You will have gathered by now that I was lucky enough to be in Southampton for the launch of this stunning new ship and on the day that the Queen named her too! Visiting a brand new ship is always exciting, being one of the first people on board while it is brand spanking new and I must admit Britannia did not disappoint in that respect. She feels more like a boutique hotel than a cruise ship with various bars and lounges surrounding her extremely impressive atrium along with the decor throughout the ship – the most impressive P&O ship to date.
I have read reviews from other people who have been on board, mixed comments to be honest, and the main theme seems to be that she lacks ‘wow factor’ and she is just like the other P&O ships but bigger. Bigger she certainly is! she dwarfs even Ventura and Azura, previously the two largest ships in the fleet.
Britannia was never going to be a groundbreaking ship, she was never intended to change the face of cruising or be the ‘first’ to introduce a new feature to the world of cruising, that is not what P&O is all about, if you want that then another cruise line springs to mind! P&O have a very loyal following and what P&O have done is build a ship that their followers will enjoy. Your typical P&O cruiser, and that includes my parents, doesn’t want robots serving their drinks, or Ice Bars or the worlds biggest water slide, what they want is traditional British cruising and that is what they will get on Britannia. P&O have listened to feedback from guests and given them exactly what they asked for – no shocks, no surprises but the cruise experience they have always enjoyed with P&O. Lively, action-packed cruise ships aren’t for everyone! The main new feature on board is The Cookery Club where passengers can enjoy cookery lessons with celebrity chefs, including Mary Berry – much more civilised and terribly British!
My only reservation, and this is just my opinion, would be is Britannia too big? Many of P&O’s older passengers really enjoy their midsized ships like Aurora, Oceana and Arcadia, they find Azura and Ventura too big, so how are they going to feel about Britannia? Is she going to be too big? Would P&O have been better to introduce a couple of midsized ships to the fleet instead? Only time will tell I suppose.
For more information on Britannia or any of the other P&O ships please don’t hesitate to call me on 0330 303 8184. I will be delighted to talk to you!