P&O Britannia Ship Review | Would We Go Back? 

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Great review - I'm trying not to research Britannia too much as I've already paid now for our May 2023 cruise but this review left me feeling happy with my choice. Hopefully 8 months time will give them some space to sort out some of the issues and we'll have a lovely time.

Cant believe the drinks prices, and that service you had with the afternoon Tea! However glad you would go back on board and recommend this ship. we loved Ventura and would defiantly give this one a go - Thanks Dan and Jay!

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Cracking video, I shouted down to my wife that all cabins have white company stuff.. she shouted back book the blo*dy cruise now!! Looking forward to the next one boys

I’d go further and say the lack of a midship staircase is potentially a serious safety issue. If an emergency occurs (like a costa Concordia situation) when you can’t use the lift and have to go to the stairs imagine 3500 people rushing to either end of the ship to use the two staircases. Madness!!

I'm going on her in June 2025, enjoyed this video and wonder is there a follow up review of Britannia yet?

I've booked us a Caribbean cruise on Britannia for February/March, having wanted to experience this ship since docking next to her in 2015. We were on Azura at the time. We thought Iona was fantastic last January, and the food was, overall, very good. We never pay for speciality restaurants as there's so much choice in the others. We buy drinks as we go and I was disappointed with the small range of non alcohol drinks. For example, I felt sure I'd be able to get an alcohol free Gordon's or Tanquerey gin & tonic. The AF IPA was very good but pricey. I could only get AF wine by the bottle in restaurants. I have no idea why I couldn't buy by the glass in the bars. The spa was lovely, but I was bored rigid and left after an hour. Anyway, we're better informed as to what to avoid on Britannia. I love walking, taking the stairs as much as possible to counteract the calories in their delicious desserts, of which I ate 4 to 5 each day. We do have a cabin with a restricted view, but after a nasty experience with an inside room on a different cruise line in October, we just want daylight to wake up to. I think the price we have paid for flights, transfers, all food, entertainment and a balcony cabin is excellent. We are glass half full people and are excited to be trying Britannia at last. Thanks for your informative review.

Shame on P&O not Covid. We did the Celebrity Silhouette Southampton/Amsterdam cruise late May 2022. There was no shortage of staff, food or drink. We felt pampered.

Just arrived back from a Meditteranian cruise on Brittania ...it is a beautiful Cruise liner ..would definatly go back Customer service very good ...cabin beautiful 🤩.

just returned from a transatlantic. food was fantastic and staff were brilliant. downside was epicurian where waiting time and food were aweful. all shows were good. brodies was debateable regards service at the bar. under staffed caused this problem

In 2022 on Iona we had afternoon tea in Epicurean it was lovely however we were on Iona in Jan 2023 & it had gone down hill the eclair was hard & crunchy & the cakes seemed as though they had been sitting around for a while. We also went for dinner at The Glass House and were waiting for the dessert menu only to be told they dont do desserts there any more 😮. To me that is the end of meal treat I was so disappointed. I do love Iona but seems like things are beginning to slip...

Amazing as always! Fair and balanced unlike other reviews I watch, it’s a shame standards have slipped, I really hope they improve and ditch the horrid rules they have onboard for crew!

Have you sailed aboard P&O Britannia, and did you have a good time? Let us know your experience by dropping us a comment below :)

Just finished my first cruise with P&O Britannia. 9 months on from your review - which is spot on, nothing has changed in my view. I wish I knew about the extra cost to eat good food in the restaurants. I would've added another £500 to my budget. The standard of the food in Horizon was tasteless and no better than slops. I was under the impression that the onboard food was fantastic. I have nothing to compare Britannia too, but on speaking to people with several cruises under their belt, their opinion confirmed my thoughts. That this was the worse cruise they had been on and standards had dropped since covid. This is my opinion and we all have different reviews. Great that you found no fault - you like what you like. My Holiday App - just confirmed how many waiting in a virtual queue. 70/90 some nights.

Just got off Britannia in April 2023. It's a nice boat with a lot of good points, but I'd agree the balcony is tiny and the booking of speciality restaurants is awful. Their app just doesn't work and needs to be binned.

Another quality video guys 🙏. We did Britannia a few years ago but with our Grandchildren and so didn’t get the most out of its facilities (especially dining options). The lack of staff is disappointing (but not exclusive to P&O) and will hopefully be resolved soon. Keep up the great work 👍

No pleasing everyone . It's what u make it 😄

Had no problem at all using the app on board 2-4 weeks ago. The virtual queue for meals worked very well and waiting times (even at peak times) were always short. Similarly, getting drinks was no great problem. Was on Britannia 3 years ago and did not notice a drop in standards from then. Biggest disappoitments were Sindhu and The Limelight Club where food and service fell short. Would not use The Retreat or Spa due to costs but that was no great loss.

Great review!

Well presented review..told me all I needed to hear..Thank you

Hi! Stuck between booking this ship for a Caribbean cruise and the Marella voyager, which would you guys recommend? Love the channel by the way!

Having just returned from a Mediterranean cruise on Britannia can i just say they are still suffering from major staffing issues. Covid measures were brought in the last 3 days of the cruise so no going to the bar for a drink with little staff to take your order we mostly gave up which is most annoying when on the drinks package. We went on a early saver fare inside and was delighted with our large inside cabin, plenty of room and storage but unfortunately mid ship on deck 15 so no stairs to the lido deck so had to wait ages just to go up one floor waiting for lifts. I decided not to book another cruise in the near future , we did book Arvia for Srpt 2024 and hopefully the dreaded covid will not impact our holiday. Although Britannia is a lovely ship I think the layout is a bit strange. Would i sail on her again ? No I've done it now and it didn't wow me enough to want to go back, I'm hoping Arvia will be more my kind of ship as I love the larger ships like RC Independece Of The Seas which i have sailed on twice and if she was cruising out of Southampton I would book instantly again. P & O really need to sort their issues with the lack of staff if you are returning to filling your ships to near on full capacity. I just hope this will get sorted by Sept 2024 or I will be booking further cruises with different company.

It’s a beautiful ship but after covid has changed things on board food become mediocre the shows about the same. For the money you pay not worth rebooking. Shame on you P&O letting a nice ship slip into Butlins on the sea.

You can't even sit on those tiny balconies.... ridiculous. Plus the ship isn't even British built. Fancy calling it Britannia then...

Hi Charlotte, thanks for a positive review. We are on Britannia next week for the same cruise. Can I ask if you took cash to spend ashore or were you able to use cards everywhere? Thanks.

Looking forward to getting on her next month now 🙄

Cruised on Britannia once (that's a clue). Cabin balcony was small in depth compared to other ships in their fleet and we really missed not being able to simply open a door and walk on a promenade deck, instead having to take the lift up to the top deck to access outside space. Each to their own I guess, the ship itself was fine but not the best design for me. Regarding food, can't help thinking P&O have cut back. On our recent cruise with them we boarded late (3.30pm) having not had chance for lunch due to traveling and there was nothing left in the buffet, not even a cake, it was bare ! Don't often eat in the buffet but the few times we did, the food was always left overs from the main dining room the day before revamped. Often items advertised on the buffet menu weren't even there when you went inside. I understand being economical and reducing food waste but the choice was often very limiting. Finally their land based customer service is appalling, they will not even answer a phone call (been like it for years even pre covid), so after 7 cruises we're moving on to another line. Thanks for taking time to record the review, always interesting to watch.

Just come back from Iona Norway and couldn't even find how to book afternoon tea. Apart from that it was quite difficult to find a booking at the premium dining places. Only managed once at olive garden. The food on all days was excellent and service was impeccable. I have heard that Britannia is not to the same standard. My biggest disappointment was the Gala night which was literally dressing up to eat, the food was the least enjoyable although still good.

Just back from a Mediterranean cruise on Britannia maybe I'm undemanding but I really enjoyed it. Food was excellent in the restaurants I've no complaints. I've not sailed with anyone else so I'm not judgemental staff were friendly and helpful a relaxing cruise

Booked 14 nights on the Britannia in July 2022. We are seasoned cruisers and this was our first cruise since covid. Never again! Not only was it the worst cruise, but the worst holiday we have ever had. We cannot list everything that was wrong, the food and service was terrible etc etc. we found out that the cabin stewards, without proper training were used in the evenings to help in the dining rooms, that is why there is no turn down service. On top of everything I caught covid on disembarkation day. We wrote to P&O on our return home but have not as yet received a proper response, their customer service is extremely poor. We will never travel with P&O again. P&O maybe suffering with staff shortages and did not offer the holiday that we expected, but that did not reflect on the price of the cruise.

thanks lads

Thanks Dan and Jay, wonderful review. Can I ask when you were onboard? Thanks

Finally caught up on this! As always a fair balanced review and as always love your visuals especially the drone footage. Can’t believe the afternoon tea experience, seems your the first ever vegetarian to want afternoon tea, unbelievable! 💯 on the “ultimate” drinks package, surely someone needs to look at it, just coming off MSC their top package really is ultimate. Really want to try Britannia but looks more suited to adults? Maybe a no child cruise is order at some point!

As a new subscriber to your channel I've found your videos very informative and very honest, we've just booked our very 1st cruise next December and it's on the Britannia, is a good ship for 1st time cruisers?

Highly detailed review, which provides invaluable information for those of us who haven't used P&O. I stuck with Marella, due to P&O's additional cost services, and your video has reinforced my view. It seems that their marketing approach is to have low headline fares, with the emphasis on specialty dining & extra services- this makes it much harder to budget, and it would make me feel restricted in my behaviour. The drinks package is extortionate, and it would only encourage binge drinking from those trying to get their £40. Would suspect that ice creams & sodas are not provided free of charge in the buffet restaurant?

Very good informative, and helpfull

Dan and Jay, thank you again you’ve made my Monday afternoon even better! Always love having a cuppa and biscuit while watching your videos! Please let me know once you have Patreon yes?

We’re booked on Britannia next May ‘23 and were pre-aware of some of the staffing issues, which thankfully don’t seem as bad as Iona. Now you’ve mentioned the G deck cabins being inaccessible via the midship and aft I’m very grateful we’ve got a forward cabin on deck 12. Because we were aware of some the issues we didn’t want to pay a lot and have huge expectations, so we just booked the cheapest grade forward inside cabin, so I’d still say for what we paid the current experience is still good value. I’d feel very hard done by if I’d spent considerably more on a balcony cabin, as you’re still getting the same downgraded experience on the rest of the ship as everyone else, so it really didn’t seem worth it to me.

Wow, another great video you two! Really, very informative and I love the camera work and editing. Britannia isn’t a ship for me, but enjoyed watching nonetheless! Keep up the good work!!!

Hi...we are doing our first Caribbean cruise on Britannia in March. I have heard that there are plenty of taxi drivers at the various ports of call waiting to take passengers around the island etc. Is this safe to do in your opinion. Also which currency do you suggest is best to take for the various islands. We are assuming it would be US dollars but would like your opinion. Many thanks. Also hoping things may improve by the time we go🤞

Is it like the titanic

Hi, not long back off Britannia - some similar experiences to you. I booked a cream tea for us in the Epicurean and went to reception to tell them I was vegetarian. Got to Epicurean the next day and got faced with ham rolls! :( Took ages to resolve and just got some rolls with tiny bits of veggies on them - not good enough! Rest of the cruise was great, fab entertainment and some brilliant staff. Some bars were VERY slow to serve. I could sit right in front of the bar at the atrium and get ignored for ages! Serenity pool was the same, everyone went up to the bar themselves. Overall I loved it though and would go back on again :)

Very interesting thanks. I haven't been with them since 2004 and it seems a lot different now. Did you use a lot of stock footage on the video or did you take it all - there are lots of drone shots (surely they don't let you bring them on), empty venues and what almost look like publicity shots? Just wondered. Very nice cinematography either way.

Should just eat meat then pal

Hi there! enjoyed this review, can you please tell me if they have refilled the mini bars in cabins and opened the laundrette now on the ship ?those were not available in January, hoping to be more of a normal cruising experience this winter

I’m going out n that cruise

Great information. Me and my partner are going in the Britannia this September so hopefully will be ok . We have no dietary requirements anyways 😄

We had a great cruise. Epicurean afternoon tea was excellent and staff were all friendly and we had fantastic service.

Hi we the Baldwin’s we are coming on the cruise next April

Great honest, detailed & helpful review Thanks for taking the time. Always enjoy your videos.

can u have some review to the mess crew area

Wow as a veggie I'd be fuming

Hey! We got off Britannia just this morning from a week long Norway cruise, you asked us to let you know how it went, so here goes. Basically we LOVED IT!! We’re pleased to say that P&O seem to have made some really significant improvements and have done a lot of things really well for us! 😃 Crew Shortages - resolved. Service was nothing short of fantastic on this cruise, crew were just exceptional, friendly, helpful, we honestly can’t say enough good things about them. I’d even go as far as to say it’s what you’d expect on a more luxurious cruise. The captain confirmed there are the full 1350 crew again, and the story is better than that. Because they’ve removed the evening turn down service, there are fewer housekeeping staff, but that means more have been deployed to bars and restaurants than before covid and it REALLY showed. We went on Britannia BEFORE covid and the buffer/bar staff certainly looked very overworked, this time it was the total opposite, Crew seemed much more relaxed and actually had time to chat to us this time. And getting a drink was never EVER an issue. A massive thumbs up to P&O for actually acknowledging the previous shortages and really improving, they really deserve credit for that. The cabin and ship in general was incredibly clean. An 8 year old ship you’d realistically expect some signs of wear and tear, there were scuff marks on the walls in our cabin, and yes in the bathroom the shower door seals had perished in some places. But I think that’s to be expected and nothing was unhygienic, so again a thumbs up there. The MyHoliday app worked an absolute treat and I hear they’ve done a lot of work on improving it and making it usable. The food for us was on the whole brilliant. The epicurean was the real highlight for us. The quality of it was amazing and tbh couldn’t tell the cutbacks, maybe because the service and staffing have improved so much since your experience. Some food was a bit hit and miss and not to our taste, but I think thats normal and no shortage of food we did like. Ports weren’t the best tbh, because it was a Friday-Friday cruise, we went to Stavanger and Olden on a Sunday and bank hol Monday, when everything was closed 😑 Flåm was incredibly stunning but small, and Haugesund was quite frankly a dump. So not the best but it was a cheap cruise and the price certainly reflected it. We paid £730 each in which we had £75 each on board spend, free parking at the terminal, and the child’s drink package so as many soft drinks as we wanted. To us that was unparalleled value and thought we had an absolutely fantastic experience for what we paid 🤩🤩 so P&O get a big thumbs up from us.

I recently went on my very first cruise on Britannia and to be honest I couldn’t fault it, the crew were very friendly and couldn’t do enough for us. We didn’t use the speciality restaurants so I can’t say much about those but the ones we did go to were superb. The entertainment onboard was second to none, we went to the Headliners theatre multiple times for onboard talks and evening entertainments and thoroughly enjoyed it all.

Mate; I don't care whether Britannia is Gold Plated 24 Carat Gold with Platinum cutlery; that is one ship I will never sail on. I bet the cruises cost a bomb, and then having to pay for a decent feed on top of everything else such as spas et al, and t be confined to eating slops from the plebs kitchens, no thank you very much. P & O you can put Britannia where the sun does not shine. (EXIT STAGE LEFT)

We are on board next month the fiords we did similar last year on Iona disappointed evening turn down still not on place