P&O Britannia cruise to nowhere

I spent 2 nights on the P&O Britannia from 11th to 13th March before the maiden voyage. It sailed out to sea but did not dock anywhere at it was a shake down cruise. We boarded efficiently at 1pm and my first impression was the wonderful atrium which was stunning. The colour scheme around the ship is mostly cream, blue and brown and it is quite contemporary. We had lunch in the Horizon self service grill and we were disappointed in the selection of food available. The salad buffet was very disappointing. We toured the whole ship and was very impressed with the Crows Nest Bar, very elegant with a good pianist playing in the evenings. The Spa area and The Retreat and Thermal Suite was also excellent. There is a charge of £25 per person per day to go in the The Retreat and Thermal Spa and there is also a weekly rate. The childrens club facilities were excellent for all age groups.

The large pool area was lovely with good quality sunbeds but there were no beds in the shade around the pool, these seem to have been replaced on Britannia by comfortable chairs and coffee tables. I was surprised that there was not a covered pool for inclement weather. The public rooms were well appointed and I particularly liked the Sindhu Indian speciality restaurant. The décor and lighting were just right and we dined in here on the second night and the food was amazing and well worth the £15 per person cover charge, although the service was very slow. We ate in the Peninsular Anytime Dining restaurant on the first night and I found the food average and the service slow, but it is early days yet and there is time for improvement. The afternoon tea in the Horizon Grill was poor and it was only average in the Peninsular restaurant. I did not try the Epicurian speciality restaurant but was told the food was very good but the service poor. The Cookery Club is a new addition to P&O Cruises and guests can book this to have a cookery school with Celebrity chefs such as James Martin, Eric Lanlard, Marco Pierre White and Atul Kochhar. Brodie's Pub was lively and there was a duo playing in there and also quizzes and karaoke.

The Crystal Room, where the dancing took place, was a stunning room. Movies were shown in the Studio and there was late night dancing in the Live Lounge. The Headliners theatre seemed small for the size of the ship but they put 3 shows on per night. The first night was a Motown band of singers, who were excellent. The Headliners Theatre group did a show the next night which was good but not memorable. We had a lead in balcony cabin, HD grade on C deck which was tastefully furnished in sage greens, brown and beige. It was one without a sofa but it had 2 chairs, twin beds with good quality bedding and there was a minibar, hairdryer and large flat screen TV. The balcony was on the small side. It had a large walk in wardrobe but there was a lack of draw and cupboard storage. The shower room was small but adequate and the shower had a proper glass screen which is much better than the shower curtains. Drinks were reasonably priced with bottles of wine from £15 per bottle and gin and tonics for £3.90 but there was a 20% tax on top of the drinks on this cruise as we were still in UK waters.

The ship is large at 141,000 tons and can carry 3647 passengers. It would particularly appeal to families and the younger cruise market. I think the older, traditional P&O cruisers would prefer a smaller ship. I think the ship has a lot to offer the British market and I am sure the service will be improved when she is up and running and over the initial teething problems.