We had a great trip to Norway and as a means of transport the Britannia was fine. I think a week was long enough for us though. Here are our comments:

Décor: The décor of the ship is very bland. I thought it was dull but others at our dinner table described it as “elegant’. Everything is brown and cream with very little to relieve the colour scheme. In the cabins this is restful but monotonous overall.

Cabins: Both of our cabins were well laid out and there was plenty of room. We appreciated having a kettle, tea-making supplies and a fridge. We enjoyed having early morning coffee and an afternoon G & T watching the scenery from the balcony. The bathroom was roomy and the bed comfortable. We had a comfy couch and a large TV with a range of channels and DVD’s. Our porter(s) were almost invisible but the cabin was cleaned well each day. Thank God for the absence of towel animals!

You may have noticed that I referred to our two cabins. Despite having booked an unobstructed view cabin, we had a large, orange lifeboat in our view. First we were told that we had booked an obstructed view and as the ship was full we could not be upgraded. The next P&O person said the fine print for our fare category allows them to allocate any cabin as long as they charge the appropriate fare. They had but I didn’t notice the $100 difference when I booked. By the third day I asked them to stop calling to see if we were happy unless they had a solution. Next morning, we were offered a cabin with no lifeboat on a higher deck. The staff moved our stuff and we enjoyed the new cabin. Interesting that there were no empty cabins when we arrived but one appeared after a few days. Maybe someone fell overboard or didn’t return from a shore excursion! A lesson to triple check and take screen shots when booking on line.

Dining: We were allocated second sitting (8.30) in the main dining room. We could have changed but as we liked our table companions we were happy with this.

• As it is a proudly British ship, expect the choices to be designed for British tastes. The menus were rather repetitive and uninspired but the food was well cooked and presented. We didn’t try the specialty restaurants.

  

  This yummy dessert was an exception!

• Drinks were well-priced compared to other ships. Our wine waiter tried to whip our bottle off the table as soon as dessert was served each night. Perhaps he was looking for an early night!
• We had breakfast and lunch most days in the Horizon buffet. Again, the food was OK but bland and with a limited choice.

Entertainment: The downside of having the late dining setting was that it was too late for these two seniors to go out partying after dinner. We did not attend any of the evening concerts and apart from having a nightcap in the Crow’s-nest we didn’t go near the bars. Hopeless with the quizzes as all designed for British passengers.

Staff: Wait staff were good at their job but wary of engaging in conversation. We felt like they had been told not to talk to diners. This was true of staff all over the ship. In the Horizon Buffet in particular we noticed that staff would walk in front of people carrying trays and would avoid looking at people who obviously needed help. Overall it seemed to us that the staff in all parts of the ship, including our invisible stewards, needed some training in customer relations.

General: Although there were a lot of people on board – 3,650 passengers and 1400 crew,  we did not feel it was crowded and could always find a quiet corner. The Britannia is easy to find your way around with one exception. To get to the restaurant on deck 5 you have to go up to deck 6 walk around 70 meters then down the stairs again to deck 5. Crowds form at the top of the stairs before dinner and it is dangerous as well as frustrating! There are no lifts in the centre of the ship which can mean a long walk and a long wait.

One last warning! Don’t go near the pool deck on the last embarkation. The “World Famous P&O Great British Sail-away Party” was cringe-worthy and just rude to everyone on board who was not British.  Our dining companions were embarrassed and avoided it. Jim wisely stayed away too but I went for a look. Suggest you don’t if you ever sail on the Britannia. (See the video on FB)

All that said, we enjoyed the cruise. The fjords were lovely, most of our fellow passengers were good company and our cabin was comfortable. Get rid of the excruciating British Sail Away, though, before I would return.