Well here is Part One of my Britannia Review.
On arrival in Southampton I parked up, nice and close to the terminal and got my first glimpse of this new ship. She did not disappoint. The livery is even more impressive close up. I like the simplicity of the red, white and blue and the design is elegant where as some ships more recently with painted hulls have been shall we say a little garish!
Check-in was a little dis-organised I have to say. I hope this improves for the actual paying guests but it did little to impress what were a very large crowd of potential sellers of this product. Admittedly some people were told as they arrived that check-in had been delayed by about 30 minutes however I was not one of the lucky few told. The 30 minute deadline came and went and we were still waiting. Check-in began almost an hour after the original time.
However. That said once it opened things did get moving quite quickly. There were a few hiccups with Credit card information as the swipe machines did not appear to want to take details so I was stood about 15 minutes waiting to get this resolved which I didn’t expect as after all this is not the first time P&O have checked in a ship full of guests. Once on board I paused briefly to admire the Atrium before heading to my cabin.
I was delighted to be given a Balcony cabin. This was a HA Grade cabin C425 mid ship.
The cabin was nice. I am not going to go overboard as it isn’t the largest Balcony cabin I have had by a long shot but the storage area with rail was spacious with plenty of room to hang clothes. The cabin was adequate size wise with a chair and a dressing table area. Tea and coffee making facilities with biscuits which was a nice touch and the quietest kettle I have ever heard. No sound until it got right near to boiling point. There was a large TV at a good height for watching in bed and the beds were very comfortable.
The Balcony itself was compact but functional. I liked the balcony furniture. No cheap white plastic chairs and wobbly plastic table here. Take note Royal Caribbean!
Some people were saying it was a little muted but I like the understated colours and neutral feel. There was however a chip in the bedside cabinet. Not good when no-one has slept in it yet?
The bathroom was a little challenging. It was bright and the Shower area was quite spacious but then when you step out to get dried quite frankly there was not enough room to swing a cat. Not that I would want to as I love my cat. He loves my desk too.
I am assuming the cabins with Sofas were larger but from what colleagues said they were just slightly longer to accommodate the sofa.
Next Time we will explore!
What do you think?