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Brittania- Good points?


eekabeek
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Hello All, we have only cruised with Celebrity up till now and although we have been very happy we cannot justify the current costs so are looking to try P&O on Brittania. Reading the boards it’s really easy to get drawn into the negatives but We’re really interested in hearing about what’s good about her. Any inside tips that you’ve picked up? We are traveling with our daughter (28) and we are young 51 and 58. We fully expect different standards but these have also been dropping on X. Reading some reviews you would think passengers had been held for 2 weeks in abject poverty, we really don’t think that can be true. 

Over to those who know to help us get a balanced view please. 

It will be September 2020 14 night med in. Superior Balcony 

thanks 

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I like the Antrum with the bars and costa  round it.

 

Glass shower doors not the dreaded curtain. Plenty of storage in the cabins with open wardrobes. Balconies not huge but enough for the chairs and small table.

 

Limelight club where you can dine and watch an artist was a nice experience.

 

 

 

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35 minutes ago, Scorpio41 said:

I like the Antrum with the bars and costa  round it.

 

Glass shower doors not the dreaded curtain. Plenty of storage in the cabins with open wardrobes. Balconies not huge but enough for the chairs and small table.

 

Limelight club where you can dine and watch an artist was a nice experience.

 

 

 

Ditto! I also like the quieter pool area (can’t remember if it had a name) 

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1 hour ago, eekabeek said:

Hello All, we have only cruised with Celebrity up till now and although we have been very happy we cannot justify the current costs so are looking to try P&O on Brittania. Reading the boards it’s really easy to get drawn into the negatives but We’re really interested in hearing about what’s good about her. Any inside tips that you’ve picked up? We are traveling with our daughter (28) and we are young 51 and 58. We fully expect different standards but these have also been dropping on X. Reading some reviews you would think passengers had been held for 2 weeks in abject poverty, we really don’t think that can be true. 

Over to those who know to help us get a balanced view please. 

It will be September 2020 14 night med in. Superior Balcony 

thanks 

I have bumped up an earlier thread comparing Britannia to Ventura, which has lots of info that might interest you.

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We are also on Britannia Sept 2020 around the med. She is our favourite ship out of all P&O ships. Very relaxing and up to date. Best time to sail is out of school holidays. Try the Crows Nest with resident pianist Adam Allinson he is incredible. Spacious  buffet and excellent Sunset bar at the rear where you can also eat if the buffet is busy.

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Having just stepped off Aurora, despite having a great time, it highlighted to us what a great ship Britannia is.

The interactive TVs are great if you ever fancy a quiet time in your cabin.

The cabin layouts are very good with plenty of easy to use storage.

Despite its size, there is plenty of quiet places to relax, we enjoyed the Crystal Rooms. We don't dance but to unwind here listening to a jazz band watching the amazing dancers was a great way  to finish the day.

P&O in general, the drinks prices are much more realistic, service is usually fantastic and the food good. There are plenty of dining options if you don't get on with the mdr, but we have always found it more than adequate.

Have a great time,

Andy

 

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The balconies are too small & she can be an infuriating ship to get around but as has been mentioned,the Crows Nest is lovely,the buffet is large,the Beach House is great & Brodies would,IMO,be a wonderful bar if there wasn't a quiz,bingo,or the like going on so often!

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Inside stuff, IMHO. The range of bars, restaurants, entertainment, etc, is excellent. There's plenty of room in areas such as the atrium, and we enjoyed using the facilities of the ship. The downsides - again, IMHO - are all to do with the outsides: the small balconies and the absence of a promenade deck.

 

So my choice would be - and indeed was - that we'd be happy with Britannia for a cruise outside summer, or to places where the weather might not be stellar and we might therefore be using the inside of the ship a lot, or even a cruise that's port-intensive - you'll be spending most of the daylight hours of the cruise off the ship. In our case we did a fjords cruise on her, which did indeed feature several days of poor weather during which our balcony door stayed shut, and during which (as is usual with a fjords cruise) there were just two sea days and four port days. I do remember the sail-out from Flam: it had been raining most of the day but as we departed the clouds rolled back and we had an amazing passage all evening as we sailed down the fjord. We were able to bag a couple of seats up in the Crow's Nest and stayed there for hours enjoying the views.

 

Here are a few images, of a) our main dining room; b) the atrium; c) the library; d) the crows nest; e) the epicurean; and f) lido deck.

Britannia__MG_3360.jpg

Britannia__MG_3371.jpg

Britannia__MG_3579.jpg

Britannia__MG_3585.jpg

Britannia__MG_3595.jpg

Britannia__MG_3602.jpg

Edited by tom_uk
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Tom, your photo of the crows nest illustrates its main problem for me, the Windows are not large enough and the dividers are too deep, resulting in poor all round viewing, Celebrity Eclipses Sky Lounge with much bigger windows and shallow dividers has much better all round views.

Your photo shows the atrium at its best, but it still looks more like a John Lewis store than a cruise ship hub.

I just hope Iona has a lot more more wow appeal than Bland Britannia.

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54 minutes ago, tom_uk said:

Inside stuff, IMHO. The range of bars, restaurants, entertainment, etc, is excellent. There's plenty of room in areas such as the atrium, and we enjoyed using the facilities of the ship. The downsides - again, IMHO - are all to do with the outsides: the small balconies and the absence of a promenade deck.

 

So my choice would be - and indeed was - that we'd be happy with Britannia for a cruise outside summer, or to places where the weather might not be stellar and we might therefore be using the inside of the ship a lot, or even a cruise that's port-intensive - you'll be spending most of the daylight hours of the cruise off the ship. In our case we did a fjords cruise on her, which did indeed feature several days of poor weather during which our balcony door stayed shut, and during which (as is usual with a fjords cruise) there were just two sea days and four port days. I do remember the sail-out from Flam: it had been raining most of the day but as we departed the clouds rolled back and we had an amazing passage all evening as we sailed down the fjord. We were able to bag a couple of seats up in the Crow's Nest and stayed there for hours enjoying the views.

 

Here are a few images, of a) our main dining room; b) the atrium; c) the library; d) the crows nest; e) the epicurean; and f) lido deck.

Britannia__MG_3360.jpg

Britannia__MG_3371.jpg

Britannia__MG_3579.jpg

Britannia__MG_3585.jpg

Britannia__MG_3595.jpg

Britannia__MG_3602.jpg

Great pics Tom.

Agree with your points, but must say our standard balcony on Aurora wasn't noticeably bigger and felt more enclosed than Britannias.

I know they are small but we found it ok for the 2 of us, just right for a Fjords cruise.

Andy

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4 minutes ago, terrierjohn said:

Tom, your photo of the crows nest illustrates its main problem for me, the Windows are not large enough and the dividers are too deep, resulting in poor all round viewing, Celebrity Eclipses Sky Lounge with much bigger windows and shallow dividers has much better all round views.

Your photo shows the atrium at its best, but it still looks more like a John Lewis store than a cruise ship hub.

I just hope Iona has a lot more more wow appeal than Bland Britannia.

You say bland, I say understated elegance..

I like the decor on Britannia.

Blandy

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I've cruised 8 times with Royal Caribbean and now twice with P & O - most recent was on the Britannia at the beginning of this month.  The ship never felt crowded.  There was lots of varied activities (should activities be your thing) or quiet places to sit and read.  We were still discovering new things towards the end of the week.  Very impressed with the condition and cleanliness.  Our balcony cabin was lovely.  I would most definitely look to P & O, and Britannia in particular, when I book my next cruise.

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We love Britannia the best P&O ship by far with excellent varied choices in rooms and restaurants. What amazes me is OP asked for the good points of Britannia and the usual moaners come on criticising her and like sheep coming out with the usual statements the atrium is like a John Lewis store and very bland etc not everyone wants glitz like Royal/Regal atrium's (same ship design). Sorry but I have never been in a John Lewis store that looks like Britannia's atrium. She is a beautiful ship with plenty of space even though number of passengers and great speciality restaurants.

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1 hour ago, AndyMichelle said:

Great pics Tom.

Agree with your points, but must say our standard balcony on Aurora wasn't noticeably bigger and felt more enclosed than Britannias.

I know they are small but we found it ok for the 2 of us, just right for a Fjords cruise.

Andy

 

We've been spoiled, Andy - C deck balcony cabins on Ventura & Azura! I've attached a photo showing Val, my wife, on two balconies - on the left, on a C deck balcony on Ventura, and on the right, on Britannia. The point of this comparison is these were both fairly standard Balcony cabins - nothing special. And I also recognise that the C deck balconies on Azura & Ventura are unusual - a comparison between any other deck on those ships and Britannia would be much more equal.

 

I thought the balcony on Oceana last autumn was a bit bigger than the Britannia balcony. That said, when the sun came out on our Britannia cruise, we didn't waste the balcony - we were out there.

Balcony comparison.jpg

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As much as I do like Britannia I do agree that she is bland & a little dark inside,I know the idea is to be like a posh hotel but,hey,we are on holiday on a cruise,let's have a bit of colour!

Also some of the supposed artwork I thought was poor(understatement!),especially in the dining room where all those divers,to me looked more like lobsters,at the end of the day though it is all a matter of opinion.

One thing that people are right about is the critics who dislike Britannia because of her size,same as Iona would be instantly disliked for the same reason,unless, as somebody suggested before her name was announced,they called her Diana,I wouldn't mind betting that she would have found a lot more admirers if they had!

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2 hours ago, tom_uk said:

 

We've been spoiled, Andy - C deck balcony cabins on Ventura & Azura! I've attached a photo showing Val, my wife, on two balconies - on the left, on a C deck balcony on Ventura, and on the right, on Britannia. The point of this comparison is these were both fairly standard Balcony cabins - nothing special. And I also recognise that the C deck balconies on Azura & Ventura are unusual - a comparison between any other deck on those ships and Britannia would be much more equal.

 

I thought the balcony on Oceana last autumn was a bit bigger than the Britannia balcony. That said, when the sun came out on our Britannia cruise, we didn't waste the balcony - we were out there.

Balcony comparison.jpg

Wow...

I see your point now.

We have never been that lucky.

Andy

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On ‎6‎/‎20‎/‎2019 at 2:24 PM, eekabeek said:

Hello All, we have only cruised with Celebrity up till now and although we have been very happy we cannot justify the current costs so are looking to try P&O on Brittania. Reading the boards it’s really easy to get drawn into the negatives but We’re really interested in hearing about what’s good about her. Any inside tips that you’ve picked up? We are traveling with our daughter (28) and we are young 51 and 58. We fully expect different standards but these have also been dropping on X. Reading some reviews you would think passengers had been held for 2 weeks in abject poverty, we really don’t think that can be true. 

Over to those who know to help us get a balanced view please. 

It will be September 2020 14 night med in. Superior Balcony 

thanks 

 

Good decision. LOVELY ship and have had 2 lovely cruises on her (have been on celebrity too so can compare)

Good points re Britannia:

+ Love the atrium - wish they would have some music though

+ The Blue bar

+ The staff

+ The freedom dining restaurant

+ The Beach House

+ The buffet is nice

+ Sindhus

+ The quiet adults only pool area

+ The sailaways were good for a laugh

+ Cheap drinks and great cocktails

+ Good food

+ Friendly fellow guests

+ The formal nights

+ The lovely modern cabin

+ Great bathroom

+ Cleanliness

+ Epicurean

 

The select dining restaurants are a fraction of the cost of Celebrity and equally as good to us

 

Could go on and on

 

Edited by Presto2
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Personally I think the ship is beautiful and feels more modern and glamourous than other older ships in the fleet, Ventura for example.  The speciality restaurants (Sindhu and Epicurian are fabulous, we like them as much as Blu on Celebrity).  The ship feels very large and is spacious, plenty of different areas to explore and find your own space.  We enjoy the Captain's welcome night where everyone gathers for drinks around the atrium.  Tom's pictures above sum it up well, large library, great Crow's Nest Bar etc.  We would love to sail Celebrity again but we find prices are much lower with P&O and we have always had very good experiences on board.  We also think the kids facilities on P&O are fabulous, but sound not to be relevant for you in this case.  We found Britannia attracted quite a young crowd and you and your daughter will fit well with the demographic we experienced on board.  Enjoy! Come back and tell us what you thought if you can find the thread that much later, would be interested to hear your feedback.

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11 hours ago, tom_uk said:

Inside stuff, IMHO. The range of bars, restaurants, entertainment, etc, is excellent. There's plenty of room in areas such as the atrium, and we enjoyed using the facilities of the ship. The downsides - again, IMHO - are all to do with the outsides: the small balconies and the absence of a promenade deck.

 

So my choice would be - and indeed was - that we'd be happy with Britannia for a cruise outside summer, or to places where the weather might not be stellar and we might therefore be using the inside of the ship a lot, or even a cruise that's port-intensive - you'll be spending most of the daylight hours of the cruise off the ship. In our case we did a fjords cruise on her, which did indeed feature several days of poor weather during which our balcony door stayed shut, and during which (as is usual with a fjords cruise) there were just two sea days and four port days. I do remember the sail-out from Flam: it had been raining most of the day but as we departed the clouds rolled back and we had an amazing passage all evening as we sailed down the fjord. We were able to bag a couple of seats up in the Crow's Nest and stayed there for hours enjoying the views.

 

Here are a few images, of a) our main dining room; b) the atrium; c) the library; d) the crows nest; e) the epicurean; and f) lido deck.

Britannia__MG_3360.jpg

Britannia__MG_3371.jpg

Britannia__MG_3579.jpg

Britannia__MG_3585.jpg

Britannia__MG_3595.jpg

Britannia__MG_3602.jpg

Lovely photo s thanks for sharing 

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10 hours ago, majortom10 said:

We love Britannia the best P&O ship by far with excellent varied choices in rooms and restaurants. What amazes me is OP asked for the good points of Britannia and the usual moaners come on criticising her and like sheep coming out with the usual statements the atrium is like a John Lewis store and very bland etc not everyone wants glitz like Royal/Regal atrium's (same ship design). Sorry but I have never been in a John Lewis store that looks like Britannia's atrium. She is a beautiful ship with plenty of space even though number of passengers and great speciality restaurants.

You are completely correct about wanting good points, the forums can be negative heavy so we get the things that are not liked but it’s ok, sometimes people can’t allow themselves to be Glass 1/2 full and after all we are British 🙂 

We really do appreciate all comments and pictures and are going to book. I honestly  haven’t read anything too horrendous that would spoil my hols.

You are on a cruise for goodness sakes, an amazing experience that would not be ruined for us due to a member of staff who was having a rough day and forgot to smile. Or the fact I needed to wait 20 mins for a table. 

Thank you all for contributions 

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11 hours ago, eekabeek said:

You are completely correct about wanting good points, the forums can be negative heavy so we get the things that are not liked but it’s ok, sometimes people can’t allow themselves to be Glass 1/2 full and after all we are British 🙂 

We really do appreciate all comments and pictures and are going to book. I honestly  haven’t read anything too horrendous that would spoil my hols.

You are on a cruise for goodness sakes, an amazing experience that would not be ruined for us due to a member of staff who was having a rough day and forgot to smile. Or the fact I needed to wait 20 mins for a table. 

Thank you all for contributions 

You will not be disappointed, enjoy your cruise and have a fab time......I know we will  🤩

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On 6/21/2019 at 10:55 AM, AndyMichelle said:

You say bland, I say understated elegance..

I like the decor on Britannia.

Blandy

 

I totally agree .

I thought the decor was lovely and in some places quite stunning. True it is much more contemporary than any other P&O or Princess ship we have sailed on but we loved it being more John Lewis than Harvester restaurant. Fake brown plastic wood is not my thing.

We also found that it felt spacious and far less crowded than other ships. Even at the Captains Reception there was comfortably room for everyone.

We also liked the outdoor space with the Serenity pool being just a lovely space.

I think you have the right attitude after all how bad can a luxury cruise be?

Julia

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