Live from Britannia

[grapau27]

10 hours ago, Selbourne said:

Having said that I wouldn’t do a live blog, we had a sea day yesterday and none of the daytime entertainment appealed, so I had tons of free time, so here is some (hopefully balanced) feedback on our experiences since departure from Southampton on Friday. 

 

I forgot to say in my initial post that first impressions of the ship when we boarded were excellent. This is our 4th cruise on Britannia, but the last was in 2017. I can only assume that either the ship has had a minor refit since then or we have poor memories, as we both commented that some of the bars and public areas looked even nicer than we remembered them (particularly around the lower atrium). 

 

We took up residence in the Crows Nest for the sail away from Southampton and were pleasantly surprised that it wasn’t full. There were no noisy groups to spoil the experience either (which we had once on Aurora, surprisingly) and a very proficient pianist (unfortunately playing Jazz, which I hate, but you can’t win ‘em all 😂). Having made the most of the freebie booze at the loyalty lunch, we decided to pace ourselves for Epicurean and both fancied a non-alcoholic cocktail. We were surprised and disappointed to see that they now only offer  a choice of two in the Crows Nest (I’m sure that there used to be at least half a dozen?) but both were very nice and we would buy them again. 

 

Dinner was in Epicurean. Being the first night there were only around 4 other couples and a small group. Having said many times on this forum that this is our favourite restaurant at sea, I’m sorry to say that we were a bit disappointed. 

 

To start with the positives. The ambiance was lovely. Thankfully there was no sign of any noisy groups that had somewhat spoilt @AndyMichelle experience last week, so it was a relaxing way to spend the first evening. The waiting staff were all efficient, friendly and welcoming. 

 

The not so positive was, unfortunately, the quality of the food. My pea and crab starter looked lovely but surprisingly had very little flavour. My wife said that her scallops were over cooked. We both had the black cod and lobster tail main. I’m not a big fish fan but I quite liked it, especially the cod. My wife is a big fish lover and was less impressed (the cod was over cooked apparently - she would know). We ordered 3 of the 4 sides. The spinach with onion was delicious. Bizarrely (and exactly the same as Andy’s experience) the 4 or 5 chips were undercooked! 

 

The biggest disappointment however was the Crepes Suzette, which as Michael Winner would have said, used to be ‘historic’! Not only is it not prepared and flambé’d table-side, this wasn’t even done elsewhere in the restaurant, as others had reported (maybe that was another ship though). It was all prepared in the kitchen and completely lacked the quality and flavour of the previous incarnation. I summed it up as “here’s one I prepared earlier”. I mentioned this to the waitress who said that she completely agreed, that it wasn’t how it should be done in Epicurean (she had worked in other Epicurean restaurants across the fleet) and that many previous customers had said the same as me. Apparently they have all the kit, it’s a training issue and proper service should resume next month. I think others were given that same spiel a few months ago, so make of it what you will 🤔 Very kindly, she asked if I’d like another desert or cheese, so with @TigerB in mind, and rising to his challenge (even though I was quite full), I opted for the cheese. No photographic proof as my phone was out of puff by now and I have to admit that my wife helped me out and I did leave some! In summary, we were glad that we went, but did we feel that it was £60 well spent? In all honesty, no. We have 3 future bookings and the next isn’t until the end of the first week, so we will take a view then as to whether we go with the final 2 reservations. My concern would be that if they can’t cook things properly when there’s only a handful of guests, what will it be like when the restaurant is busy?

 

Further to a recent debate on this forum about non-suite guests taking breakfast in Epicurean for a fee, this is apparently not possible on Britannia (I asked the Epicurean manager). As @Molecrochip had stated, this is because they need all the tables for the number of suite passengers (something like 176 on this cruise apparently including, I presume, kids) whereas there is spare capacity on Iona and Arvia. 

 

There was a Headliners show called ‘On the Horizon’. Again, positives and negatives with this.  Positives - We got there quite early to get a wheelchair space and we were instantly reminded of how much better the seating provision is for wheelchair users and companions in the theatre on Britannia than it is on Aurora. Surprisingly the 1030 show ended up full. The Headliners were very enthusiastic and the quality of the dancing was excellent. Negatives- The first night show is usually not the best of the cruise and this one seemed to follow that pattern. Entertainment is entirely subjective and some others would have loved it, but we were underwhelmed. The music in the first segment just wasn’t to our taste and whilst the dancing was very good, the singing wasn’t the best that we’ve had from a Headliners troupe. The music got a lot better later in the show, with lots of James Bond themes but, in all honesty, the lead singers voices weren’t strong enough to do justice to the songs. As I say, 10/10 for effort, if not for content, and I suspect that the shows will get better as the cruise progresses. 

 

When we retired to the cabin we both agreed that in spite of the slight disappointment with Epicurean, the first day had gone well and we were very glad to be back on Britannia. 

 

DAY 2

 

I didn’t have the best nights sleep (note to self - don’t drink coffee after dinner) and I’d forgotten how much vibration you can get in aft cabins! Whilst the vibration itself doesn’t disturb us, it has a habit of finding anything remotely loose in the cabin and causing a rattle. Eventually I managed to stop the TV rattling by a bit of pushing and pulling 😂. At 0640 (or 0740 after allowing for the clock change) we were disturbed by the noise of outdoor chairs being dragged around. I thought it might be a thoughtless neighbour, but it went on and on for a good 10 minutes, so I came to the conclusion that it might have been the staff moving the tables and chairs around outside the Beach House / Buffet even though they are 2 decks above us. 

 

One thing we are delighted to find since our last P&O cruise is that last admission for MDR breakfast is now 30 minutes later on sea days (10am). We always felt that it ended far too early when you are on holiday. Unfortunately the extra 30 mins doesn’t extend to port days, where last entry is still way too early at 9am. I duly joined the virtual queue at position 18 and within 5-10 minutes our table was ready, even though it was a table for 2 with a wheelchair. Impressive. Worth noting that when we arrived at the restaurant at around 0950 they were telling people who were walking up with no booking that they had closed to new arrivals. As we had booked we were OK. The restaurant manager wasn’t happy because tables that had been assigned by the system for those in the virtual queue (including ours) were already occupied. However, after a couple of minutes we were shown to a different table, so they coped well with the glitches. 

 

Another positive about the MDR breakfast is that Eggs Benedict is now available every day, not just one day a week. They asked if I wanted 1 or 2, which was appreciated. My wife had the crushed avocado on toast. When it arrived I almost took a picture of it as it was so tiny it was absolutely lost on the plate. To be fair they had asked my wife if she wanted 1 or 2 and she said 1. Thankfully she isn’t as glutinous as me (which probably explains why she’s half my size 🤔) and my wife said that it was fine for her. I should add that she said that it was absolutely delicious. 

 

After breakfast we had a wander around the shops (the sole daytime presenter was giving a talk on Vikings, which didn’t appeal to either of us). There was very little of the tat that I recall from previous cruises. In fact, the new operators seem to have taken the shops far more upmarket and there was quite a bit of very expensive designer stuff, so keen shoppers will be impressed. When I picked up my Britain Today newspaper I commented that it was a good sign that there wasn’t a long queue at reception (first day cabin complaints etc). However, when we passed again 10 minutes later a long queue had appeared 😂

 

Having touched on the My Holiday ‘app that isn’t an app’ earlier, I have been determined to try to embrace it and I seem to be succeeding. It’s frustrating that you have to keep logging back in (although it does remember your login details) but, other than that, I’m getting on just fine with it. I mentioned previously that when we embarked I had secured all our speciality restaurants on it, and I used it ‘live’ for the first time for breakfast, both without difficulty. There was quite a queue of people waiting at the podium for support with it though, and there had been some mention that it had crashed at some point yesterday, but this had passed us by. When we were in Epicurean the first night I got a bit addicted to watching how the MDRs were faring, and I was surprised that the queues don’t get as long as I might have expected. I think 100 or so was the most I saw, but that seems to be because when the number gets too high it says “Queue Full”. However, by looking at it periodically I could see that MDRs that had stopped taking new bookings would suddenly open up again. Word of warning. 10 mins before last admission both freedom MDRs closed to new bookings (the same as happened at breakfast this morning) and didn’t open up again, so my advice is don’t leave it until the very last minute. 

 

We had a look at the MDR menus for lunch and Celebration night on the digital screens outside the MDR. Both seemed underwhelming.  No Marco Pierre White menu mentioned as I would have expected for a Celebration night (this was an error though - see later). I still don’t get the daft way that they present the confusing MDR lunch menu now. What’s wrong with having starters and mains? So Glasshouse for lunch. Once again, my feedback is entirely consistent with what Andy said about the preceding cruise. The food was excellent. We both had the 3 x small plates and, unlike Epicurean, the scallops were cooked exactly as they should be. The other food was excellent as well. Seems daft that they have the better chef in here rather than the fine dining restaurant. Best of all we had our long overdue bottle of Peller Ice Cuvée, which we didn’t manage to fit in yesterday 👍

 

My wife was booked in to the spa for some bizarre nail ritual during the afternoon, so a quiet chill for me before celebration night. 

 

Freebie drinks in the atrium at 8pm for the captains welcome but annoyingly he didn’t turn up until around 20 past, by which time both Freedom Dining restaurants had been showing as ‘Queue full’ for 40 minutes. We started worrying that we wouldn’t get dinner, so we booked a table in the Glasshouse (which had suddenly popped up with spaces) but within 5 minutes of doing so the Freedom Dining MDRs finally opened up again, so we joined the queue which automatically then cancelled our Glasshouse reservation. Phew. 

 

We didn’t get called in until 9.15pm, having been trying to join the queue unsuccessfully since 7.45pm, but at least we were in. Thankfully there was a Marco Pierre White menu that hadn’t been showing on the menu boards earlier. I had the full Marco menu, which we hadn’t seen before. In all honesty it didn’t feel a special menu in the slightest, and a couple of the courses were a bit weak, but at least it was free and didn’t leave me with a £60 bill as Epicurean had, so all good. 

 

Resident band Pulse were doing a 70s set in the Live Lounge. Mrs S was tired, so after taking her back to the cabin I went on my own for the 10.45pm ‘Thanks for the 70s’ performance, as others had said how good they were. My 70s music tastes are far less disco, but they are an excellent band and can certainly belt out a tune. Very good indeed. 

 

Finally (and with tongue in cheek) I am just thinking about a few random things that others have raised recently. There are no bars of soap in the cabin bathroom, just liquid soap (fine by us as we prefer it). The bars do have coasters for drinks but the issuing of them is patchy. Mercifully, no plastic ducks to be seen, even though there are kids on board! Some cabins have odd things hanging from their doors, but no pineapples spotted yet 🤣 

 

Whilst I can’t promise to provide this level of detail throughout the whole cruise (especially if I get snide remarks in response) if anyone has a future cruise on Britannia, or is considering one, and would like me to check anything out for you please just ask. 

 

I should conclude in summary by saying that whilst I will always give honest and balanced feedback, we are very much enjoying the ship and the cruise. Following feedback from others over the past year or so, we had wondered what the passenger profile might be like and I’m pleased to say that it feels no different to any other P&O cruise we have been on. Everyone is very pleasant and we haven’t had a single eyebrow raising moment 😂 We’ve no major concerns whatsoever so far and I’ve even fully embraced the ‘My Holiday’ app!

 

P.S. For those who like statistics, there are 3871 passengers on this cruise of which 1325 are newcomers to P&O. In addition there are 1348 crew from 50 nationalities. 

Very interesting reading @Selbourne.

Thank you for taking the time to post and I hope you both enjoy the rest of your cruise.

[Palaceman]

6 hours ago, Kittyonions said:

Selbourne, so pleased to hear that you are really enjoying your cruise, as I know that you had concerns prior to boarding.

Next time you use your bathroom, could you please confirm that there is a shaver socket available. They are no longer fitted on Iona or Arvia, and I know my toothbrush won’t last for a 14 night cruise without a recharge!Many thanks.

 

[Palaceman]

6 hours ago, Kittyonions said:

Selbourne, so pleased to hear that you are really enjoying your cruise, as I know that you had concerns prior to boarding.

Next time you use your bathroom, could you please confirm that there is a shaver socket available. They are no longer fitted on Iona or Arvia, and I know my toothbrush won’t last for a 14 night cruise without a recharge!Many thanks.

I always pack a manuel toothbrush just in case I can't charge my electric one

[smj777]

25 minutes ago, Palaceman said:

I always pack a manuel toothbrush just in case I can't charge my electric one

No shaver/toothbrush sockets in Iona or Arvia and the ones on Brittania are the wrong size. I take a 3 pin to 2 pin (shaver size) - n0 problem, but you have to use a socket in the cabin.

 

[zap99]

4 hours ago, Selbourne said:

Thanks. All meals hot so far and service has been fine everywhere. Just to clarify, we waited 45 mins for our table but the problem was that this was preceded by 45 mins when you couldn’t book a table at all unless you went for a pager (which I couldn’t be bothered to do as I wanted to hear the Captain, but if I’d known he wasn’t turning up until 8.20pm I would

have done).
 

So, yes, it was technically 90 minutes but in reality, as we wanted to dine at 8.30pm and were just trying to get in a queue, we only felt like we were waiting 45 minutes (if that makes sense).

 

It was fine though as we were chatting to a really lovely elderly couple for whom this cruise is the first time that they have left their home county of Derbyshire since Covid. 

I'm glad you are enjoying the food and the cruise in general. We are in North Devon. Rip off. We went into a mediocre caff. 16 quid for a bowl of lasagne. I wish we were on a cruise.🤔

[TigerB]

11 minutes ago, smj777 said:

No shaver/toothbrush sockets in Iona or Arvia and the ones on Brittania are the wrong size. I take a 3 pin to 2 pin (shaver size) - n0 problem, but you have to use a socket in the cabin.

 

 

Oh yes, I had forgotten they don't have them in the bathroom on Arvia or Iona.  No loss to us; we charge the toothbrush and Epilady in the bedroom anyway.

[zap99]

6 hours ago, AndyMichelle said:

My razor fitted OK? 

Must just be the dodgy Pound shop ones that fit😂

Andy 

We have an adapter that cost $1.99. I think we got it in America.🤣

[Megabear2]

Am I imagining it or does Britannia have some 2 pin American style plugs as well? Can't remember if it was her but I had an American style plug on a hairdryer!

 

Incidentally to add to the holidays other than cruise theme I've arrived in Kefalonia and my hotel room's private pool is almost the size of Arvia's deck 16 pool.  Not sure if that's a plus for me or a minus for her!

[zap99]

1 hour ago, Palaceman said:

I always pack a manuel toothbrush just in case I can't charge my electric one

I purchased Juan for DW in Spain.

[P&O SUE]

Thanks for such a detailed report Selbourne, glad your experience is mostly positive. Such a shame about the Crepe Suzette, can’t understand why it can be prepared at the table on Ventura and not on other ships 🤷‍♀️

 

Enjoy the rest of your cruise, looks a great itinerary.

[Kittyonions]

Thanks for the advice regarding shaver sockets, I’ll remember to take an adapter with me. 
continue to enjoy your cruise Selbourne.

[FangedRose]

10 hours ago, Selbourne said:

Just looked for you and there’s good news and bad. Yes, there is one under a pull up waterproof cover BUT the holes don’t quite fit my wife’s electric toothbrush charger. They are just slightly out. Never had that issue before. It’s also worth saying that there are very few sockets in the cabin. Just one on top the worktop (plus the one for the kettle) and two just above skirting board level which are less practical to use. 

Been  on Britannia twice,  in different cabins, and had the same trouble with my electric toothbrush, as did table companions in their various cabins. So it seems to be a shipwide irritation.

Edited July 9, 2023 by FangedRose

[terrierjohn]

9 minutes ago, FangedRose said:

Been  on Britannia twice,  in different cabins, and had the same trouble with my electric toothbrush, as did table companions in their various cabins. So it seems to be a shipwide irritation.

It's not just P&O, Princess, Celebrity and RCI, all have the incorrect UK 2 pin razor sockets, so P&O will have saved quite a bit by not bothering to fit the wrong'uns  on Iona and Arvia.

[Selbourne]

9 hours ago, Megabear2 said:

Am I imagining it or does Britannia have some 2 pin American style plugs as well? Can't remember if it was her but I had an American style plug on a hairdryer!

Correct. Re the toothbrush / shaver charger socket being the wrong size thankfully, like others, my wife packs an adapter for her toothbrush charger, so it’s not been a problem for us, but at least others are now forewarned!

Edited July 10, 2023 by Selbourne

[lincslady]

You are up early,  Selbourne - but no doubt it is full daylight, and lovely scenery where you are.

[Selbourne]

53 minutes ago, lincslady said:

You are up early,  Selbourne - but no doubt it is full daylight, and lovely scenery where you are.

Yep. I woke extremely early, and as I went to the loo I looked through the curtains and saw that we were already in the beautiful fjord, so decided that I would get up and make the most of it. For me, the transit down the fjord is better than the time in port, yet it’s done when most people are asleep, which is a real shame. Just so tranquil and scenic and we passed a Silver Seas ship earlier that turned off down a different section of fjord. Not quite so sunny as yesterday yet, but it’s still early. Thankfully it’s dry though, and there was snow on the higher peaks earlier. We love Norway. 

[Selbourne]

DAY 3

 

I had a much better nights sleep, as a combination of no coffee after dinner, plus the accumulation of most of a bottle of Peller Ice Cuvée at lunchtime, a few glasses of something fizzy at the captains welcome, a large Shiraz with dinner and a double liquor whilst watching Pulse (and no, we aren’t on the drinks package 😂). 

 

The weather was glorious all day in Haugesund and I sat on the balcony watching the sail in. Breakfast in Peninsular was as straight forward as the previous day. Joined the virtual queue and we were called within minutes. I hadn’t realised that you are meant to go to the starboard restaurant entrance if you have booked and the port side if you haven’t. There are signs with arrows, but I’d stupidly misinterpreted them as meaning either side of the tensator barrier that they are perched on, not either side of the ship🙄

 

Breakfast itself was fine. A few very minor changes from the breakfasts of old. You don't get the little new pots of marmalade or jam on the table any more. You have to ask for it and you now get jam that is served in little open tubs. The fruit smoothies that we used to like seem to have been watered down and now have a bit of an odd texture, so aren’t as nice. 

 

I don’t like orange juice in restaurants as it’s invariably processed or isn’t freshly squeezed as they state, but a waitress approached us this morning and asked if we wanted a proper freshly squeezed orange juice at extra cost. There were two sizes and I went for the small at £2.25. I’m pleased to report that it was indeed proper freshly squeezed orange. Top tip - if you fancy this, order the small one. It’s actually a very large glass. 

 

We had a wander on the open decks overlooking Haugesund and then chilled on our balcony until lunch time. 

 

Back to Peninsular for lunch (we were called within a minute of joining the queue). As previously mentioned, I find the lunch menus to be unnecessarily confusing. Apart from the few items described as large plates, it’s impossible to tell whether some of the items are starters or mains. Anyway, what followed was in all honesty the nicest and most flavoursome meal I have had on the ship so far. Beef Braesola, Parma Ham and Gorgonzola as a starter (would have been a bit small if someone had ordered it as a main), lasagne main (with a really tasty sauce) and Caramel Apple Betty pud with ice cream rather than custard! Loved it all. Our friendly waiter asked if we liked the table (we did) and, if so, would we like it reserved for us every night. We said that was very kind of him, but as we are planning on eating at the speciality restaurants most nights we won’t be there enough to take up his kind offer. However, if Epicurean is no better next time we might look him up 😂 

 

Having chatted to some people who’d been ashore we decided to stay on the ship. Apparently, being a Sunday, everything was closed and the transport options were all quite expensive for somewhere we have been before and are returning to again in 6 weeks time (on a weekday). So more balcony time in lovely temperatures overlooking the town. 

 

Dinner was booked in Sindhu, but on the way I swung by the Glasshouse to say hi to DaiB, as we’d never met before. Just a very brief hello but hopefully we will meet again later in the cruise. We wanted to have pre dinner drinks in the Sindhu bar, as someone on the forum had mentioned that the East India Punch was very good. Bizarrely, even though it was on the drinks menu, we were told that they don’t do it there! I asked where else we might get it and just had a blank look. Oh well. 2 Cobra’s then. 

 

The ambiance of the Sindhu on Britannia is ten times better than the one on Aurora, as it’s a proper intimate restaurant rather than an open extension of the atrium coffee shop. My wife didn’t feel up to a starter as well as a main, but I ordered the Beef Pepper Fry. This was very dry compared to the better one that I’d had on Ventura some years back (which I still remember as being fantastic) but was tasty none the less. It arrived a bit too quick though, as they hadn’t long given us the mini popadoms and dips (although there wasn’t enough of them to dip - it was a tiny smear of each 😂). 

 

For mains I had the signature plate. It was OK but, call me uncouth, I prefer the curries from the curry houses at home! My wife had the lobster biryani. She said that the lobster itself was very nice but the flavours weren’t as good as previous visits. We couldn’t remember when Atul Kucher parted company with P&O. You certainly don’t go hungry here, with loads of rice and Indian breads to accompany the mains, as well as a cabbage dish (which was OK) and a lentil Dahl, the look of which was enough to prevent me from trying it 😂 My wife did and said it lacked any flavour. For puds we both had Kulfi which we enjoyed. You get chocolate, mango and (my favourite) pistachio.

 

One thing that has been cut here is the scented jelly sweets and sweet seeds etc that they used to give you with the tea or coffee, and there are no other petit fours provided now. That reminds me. When we were in Epicurean (and as Andy had reported last week), the petit fours are now just the same two chocolate’s that they give you in the MDR. The tiered stand with the lovely quirky petit fours (diddy ice cream cone shaped chocs etc) have also succumbed to the accountants axe!

 

To end the day we went to the theatre for the Vinylettes first show ‘Stop! In the name of love’ for some toe tapping Motown. Weird that when we got back to the cabin at 11.30pm it was still light!

 

So, to conclude, whilst I am trying to give as balanced a review as I can, the positives continue to outweigh the minor negatives. We are enjoying the cruise and the ship. Service has been on the whole very good and whilst we are noticing that, in some areas, the food isn’t as good as it was, we haven’t had a ‘bad’ meal yet. I haven’t even asked for extra veg or larger portions 😂 I am coping fine with the using the App and, aside from the kids in the next cabin stomping around, we seem to have a lovely group of fellow passengers on board. Next stop Skjolden on Monday. 

[AndyMichelle]

1 hour ago, Selbourne said:

DAY 3

 

I had a much better nights sleep, as a combination of no coffee after dinner, plus the accumulation of most of a bottle of Peller Ice Cuvée at lunchtime, a few glasses of something fizzy at the captains welcome, a large Shiraz with dinner and a double liquor whilst watching Pulse (and no, we aren’t on the drinks package 😂). 

 

The weather was glorious all day in Haugesund and I sat on the balcony watching the sail in. Breakfast in Peninsular was as straight forward as the previous day. Joined the virtual queue and we were called within minutes. I hadn’t realised that you are meant to go to the starboard restaurant entrance if you have booked and the port side if you haven’t. There are signs with arrows, but I’d stupidly misinterpreted them as meaning either side of the tensator barrier that they are perched on, not either side of the ship🙄

 

Breakfast itself was fine. A few very minor changes from the breakfasts of old. You don't get the little new pots of marmalade or jam on the table any more. You have to ask for it and you now get jam that is served in little open tubs. The fruit smoothies that we used to like seem to have been watered down and now have a bit of an odd texture, so aren’t as nice. 

 

I don’t like orange juice in restaurants as it’s invariably processed or isn’t freshly squeezed as they state, but a waitress approached us this morning and asked if we wanted a proper freshly squeezed orange juice at extra cost. There were two sizes and I went for the small at £2.25. I’m pleased to report that it was indeed proper freshly squeezed orange. Top tip - if you fancy this, order the small one. It’s actually a very large glass. 

 

We had a wander on the open decks overlooking Haugesund and then chilled on our balcony until lunch time. 

 

Back to Peninsular for lunch (we were called within a minute of joining the queue). As previously mentioned, I find the lunch menus to be unnecessarily confusing. Apart from the few items described as large plates, it’s impossible to tell whether some of the items are starters or mains. Anyway, what followed was in all honesty the nicest and most flavoursome meal I have had on the ship so far. Beef Braesola, Parma Ham and Gorgonzola as a starter (would have been a bit small if someone had ordered it as a main), lasagne main (with a really tasty sauce) and Caramel Apple Betty pud with ice cream rather than custard! Loved it all. Our friendly waiter asked if we liked the table (we did) and, if so, would we like it reserved for us every night. We said that was very kind of him, but as we are planning on eating at the speciality restaurants most nights we won’t be there enough to take up his kind offer. However, if Epicurean is no better next time we might look him up 😂 

 

Having chatted to some people who’d been ashore we decided to stay on the ship. Apparently, being a Sunday, everything was closed and the transport options were all quite expensive for somewhere we have been before and are returning to again in 6 weeks time (on a weekday). So more balcony time in lovely temperatures overlooking the town. 

 

Dinner was booked in Sindhu, but on the way I swung by the Glasshouse to say hi to DaiB, as we’d never met before. Just a very brief hello but hopefully we will meet again later in the cruise. We wanted to have pre dinner drinks in the Sindhu bar, as someone on the forum had mentioned that the East India Punch was very good. Bizarrely, even though it was on the drinks menu, we were told that they don’t do it there! I asked where else we might get it and just had a blank look. Oh well. 2 Cobra’s then. 

 

The ambiance of the Sindhu on Britannia is ten times better than the one on Aurora, as it’s a proper intimate restaurant rather than an open extension of the atrium coffee shop. My wife didn’t feel up to a starter as well as a main, but I ordered the Beef Pepper Fry. This was very dry compared to the better one that I’d had on Ventura some years back (which I still remember as being fantastic) but was tasty none the less. It arrived a bit too quick though, as they hadn’t long given us the mini popadoms and dips (although there wasn’t enough of them to dip - it was a tiny smear of each 😂). 

 

For mains I had the signature plate. It was OK but, call me uncouth, I prefer the curries from the curry houses at home! My wife had the lobster biryani. She said that the lobster itself was very nice but the flavours weren’t as good as previous visits. We couldn’t remember when Atul Kucher parted company with P&O. You certainly don’t go hungry here, with loads of rice and Indian breads to accompany the mains, as well as a cabbage dish (which was OK) and a lentil Dahl, the look of which was enough to prevent me from trying it 😂 My wife did and said it lacked any flavour. For puds we both had Kulfi which we enjoyed. You get chocolate, mango and (my favourite) pistachio.

 

One thing that has been cut here is the scented jelly sweets and sweet seeds etc that they used to give you with the tea or coffee, and there are no other petit fours provided now. That reminds me. When we were in Epicurean (and as Andy had reported last week), the petit fours are now just the same two chocolate’s that they give you in the MDR. The tiered stand with the lovely quirky petit fours (diddy ice cream cone shaped chocs etc) have also succumbed to the accountants axe!

 

To end the day we went to the theatre for the Vinylettes first show ‘Stop! In the name of love’ for some toe tapping Motown. Weird that when we got back to the cabin at 11.30pm it was still light!

 

So, to conclude, whilst I am trying to give as balanced a review as I can, the positives continue to outweigh the minor negatives. We are enjoying the cruise and the ship. Service has been on the whole very good and whilst we are noticing that, in some areas, the food isn’t as good as it was, we haven’t had a ‘bad’ meal yet. I haven’t even asked for extra veg or larger portions 😂 I am coping fine with the using the App and, aside from the kids in the next cabin stomping around, we seem to have a lovely group of fellow passengers on board. Next stop Skjolden on Monday. 

Very jealous, I'm back to work this morning😒

Glad it's going well, thank you for the updates, really enjoying reading them. 

Andy 

[kalos]

3 hours ago, Selbourne said:

I can, the positives continue to outweigh the minor negatives. We are enjoying the cruise and the ship.

Great to read you and your good lady are having a good time 🙂

 

Let the good times continue 😊

[Windsurfboy]

Selbourne,  fingers crossed the Epicurean is better next time.

 

I know from your first entry you managed to do your speciality booking on App whilst waiting to board. Bur in the unlikely event that we walk straight on,  was there someone at priority lunch to take bookings, or just use app once on ship.

 

Have a great cruise.

[Selbourne]

13 minutes ago, Windsurfboy said:

Selbourne,  fingers crossed the Epicurean is better next time.

 

I know from your first entry you managed to do your speciality booking on App whilst waiting to board. Bur in the unlikely event that we walk straight on,  was there someone at priority lunch to take bookings, or just use app once on ship.

 

Have a great cruise.

Because we walked straight on, I actually didn’t get chance to book until we had been to the muster station and sat down at the priority lunch. To answer your question, whilst they didn’t come to our table (not that we needed them to) I did see someone walking around touting for bookings. 
 

I looked out of curiosity last night (Day 3) as to what was still available to book. Pretty much nothing left at peak times (7-8.30) but still some limited availability if you are prepared to eat early (6pm) or late (9pm). Oddly, remaining Epicurean tables are mostly for parties of 5 or 6. Virtually no tables for 2. 

[Selbourne]

 Here’s a shot from the end of the longest Fjord in Norway, taken during our stop in Skjolden. Spot the tiny little ship that is Britannia 

Edited July 10, 2023 by Selbourne

[alpha whiskey]

16 hours ago, Megabear2 said:

Am I imagining it or does Britannia have some 2 pin American style plugs as well? Can't remember if it was her but I had an American style plug on a hairdryer!

 

Incidentally to add to the holidays other than cruise theme I've arrived in Kefalonia and my hotel room's private pool is almost the size of Arvia's deck 16 pool.  Not sure if that's a plus for me or a minus for her!

Yes definitely an American plug on the  hairdryer on Britannia, and incredibly slow. It has the whirr of an annoying gnat! 

Advisable to bring your own if you have longish or thick hair. 

[9265359]

5 hours ago, Selbourne said:

Back to Peninsular for lunch (we were called within a minute of joining the queue). As previously mentioned, I find the lunch menus to be unnecessarily confusing. Apart from the few items described as large plates, it’s impossible to tell whether some of the items are starters or mains. Anyway, what followed was in all honesty the nicest and most flavoursome meal I have had on the ship so far.

I also think the lunch menu in the MDR is far superior to the evening menu. 
 

The evening menu’s seem to be stuck in a time warp where they are trying to be old school ‘posh’ but it isn’t very imaginative and they are struggling to deliver the quality. 
 

Whereas the prawn fajitas and lamb dopiaza curry I had yesterday for lunch were far superior to anything I have had in the evening. 
 

Also as a hint as regards the confusing lunch menu, they will do the sharing plate on the menu for one (or just order the full thing if you are peckish!). 
 

And a view from the footbridge into the ‘town’

 

 

Edited July 10, 2023 by 9265359

[Selbourne]

2 minutes ago, 9265359 said:

I also think the lunch menu in the MDR is far superior to the evening menu. 
 

The evening menu’s seem to be stuck in a time warp where they are trying to be old school ‘posh’ but it isn’t very imaginative and they are struggling to deliver the quality. 
 

Whereas the prawn fajitas and lamb dopiaza curry I had yesterday for lunch were far superior to anything I have had in the evening. 
 

Also as a hint as regards the confusing lunch menu, they will do the sharing plate on the menu for one (or just order the full thing if you are peckish!). 
 

And a view from the footbridge into the ‘town’

 

 

I fancied both of those dishes as well, but went for Italian as we were dining in Sindhu in the evening! I must confess that on previous cruises I have asked for the sharing platter just for me, partly because that’s what I fancied and partly to make a point 😂