Average cruise
Britannia Cruise Review
Contributor Level:
First Mate
Cruises: 7+ cruises
Reviews: 20
Helpful Votes: 204
Review summary
Enjoyable cruise due to the destinations visited and meeting up with family.Embarkation
We had priority booking so went straight to check in then waited 10 minutes as the ship wasn't ready. Staff very efficient.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
Food in the buffet was appalling. There was a lack of variety, limited quantities of food available and it was lukewarm. Vegetarian options was lentil based most days. I even found mouldy cheese on the cheese trays, informed one of the restaurant managers who didn't appear concerned. Not impressed at all.
Throughout the cruise, cups and glasses were in short supply. A lack of staff caused tables to be still uncleared from breakfast at lunch time and noticaeable amounts of food debris weren't cleared off the carpet.
Main dining room restaurants were superb in comparison. An assorted menu with appealing vegetarian dishes and offers of an additional serving from the waiting staff. Food was plentiful, nicely presented and hot.
We ate in the Beach House twice due to family birthdays whilst onboard. The menu was varied, food hot and presented well.
Onboard Activities
We didn't participate in any activities but from what we saw in the daily Horizon newsletter, there was plenty available to suit all ages and interests.
Entertainment
We didn't really attend any of the shows as we cruise frequently so have seen most. In the evenings, we sat on the balcony so didn't attend many of the music performances.
However, we saw the pianist in the Crow's Nest twice. He was excellent and played music from all genres.
Service and Staff
There was a lack of staff in every area of the ship from housekeeping to catering who appeared miserable most of the time. At the bars and lido grill, you had to queue to be served and often there were at least 15 passengers waiting to be served.
Ship Quality
The ship was clean and reasonably maintained (rust visible in places, chairs on lido deck broken). The layout is awful as to access certain venues etc, you have to go up one or two decks, walk along then go down a deck because of the dead ends. We've sailed on Brittania four times and still get lost.
Cabin / Stateroom
Our cabin was a decent size and the steward cleaned it well. Vacuuming doesn't seem to occur anymore as there were several lumps of fluff on the carpet upon our arrival which were still there on day 4 when I picked it all up and put it in the bin myself. The chairs on the balcony had seen better days, were rusty and the mesh seating was broken. They were exchanged once reported. The sheer cubicle had cracks on the wall and in the tray plus the shower unit was rusty. Mould was apparent below the sink.
Ship tip
Eat in the main dining restaurants as the buffet is horrendous.
Thumbs up
0
Ports of call
A free shuttle operates from the cruise terminal to Blankenberg (local seaside resort) where the train can be taken to Bruges itself. Blankenberg has a lovely esplanade to walk along and plenty of cafes where you treat yourself to a waffle icecream or lagerc etc.
Disembarkation
We self disembarked. At 6.45 am, we went to the atrium with our luggage and walked straight off. By 9.45 am, we were home.