with celebrity and love it.

 

Hi Skierguy,

If you are lucky enough to pull an early embarkation slot it will run fairly smoothly for you. I believe the time depends on the deck you are on. There are also lots of really positive points that outweigh the negatives. Britannia is a really beautiful ship with much to enjoy. It has taken us a while to realise that the all the bigger ships, Princess included, aren't giving us what we really enjoy about cruising. Have a wonderful cruise.

[lynaberdeen]

It will be lovely to hear your thoughts on Azura. We board at the start of July and are lucky enough to also be in a suite. Can't find much info / pictures of the suites so will be interested to hear on your return. Enjoy your cruise

 

 

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[jeanlyon]

I realize that my feelings will be a lot different to others, but I cruise for the feeling of being on a ship. My baggage is taken at Southampton, my car is taken away and parked. I board the ship and I am at home and also on holiday. I don't want all the other stuff that seems to go with a big ship. I just love to sit on the Prom Deck in the early evening and watch the sea go by. Then I like to change, go to a nice bar, have a couple of drinks and wait for dinner at 8.30.

 

I want to be on a ship, not a floating enormous hotel that doesn't feel like a ship at all.

 

Just my honest opinion. i shall be interested to see what the staff are like on my next P&O in October.

[Host Sharon]

Thanks for taking the time to write a review - perhaps you could also post it at http://www.cruisecritic.co.uk/reviews/ for non-forum readers?

[Granny bee]

I agree with all those sentiments. It is a holiday where you feel safe. We are just back from Azura and thought we would look for something different for a change in June . Try and find a holiday that comes with all that is offered by a cruise and it is very difficult so now searching cruises again. Like you Jeanlyon and many others we love everything about cruising, visiting a different port every day or sea days just lazing on the balcony or deck 7. To every other poster We have done many cruises and can honestly say we have never encountered a surly waiter. Maybe one or two are not smiley (maybe a family problem back home or some other problem - would anyone be happy serving thousands of people. 365 days a year and still look happy (and most of them do )but they' are there to serve you not to entertain you. How do you react to surly service at home which in my mind is much more of a problem hence the reason I love the service on the ship.

Menus on Azura were new and food we found to be lovely and with very hot plates, , grouse, pheasant, goose, and other new items. Anyway. Anyone about to sail on a P & O ship you will have a wonderful time [emoji41]

[staygulf]

In December we were on Ventura and had to suffer the new embarkation procedure with a 3.30pm time.

 

Today we returned from a 7 nighter on Ovation of the seas, a high tech ship. We selected our own arrival time (11.30am). Uploaded our photos and checked in online weeks before the cruise. Parking at the port with RCI is self parking right next to the ship. Greeters with ipads check you in, no check in desks. From locking the car to being on board was 15 minutes. Disembarkation was just as easy, no queues.

 

A model lesson for P & O. There doesn't need to be all this resentment over the unfairness of late boarding times.

[livinforcruisin]

I realize that my feelings will be a lot different to others, but I cruise for the feeling of being on a ship. My baggage is taken at Southampton, my car is taken away and parked. I board the ship and I am at home and also on holiday. I don't want all the other stuff that seems to go with a big ship. I just love to sit on the Prom Deck in the early evening and watch the sea go by. Then I like to change, go to a nice bar, have a couple of drinks and wait for dinner at 8.30.

 

I want to be on a ship, not a floating enormous hotel that doesn't feel like a ship at all.

 

Just my honest opinion. i shall be interested to see what the staff are like on my next P&O in October.

 

Hi jeanlyon

You have summed up exactly what we love about cruising too. We felt like we were in a very beautiful, large floating hotel where the sea was secondary. It did take us a while to figure out what we felt was missing. There is nothing we love more than sitting on the promenade deck watching the world float by.