On the 12th September, myself and Assistant Editor Anthony embarked on a short 2-night cruise to Guernsey onboard P&O Cruises’ newest and largest ship ever, Britannia. I was eager to see not only the spectacular looking features, such as the Starburst Atrium, but also how it would compare to the similarly designed Royal Princess. which I absolutely loved.
After arriving at Southampton’s Ocean Terminal just after 12 noon, we were greeted by hoards of people and hen parties eagerly waiting to get onboard the ship. Most of the seats were taken apart from the odd single seat left in between separate groups of people. Just think of the horror of having to sit next to a complete stranger to help free up more seats so that other people can sit down! After waiting just over an hour and forty-five minutes, our coloured letter was eventually called. After that, check in was fairly smooth, despite a large queue weaving around the seating area, and the fact we were being checked in by the slowest staff member ever.
We embarked the ship shortly after 2pm and similar to when we were onRoyal Princess. our first sight was the stunning atrium. The Starburst sculpture gently twinkled as I stood in awe.
We then took the lift to A Deck 15, to drop off our bags. We had booked a Superior Deluxe Balcony (A417), which I was really excited about seeing. Our cabin was just a few doors down from the midship elevators, which was really handy. I loved the decor of the corridors, especially the fact that cabin doors were slightly set back from the corridor itself.
Upon entering the cabin, I couldn’t get over just how big it actually was! I knew it would be big, but I was truly blown away! The cabin features two, yes two, large flatscreen televisions (one for watching in bed and the other for the lounge area). A large, comfortable sofa faces the spacious dressing table. The cabin includes a complimentary bottle of Champagne Brut as well as a delicious box of chocolates. Also in the cabin was a good selection of magazines, binoculars as well as bathrobes, slippers and an umbrella. The bathroom was spacious too, with the main attraction of a full-sized bathtub. The balcony was an average size, not the biggest, but it seemed slightly larger than normal balconies onboard the ship.