Review of our first Caribbean Cruise on Britannia January 13th 2024

[Presto2]

As promised here are our reflections on our first Caribbean cruise on Britannia 13th - 28th January. I will also pop it into the review section too. I am pleased to say that the whole experience was loads better than in June but any questions please ask. We are already booked again for next year 😉

 

Well after our last cruise on Britannia in June 23 we approached this cruise with some trepidation and more than once had thought of cancelling it prior to departure. I am pleased to say that our fears were totally unfounded, and we had a fabulous first Caribbean cruise for the reasons below. Was it all perfect? No, but the positives definitely outweighed the ‘not so positives’. 

 

The positives:

The flights and transfers to the ship were excellent. We had paid extra for the premium seats and, though not cheap, the service on the TUI Dreamliner each way from Manchester to Barbados was faultless. Well, Barbados airport boarding was chaotic, but you can’t blame P&O for that. P&O really do handle the transfers well and it is great not to have to mess about with baggage when you arrive. We were taken straight to the ship and were on board in about 10 minutes. Our cabin steward got our bags to us within about 45 minutes. Similarly, on the way home we left our luggage outside the cabin on the last evening and picked them up in Manchester. It really was stress free.

 

The cabin this time was clean and felt loved this time. As this was a special cruise for us, we had purchased a Bon Voyage Package so there were flowers, chocolates, bathrobes and champagne waiting for us. The cabin steward, Caetano for cabin E741 aft was excellent and one of the best stewards we had ever had on any cruise / cruise line we have sailed on. The balcony was kept clean (important on an aft cabin) but this time we had little soot. We had taken a small flannel with us to wipe it down if needs be as little spots can make marks on your clothing but that is the same for every ship we have sailed on when in an aft cabin. Some of the furniture is now looking tired (the settee) and the carpets need replacing. (I think the refit is due in April so hope that this is something that they will be looking at.) We had a few rough crossings from port to port and the cabin definitely had a ‘creak’ (sometimes a bang) when it was choppy. I’m not sure what they could do about that, and it is a ship not a land hotel after all. Other than that, this time we felt very comfortable and as ever that part of the ship was very quiet. (Thanks to the neighbours who were quiet around us too).

 

Tea and coffee making facilities were available and replenished just once a day. Sadly, we did not have any biscuits this time (though someone in a single cabin did so not sure what happened here). Am not sure how often the bed was changed but it was kept fresh and clean – as were the towels. No turn down again. It is something we still miss, but it is what it is, so we took our own chocolates! Not sure if this is a positive though …

We purchased our canned water for the cabin via our cabin steward. This was easy, but it tasted awful, so we took a Brita filter bottle to try to take the taste away.

 

The major difference on this cruise was the availability of seating in the Main Dining Room. We had been dreading meal times after our experiences in June, but were over the moon to see that it had gone back to its normal good standard and it seemed that most people had returned to using a pager not the useless (in our opinion) holiday ‘app’ booking system. The longest we had to wait for a table was 30 minutes, though on most nights it was about 15 minutes or we just went straight in. Service in the Peninsular was excellent at almost every table and the quality and choice of the food was very good. (Was there as much choice as there used to be? Probably not, but when we looked at the price we had paid for the cruise something has to give and the value for money cannot be faulted).

 

The staff throughout the cruise were exceptionally friendly and helpful. Have never seen such a happy bunch! Everyone we passed gave us with a friendly smile or greeting.  It felt like a different ship than in June. It was also good to hear the Captain and other Bridge crew giving regular updated and information about our ports. Sadly, we never saw them around the ship though.

 

As this was our first time in the Caribbean we tended to book the ship’s excursions and have to say that we found all to be good value for money. I am sure that we could have done them cheaper ourselves, but as this was our first time on this itinerary we preferred to play it safe. The reviews of each excursion are below, but on here, just a shout out for St Vincent and the Grenadines which seems to capture the real feel of the Caribbean more than any other port for us and a Beach Hop excursion by catamaran in St Kitts that was an incredible day. (Thanks guys!) The Excursions Team were really helpful – particularly Frederica who helped us on a number of occasions. We had booked most excursions before we sailed, but it was easy to change them if necessary.

 

We ate in the speciality restaurants on 4 occasions and this is where things were a little disappointing. The one positive was our 2^nd evening in the Epicurean where the crew, food and ambiance of the whole experience was faultless. A little more expensive than the other speciality dining areas but half the price of the speciality dining venues on the American cruise lines so to compare would be unfair.

 

Drinks packages. We didn’t purchase either – though we do like a drink we never find that we drink enough to make having the package financially viable. Similarly, we did not purchase wi-fi and preferred to find free wi-fi when on shore. This was easier in some ports than others, but most bars had free wi-fi and it was a good excuse to try a local rum punch or two ….!

 

Bon Voyage Package. As this was a special occasion we pushed the boat out so to speak and purchased this package. As mentioned, we had flowers, wine, chocolate, bathrobes, a photograph and a champagne breakfast included. Have to say, it was great value for money. The flowers were beautiful and some lasted the whole 2 weeks and the breakfast was huge and a high standard - we were really impressed and will buy this again separately the next time we go. (It lasted two days and part of a lunch !). The Champagne lasted about half an hour ….

 

Cleanliness. We were pleased to see that throughout the ship attention was being paid to hygiene and there was someone on duty each time we went into the buffet to check that we cleaned our hands / used the hand gel. From what we know there did not seem to be a lot of cases of respiratory illness or sickness on board, but on a ship with that many people in winter it is inevitable that some bugs and germs get about and spread. P&O were doing everything they could to prevent this and you can’t ask  more of them.

 

Formal nights. Though no everyone’s cup of tea it was good to see everyone taking part in the formal nights (or whatever they call them now). Despite this being the Caribbean everyone was ‘dressing up’ and it made for a great atmosphere. Perhaps 4 night seems a lot though .. perhaps 3 would be better … but if you are taking all of your gear you may as well make use of it!

 

Entertainment. Though we aren’t usually bothered with the entertainment etc we did enjoy the ship’s Caribbean Band Exxile, a really talented group who brought the atrium a live. We also thought that the ‘Busker’, George Wilding, was excellent too and we would like to have seen more of him in the atrium as he has a real talent. (I think he spent more time in Brodie’s Bar, but he obviously had a big following as the place was packed every time he performed. From the daily Horizon magazine there seemed to be plenty to do and a number of party nights on deck were well attended and looked fun: the silent disco and the Caribbean Party.

 

Having heard a number of stories about passengers being ‘thrown off the ship’ in previous cruises due to bad behaviour we weren’t sure what to expect this time. I have to say that on the whole, we found our fellow passengers to be considerate, friendly, polite and well behaved! With over 3000 people on the ship there is always going to be someone who is ‘annoying’ – I would say that to have no one on land, let alone sea, would be asking for a miracle. There was a great atmosphere on the ship so thanks to 99.9% of our fellow cruises. It was our first cruise in school term time, so this also made a difference to the ‘make up’ of the ship.

 

Finally for the positives – the Captain. We both felt that we had a really good Captain who made some excellent decisions in terms of ports. E.g. we had to miss Bonaire due to the high winds and he was able to rearrange a stop in Aruba instead. This was all sorted a very short notice and credit to everyone for sorting our shore excursions etc so quickly. Similarly, we were told that the weather was going to deteriorate one night the Captain made the decision to get to St Maartin quicker than had been planned and dock there before midnight incase the weather prevented us docking the next day. Some people complained because the shops and casino closed early that evening, but it was either that or not docking the next day and having a sea day on a rough sea ….

Not so positives

 

We now find that the cocktail menu is very limited. In the past we had pages of cocktails to try and now there seem to be about 4 and the drink of the day. We asked them to make up a cocktail that was not on the menu and were told it could not be done. (They had in June). The Cosmopolitan I had felt like pure lime juice and we found that the pina coladas were far weaker than they have been and for some reason they only do one size. All quite disappointing and another reason not to bother with the drinks package in our opinion.

 

Ironically, the speciality dining venues were a mixed bag this time.

 

We went to The Beach House first and the menu was different from the one used in the Mediterranean having a Caribbean ‘vibe’. (It was dominated by spicy Caribbean food as almost everything had some sort of spice in it and for me this meant that I had a very limited choice). Infact, my husband also thought that the choice was limited and he likes spice to a certain degree. In the end I had to ask them to make a chicken dish without the chilli – it still didn’t taste particularly appetising. The service in there was not good / friendly other than one young man who served us occasionally and we cancelled our 2^nd booking as a result. We would still give it a go with a new menu as we have always loved the Beach House but prefer the Mediterranean menu.

 

Sindhu's, similarly was not as impressive as in the past. I am not a fan of Indian food but staff have always been good and adapted my meals to ensure that they are mild. This time there looked to be less choice for the starters and our waiter was more abrupt in terms of adapting anything. He just told me that the food was adapted for the British taste. Though it was ok I still found it extremely spicy and drank gallons of water to help with mu numbing lips. A passenger on the table next to us had the same issue as she too had found her meal extremely spicy having been told it was ‘mild’. It’s a shame as we usually enjoy our visits to Sindhu’s – but not this time it wasn’t as good as on other visits. I think that there has been a change in terms of menus so perhaps this is the reason. Some elements of the meal were good, however and hubby enjoyed his meal. We cancelled our planned 2^nd booking here as well though as there was very little choice for me, but we will give it a go another time and I am sure that others in the restaurant had a fabulous meal.

The Epicurean. We ate here twice. The first time the experience was ‘so so’ and certainly not up to the standard of our previous visits on Britannia and Ventura. Service was lamentably slow, taking 3 hours for our meal. The food and whole feel of the evening wasn’t great either. Thankfully, our 2^nd visit was much better so perhaps this was a one off and we are glad that we stuck with it and didn’t cancel our last ‘sea day’ visit. On this occasion the service was excellent, the food choice better and the quality very good.

 

We never got to the Glass House as we were enjoying the Main Dining Room.

 

Limited room service menus. When we are on excursions, we like to have breakfast in the cabin. For some reason the cabin service breakfast menu is greatly reduced even more than before. (I.e the breakfast hot panini has disappeared).  Again an example of cost cutting am guessing, but something to be aware of. Having said that when we did order breakfast it appeared on time and was accurate / convenient when preparing for a day out.

So, to sum up – we had a fabulous time on our first Caribbean cruise with P&O on Britannia. It was good to see that some of the issues we had encountered in June had been ‘sorted’. We did have some stormier than usual weather at the end of the cruise (and we heard some people moaning about the cruise / P&O as a result), but there isn’t a lot anyone can do about the weather and even the locals said it was unusual! If nothing else at 28 – 30 degrees the rain was at least warm and if needs be we went for a swim! The vast majority of the time it was baking hot and sunny and we found that we really needed that factor 30 and 50 sun cream.

 

Finally, I have to mention the friendliness of the local people we met – all of whom were delightful – friendly, welcoming and enthusiastic (for want of a better word!). Thanks to everyone we had the pleasure to meet for making our holiday special.

 

For the first time ever, we booked to return on a similar cruise next January, 24 on Britannia and that really says it all. Is P&O and Britannia as up market now as at the likes of Celebrity – no – but in terms of value for money we don’t think that it can be beaten for this itinerary. Don’t let negative reviews put you off – give it a go.

 

Curacao

Loved this place and it was easy to walk into the town – about 10 minutes. Lots of souvenir shops on the quay side and a great bar called 5 O’Clock Somewhere that was close to the ship selling amazing cocktails.

 

Aruba

Did an island tour and beach stop. It was good to see the islands sights and enjoy a proper coconut smoothly. Probably our least favourite port though as we found that the side of the island with the hotels seems to be dominated by huge high-rise hotels. The beach was beautiful, but it was sad to see the island being ruined in some parts. The beach we stopped at was about 10 minutes from the ship so can be reached by taxi. I think it was called Eagle Beach.

 

St Vincent and the Grenadines

Our favourite stop over. The welcoming vibe from the musicians as you enter the port area – kettle drums and a band – really made for a great party atmosphere. Outside of the port there isn’t much to see as this is the ‘real Caribbean’ to me and the town was not touristy. Found a small shack for a nice rum punch and the people were incredibly friendly. We went on a 4 x 4 Jeep Safari and Beach Break here and it was one of those perfect days. The beach we were taken to – Brighton Beach - was everything you would expect a Caribbean Beach to be and despite it being on the Atlantic side swimming was safe and warm! A great place and probably our favourite port.

 

St Lucia

We did an Aerial Tram excursion to a rain forest which was well worth the money and a great experience. The port has great shops and free wi fi.

 

St Kitts

Great shopping in the port area and the Beach Hop by Boat was a fantastic afternoon of fun. The guys on the boat were delightful and it was a great way to enjoy the island. The 2 beaches we stopped at were idyllic with the sand like talcum powder and the sea azure blue. Sadly, Britannia won’t be stopping in St Kitts next year, which is disappointing.

 

Grenada

We visited a garden high up in the mountains. The garden is small but the young guide who showed us round was extremely knowledgeable, and the views were stunning. A good way to spend a couple of hours. On returning to Grenada we had a wander around the shops in the port which by this point in the holiday were all beginning to look like the other islands

 

Antigua

We did the Caribbean Sailaway excursion which was a great way to see the island’s coast, enjoy 2 beautiful beach stops and tuck in to a real Caribbean lunch on the boat. On the day of our visit the weather was hit and miss and we sailed through a number of torrential downpours through most of the day. The 2^nd beach we visited was stunningly beautiful and worth the trip on its own. This is highly recommended though and we would do it again another year and cross our fingers for the weather.

 

St Maartin

We booked a beach break at Cocky Turtle Beach in Simpson Bay. The beach was beautiful but the weather poor with high winds and heavy torrential showers. We made the most of it though, but on return we did not look around the shops in the port area as we needed to warm up. (seriously)

 

Barbados

We did the 4 x 4 jeep safari and beach break at Copacabana Beach Club in Bridgetown. We enjoyed seeing the sights of the island – especially the stunning beaches on the Atlantic side. We felt that we wanted to stay here longer though as a 10 minute stop didn’t seem to be long enough. The beach break was good, but the weather was stormy, so it did affect our time there. Having said that, the beach was beautiful and the experience of swimming in the beautiful Caribbean sea is a must do

Again, there are plenty of shops in the terminal – though we found better souvenir shops in the airport before we left.

[Eddie99]

That was a nice read.  So glad you enjoyed it.  Shame about the iffy weather.  There’s always the likelihood of a tropical shower (liquid sunshine!) but feeling cold? 😳😱

You still have some ‘must-do’s’ for next time, but you can also be a bit more relaxed in some of the ports; do your own thing or brave a local bus tour or taxi

Welcome back!

[mrsgoggins]

A good account. So pleased it all worked out well for you despite your misgivings in advance. Welcome to the wonderful world of being able to take holidays outside of term time 😁

[Presto2]

12 minutes ago, Eddie99 said:

That was a nice read.  So glad you enjoyed it.  Shame about the iffy weather.  There’s always the likelihood of a tropical shower (liquid sunshine!) but feeling cold? 😳😱

You still have some ‘must-do’s’ for next time, but you can also be a bit more relaxed in some of the ports; do your own thing or brave a local bus tour or taxi

Welcome back!

That's what we said re next time. We played it safe this time as it was all so new. The weather over the last 3 / 4 days was pretty unusual that even the locals were surprised. It was less of the God's liquid sunshine as God's torrential sunshine. We had some good laughs though - once you've braved Paignton in August in the sea you can cope with swimming in the Caribbean in a torrential rain storm !!!

[Presto2]

If you read this Megabear just to say I am sorry to read that you were unwell towards the second week of the holidays and hope you are feeling better now. Every time I met someone from Gatwick I was fishing to see if it was you !!! 

 

We never got to use the Retreat but to be honest we made do without it and saved a lot of money in the process. We were off the ship in most ports so probably wouldn't have made use of it anyway. On sea days we retreated to our balcony that tended to have the sun anyway and then went for a swim when we felt like it.

 

Take care

[pete14]

15 minutes ago, Presto2 said:

If you read this Megabear just to say I am sorry to read that you were unwell towards the second week of the holidays and hope you are feeling better now. Every time I met someone from Gatwick I was fishing to see if it was you !!! 

 

We never got to use the Retreat but to be honest we made do without it and saved a lot of money in the process. We were off the ship in most ports so probably wouldn't have made use of it anyway. On sea days we retreated to our balcony that tended to have the sun anyway and then went for a swim when we felt like it.

 

Take care

Thanks for a great review. I am delighted you had such a great time and the positivity in your review is good to read. Perhaps you could try swimming in the sea in Wales to check the contrast in temperature. 

[Angel57]

That was an enjoyable and informative read. Thank you for posting, and I’m so glad the cruise was a success.

[TigerB]

Thanks for the great review; I am really glad it was better than you anticipated it would be, and that you didn't cancel.

 

Did you ask your cabin steward for biscuits, or weren't you that bothered? When we've done that it has had the opposite effect, ending up with five or six packets a day.

Unlike you, we're not that bothered about the demise of the turn down service; it's sometimes too much hassle for me to tidy up the cabin properly so it's presentable for the cabin steward.🤭

The bedding gets a full change once on a two week cruise; sometimes though the sheet and a couple of pillow cases have been changed between.

 

Yes, the cocktails on Britannia are quite poor in comparison to Iona and Arvia. I firmly believe that they use ready-made mixes, so there is no skill required and likely the reason that they can't make others that aren't on the menu.  The two larger ships are different altogether, and they appear to have properly trained mixologists, in the Amber Lounge and Anderson's at least, where they can sometimes go off menu.

 

Good luck with your planning for next year.🙂

[Beckett]

Thank you Presto for a really balanced and informative review. I'm so glad you both had such a special retirement cruise - with so many more to look forward to. Jane xx

[Presto2]

1 hour ago, pete14 said:

Thanks for a great review. I am delighted you had such a great time and the positivity in your review is good to read. Perhaps you could try swimming in the sea in Wales to check the contrast in temperature. 

I think the words 'bike' 'your' 'on' come to mind not necessarily in that order ! Have done as a child but past that now. Perhaps one day if we have a heat wave like 1976 !!

[Presto2]

We never thought to ask the cabin steward re the biscuits - we just it that it was something that had 'disappeared'. No major issue - it probably means we only put on half a stone in weight rather than 3 quarters 😉

[pete14]

25 minutes ago, Presto2 said:

I think the words 'bike' 'your' 'on' come to mind not necessarily in that order ! Have done as a child but past that now. Perhaps one day if we have a heat wave like 1976 !!

With global warming, you may regret that final remark.

[Presto2]

1 hour ago, pete14 said:

With global warming, you may regret that final remark.

When global warming hits the North Wales coast to that extent we will all be long past caring ...... 

[Winifred 22]

Enjoyable review thank you 

[Ardennais]

So pleased to hear that you had a most enjoyable cruise. The first of many wonderful ‘retirement’ cruises hopefully! 

[Peanut006]

Really enjoyed reading your review, glad you had a good time

 

Michelle

[SeaJane]

Many thanks for your review - an interesting read.

[P&O SUE]

Thank you for such a detailed and balanced review. So pleased you had a great time.

[Thedonkeycentrehalf]

Thanks @Presto2 for posting this.  We are on the same itinerary in three weeks time but we have booked independent tours for most places rather than the P&O ones.

 

One question for you - did you stay on the ship for the last day before flying back and if so, were the food and drink offering the same (MDR and speciality) as the rest of the cruise or were there only some places open?  Also, were your cases still collected the night before or do you get to keep them a little longer?

 

We were looking at the last day trips via somewhere to the airport but it seems like many of these drop you at the airport very early so we are leaning towards staying onboard.

[Presto2]

37 minutes ago, Thedonkeycentrehalf said:

Thanks @Presto2 for posting this.  We are on the same itinerary in three weeks time but we have booked independent tours for most places rather than the P&O ones.

 

One question for you - did you stay on the ship for the last day before flying back and if so, were the food and drink offering the same (MDR and speciality) as the rest of the cruise or were there only some places open?  Also, were your cases still collected the night before or do you get to keep them a little longer?

 

We were looking at the last day trips via somewhere to the airport but it seems like many of these drop you at the airport very early so we are leaning towards staying onboard.

Hi we stayed on the ship until our leaving time which was 1.30pm. We had to leave the cabin for 9am which is not too bad. Everything was open as normal as for some people it was their first full.day. Am taking it that you fly on a Saturday.  If not it will be some people's last day! Everything was open in terms of dining rooms and speciality restaurants. 

Cases were collected the night before as normal but you could leave your carry on bags in the theatre. Lots of shops in the terminal.if you wanted to get off and have a wander that morning.

We were OK staying onboard and just parked ourselves in Java and relaxed there rather than get all hot and sweaty before a long flight. May be tempted to do the Copacabana Beach stay before flying next year as we quite liked it when we did a half day there.

Hope you have a great time ans the weather alittle less of the liquid sunshine ;-)

 

[Presto2]

Ps the shops won't be open as.you are in port.

[grapau27]

5 hours ago, Presto2 said:

Ps the shops won't be open as.you are in port.

I have just read your very impressive review and found it very interesting and informative.

 

[Weymouthcruiser]

We were on the same cruise, your review was fair reflection I think.
I also agree about St Vincent we did the same tour. I loved Brighton Beach it was great swimming in the sea there.

[Presto2]

On 2/18/2024 at 8:28 AM, Weymouthcruiser said:

We were on the same cruise, your review was fair reflection I think.
I also agree about St Vincent we did the same tour. I loved Brighton Beach it was great swimming in the sea there.

Did we meet perhaps? The only secret I can share is hubby is tall and I am not 😉

We LOVED that excursion and it is the one we will book again next year. Just loved that beach.

My perfect day 🙂

[Weymouthcruiser]

2 hours ago, Presto2 said:

Did we meet perhaps? The only secret I can share is hubby is tall and I am not 😉

We LOVED that excursion and it is the one we will book again next year. Just loved that beach.

My perfect day 🙂

I was on the morning tour with a lady guide who had short hair. 
Some people in our tour weren’t happy when they heard it was a black sand beach but I thought it was great