Rule Britannia (the cruise ship!)
I am not a seasoned cruiser so it was a great experience to see what cruising is really like.
Check in ran smoothly and we passed through security without issue. Boarding a ship is very similar to boarding a plane in terms of security so for someone who hasn't cruised before it was interesting to know that the procedure was very much like what I was used to at an airport.
Once on-board we were directed to our cabin by the very helpful staff, even to the point of walking us to the correct lifts to ensure we found our cabin quickly and without any issues.
As we made our way through the stunning Atrium in the centre of the ship to our balcony cabin on deck 7, I couldn’t believe how grand the ship was. Cascading over 3 decks, the Atrium is the ships centrepiece and certainly has the WOW factor. Housing a luxurious bar area and the most amazing patisserie it is a showstopper of a location and will definitely be the area to take a selfie when the opportunity arises.
The cabin staff are always on hand should you have any questions or need any assistance during your stay. On arrival at the cabin our cabin steward introduced himself to us and asked if we needed anything. Nothing was too much trouble and it certainly came across to us that he loved his job.
Our cabin was a balcony cabin and was a good size with a main bedroom area, a changing and luggage storage area and the bathroom. Ample space for 2 people to move around freely. I loved the modern décor, the flatscreen TV and the floor to ceiling glass of the balcony doors. Britannia operates a key card system and is very easy to use, the key card doubles as your charge card for any purchases you make on-board making it unnecessary to carry any cash around with you.
We wandered around the ship, exploring the various facilities including the impressive upper deck with swimming pool, the amazing array of restaurants to choose from and the excellent children’s facilities on offer. I have to say that anyone travelling as a family with children of any age (from babies to teens) will be totally spoilt.
The pool was a bit too cold on a crisp day in March docked in Southampton to take a dip but I could imagine just how enticing it would be on the high seas in 30c heat! There were hot tubs though so for those days that weren't so warm there was still watery fun to be had!
The family facilities were what surprised me the most with a fully prepared crèche, separate rooms for the different age groups, activities available all day and evening long, a chill out room with pool tables and games consoles for the teenagers and lots of fully UK standard trained staff to take care of everything it's an excellent environment for a family holiday.
For me, the choice of restaurants was a particular attraction. From Italian to Indian, French to Fusion, there was something to suit all tastes. The layout of the restaurants also surprised me. It never felt like there was more than maybe 20 to 30 of you in a restaurant which is down to the clever design of dividing the restaurants with well placed walls to make it feel like you were eating in an intimate and exclusive eatery. The serving staff were excellent and always made sure that everything was to the guests satisfaction.
The evening was a Gala event and we were treated to some truly delicious food inspired by the fabulous Marco Pierre White (who is one of the ships Food Heroes and can be found on-board at various times of the year…. You could even have a cooking lesson with him!) After dinner we made our way to the entertainment venues. Our choice for the evening was an 80s evening which was just brilliant and certainly made our night one to remember.
There were, however, many other choices for the entertainment that evening from Broadway style shows, the casino and a jazz bar to name a few so something for all tastes.
I took myself off to bed at 2am (you don't realise just how big the ship is until you are absolutely exhausted and walking the corridors to your cabin!) ready for the early get up to leave the ship the next morning. The bed was so comfortable that I was asleep almost as soon as my head hit the pillow!
Next morning it was time to leave the ship, after a very filling breakfast served in the buffet restaurant with cooked breakfast items, pastries, cereals, fresh fruit, yoghurts, tea, coffee and juices all on offer. So off we headed home after our brief but truly wonderful taste of Britannia. It was definitely a case of Rule Britannia rather than a Hard Days Night!