My Wonderful Night Onboard P&O Cruises newest Ship Britannia

Walking into Ocean Terminal down at Dock Gate 4 in Southampton I could tell something big was happening, something iconic, and something historical. It wasn't just the buzz and excitement of the press and the hundreds of travel agents waiting to board P&O Cruises’ newest ship Britannia for an evening of food and wine. It wasn't even the fact that the Queen was somewhere in the vicinity enjoying lobster mornay and sampling English Sparkling wine. No, the real spectacular was that everything about this event and indeed this magnificent new ship, was British. (It may have been built at Fincantieri ship yard in Italy but that is a minor issue.)

Britannia’s bow is adorned with the Union Jack, the huge bottle of bubbles that smashed against the side of the ship when she was christened wasn't champagne, it was English Sparkling wine from the Wiston Estate on the South Downs and even the fabulous new Cookery Club is quintessentially British!

I'm a fan of cruising, it spans back from when I worked for the Agency Sales team at Carnival in Southampton. You seem to eat, sleep and breathe cruising and you either love it or hate it! Don't get me wrong I understand people's preconceptions of the traditional cruise where stuffiness meets long boring days at sea. But P&O Cruises have recognised that they need to appeal to a younger audience if they are to survive and Britannia is the girl for the job!

After a short wait to embark due to the Queen enjoying her lunch, I finally boarded and upon entering Britannia’s huge atrium you can immediately tell she is modern, innovative and engaging - not words you would have necessarily used for British cruise ships until now. They have brought in a team of designers from 5* hotels such as The Langham and the Mandarin Oriental and you can tell. She is understated luxury without being ostentatious or stuffy. I felt like I could bring my two young children here without fear of being told to get their hands off the paintings and to keep them under control. After all this is a family friendly ship and built with the discerning British family in mind.

I headed off to discover what else Britannia had to offer and came across one of those innovations I mentioned earlier, the new Cookery Club towards the aft of the ship. I was blown away with how amazing it was. There was work stations with brand new Kitchen Aids and pestle and mortars, it was an amateur chef’s dream. On selected itineraries P&O Cruises are offering cookery lessons with one of their food heroes (James Martin, Marco Pierre White, Eric Lanlard, Atul Kuchar & Olly Smith) and as I'm a foodie this is music to my ears. They also have a chef’s table for an intimate meal cooked by one of these amazing chefs.

I meandered on and checked out the kids’ facilities, I almost felt like being a child again myself as they are so well catered for. Adults can definitely wile away couple of sunbathing hours whilst the kids entertain themselves in the various settings from the nursery up to the teen pool area.

The only slight downside I feel to cruising is that the cabins are quite small and a family of four would feel very snug in one of the balcony cabins let alone an inside cabin. There are of course Suites that cater for families but these can be quite pricey and I think long days at sea could potentially induce cabin fever! However, don’t let this put you off as the facilities on board Britannia really do make this a fantastic holiday for young and old.

If you’re looking for a cruise or any other holiday or travel arrangements, please feel free to contact me. I can offer you over twelve years of travel industry knowledge and expert customer service. All of our holidays are 100% financially protected and using our award winning booking technology our prices are very competitive. Call me today on 01489 858270 or e-mail me on lucy.mcneil@travelcounsellors.com.