Britannia Review

Britannia docked at Santa Catalina Poniente Berth in Gran Canaria. 9th May 2015.

From the moment you first step onto Britannia you can see that she is in a class of her own.  It is obvious from first sight that her interior has been designed by one design company as everything just flows.  The company enlisted to do this was Richmond International, whose other projects include the Mandarin Oriental at Hyde Park in London, The Langham in London and Chicago to name but a few.
I know a lot of people will compare Britannia against other ships in the P&O fleet,  I personally do not do this as for me each ship is individual as they all have their own personality.  
On embarkation we were directed to the lifts because our cabin (E618) on Deck 10 was ready.  This was a first for us, usually we are directed to the buffet restaurant.  I am not one for taking much notice of reviews but find them often helpful when picking up tips etc.  

Cabin E618

Deluxe Balcony Cabin E618 
This cabin is bigger that the standard balcony cabin by around 11 sq ft and has the addition of a two seat sofa and a second bedside cabinet.  This cabin has an unobstructed view.  
The cabins electricity and lighting is operated by putting your cruise card (key card) into a slot on the wall.  The do not disturb/make up my cabin card also operates the electricity.  We always bring a 4 way extension lead as there is never enough sockets but in this cabin we had 5.  There are two above the desk (1 is always on), 1 under the desk, 1 can be found near the TV and 1 by the full length mirror.
The furniture is contemporary in design and the decoration and soft furnishings are muted tones of green, beige and cream.  The 2-seat sofa is a good size and opens out to make a  very generous sized single sofa bed.  

Wardrobe area.

Bedside cabinet.

We found that the cabin had ample storage space with a walk in wardrobe area.  There are 34 wooden hangers supplied by P&O but we always take extra hangers with us. There is a floor to ceiling single cupboard with 5 compartments which are ideal for storing swimwear, T-shirts and shorts.  There is a 4 digit combination safe for your use and it is a good size for keeping your valuables safe.  In the deluxe cabin you also have an extra 2 shelf storage unit which we used to store sandals, shoes etc.  The life jackets are kept on a shelf above the hanging rail.  As I use a manual wheelchair I was able to book this grade of cabin and I found the open wardrobe an ideal place to store my wheelchair and walker.  In this grade of cabin you also have two bedside cabinets which each have two deep drawers which are ideal for storing lingerie etc.  The desk has a narrow drawer which is ideal for make up and all the bits and bobs we carry.  This drawer is where the hairdryer is found.  It has an 110v American plug which fits a socket above the desk.  Under the desk to the right is a small fridge (not a mini bar!) which has an ice bucket.  Our cabin steward was called Christopher and everyday he would refill the ice bucket.  There is complimentary beverages in the cabin and because we prefer fresh milk we would fetch it from Horizon and keep it in the fridge.

The bathroom
Is what I might described as bijoux.  It is predominantly cream in colour with green tile detail.  It has a large mirror and on each side there is vertical tube lighting.  There are 3 build in shelves for your toiletries and a shaver point.  Each bathroom has a welcome pack of  White Room products which include shampoo, condition, body lotion and a shower cap.  There is also shower gel in the glass fronted cubicle.  The shower is much larger than on other ships and a nice touch is the glass shelves set into a small recess for your shower bits and bobs.  You are supplied with white towels and flannels for use in the bathroom and blue towels for use around the pools and deck areas.  

The Balcony 

Is approximately 36 sq ft and is fairly small.  It does not help that the two recliner chairs are quite large taking up a lot of space, maybe something smaller would have been better.  The balcony has a small table and foot stool.  

*Accommodation Decks and Corridors
There are eight decks which accommodate cabins and suites.  All the corridors are cream with dark wood detail, handrails and cabin doors.  The corridors in my own opinion are rather narrow.  When the housekeeping trolleys are in the corridors (7am-1pm) it is impossible to pass in a standard wheelchair or in my case using my walker.  I was faced with two options and they were to find a steward and ask them to move their trolley into a door recess or close my walker; I opted for the latter.  This was because on a few occasions that I asked it was not taken too well by the steward.  When I did manage to manoeuvre around the trolley or laundry bags my hand was sore as your knuckles banged on the handrails.  I do not know who advises P&O or Richmond but someone has got their calculations wrong, just a couple more inches would have done the trick.   

Lifts 

If there is one thing that every passenger mentioned while on the cruise and that was the lifts on board Britannia.  Britannia has only 14 lifts, 4 are forward, 6 are midships and 4 are aft.  The lack of a stairwell up to to the accommodation decks at midships does impact on passengers and puts a strain on the lifts.  The lifts in my opinion seem smaller than any other cruise ship that I have sailed on and the capacity was 18 for the larger lifts and 15 for the smaller lifts.  Whenever possible we used the lifts at forward or aft avoiding the midships lifts as these were the busiest throughout the day.  

 

*Platform Lift  

This lift is found on Deck 17 situated between the lifts at the back of the ship.  This lift is for the use of disabled passengers to take them up to Deck 18 (Sports Deck) which has the promenade.  Please be aware that this lift is not shown on all deck plans.  I have previously sailed on Azura and Ventura which both had platform lifts to access decks and so I assumed that Britannia would have one as well.  I made enquiries with P&O's customer service and was told where to find it with a word of warning "don't tell everyone''.
The lift door can easily be mistaken for crew door if not careful.  The only give away to its true identity is the call button which no one took notice of.  It is a shame that P&O's Disability Team do not notify everyone who has registered a disability/condition of its presence.  On the last sea day my friend spoke with a blind lady struggling to use the stairs between decks 17 and 18, she was unaware of the lifts existence saying " it was a shame that she had not known it was there from the beginning of the cruise".  

*Pool Areas & Outside Decks
*Warning* The pool areas on Britannia can be very very slippery.  On one day while in the Serenity Pool area I witnessed 4 passengers slip over and they were wearing appropriate footwear and on another day I witnessed another passenger hit the deck with a loud thud.  I thought slipping was restricted to poolside areas but no it occurred on any outside area it appears.  
I myself did what I call a Giraffe but grabbed onto a lounger to stop myself hitting the floor, this was in an area outside the Serenity Pool area and I considered this was a safe area as I could not see any moisture on the deck.  I have never experienced slipping on any other ship and would duly go about my business on my own while my friend sunbathed but not on Britannia I needed to have someone with me to make sure I didn't slip outside on deck.  This was not only unfair to my friend but to myself as we cruise so that I can have my own independence and my friend can do her own thing.  This is something that P&O needs to address and quickly before a passenger slips and seriously hurts themselves.

*Automatic Doors  
When using Deck 17 forward lifts to access the Serenity Pool area or for The Retreat you will find that the exit doors a bit of an oddity.  When entering the lift area from the outside deck the outer door is operated by pressing a big button with the disability symbol and the door automatically opens but the inner door is not an automatic door.  It is very heavy and I needed my friend to open it for me.  This is something that needs to be addressed by P&O.

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 Life on Board   
You can do as much as much as you want or as little as you want.  For us the cruise is as much about the ship as it is about the itinerary.  We enjoy the food and the fine dining and for us a big part of the cruise is the formal nights.  No one dresses up anymore so its a nice thing to be able to do when we can.  Dressing up isn't for everyone and that is fine as the ship caters for everyone.  It beggars belief that some passengers are totally unaware of the ships itinerary.  We also like to meet new people and some have remained friends.  For us life on board is what you make it.  

Horizon  Is the ships daily newspaper which is delivered to your cabin the previous night for the following day.  Its lists all the activities on board for that day, where they are and at

Atrium, Britannia

what time.  Many activities are free such as films, lectures and quizzes.  It also tells you about the entertainment on board and gives brief biographies of the entertainers.  It gives details of excursions, times and meeting points. If you are going ashore it gives contact details should you need to contact them in an emergency so it is a good idea to take the "Horizon" with you.  Everyday it lists the Oasis Spa specials as well as other specials that they may have on that day.  It lists all the bars, restaurants, shops, gym and their opening times for that day.  It is the one thing I usually take everywhere as it is was often referred to throughout the day. 

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Entertainment  

The entertainment on board was generally of a very good standard with a mixture of the usual singers, dancers, comedians and a smattering of variety acts.  The main venues for entetainment on board Britannia are The Headliners Theatre (980 seats), The Limelight Club (cover charge), Brodie's, The Live Lounge and Crow's Nest.  The acts that appeared on our cruise were:   

The Opera Boys

Are two young tenors whose shows give us a wonderful blend of opera and classical favourites mixed with pop songs of recent decades presented in their own charming way. 
They performed in the Headliners Theatre on 2nd & 3rd May 2015.

 

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 All images (c) K Taylor 2015