In July 2014, I experienced a 2 night mini-cruise on board P&O’s new ship the Britannia. My cruise entitled a ‘mini cruise to nowhere’, allowed me plenty of time to experience the facilities on-board this exciting new ship.
When I stepped aboard my first thoughts were how lovely the atrium was with the stunning Starburst art work from the ceiling. It was a lovely place to enter and gave guests a great first impression of the variety of bars, shops and a café available all in one area. My stateroom was not available until mid-afternoon so I headed to the Horizon restaurant for lunch. The Horizon restaurant is the buffet restaurant available for breakfast, lunch, afternoon snacks, dinner and late snacks. There is plenty of seating and a large area with a wide selection of hot and cold dishes to choose from.
After lunch I took a self-guided tour of the ship. From the restaurant I went out on deck where I found 2 of the 4 pools on board. The pool area is really lovely, plenty of sun loungers and there were also areas in the shade available. Up on the sun deck is the exclusive adult only area; The Retreat, a quiet area with bar and whirlpool spas. There is also a sports court up on the Sports deck with golf nets and located just below are the kid’s clubs, there are different clubs for different age groups.
There are plenty of bars and lounges that have entertainment in the evening in addition to the main theatre; Headliners theatre. The show I saw one evening was called Sound of the Underground, it was a real feel good show, a mixture of singing and dancing and the staging and costumes were amazing, I really enjoyed it. My favourite lounge was the Crystal room, a lounge just off from the Atrium with lovely decor, it has a small stage and dance floor, where they have live music in the evenings. The Live Lounge is another area which comes alive at night and is the ship’s nightclub. The Live Lounge will also host live bands and tribute acts throughout various sailings.
Britannia offers many dining options. There is a main restaurant, buffet dining, Sindhu, The Market Café and a new dining experience called the Limelight Club. This venue is a new experience where you can enjoy an evening meal with entertainment, all within the same venue. On my sailing Jaki Graham was the guest entertainment and she entertained us throughout the evening. (There is an additional charge to dine here).
One of my favourite areas of Britannia has to be the Spa. Unfortunately I didn’t have time to try the treatments this time but I did take a tour. There is a full Hair Salon, nail bar, Spa shop and many treatment rooms. My favourite part of the spa has to be the Thermal Suite; aromatic showers, steam rooms, hot stone beds and saunas. To use this area you must purchase a day spa pass which is available from £25 per person per day.
Overall I thoroughly enjoyed my time on board and I would recommend it to those looking for a traditional British cruise experience aboard a new ship with some innovative new ideas.