P&O Britannia Caribbean to UK.
Britannia Cruise Review
Contributor Level:
Second Mate
Cruises: 7+ cruises
Reviews: 11
Helpful Votes: 213
Review summary
Missing Ponta Delgarda meant 9 sea days from Antigua. Weather was hit and miss. Aside from the enrichment talks and the two bands the entertainment felt a little lacklustre. Food was great in the MDRs and specialty venues. Buffet was akin to a rugby scrum. Poolside grill provided surprisingly decent burgers etc. The poolside grab and go fridges that we’ve enjoyed on our previous Britannia cruises is no longer in use which is a great shame. Hopefully the refit will perk the ship up a little as some areas feel tired. Staff were great across the board.Embarkation
Flew from Gatwick on TUI. The plane was a P&O charter. Check in was slick and the flight smooth. On arrival buses took us directly from the tarmac to the ship where boarding took around 25 minutes.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
Ate breakfast, lunch and evening meals in the MDR to avoid the over crowded buffet. The food in the MDR was always good and service and staff were excellent. We also dined at The Glass House, the Beach House and Epicurean. All three were excellent.
Onboard Activities
Managed to use the pool most days. Only 2 hot tubs but managed to get in twice. The gym was open 24hrs which worked great for me as I’m an early riser.
Entertainment
Enrichment speakers were excellent. Evening theatre shows were the usual singing and dancing fair that we’ve seen before. Nothing earth shattering there. Pulse and Exile were both great bands performing around the ship.
Service and Staff
We found all of the staff friendly and helpful. Service was good at all times.
Ship Quality
Britannia is looking a little tired but to be fair, she went directly to Rotterdam for a refit once we disembarked so hopefully these issues will be addressed.
Cabin / Stateroom
It was clean and well presented however, with just the two of us it felt cramped and we struggled for storage. This is a cabin for four with two pull down beds. Four people in that cabin would have to like each other a lot! The beds proved to be quite uncomfortable and the pillows offered no support. Balcony is nice and sheltered from any rain but manages to catch the sun.
Ship tip
If you want to use the retreat book it when you book the cruise or you won’t get a slot.
Thumbs up
0
Ports of call
Our third visit here. We had hoped to walk into town to a bar that we’d twice been to however it was boarded up as were other businesses giving it quite a run down feel. Next time we’ll book a tour to see another area of the island.
Had a lovely day here. We booked the rainforest gondola directly with P+O and it didn’t disappoint. Well worth the cost of the tour.
We very much enjoyed the narrow gauge railway again booked directly with P+O. We sat upstairs in the open air deck. The guide on the train was very entertaining and the rum punches/pina coladas were included in the price and flowing freely.
We did a tour on our last visit here so opted to walk around the town and then returned to the ship. It was busy with five cruise ships in port.
Disembarkation
Fine. Waited in the theatre to be called. The coaches were parked outside and the transfer back to Gatwick left within minutes of us getting off the ship. Coach boarding was very well organised.