"Live from" Britannia, 10th February 2017

[Manilow fan]

We're on Britannia in January and doing this exact schedule. We fly to Barbados on 5th January - are you on the same cruise?

[plumduff68]

Loving your reports - a taking notes for when we go to the caribbean in Jan :D

 

I too wouldnt let the rose incident spoil your holiday - I cant see why you think it is against equality regulations and wouldnt work myself up about it.

If the staff were told to give roses to women thats what they did (although I have no idea what they were told!)

 

If you are treated differently at other times, dinner, drinks at the bar etc then I would say there is a cause for concern but as they more than likely didnt know their personal situation I wouldnt worry about it.

I can see anyone deliberately laughing at you - why would they risk their jobs over it? Maybe you're just being a tad over sensitive?

 

Enjoy the rest of your trip.:D

 

KAtie

 

 

Sorry - cant edit my post.

 

 

It should read I CANT see why anyone deliberately laughing at you.

 

 

Sorry

 

 

Enjoy x

[plumduff68]

We're on Britannia in January and doing this exact schedule. We fly to Barbados on 5th January - are you on the same cruise?

 

 

 

We are on this cruise too!! A big Birthday for me on 3rd Jan.

 

 

Am loving this report and taking notes:D

 

 

Katie x

[Manilow fan]

We are on this cruise too!! A big Birthday for me on 3rd Jan.

 

 

Am loving this report and taking notes:D

 

 

Katie x

 

My birthday on 6th January but not a big one this year! Are you flying on the 5th or 6th from Gatwick? We fly on the 5th so I can have my birthday in Barbados.

I started a roll call for our cruise last week.

Sue

[plumduff68]

My birthday on 6th January but not a big one this year! Are you flying on the 5th or 6th from Gatwick? We fly on the 5th so I can have my birthday in Barbados.

I started a roll call for our cruise last week.

Sue

 

Birthday is the 3rd (50th:eek:), overnight at Gatwick on 4th and fly on the 5th.

 

 

We decided we'd prefer the extra day at the start of our holiday.

 

 

How exciting to celebrate while your away - its soo expensive for us to be away on our birthdays as DH is 1 Jan!!!

 

 

Have you any plans for the day itself? You'll be up nice and early :o

 

 

I'll check out the roll call x x x Thanks for the heads up x

[FluffyFiFi]

Really enjoying your trip report, thank you for sharing your experience as it is so very helpful for me as I have not been on this ship before but have just booked for October when we are doing the repositioning cruise from Southampton to Barbados.

[bobstheboy]

Thanks for your blog. We are doing the Trans Atlantic in three weeks so it is giving us a taste of what's to come.

[Geoffa30]

Hi. Just a quick update on the rose situation. It hasn't affected our holiday. Yes the instruction was to just give roses to the women. No worries. We received a bottle of Lanson Black Label and chocolate covered strawberries as a gesture of goodwill. Thanks P&O.

 

Having a great time despite both having a bit of a cold. Stephen will do more updates tomorrow as it's another sea day :D

[Frflatt]

Wednesday 15th February 2017 - Sea Day

 

Well, we achieved what we intended today - relax and go for tea!

 

It was 6.30 before we awoke this morning and after our usual coffees from the Market Cafe we went for bacon and eggs in the Horizon buffet. I discovered this morning that although I've been asking for a skinny latte every morning the machine doesn't actually have any skimmed milk in it - I've been getting semi-skimmed and no one had told me! Possibly explains my weight gain since boarding the ship!

 

Next we went in search of shade and found the perfect spot on deck 18 starboard side - the sun didn't reach this all day and there was a delicious breeze. We settled down here and relaxed - we dozed, we read, we wrote and played games and music on our iPads. We purchased 24 hour browse package yesterday afternoon so I was able to update this thread - we miss the free wifi that we get on Princess with our platinum status. There had been problems with the internet in the morning so we got our time extended for an hour.

 

At 2pm we returned to our stateroom to iron, shower and change in readiness for our much anticipated afternoon tea at 3.30.

 

We arrived at Epicurean just before 3.30 and had to wait outside until the doors opened; there were about 9 couples there for the tea so the service was very attentive. The food was interesting - some was delightful such as the roast beef on brioche and the exotic cake lollipop and some was challenging such as the salmon on a macaroon, which I didn't really like as I'm not good with mixtures of sweet and savoury. Overall the tea was a very worthwhile experience and one that we would recommend. There was far too much food though (they were putting leftovers in doggy bags for people to take away) and it could have done with more savoury items and less sweet.

 

Following tea we returned to our stateroom; we had intended to drink the Dom Pérignon but when we opened it we found that it was not right - flat and acidic in flavour. There ensued a rather frustrating hour or so with customer services involving several phone calls, being told it would take a day to sort out or promises to call back in five minutes and finally a trip down to the desk when they failed to call back as promised. But eventually they changed the bottle and we will now enjoy it later in the week.

 

Tonight was a formal night but we didn't feel like playing (entertainment was a Gary Barlow tribute act and a comedian, Rudi West) so at about 7.30 we wandered up to the Horizon buffet and had a small snack. It was country and western themed buffet tonight but wasn't really very good at all - lunchtimes seem better with more choice than the evenings. We did overhear someone complaining that it was the worst cruise food that they had ever had - I wouldn't agree with that. I think the chef must have heard my complaints about lack of seasoning because the beef chilli tonight was so salty that it was almost inedible - good job that we weren't really hungry!

 

Then back to our stateroom where we relaxed and watched a movie (Horrible Bosses 2); I'd seen it before on a plane but Geoff hadn't and it was really quite amusing. By 10pm we were settling down for the night - tomorrow is Grenada and we don't have anything planned, we will see what the day brings!

[plumduff68]

Hi. Just a quick update on the rose situation. It hasn't affected our holiday. Yes the instruction was to just give roses to the women. No worries. We received a bottle of Lanson Black Label and chocolate covered strawberries as a gesture of goodwill. Thanks P&O.

 

Having a great time despite both having a bit of a cold. Stephen will do more updates tomorrow as it's another sea day :D

Glad you were OK in the end and that P&O resolved the situation to your satisfaction.

I find champagne smoothes out most of my issues 😂😂😂.

 

Enjoy the rest of your holiday and looking forward to more updates. X x

 

Sent from my SM-G935F using Forums mobile app

[dgs1956]

Good to read your update. I'm sure any weight gain is completely down to semi-skimmed milk and nothing to do with relaxing and over-eating. HaHa.

Great outcome BTW. Pleased it got sorted out.

[elmsliebev]

Very much enjoying your report and getting some helpful information, thanks! Glad the rose issue was sorted.

Looking forward to your next port of call report.

[Clodia]

Really enjoying your blogs and I too am glad the rose incident was sorted; I'm sure that no discrimination was intended but really in this day and age organisations have to be careful not to suggest that they treat same sex couples less favourably than mixed sex ones! Glad you got some wine ect as compensation for hurt feelings.

[P&O SUE]

Glad the rose incident was sorted to your satisfaction - well done P&O!

 

Keep the reports coming :)

[Frflatt]

Thursday 16th February 2017 - Grenada

 

We had no plans for today but when we woke we decided we wanted to do something organised and after looking at the excursions we decided on the 'Island Drive and Annandale Falls'. We both went down for coffee this morning at 7.30 and enjoyed it sitting in the Market Cafe and waiting for the shore excursions desk to open. We were in luck and were easily able to book the excursion we wanted.

 

After returning to our stateroom and getting ready we were out on the pier by 8.45, ready to meet our guide. We were in a small motor coach with about twenty other passengers and our driver and guide, Francis. It is easy to see why Grenada is known as the spice island, it is a lush land teeming with beautiful vegetation and fruit and spice trees. Francis was extremely knowledgable and told us all about the different vegetables, fruits and spices, how they are produced and what they are used for.

 

Our first stop was a comfort break at a small fishing village, it had a beautiful black sand beach and was a typical picture of a tropical paradise. There were lots of small stands by the road side selling a wide variety of spices and we bought some nutmeg for $2.

Next we drove up the extinct volcano into the rain forest to the top to get a view of the lake in the crater. It was a very beautiful area at the top with abundant gardens of tropical flowers and wonderful herbs and spices. Geoff tried the local beer - Stag - which is advertised as a 'man's beer' possibly due to its higher alcohol content, and I had a rum punch (included in the price of the excursion). A couple of chaps were playing guitar and singing, all very tropical and jolly. There were more spice shops up here and we bought some cocoa balls that when dissolved in five cups of water make drinking chocolate - four balls for $2. We also saw some monkeys and Geoff managed to capture a photo of one mid-yawn bearing some impressive fangs.

 

And then on to the falls which were very nice but not terribly dramatic - apparently the Seven Sisters Falls are the best but they can only be reached by hiking to them whereas these falls are less than a minute from the roadside. At the falls there are men who will jump off the rocks into the water for a tip (suggested $10-20 by themselves; don't tell them your name or you won't be able to leave until paying said tip. We know from experience!) - they are good and it makes for a good albeit expensive photo.

 

Then the lovely drive back down to the ship - Grenada is certainly a beautiful island. We were back on board by 1pm and went for lunch in Horizon buffet - I had beef curry and Geoff had fish and chips; we continue to enjoy lunch times in the buffet, the food is very good.

 

After lunch we found a nice shaded spot on the starboard side of deck 18 where we settled to relaxing and reading/writing/playing until it became too cold and windy and we went to the Crow's Nest with a beer and watched the world from that vantage point. The Crow's Nest is one of the things that we really think is an improvement in the way that this ship is fitted out compared with the Princess Royal class ships - it's a bit like Skywalker's in the older Grand class.

 

After our evening ablutions we went to the 7pm performance of the production show 'Once Upon a Time'. Once again we were impressed with the costumes, stage sets, effects and cast performance in this show - there are some really strong singers and dancers in this crew, better than we've seen on a lot of ships.

 

After a glass of wine in the Glass House we went for dinner in the Peninsular dining room. It was Italian night in the buffet but not in the dining room - we enjoy Italian night on Princess where the theme is carried through. They did have Tiramisu for dessert, which is Geoff's favourite, but it wasn't very good; a couple of sponge fingers half covered in chocolate mousse isn't Tiramisu. I had the baked cheesecake and some delicious honey & ginger ice cream.

 

With an early start tomorrow we decided to turn in at about 10pm - we've both had colds and have not been sleeping very well and really need a good nights sleep. Tomorrow is St. Vincent where we are due to visit the gardens, should be a good day.

[Frflatt]

Friday 17th February 2017 - St. Vincent

 

We have been very fortunate so far this couple of weeks with some lovely weather and have woken to some beautiful sunrises and witnessed some stunning sunsets.

 

We arrived in St. Vincent this morning at about 7.30 and after our usual coffee we were ready, off the ship and on the pier to meet out excursion at 8.30. Our guide today is Romona and our driver is Satis. The excursion to the gardens of St. Vincent takes in two of the island's gardens - the botanical gardens in the main town and Montreal gardens in the mountains. The gardens are both very different; the botanical gardens are 200+ years old and are easily reached in about 10 minutes from the pier. They are beautifully manicured gardens planted with specimens from all over the world - there is a breadfruit tree that Captain Bligh (of Mutiny on the Bounty fame) brought from Indonesia. Romona is very knowledgable about the plants and is a very interesting and entertaining guide.

 

The second garden is the Montreal gardens, which are a little over an hour drive away in the mountains. These gardens are privately owned and have been around for less than 20 years - the land was previously used for growing citrus fruit and cut flowers. The owner greets each group of visitors and is clearly passionate about his work - he originally came from Wales and bought the house and gardens as a holiday home. The gardens are ordered but very natural; they have some stunning tropical plants and lovely fruit and spice trees. The contrast between the two gardens is marked but each are worth a visit.

 

We returned to the ship by the coast road - St. Vincent is another very lush island like its neighbour of Grenada and is a joy to journey through. After a light lunch in the Horizon buffet we spent the afternoon relaxing and reading/writing/playing on our iPads. Our colds were getting the better of us - I've developed a hacking cough which has given me a headache. I would have like to walk up to St. George's cathedral but the weather was too hot and I didn't really have the energy to walk that far - perhaps next time.

 

We decided to have a quiet evening with room service and a movie - the room service burgers are very good and rather fittingly we watched the film St Vincent with Bill Murray about a grumpy neighbour. Tomorrow is another early excursion - cruise to the Pitons - we've done this excursion before and really enjoyed it so hopefully will feel better after a good nights sleep and be ready for the adventure.

[Frflatt]

Saturday 18th February 2017 - St. Lucia

 

It was 6.45 before we woke this morning - we really are becoming 'lay a beds'! My cold is really coming out today - the cough has turned productive but I'm not alone because it seems like a lot of people are suffering the same maladies.

 

When I woke to visit the bathroom at 1am I noticed that we were already tied up in port - a tannoy for a medical emergency had gone out at 9.30 last night and the person had needed hospitalisation so we had come straight to port. One of the things that we've noticed this cruise is that at a lot of the stops we have been the only ship in port but that is not the case today because we were joined by the Fred Olsen Balmoral and the Tui Discovery.

 

It was all a bit of a scramble this morning but after getting ready and our morning coffee we were lined up on the pier by 8.20am - the line for our excursion was already very long; there were 129 on our trip. Soon we were on our way having got two seats right at the back of the boat which is the best place to view the Pitons on the return journey. We both love boat trips and have been looking forward to this excursion for some time.

 

The first stop on the excursion is a beach near a resort made up of tiny houses - here we stop about 10 feet from the shore in four or five feet of water where folk can get off and swim. As soon as the boat stops it is surrounded by local men in canoes selling conch shells and little trinkets and jewellery; they are well known by the ship's crew and as soon as the next tour boat pulls into the cove they are off to try their luck with the next group of travellers.

 

Next we continue our journey to the Pitons where we manage to get some good pictures. Since leaving the swimming area the bar has been open with complimentary drinks and the 'jungle juice' (rum punch) is very strong. On the way back there is singing and dancing and everyone joins in - there is a large group of Scottish folk who are celebrating two birthdays and they are very loud and enthusiastic! The rum punch continues to flow as we continue into the beautiful Marigot Bay (where they filmed Dr. Doolittle) and all the way back to Castries!

 

By the time we got back on the ship we felt a little worse for wear and ended up sleeping until 4.30. We both had a refreshing bath and got cleaned up for the evening but we're still feeling very delicate! We decided to try the Beach House tonight which in hindsight probably wasn't wise; we both have headaches and feel nauseous. The starters are good - I had potato skins - which was more like a lovely fluffy baked potato with cheese and bacon - and Geoff had nachos. For mains I had beef chilli tacos and Geoff had the burger - my chilli was lovely and Geoff's burger looked really good although it seemed to be in brioche cake but we didn't finish and left without having desert. It was a pity because it was really very good and we will return another time. Geoff was violently ill when we got back to the cabin and noted he was never drinking again at least not until tomorrow.

 

Tomorrow is a sea day and we are booked in Epicurean so we need to get a good nights rest and feel better for our special meal. Apart from the underlying cold the rest of our illness today is self inflicted so there is no one to blame but us! It's only 9pm but really need to try to sleep.

 

A final observation today is around the crew - something that we've noticed is that the crew on this ship are from a narrow band of nationalities - mainly South East Asian and that they are very formal in how they interact with passengers - not wishing to offend - on Princess we are used to crew from all over the world, with a lot from Eastern Europe, and they are very friendly and enjoy laughing and joking with passengers, becoming very friendly. This isn't a criticism but just an observation and probably reflects the different levels of formality of the different lines. One couple commented to us that they had asked to be called by their first names but were told by a waiter that it had to be sir or madam whilst he was on the ship.

[soobs]

Keep them coming very enjoyable hope your colds clear up soon

[Roofire]

Enjoying this review immensely. Thank you.

[Frflatt]

Sunday 19th February 2017 - Sea Day

 

We managed to achieve another relaxing sea day today - hard work but worth it! Fortunately this morning after a broken nights sleep we woke 75% better than when we went to bed!

 

After our usual morning coffee we went for breakfast in the Peninsula dining room - we always go to the MDR at least once a cruise to remind us why the buffet for breakfast is more desirable. Breakfast in the MDR is relaxed with no searching for a seat but I like things in a certain way and unless I get them myself they are not right - for example I like bacon that is soft and not fatty but the bacon I got was too hard. (Geoff likes a crispy sausage but the one he got was soft and pale!) I know I'm fussy but I just find the buffet better for breakfast. The only problem with the buffet breakfast is that I can lack will power and eat too much!

 

After breakfast we found a nice spot in the shade on deck 18 starboard side where we settled to read, write, play and generally relax. This sea day was in some ways pointless, we didn't go anywhere except round in circles - at 3pm we passed the Pitons on St. Lucia - exactly where we had been 24 hours earlier! We would have preferred to have visited another island like Guadeloupe, Martinique or St Kitts rather than have a sea day, but, I imagine it is designed to work for those who got on in St. Lucia (or to make sure we spend money on board)?!

 

At 3.30 we returned to our stateroom to start to get ready for our evening - formal night number three and our meal in Epicurean. We spent a leisurely three hours bathing, drinking champagne and generally pampering ourselves - how luxurious and decadent.

 

At 7pm we went up to the Crow's Nest to enjoy a gin and tonic - I had Silent Pool and Geoff had a Botanist, we both had a perfect serve. Mine was delicious - slightly spicy with the lovely sweetness of elderflower and Geoff's was subtle (i.e. no flavour). At 8pm we made our way to Epicurean.

 

When we went to the afternoon tea earlier in the cruise Geoff had said he hoped we would be seated in the booths for our dinner so when we arrived and were given a choice so we chose to sit in a booth. The booth is lovely and intimate but the sofas are slightly old and saggy so it makes them low to the table. Also, I'm nosey and it's difficult to see what's going on from the booth position. Nonetheless, they are good seats and I would choose them again.

 

The menu for the night was number A - not the one we would have chosen as it is more fishy than B, but still has good variety and choice. As an amuse bouche we were given strawberry lollipops- delicious but a little odd, something savoury would have worked better. I started with the chicken and morel mousseline - I felt this was a little dry and I would have been happy with just a larger portion of the duck liver parfait, which was excellent - I'm not sure how the parfait and mousseline related to each other? The pickled veg were not really pickled at all. Geoff started with goats cheese crotin which he thought was very good when the elements were taken together - the beetroot on its own was very earthy.

 

For mains I had the pork fillet and pork belly. The fillet was lovely but the belly was hideous - the fat on the belly was gelatinous and the honey glaze was like pure liquid honey (I don't do sweet flavours with meat). If the glaze had been properly caramelised and the fat rendered down it would have been amazing but it was inedible. Geoff had the salt marsh lamb. His was well cooked but the shepherds pie was not very warm; however, the flavours were very good. We both agreed that the plates needed more vegetable and the meat/veg balance was wrong.

 

Pre-dessert was a 'fried egg' - a mango yolk jelly and coconut white egg white but this was not nice and was mainly gelatin. It looked like a Haribo. Geoff liked it

 

The deserts were the biggest disappointment of the evening. I had the summer berry texture; the cannelloni was delicious and I would have been happy with that on its own; however, the Eton Mess was horrible - the meringue was dense and hard and the elderflower mallow had no flavour at all. Geoff had the Black Forest torte that wasn't a torte and tasted of pure alcohol thanks to the pipette of cherry brandy it came with - it was a big let down and he didn't enjoy it.

 

The coffee order was wrong when it came and we had long finished and left before the petit fours would have reached our table. I heard one of our neighbouring tables being told that it was a 30 minute wait for the crepe suzette and they left before they got it.

 

We expected that service would be leisurely in Epicurean but it was chaotic. The first few courses seemed to come out in quick succession but then it all slowed down and they seemed to be struggling with dessert and coffee - such a pity as the food was good and the staff lovely. It almost felt like they were trying too hard; they food needs simplifying, some elements removing and they need need to be less theatrical and a more simple solid culinary experience. Out of Sindhu and Epicurean I would have to say that Sindhu won hands down.

 

Another observation - wine and drinks prices in general on P&O are very reasonable; a decent bottle of wine can be had for well under £30 and this makes dining out good value for money. None of the plus 18% tip on every drink like on Princess.

 

Well at 10.30, having finished our meal it was back to our stateroom to get ready for our day in Dominica tomorrow where we are booked to go dolphin and whale watching on a rib.

[groovechick]

Thursday 16th February 2017 - Grenada There were more spice shops up here and we bought some cocoa balls that when dissolved in five cups of water make drinking chocolate - four balls for $2.

 

Very interested to hear what you think of your chocolate balls. We also purchased some and tried making the chocolate when we got home. We followed the instructions carefully but the end result was undrinkable - basically hot water with gritty brown bits floating in it and very bitter. The balls didn't dissolve - heating a saucepan, whizzing in a blender, adding sugar - all made no difference. The coffee we purchased in the shop at the terminal, though, was great.

[Frflatt]

Monday 20th February 2017 - Dominica

 

I woke this morning after a fitful nights sleep - I think due to eating late and the richness of the food - with a slight nauseous feeling. We arrived in Dominica on this bright sunny morning and berthed in the terminal outside Roseau - the town berth was occupied by a HAL ship. When we were here last year it was torrential rain all day.

 

After coffee and breakfast we sat for a while on the sunset bar terrace - I would have liked to have walked into town but it was too warm to walk that far and I still felt a little sick. We whiled away the morning relaxing and watching the world go by on the Lido deck. We watched the rib return from the morning excursion and load up with passengers for the mid-day trip. After this we returned to our stateroom to rest and get ready for our trip at 2.45pm.

 

At 2.20pm we wandered down to the quayside to sign our disclaimers and wait to get on the Flying Fish with Captain Big Dave and his crew. We did this same trip last year in pouring rain and saw lots of whales and dolphins and had booked this trip as soon as the bookings opened. Soon we were on our way out into the sea, enjoying the exhilarating high speed ride across the waves. It took a while but eventually we spotted some whales and off we went. The patience in waiting for a sighting yielded good results - first we got up close to three female sperm whales with a calf and then we found some adult male sperm whales that were huge along with a male youth. We spent some time going alongside these whales and were rewarded with some great sights especially when they did a deep dive. Shortly after this final dive, we sped back to the shoreline for the obligatory rum punch. The journey back was approximately four miles and all the way we must have averaged 40mph. Great fun.

 

We got back to the ship just after 5pm and showered and changed for dinner. It was tandoori night in the Horizon buffet tonight so we wandered up there for a pre-dinner snack but the selection was so good thar we ended up having more than we intended. We then went down to the Glass House for a drink - champagne for Geoff and Kir Royale for me. Dinner in the dining room looked boring and we had already eaten more than we intended so we went along to the Live Lounge to catch the early show of comedian John Ryan; he was slow to start but once he got going he was fairly funny.

 

Next we returned to the Horizon buffet for dessert before heading down to the Headliners theatre to see Jeff Dingle as Bruno Mars. He was actually very good indeed and although I didn't know many of the songs - Geoff did - I really enjoyed his show.

 

It was now getting rather late and we have an all day boat trip tomorrow on Antigua so it was definitely time to wander off to bed and try to get a better nights sleep.

 

Another observation that Geoff and I have made is that on some days they have all the shows and it is difficult to work out a schedule where we can see them all and other days they have nothing - perhaps the entertainment department should look more carefully at the programming?!

[Frflatt]

Tuesday 21st February 2017 - Antigua

 

I definitely got a better nights sleep last night and it was much later when we woke this morning - almost 7am - and we were already at our berth. We had our usual coffee but no time for breakfast so I grabbed some breakfast rolls from the grab and go; they were actually ok.

 

We got to the quayside for just after 9am and were soon headed to join our catamaran Mystic III. We have been on this trip previously and on that occasion drank a little too much rum punch and were ill (we never learn!). There were not that many on our trip so there was lots of space on the boat; I would have thought about 50 on a boat that could hold in excess of 100.

 

There was a weather system moving down from the north which meant that it was very unsettled and the sea was extremely choppy - the crew said this was very unusual. The passage to our first beach (this was a beach break sail) was reasonably smooth but when we reached the beach the vessel couldn't actually remain on the beach but had to quickly let people off and then go back out into the bay. Quite a few brave souls elected to get off the boat but many stayed on board. Two people swam off the back of the boat but only stayed in the water for a few minutes and said it was very uncomfortable. After an hour and with some difficulty we picked the folk back up from the beach so that we could make our way to the second beach stop.

 

This is when the weather really came down. We had been going only a few minutes after leaving the first beach and the swell really picked up and it started to pour with rain. The crew had put tables out for the lunch and there were heavy duty waterproof table cloths so we used those as tents to shelter from the storm! When the rain passed the sea was still choppy - Geoff emerged from the tent and just had time to say 'it's quite dry out here' before a high wave soaked him from head to toe - everyone thought this was hilarious!

 

Our second beach was in a sheltered bay and this was much calmer. After a lunch of chicken, fish, rice, potatoes and salad - very tasty - the boat was able to pull up onto the shore. We were able to spend 45 minutes on this beach, which was probably sufficient. After leaving this spot we made our way back to St. John's and our ship.

 

Tonight is another of those occasions where everything seems to be happening at the same time. It was the great British sail away and formal night and the LED light show. We chose not to go to the sail away but instead to have leisurely baths in preparation for formal night. We also enjoyed our bottle of Dom Pérignon which was absolutely delicious - thank you Geoff.

 

We went down to an early dinner to be able to go to the 8.30 acrobat show and the 9.45 light show - it was 7pm and we went straight into the Peninsula dining room. At 7.30pm there was the March of the Chefs (on Princess they have the March of the Baked Alaska!). At dinner I overheard someone remark that it felt strange that on their 4th night (they got on in St. Lucia) they felt like it was a last night with the sail away/light show and having had two black tie nights in quick succession.

 

After dinner we went to the acrobat show but it was very boring - we've seen some really good balancing acts in the past but this wasn't one of them! Next we returned to our stateroom to change out of formal clothes to go up to Lido deck for the light show. When we got there we were surprised to see people still in formal attire - it seemed a bit incongruous. The light show was ok but not what I expected - I thought it was going to be more like the light shows that are put on by the Osborne Family Christmas Lights at Disney's Hollywood Studios in Orlando. The lights on the costumes kept breaking down and performers were constantly rushing off the be adjusted as they were glowing green whilst they should have been red. The string lights were malfunctioning where we were sat too. But the singers and dancers were full of enthusiasm. At the end of the performance at 10.15 it started to rain - so they finished just in time.

 

After some cheese and crackers in the Horizon buffet it was off to bed for us to prepare ourselves for St. Maarten tomorrow - this is a day that we've been looking forward to since we were last there.

[Frflatt]

Wednesday 22nd February 2017 - St. Maarten

 

We aim to achieve two things today - spend the day relaxing on the beach and enjoy our sunset sail.

 

It was a busy day in port today - six cruise ships with about 20,000 passengers; there was Britannia, Tui Discovery, Aida Luna, Celebrity Summit, Freedom of the Seas and Harmony (Leviathan / Behemoth?) of the Seas.

 

After coffee and breakfast we were off the ship and walking the short distance to Phillipsburg and its beach by 9am. Despite the offers of lounger deals along the way we went straight to Holland House to purchase their lounger package (lounger, umbrella, wifi, showers, toilets and 4 drinks) for $25. We had visited this establishment for a drink when we were here last year and had said that we would return when we visited the island again. We got two loungers in the second row - the front row already had towels on them from hotel guests. We spent six relaxing hours enjoying the sun, the drinks (we had a couple more margaritas after our four beers) and the free wifi.

 

At 3pm we caught the water taxi back to the cruise pier to get ready for our sunset sail. This was good timing as it poured with rain the moment we stepped on the water taxi!

At 4.40 we made our way to the quayside for our evening excursion. We were soon on board the Golden Eagle and heading out into the bay for a very pleasant gentle sail; we have been on this boat before and really enjoy experience. The drinks flowed and we had a fantastic view of a beautiful sunset - this is one of the things we love doing and always try to experience wherever we are on holiday.

 

At 7pm we got back to the pier and returned to our ship - the Summit and Harmony had already left and the Freedom was just getting ready to go. We changed and headed to the Crow's Nest for a G&T - Geoff had a perfect Masons (very tasty) and I had a perfect Haymans (ok) followed by a Tanqueray and Silent Pool. Then down to the Peninsula dining Room - it was 9pm and we easily got a table. It was one of those nights when it seemed they had put everything on the menu; there was so much to choose from and it was very good. My lamb shank was huge and perfectly cooked and Geoff's Chicken Korma though pale in colour tasted good. Service was much better too. We remarked again how much better we thought the menu choice and food was on P&O compared to Princess and the chef has found the seasoning!

 

After dinner we returned to our stateroom to relax and watch some television before settling down for the night. Tomorrow is a sea day as we return to Barbados for our flights home on Friday. Once we get home I will do a round up and a comparison of the P&O experience as compared with the Princess experience but before those will come reports of tomorrow and our disembarkation/flight home on Friday.

[Cappers]

Nnnooooo,,,you can't come home yet!! We want more:(

 

2 questions though,,1, does the Tui Discovery look nice?

And 2,, just how big is Harmony? On a scale of 1 to 1000000!! ;)