Soot on Aft Balconies - Britannia

We have had an aft cabin underneath the sunset bar on a TA and yes you do get occasional soot smuts but then we have also been covered in smut while idling on a lounger round the main pool area in Barbados on disembarkation day. We did have a daily clean and our steward normally did this while we were at breakfast.As others say in depends on atmospheric conditions and is not solely a P&O problem. I have also heard it said about Royal Princess

Did aft cabin on Britannia this year in Caribbean. Would not book an aft cabin again on any ship on any line.

Had to keep wiping furniture down, my bathrobe was still black, couldn’t lean on the balcony after I’d got ready, and wear flip flops outside as feet were black otherwise.

As much as the steward cleaned it came down. I love reading on balcony at sea days and it was landing on my book, made me wonder what I was breathing in and not seeing.

Loved Britannia and the cruise in the Caribbean so didn’t spoil it at all just a lesson learnt!

Did aft cabin on Britannia this year in Caribbean. Would not book an aft cabin again on any ship on any line.

 

Had to keep wiping furniture down, my bathrobe was still black, couldn’t lean on the balcony after I’d got ready, and wear flip flops outside as feet were black otherwise.

 

As much as the steward cleaned it came down. I love reading on balcony at sea days and it was landing on my book, made me wonder what I was breathing in and not seeing.

 

Loved Britannia and the cruise in the Caribbean so didn’t spoil it at all just a lesson learnt!

Hi which suite/cabin were you in?

And I was really looking forward to my aft suite on Britannia at the end of October. :(

Ignore all the bad comments - aft Suites are wonderful (as are all Suites to be honest).

We had an aft Suite on B deck late 2016 and loved it (having had one on the side in 2015). The balconies are huge compared to the side Suites - much deeper. We had a table, two chairs, two loungers and another table along with one of the Settees that used to be up near the sports court area. This was wonderful to sit on - but cover it with towels as it gets hot!

Yes, there was soot, but it can be cleaned up. I just wore one of my pairs of sandals out there. If you use the slippers provided the Butler will get new ones when they get too dirty.

Use your Butler for everything - from unpacking and packing (much easier for you and gives you more time on the day on get on and on the last day!) to booking restaurants/excursions, delivering drinks, arranging parties, etc, etc. We even had one offer to buy a lighter for us from a shop on board Aurora once as my Husband wanted to light a cigar (you could smoke on balconies then). If you get anything go wrong with the Suite ask your Butler to sort it out - don't bother ringing Reception.

Enjoy having one - you've paid for it and you don't get one at home! :):)

To tell someone to ‘ignore’ all the comments from those of us who have had major issues with aft suites on Britannia is ridiculous. I guess some people are luckier than others, as the problems are worsened in certain atmospheric conditions than others, but we can’t all be wrong. Be clear, it isn’t just a minor inconvenience. It is like oil when it gets on skin and clothes and is a complete and utter pain.

That said, do not be deterred from aft suites on other ships. We had one on Ventura and have just returned from one on Arcadia. No problems with soot whatsoever.

Ignore advice on Britannia aft cabins at your peril.

I can't remember if anyone has said tis already but you can get free laundry for soot stained clothes, even if just from sunbathing on the aft decks

I can't remember if anyone has said tis already but you can get free laundry for soot stained clothes, even if just from sunbathing on the aft decks

The fact is it shouldn't happen and we got to the stage when we couldn't use the balcony because there was so much soot on it. P&O accepted it was a problem when we contacted them. I will say again: I strongly advise anybody who enjoys using their balcony to avoid the aft balconies on Britannia, particularly in cooler climates.

The fact is it shouldn't happen and we got to the stage when we couldn't use the balcony because there was so much soot on it. P&O accepted it was a problem when we contacted them. I will say again: I strongly advise anybody who enjoys using their balcony to avoid the aft balconies on Britannia, particularly in cooler climates.

Agreed. Too many of us saying the same thing to just be ‘ignored’.

Agreed. Too many of us saying the same thing to just be ‘ignored’.

Agree 100%. Only those who have been there know just what an annoyance it actually is. While it is not always an issue, it is a real gamble, one I would not be prepared to take.

The way they changed the colour of the aft loungers from white to black was a bit of a giveaway that they had a problem they were trying to cover up.

Agree 100%. Only those who have been there know just what an annoyance it actually is. While it is not always an issue, it is a real gamble, one I would not be prepared to take.

Obviously for some who have experienced it this wasn't really an issue,ourselves included

Hi which suite/cabin were you in?

C733 - chose this central one as you get a slightly wider balcony than the others at the aft

Agree 100%. Only those who have been there know just what an annoyance it actually is. While it is not always an issue, it is a real gamble, one I would not be prepared to take.

Agreed - the carpets by the door, and balcony furniture looked very dirty. For a fairly new ship I was disappointed so mentioned it in the cruise questionnaire they leave after the first couple of days on the cruise. They couldn’t have tried harder to sort out, the carpets were cleaned, balcony cleaned... but that doesn’t help unfortunately as it’s all stained beyond cleaning.

If you aren’t bothered by these things then probably won’t be an issue. I did take pictures but have since deleted them as I want to remember the fantastic cruise in the Caribbean and not the black stained aft cabin.

 

If you aren’t bothered by these things then probably won’t be an issue. I did take pictures but have since deleted them as I want to remember the fantastic cruise in the Caribbean and not the black stained aft cabin.

Exactly,at the end of the day you get on with it & enjoy your holiday,we loved having the space,peace & quiet & the shelter of the ships superstructure while at sea which totally outweighed any bad things.

And she isn't that new a ship now,5 years ago this month saw our first time on her & it was remarkable to us how different she looks,but then she has seen a lot of action in that time,it would be unreasonable IMO to expect her to look like new.

Somebody once told me that they weren't happy with an hotel room unless it looked like it was brand new,I can't imagine she would have been too happy too often!

Obviously for some who have experienced it this wasn't really an issue,ourselves included

It depends on the degree to which you were affected. Personally I don’t expect or want to go on any ship and have this level of soot polluting my air and messing up my balcony and subsequently anything else it touches.

It did not stop me enjoying my holiday, it did however stop me enjoying the balcony I had paid for.

It depends on the degree to which you were affected. Personally I don’t expect or want to go on any ship and have this level of soot polluting my air and messing up my balcony and subsequently anything else it touches.

 

It did not stop me enjoying my holiday, it did however stop me enjoying the balcony I had paid for.

Same here. Still had a great cruise but the carpet and furnishings were grubby and I don't pay for a balcony not to be able to use it. We spend a lot of time on our balcony and like to feel relaxed using it, not continually checking for soot.

C733 - chose this central one as you get a slightly wider balcony than the others at the aft

We have booked G733 which also can be noisy😵😵

We have booked G733 which also can be noisy😵😵

The live lounge was a great venue spent lots of evenings there listening to the great music, so hopefully you’ll be out and it won’t bother you ;)

Exactly,at the end of the day you get on with it & enjoy your holiday,we loved having the space,peace & quiet & the shelter of the ships superstructure while at sea which totally outweighed any bad things.

And she isn't that new a ship now,5 years ago this month saw our first time on her & it was remarkable to us how different she looks,but then she has seen a lot of action in that time,it would be unreasonable IMO to expect her to look like new.

 

Somebody once told me that they weren't happy with an hotel room unless it looked like it was brand new,I can't imagine she would have been too happy too often!

I thought she entered service in 2015? Obviously I wouldn’t expect brand new carpets in a 3 year old ship but mucky carpets and furniture is not a nice sight when you have spent a lot of money on a holiday and I have never seen that before on my 10 cruises on ships of various ages... only in the Britannia aft balcony. Wouldn’t book one again on any ship for these reasons but wouldn’t hesitate to sail on Britannia again, and looking forward to Iona just not at the back ;)

We have booked G733 which also can be noisy😵😵

We were on F deck, one level above, and found that the live music from the Live Lounge was very loud (we could hear every song very clearly from inside our suite) but the recorded music was audible but didn’t keep us awake. Obviously it would be louder in G deck cabins. G deck balconies are absolutely massive but the negative is the Live Lounge, which you are aware of. Although the ship plans don’t make it clear, there is a smoking area directly underneath the port side aft cabins, but you are Starboard so will be OK (to be fair, it wasn’t a big issue for us, even though I hate smoking, as most smokers were around the doors out from the Live Lounge, further forward).

I thought she entered service in 2015? Obviously I wouldn’t expect brand new carpets in a 3 year old ship but mucky carpets and furniture is not a nice sight when you have spent a lot of money on a holiday and I have never seen that before on my 10 cruises on ships of various ages... only in the Britannia aft balcony. Wouldn’t book one again on any ship for these reasons but wouldn’t hesitate to sail on Britannia again, and looking forward to Iona just not at the back ;)

You are correct. Britannia entered service in 2015 so is only 3 years old. We had taken our adult daughters as well (in the adjacent balcony cabin) so our total expenditure was well over £10k and in addition to the soot we had a noisy plumbing plant room inside our suite. We did get sizeable compensation but would have much preferred a hassle free holiday.

We love aft suites and have had them on Ventura and Arcadia and would do so again without hesitation. We would also have booked one on Iona as there won’t be any soot due to the different propulsion method BUT I have noticed on the artists impressions that there are outdoor public areas underneath the whole aft of the ship and that would put us off as we wouldn’t want noise disturbance at night (which, for us, is a major consideration).

The live lounge was a great venue spent lots of evenings there listening to the great music, so hopefully you’ll be out and it won’t bother you ;)

The live lounge in my experience was too small by a long way, if you didn't get a seat an hour before the show started then you couldn't get a seat. Should be twice the size imo.

The live lounge had another problem for us,seated on the starboard side not far from the stage there was a very strong vibration,enough to make it very uncomfortable,other areas seemed ok.

I have travelled on Britannia in F731, a starboard corner suite, and it was partially affected by the soot on some days. In port it was rarely a problem. The noise from other decks was very low. The music from the live lounge was never an issue, but then we are late owls anyway.

We enjoyed the aft suite so much we have booked another aft suite, A727, for a future cruise and also the adjoining aft balcony cabin. Hopefully we might be able to join the two balconies together.

What is the reason for this being such a big problem on this ship? Or is it the case on every ship? We’re yet to have an Aft balcony and are intrigued by this thread.