yesididit

Having always gone for the cheapest,  please can someone tell me the benefits of the various locations? In terms of front/aft up/down or in the middle (I know the middle doesn't move as much). I don't understand why the front cabins are valued more than the aft? And why is the very top deck valued less? Is it the potential noise from above? And the lowest has engine noise?

I know the restricted views and inside. 

You're very perceptive Janny ! After our last cruise we vowed no more cruising, Fed up of mass tourism but here we are again seriously about to book.

The long flight,especially the return landing at silly o'clock with no sleep and having to drive home is the only thing weighing on me. I keep telling myself I wouldn't be doing anything else that day. The heat too, I'm no good when it's hot, I'm hoping come November the heat will be welcome. 30' All year? Prefer 20' just cant please some folk :-)

Better late than never. Britannia's crystal room is the best afloat for me, never crowded, lively music and good size floor. Cunard's larger floor but boring music and no one it,unless gala night-then there's no room. Oriana's was good but few people bothered and the floor is 6inches sunken, as in a 6inch kerb to climb to the tables. This has an effect of reducing the floor size somewhat.

So, I'm about to book Britannia again, just because of the dancing.

Tried Fred Olsen, won't try again.

Can now afford the time and money for Britannia around the Caribbean. Have filled in the booking online 3 times and bawk on the final click. The number of 'what ifs' are now in single figures, one big one is the dreaded flight. Iv'e never been longer than 2 hours so this is big for me. Is there any chance while waiting at Manchester we could be bing bonged "flight cancelled,please make your way to coach for onward to london"?This would tip me over the edge.

Just off Balmoral and I too would rate it as 3*. Cundard 5* (not the food) P&O 4*. Breakfast is as already said, a farce. Sat waiting ages to be served then slowly realized it's a trick to make you give in and go and get it yourself. They should just make it self service instead of pretending. Coffee was disgusting as it is on all ships, much prefer a jar of Nescafe. Tea was no better. Paradoxically the UHT milk was putrid and undrinkable. I know fresh milk is a huge problem but at most 2 sea days, fresh milk keeps a couple of days, cost? I know I know.

Food though was good as was service disallowing for earlier remarks. My big whinge was the cabin, deck 4. When approaching a port (often early hours when you are fast asleep) the ship will reduce engine revolutions to reduce speed and this starts the shakes rattles and vibrations to such an extent that sleep is impossible. The bolted down single beds were poor, sloping sideways, had to pull mattress away from the wall and stuff the cushions between to give me room.The ship is old and tired. The bathroom had erratic hot water with very poor flow through the tap, I did actually pee faster, I put the kettle under the tap while I .... and beat it. There were chips to the sink through to rusty metal and silicone beads on top of silicone beads. I really don't understand why Fred Olsen have such loyal customers, never heard a bad word about them even though they are more expensive than others. Not much ballroom dancing, one hour a night split between the orchestra (painfully slow Waltzzzzzzzzz) and then 10 minute wait until the CD's are found(every night!). So 50 minutes not an hour.

Unprofessional and embarrassing noon announcement from Captain, "it is what it is, wash wash wash".

Fred Olsen?, not for me.

Hello, never mind about the cabins, was there lots of ballroom dancing? And was there a scramble game available? On her week on Monday and just wondering :-)

The food is similar to P&O. The belly laughs are fewer. The music a tad staid for dancing.

Cunard best for peace and quiet.

Hello, on P&O the wine waiter would fill your glass then take the bottle away (red,so not into a cooler) then kept creeping up and topping up your glass. I hated this and even though I politely asked her not to it became a stupid issue. Managed to get the bottle left on the table but she thought it had become a game and would top my glass up when I wasn't looking,small beer I know but none the less it was a first world problem. Mainly for the others sat at the table, I'm too thick skinned to be upset. Waitress only trying to be nice, but it ended nastily with an unnecessary scene. I had to put my hand over my glass and firmly say no.

Do they take your bottle away on FO? Not talking white wine to a cooler, red

Yes I'll do that oumbalady, If I couldn't dance I would never go on a ship, probably change my mind when I start to dribble!

Last time on P&O Britannia most were happy around the pool by day with too loud raucous music blaring out and in the pub at night with drop down tv screens showing football. Not for me. Cyrstal room was very nice with an excellent band playing upbeat modern music for ballroom and Latin with a fantastic girl singer. Did you dance in Harlequin? I felt it was a bit cut off from rest of ship and if few in there atmosphere was bit flat.

Anyone know if scrabble is on board Balmoral or have to take your own?

Yes, scrabble and I'll take the Uno too, that's always good for a laugh :D (no one wants to sit next to me...)

Do you have to take your own scramble? :(

Gone and booked for 2 Oct so if I don't like it, all your fault 1160451 ☺ nyet

Have you looked at the ships information for Balmoral, it gives you the square footage for each cabin grade. We always sail Braemar which has slightly smaller cabins than Balmoral. You can also use a web site called cruise mapper to compare FO cabin sizes to other cruise line cabin sizes.

 

Pugwash123

Thanks Pugwash, FO state their cabin size ok it's the other that confuse with total cabin and balcony areas. Balmoral outside cabin 165sq ' , that's all I can find. P &O say theirs are between 175 and 200 but include balcony.

#confused

Hi,just debating whether to book Balmoral 2 Oct, never been on TO before but know that on PO the early seating is most popular. I always chose saver tickets because always put on late sitting,which suits me fine.

Really concerned about the pokey cabins I've heard about, got the money ready to buy!

Not sure where you got the feeling about the general consensus being that long haul flights are not worth it. For only one week, no, for more than one week, yes.

And I have no idea what Fred Olsen has to do with a question about long haul flights! And as for fixed dining - sorry, totally lost me!

Sorry,trying to be conclusive about my future holiday. Thought of returning to UK early morning then having to drive 6 hrs or stay hotel and stare at the ceiling for couple hours negates the holiday. A few have had bad times with this part of their trip, it has totally nailed it for me.

rhetorically saying this time, Fred Olsen, I don't want staff in my face befriending me.

Fixed dinning,too risky. Boring people are never bored. I appear to be a magnet, yes I know.

Britannia or a Queen it shall be. Nothing to do with long haul, just scribble.

To be honest I'm just not good with holidays, much prefer my garden. I do it for my wife and I happen to be a very good ballroom dancer, which she likes :)

Thanks all, the general consensus is it's not worth it, given the sort that I am. Irony is I can afford it now.

Just seen a fred Olsen video on you tube of people having fun and folk saying the staff remember your name. That's not going to happen either. I'm not good with social skills. Hate forced fun.

Fixed dinning, we asked to be moved every night, realised at the end that it's me,not others

Love Britain in spring and summer but come winter thoughts of the Caribbean get stronger every year. I get seriously itchy bored let me off on short haul, even a 2 hour flight door to door takes all day and leaves me dreading the whole thing. Yet the pull of the land of the coconut grows stronger. How on earth do you cope sat on a plane all day? I can only sleep in a bed. Thought of landing back in uk early morning after sleepless night is horrible, then driving home. I struggle coping with red traffic lights so any delay would finish me off.

Is long haul as bad as I imagine? House door to cabin door, 15hrs?

Would have to be Britannia, only for dancing in the under used Cyrstal room:cool:

Hello all, can anyone tell me about the dancing please? I rang FO and the guy said you dance on the stage:rolleyes: I assume the dancing is in the Lido lounge? Is it every night or no set pattern? Have been on Britannia and out of 3000 passengers there were about 20 regular dancers, in the Crystal room, which is lovely. Have been on Queen Victoria too and nice dance floor but very stuffy, even fewer dancers than P&O. I have read on here what there is and bit of a mixed bag, one guy said ballroom dancers are well provided for. From what I have gleaned from youtube, FO's cabins look very dated (perhaps the video was too!) the prices are a lot higher too, almost £1000 more comparible P&O14 day Caribbean with balcony v FO 11 night to Russia with balcony, don't understand why.

So dancers, is it worth the extra? I'm guessing but on PO dancers are in a separate venue, FO in the main (only) venue so perhaps more folk watching taking part? Better atmospher?

Thank you,

Thank you both for your encouraging replies, really appreciate your time doing so. Sounds good and looking forward to it now :)

Blimey Selbourne, just noticed both you and Cruisepuss have been on Britannia twice and you have booked again. I struggle to find a good word about Britannia and I'm on her on Sunday. Can't be all bad? Only reason I chose Britannia is for the dancing in the Cyrstal room, did you see any?

Thank you

Al the mot man, you've more jam than Hartleys! I got an upgrade from worst obstructed view to not so bad obstructed view, which made me:)

You going to pass a few more mots now?

I beg to differ The English Lady, I booked saver obstructed view for the 9th Oct and have just been upgraded to a not quite so obstructed view! So there :p

The rear most obstructed view cabins over look the tenders, which have an upstairs. So not much view at all. My upgrade overlooks the lifeboats and you can look straight over them, because they are like bungalows, not double decker buses :D

I'm delighted because I would not have been happy looking at a double decker bus. It's taught me a lesson to be more careful with my booking

I'm a coffee snob too and guess the coffee will be the same on all P&O's ships,disgusting! Though perhaps if half decent there would be no need for Costa on-board. I quite like Costa coffee, far superior to Starbuck's which is served luke warm. Proper coffee at Algerian coffee, this against the rules?:)

Biggest problem is if you don't finish bottle 1 it is on your table the following night along with bottle 2. So it could happen that near the end of your cruise you have quite a few bottles lined up. You can always take them home. My wife hardly drinks so I had huge pressure to get through it all, which in hind sight isn't nice. Especially after a couple of pints before dinner. The cheapest wine isn't great, lidl's £5 bottle is far superior to P&O's £20 bottle, which is a unique brand that will be labelled for just P&O so you can't really compare or buy at home. It's marketing, I get that.

All the pomp of people tasting the wine and saying "oh yes lovely" pour please! On a bottle that probably cost P&O £2.50, ever the cinic!

Personally I wouldn't buy the package, buy the wine on the night. Cheaper too

Hi, not suggesting the op doesn't want to dress up but a lot of people seem to rebel nowadays. Very slovenly in my option, years ago people dressed up for a night down the pub, not anymore, jeans and t shirt. What's it coming to? I'm 60 and just bought my first ever dinner suit, always had hand me downs that itch horribly and didn't fit. Folk should stick to the council ships if they don't want to make an effort. It's what cruising is about, be proud of yourself! Look smart and hold your head up! It's what we British do well. The rules are clear. If I was in charge at the door I wouldn't let scruff in.

I really love both ships and have been on both quite a few times.

The Azura atrium dance floor isn't great whereas the Crystal Room on the Britannia is excellent.

I would be more than happy on either ship but Britannia edges it for me.

Hi, do tell us more about the dancing, only reason I'm going on Britannia is for the dancing! Went on Queen Victoria and a bit of a dull atmosphere, never had a belly laugh all week. Very staid, and almost as bad, no tea facilities in the cabin, never going with them again. The cooked breakfasts were poor too, look forward to egg and bacon but was dissapointed, was better on P&O by far.