Opinions requested for location of 2 x balcony & 1 inside cabin on Britannia

I don’t know much about the Britannia apart from that she doesn’t have a mid ship stairwell :)

As a family we are seriously considering booking for the fjords in August. We consist of my senior citizen parents, my husband & I & our two boys aged 21 & 14. We are thinking that the boys can share an inside cabin and my parents can have a balcony cabin next to us, possibly adjoining but that’s not a deal breaker. We would be booking on a select basis because of the free coach transfer offer that is currently running.

Are there any particular places to avoid due to noise? My parents are fairly fit so they can use the stairs to go a couple of decks up or a few decks down.

And can the balcony dividers be opened on Britannia (unless it is a fire break section?)

Thanks!

I don’t know much about the Britannia apart from that she doesn’t have a mid ship stairwell :)

 

As a family we are seriously considering booking for the fjords in August. We consist of my senior citizen parents, my husband & I & our two boys aged 21 & 14. We are thinking that the boys can share an inside cabin and my parents can have a balcony cabin next to us, possibly adjoining but that’s not a deal breaker. We would be booking on a select basis because of the free coach transfer offer that is currently running.

 

Are there any particular places to avoid due to noise? My parents are fairly fit so they can use the stairs to go a couple of decks up or a few decks down.

And can the balcony dividers be opened on Britannia (unless it is a fire break section?)

 

Thanks!

Britannia doesn’t have a Promenade deck either, which is a major negative for some people. Other than that she is a lovely ship with the best Select Dining restaurants in the fleet IMO.

We love the Fjords but be aware that Britannia doesn’t do the longest / most scenic Fjords (e.g. Flaam / Olden) as much as the smaller ships and even when she is advertised to go to them the itinerary is often altered nearer the cruise. We were due to do both Flaam and Olden on our Fjords cruise on Britannia and both were cancelled. I found out that this had happened 6 times on Britannia. If you aren’t too bothered where you go then fine, but just be aware of this.

As for cabin location, avoid the rear 20% of the ship as you can experience soot on the balcony. Also, avoid locations above the smoking areas (port side aft, starboard midships). As a general rule, I would never book a cabin directly above or below any public areas. If you are under an open deck you will be disturbed early morning by staff dragging deck chairs around for cleaning. If you are above an entertainment venue you will hear amplified music. On our last Britannia Cruise we were on F deck aft and in addition to soot on the balcony we were disturbed by music from the Live Lounge even though it was 2 decks below.

Balconies on Britannia are very shallow, much more so than the other ships. The balcony dividers can be opened on some cabins (but not all - P&O can advise), but this will cause further restriction of usable space.

If you can work around all of the above and are happy to live with the known limitations of Britannia then a great cruise can be had on her. In addition to fantastic restaurants she has the best cabins in the fleet with modern facilities. The passenger mix is also different to the other ships with a large proportion of passengers being new to cruising. Many of the P&O traditionalists dismiss her due to her large size, but we have never had a problem with that.

Selbourne sums it up just about perfectly.

Definitely avoid aft as the soot problem is a pain and restricts use of your balcony unless you want your clothes all marked and streaked.

The standard balcony is tiny compared to other ships and feels really cramped with just 2 people using it. For the Fjords then personally I would prefer a ship with a bigger balcony as it is lovely to sit out and watch the beautiful views. Add to that the lack of a decent promenade so you can’t even walk right round to enjoy it.

Britannia is a really lovely ship, has much to offer and is defiantly worth trying but for me anyway not the one I would select for the Fjords.

Selbourne sums it up just about perfectly.

 

 

Definitely avoid aft as the soot problem is a pain and restricts use of your balcony unless you want your clothes all marked and streaked.

 

 

The standard balcony is tiny compared to other ships and feels really cramped with just 2 people using it. For the Fjords then personally I would prefer a ship with a bigger balcony as it is lovely to sit out and watch the beautiful views. Add to that the lack of a decent promenade so you can’t even walk right round to enjoy it.

 

 

Britannia is a really lovely ship, has much to offer and is defiantly worth trying but for me anyway not the one I would select for the Fjords.

Yes, we are attempting Flaam and Olden a 2nd time this year, but on Arcadia. We have an aft corner wrap suite which will hopefully be soot free!

August to the Fjords from Southampton gives a lot of choice:

4th Azura 7 nights £620 inside £837 balcony

7th Ventura 7nights £640 inside £985 balcony

11th Sapphire Princess 7 nights £833 inside £1078 balcony

12th Britannia 7 nights £689 inside £935 balcony

25th Azura 7 nights £689 inside £985 balcony

I find choosing Britannia surprising to be honest.

Regards John

Oh no .... I’m going to the fjords on Britannia next month. First time cruiser.

Oh no .... I’m going to the fjords on Britannia next month. First time cruiser.

Britannia has the best designed (imo) self service buffet restaurant of all the ships most of them are too small with not enough seating area.

The Crows Nest bar is our favourite bar of all the ships.

The ships decor is a little bland especially compared to american ships but the cabins are very nice but a little smaller than other ships and the balconies smaller but still useable.

If your budget allows look at the superior deluxe balcony they are very nice with a seating area and full bathroom.

The main negatives for me are the Live lounge isnt big enough to accomodate the larger number of passengers and you are lucky to get a seat and the sun loungers are crammed in like sardines (but you probably wont use much in Norway anyway).

Hope you have a lovely cruise and be careful you might get hooked!

We will be on 20th May cruise so looks like we get on when you get off[emoji41]

Sent from my SM-T580 using Forums mobile app

Oh no .... I’m going to the fjords on Britannia next month. First time cruiser.

Don’t worry. You would know by now if your itinerary had changed. As I said above she is a lovely ship and ideal for a first time cruiser as you have so many facilities. I would also say that a 7 night Fjords Cruise is the perfect first cruise. I’m sure that you will have a lovely time.

Oh no .... I’m going to the fjords on Britannia next month. First time cruiser.

Do not misunderstand me, it will be a good cruise. First time Fjords offer a lot of scenery and calm seas in the fjords themselves. Balcony size might not be an issue as it is a milder temperature region. People generally go for a smaller ship where offered. Britannia does offer better tenders to mobility marginal passengers.

Regards John

Queen Victoria is doing Fjords ex-Southampton and the 24th August sailing is cheaper than the 3rd August.

3rd August £1270 inside and £1953 balcony

24th August £999 inside and £1212 balcony

Regards John

Don’t worry. You would know by now if your itinerary had changed. As I said above she is a lovely ship and ideal for a first time cruiser as you have so many facilities. I would also say that a 7 night Fjords Cruise is the perfect first cruise. I’m sure that you will have a lovely time.

Hi Selbourne we are going to Fjords in July on Britannia and are hoping to book Briksdal glacier tour. As this goes from Olden should I hold off booking this tour until nearer departure? Flam is not in our itinery so hoping Olden won't be cancelled.:rolleyes:

You can book Briksdal Glacier direct with suppliers for half the price of the ship's tour. We went there on Britannia last year and did it.

Sent from my iPad using Forums

Hi Selbourne we are going to Fjords in July on Britannia and are hoping to book Briksdal glacier tour. As this goes from Olden should I hold off booking this tour until nearer departure? Flam is not in our itinery so hoping Olden won't be cancelled.:rolleyes:

I think you would know by now if your itinerary was changing. However, if you book a P&O tour and the itinerary changes and you don’t go there, you will receive a full refund, so there’s no risk and no need to delay booking.

There was no risk to the tours we booked as we didn't pay until we got there. Just reserved a place. Taking into consideration how much the tours cost in Norway are the saving of 50% soon adds up.

Sent from my iPad using Forums

Thank you for the detailed replies, I really appreciate them :)

I’m stuck with the dates that I can travel because if my annual leave. If I’m honest I would prefer to travel on a different ship, but we quite fancied a change and we’d travel with an open mind.

Thank you for the detailed replies, I really appreciate them :)

I’m stuck with the dates that I can travel because if my annual leave. If I’m honest I would prefer to travel on a different ship, but we quite fancied a change and we’d travel with an open mind.

You really don’t need to worry. I am sure that you will have a lovely time and your boys will really love the ship (my daughters do). As long as you heed the advice that myself and others have given you about cabin location (quite easy to do as the areas to avoid probably only account for less than a quarter of the ship) then you should have no problems.

You can book Briksdal Glacier direct with suppliers for half the price of the ship's tour. We went there on Britannia last year and did it.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

I was hoping to do that but have yet to find a tour that includes troll car as my wife is not able to walk long distances. Do you happen to remember the company that you used?

I also booked the Troll car and you don't pay until you get there. I think somebody gave me the link on the Northern Europe Forum. Otherwise if you Google it you should find it.

I took a manual wheelchair and they were very helpful with putting it in the Troll car.

If you are stopping in Stavanger Rodne.no give disabled 50%discount on their Pulpit Rock tour.

Sent from my iPad using Forums