Britannia – Is Bigger Going To Be Better?

There’s a real buzz around Carnival House in Southampton, the UK Head Office of P&O cruises as the launch of their first new ship in 4 years gets closer & closer.

The last ship to enter service for P&O was the Adonia in 2011, however at a whopping 145,000 tonnes the Britannia is almost 5 times the size of Adonia, carrying 3600 passengers compared to 710 on Adonia.

But is bigger necessarily better?

Let’s look at the pros & cons:

Undoubtedly a bigger ship means more space for more facilities. Britannia boasts 4 swimming pools, 13 dining venues, 13 bars & 13 entertainment venues. As the  popularity of freedom dining grows, there are now 2 restaurants to cater for those who don’t want to dine at the same time with the same people every evening, however for those who like the original dining theme there is the Oriental restaurant that continues with traditional set dining times.

There is a state of the art cooking school where celebrity chefs such as James martin & Atul Kochar will make an appearance as well as where masterclasses from the ships own professional chefs will take place.

Another TV celeb who has a dining venue on board is Olly Smith, the wine expert who’s restaurant serves wine flights to match the dishes served perfectly.

There is an al fresco’chill out’ area called The Retreat to relax in a cabana by day & to watch the stars sipping a drink by night.

The Oasis spa is sure to tempt people in for a spot of relaxation and pampering – extremely popular on days at sea.

Also growing in popularity with cruisers of all ages is the gym. Whether it’s working off all the food you’ve consumed or just a general interest in keeping fit, P&O have recognised that a state of the art gym is a great feature to entice some guests on board their ships.

For kids & teens there are dedicated spaces on the ship where they will be entertained by the qualified children’s staff. For teens there is even their own dedicated sun deck where they can hang out with their new found friends.

The newer, bigger ships tend to have a lot more balcony cabins available to book than older ones.

Another benefit of the big cruise ships is that as there are so many cabins to fill, the prices can be cheaper than the smaller, more intimate ships.

All the above sounds great & it is always nice to have a choice of dining & entertainment venues, but what are the drawbacks of such a large ship?

A mega-ship is more limited in the ports that it can dock at. Smaller ports can not accommodate some of the bigger vessels which can mean either it’s ruled out as a stop-off, or a tender is required to transport you to shore. This is often not a viable option for the less mobile passenger. It can also make some of the itineraries look a little ‘run of the mill’.

Many people find the larger ships hard to navigate. Your cabin can be a long way from the central facilities & customers often tell me how they can easily get lost trying to find their way around.

Excursions get booked up very quickly. With so many passengers to accommodate you have to get in early to secure the excursions you want if booking through the cruise line. Spaces are limited.

Queues to get tickets for certain shows can be very long & time consuming.

Finding a table in the buffet restaurants at the busier times can be troublesome.

In general the larger vessels are designed to be very family friendly & that can be off-putting for those travelling without children.

Although the outdoor areas are expansive, it is never going to be easy to find enough sun loungers & deckchairs to accommodate 3000 + passengers. Often they are crammed in to a very small space & although most ships profess to have a ‘no saving sunbeds’ rule, it is rare that you see it being put in to practise.

The bigger ships do offer more speciality restaurants,but you have to be sure to book early to secure your preferred day & time of dining.

Embarkation & disembarkation can be a lengthy process with so many passengers to check in & out.

As you can see there are good points & bad points about the bigger ships.  Most of the newer built ships are aimed at attracting customers who have never cruised before & therefore stray from many of the traditions of the more established ships. Everyone has their own personal preferences when it comes to a life on the ocean wave. and it’s ‘horses for courses’ as they say.

P&O have a 175 year history of transporting people around the world and during this time the cruise industry has completely transformed, but despite modernisation and new innovations they are not completely letting go of all the  traditions.

What is your opinion? Is bigger really better?

Leave a comment below.