Bought the wine package when we boarded, only to find that our first 3 choices were unavailable with no suitable alternatives. This was the first night!
No ice cream parlour on board. Was only available with dinner.
Ran out of muesli at the start of the second week
service in Freedom Dining resturants was slow and poor.
This was our first major cruise and we had been led to believe the food was 5 star - so disappointing!
e.g. cheese plate was 4 biscuits, 2 thin triangles of bland, processed cheese and a piece of celery - i had a better choice in the buffet
Shore excursions generally poor value for money (perhaps we chose the wrong one's), not helped by being crammed into a minivan with very little leg room (and intrusive wheel arches)
I could go on, but it serves no purpose.
P&O had been recommended to us but it appears they have some serious quality issues.
never again
We had a lovely time and met some great people. I have been on Britannia now four time and I now know where to go. The lifts were still a problem but everything else was great.
Following the death of my wife I opted for a solo cruise on P&O Britannia to the Caribbean from Barbados in mid-March 2023. It was important not to have to pay a supplement, which is a rip-off for those traveller's who do not have a choice, so P&O's Britannia offering, with all solo cabins on Deck 16 was well worth considering.
For those unsure Deck 16 is a prime location, with the Crows Nest, a beautifully quiet place to relax at one end of the corridor, and access to the lifts and/or Lido pool deck (and onwards to the Horizon Restaurant) within easy access on the other.
Post-Covid the organisation was perfectly done, both for boarding and leaving (simple terms), and it worked well, which included not having to worry about suitcases since leaving the UK, or for the return from leaving the ship.
There still needs to be some greater control over passengers wanting to be fed, arriving in swimwear, especially men with sweaty, uncovered bodies. Covering up is not etiquette, it is common decency to others. I do not really want to see muffin tops or beer bellies when trying to enjoy a meal.
The entertainment was quite outstanding, although the performers were sometimes stopped from performing planned second shows due to illness. When they are so good, not being able to see them again was disappointing, but understandable. Stephanie Webber's voice was incredible, Emmanuel Sonubi's comedic shows were hilarious, whilst Vocal Xtr3me's shows were quite outstanding. Well done to P&O for these acts.
I am thankful for the efforts to find me such a cruise, at a price that was solo acceptable, and on a trip where the weather turned out to be perfect for the whole 14 days.
All really good except shore excursion - was disorganised, didn’t take us to the promised destinations & was shortened because the catamaran was not available at the appointed time . The leader of the trip ( a sub contracted tour company ) was very rude . A shambles actually.
Food wasn’t great and the entertainment was shocking
Overall a lovely cruise, first time on Britannia. I do prefer Azura and Ventura as prefer the size of ship and the amount op people. On Sea days it was nearly impossible to find a sunbed unless you literally woke up and got one at dawn.
Staff were good and so was the food although due to staff shortage it was really difficult to book the speciality restaurants.
First time on Britannia and absolutely lover it favourite lounge was the crows nest .
Excellent shows in fact the best we have seen on P & O cruises.
Quality of food was excellent and the staff are wonderful lovely cabin and excellent cabin stewards. We love P&O excellent value for money we have 2 further cruises this year booked on Iona I can’t fault P&O .
We have had 12cruises so far. Travelled with MSC, Royal Caribbean, P&O. Britannia ship was nice,we had a balcony room and the guy who looked after us was absolutely amazing. Whatever I needed asked him & always found in my room. But my first choice is Royal Caribbean, absolutely amazing ships. So far we have travelled with 5 of ships of Royal Caribbean and booked with symphony of the seas this year. They provide good food, good service and absolutely amazing entertainment.
Average
Had a fabulous 2 weeks onboard Britannia. She is a lovely ship full of a happy crew who could not do enough to make our cruise special. We booked our cruise on a late availability offer and ended up in a restricted view cabin above the lifeboats on deck 8. We did know prior to departure that we had a restricted view, but to be quite honest it was absolutely fine and deck 8 is extremely convenient for getting to anywhere onboard. We had a fabulous meal in the Epicurean and a great time in the Limelight Club (both have an additional charge) and would recommend the experience.
Excursions were okay, be prepared for a ‘shake and bake ride’ around winding narrow mountainous pot holed roads.
Our weather was perfect and overall the holiday was fantastic value for money and we plan on rebooking for next year.
Last December was our first time on P&O’s Britannia to the Caribbean. The ship is big with comfortable cabins. There were plenty of places to visit on the ship. We prefer freedom fine dining for our evening meals and never waited more than 10 minutes for a table. The food onboard was excellent with plenty of choices. We enjoyed snack meals available around the pool and the self service dining room at lunchtime. The islands we visited were very interesting and the weather was fabulous there when the weather back home was very very cold.
The entertainment was not as good as previous Marella cruises which surprised us. The dining experience was not always positive with long wait times.
The ship itself is impressive but the actual service/entertainment did not wow us. Marella better value for money in our opinion.