There was something about the P&O Britannia cruise ship which reminded me of Las Vegas, and it wasn’t just the casino. It was partly the vast amount of food on offer on board at its 13 restaurants onboard P&O Britannia – the stories about gaining weight on cruise holidays seemed all too plausible – but being able to leave your room and go out for dinner at a restaurant, or to a bar, or to the theatre or a nightclub, all without stepping outdoors, seemed exactly like the hotels of Vegas.
P&O Britannia’s central atrium is a stunning multi-floor space at the heart of the ship with restaurants and shops
[Note: this review of P&O Britannia cruise ship has been regularly updated since first publication some years ago}
Our holiday on P&O Britannia
But unlike Vegas, which is in the middle of a desert, our own bubble-like world was moving: in our case floating from Guernsey to Bilbao and La Coruna in Spain, and heading home via La Rochelle and Isle de Re in France.
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Even though Britannia is the largest cruise ship in the P&O Cruises fleet with a passenger capacity of 3,647, you never get the sense of being at sea unless you are on deck, so every morning it was a lovely surprise when you found a different view greeting you from your balcony. For a cruising first-timer such as myself, I could certainly see the appeal.
I meet P&O’s latest and largest cruise ship, Britannia. It’s a mighty big ship for a first-timer…
Going on a cruise for the first time
I had been rather nervous about the prospect of spending a week on a ship. I knew next to nothing about going on a cruise holiday in Europe (or anywhere else) and what a week on a cruise ship looks like.
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My perfect holiday abroad would see me heading off into the unknown, reading maps and checking timetables, buying and cooking local food, moving on at a moment’s notice and often ending up somewhere completely unexpected.
There are two swimming pools on P&O Britannia
The thought of sharing my holiday with 3,600 other holidaymakers, not to mention 1,400 crew, filled me with alarm, even if it was a luxury cruise holiday. Would there be queues to board, to eat, to drink, to explore?
Even the P&O Cruises Personaliser on the P&O website cruise holiday planner sent me into a spin, as with so many things to organise in advance – dining options, excursions, spa treatments – there seemed to be no space for spontaneity.
Cabins on P&O Britannia
Our A-deck cabin was very smart, with a vertigo-inducing balcony (we were on the 15th floor), two TVs , a fridge, Wi-Fi and smart ensuite with a bath and shower, and our steward for the week worked incredibly hard in keeping it clean and tidy throughout the week.
Our cabin was very smart, with a balcony where the view changed every morning
Our only gripe with the bedding arrangements were on the small side for a group of four: there were twin beds in the bedroom area and a sofa which turns into a double bed in the lounge part, so if you have teenage children who don’t want to share, or younger children who go to bed at different times and wriggle a lot, then the grown-ups will end up sharing on the sofa bed, which doesn’t seem ideal for a luxury holiday.
The bars onboard P&O Britannia
Another fear, about having to queue for drinks and food, never materialised: the bar was never over-full and service was speedy, even on popular karaoke nights, and service at the Freedom Dining restaurants, which didn’t attract an extra charge, was excellent. It can’t be easy serving that many people but it was incredibly fast and the food was of a very good standard.
Atul Kochhar’s restaurant Sindhu served excellent Indian food
We also tried Atul Kochhar’s Sindhu restaurant which was excellent, and throughout the week also made our way around the various other dining options, from fine dining at the Epicurean restaurant, to the buffet which seemed to be open pretty much all the time, to the handy poolside bars which did a great line in pizzas and take-away sandwiches and salad boxes for excursions or impromptu picnics.
The Crow’s Nest was bustling at night but was the perfect sanctuary spot for a quiet morning coffee and a book
There was certainly no fear of going hungry on this ship – or thirsty, for that matter, with the many bars on board. There were 70 different types of beer at the main bar and 20 different gins in the Crow’s Nest, although I also found the Crow’s Nest to be an ideal spot for a quiet morning coffee.
Fine dining at the Epicurean restaurant
Kids club at P&O Britannia
The children, aged six and 10, loved their kids clubs where they went every morning, although that was probably because apart from one cookery class they seemed to spend all the time playing computer games: they would emerge square-eyed at lunchtime.
The afternoons then were a chance to get some fresh air, either on deck playing ping-pong and shuffleboard (an unexpected hit) or having a dip in the surprisingly deep swimming pools (I couldn’t touch the bottom, so not great for young learner swimmers which was a shame).
There was also an adults-only area on this P&O cruise ship called The Retreat, a separate spa with a sauna, hydrotherapy pool and all sorts of pampering options, and a well-equipped gym where the treadmills looked out onto the open ocean.
A marina on the beautifully tranquil island of Isle de Re
Excursions on P&O Britannia
There were two days at sea, so the other days were a great chance to get off the ship and explore: from market day at St Peter Port in Guernsey, to La Rochelle and Isle de Re in France, and La Coruna and Bilbao in Spain. There were tenders to land at Guernsey but mostly it was a case of just stepping off the ship, or getting a coach into town – travel into Bilbao and La Rochelle was speedy and efficient, so that was another travel worry gone.
The fresh food market at Isle de Re
Ease of travelling on a cruise holiday
While there were families on board (it was half-term week), it was obvious from the majority of the other passengers that cruising is still an older person’s game and you could see why: it is an incredibly easy way to travel and you are well looked after:
Every night the programme of the next day’s events was posted through your door and included pub quizzes, dancing lessons, fitness classes, cookery demonstrations and talks on dealing with back pain, and the single travellers were catered for too with a daily get-together.
The state-of-the-art cookery school was one of the ship’s highlights
I and fellow cruise reporter Jane Archer try and look intelligent in Eric Lanlard’s cookery class – pic by Steve Dunlop
Evening entertainment centred around food and the massive theatre where there were nightly theatrical performances and shows. Highlights for me was the cookery club and evening dinner with one of P&O’s ‘Food Heroes’ Eric Lanlard – TV chef James Martin also played a large part in setting up the cookery school; getting dressed up with my ten-year old nephew in black tie for one of the two formal nights, buying some great French food at an open-air market in Isle de Re and sunbathing on the beach at La Coruna; and finding a free juke box which has every single weekly chart from the 1960s to the present day – great fun for a trip down memory lane and as a first-time cruise experience goes, it was certainly a memorable one.
To book a P&O cruise holiday or to find out last minute offers or information about P&O holidays in general, information about P&O cruises from Southampton or to order a P&O brochure head to https://www.pocruises.com
For more information about P&O Britannia including Britannia deckplans, prices, upcoming cruises and booking information head to http://www.pocruises.com/cruise-ships/britannia
Some more cruise inspiration
What to expect on a cruise to the Antarctic
Sailing on ‘the world’s most beautiful sea voyage’
Visting Svalbard in summer – 24 hour sunshine, quad bikes and RIB cruises
Visiting Svalbard in winter – my epic trip with Northern Lights, dog sledding and exploring glaciers
Best Eurocamp holidays in France
Best British hotels for Christmas
Best British hotels for New Year
The best UK hotels with swimming pools
Other family-friendly holiday ideas, from cruises to Center Parcs
