5 things I loved, 1 thing I didn’t! P&O Britannia Cruise Ship Tour!

P&O is about to restart cruising with their 143,000 ton Britannia. I wanted to share some of the things I loved most about this ship – as well as one thing I really didn't!

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I visited Britannia in 2019 while the ship was in Southampton and I liked most of what I saw.

The atrium is the first area I wanted to talk about. While it only spans three decks the space actually has a point.
It is surrounded by cafes, bars, shops and The Glass House, making it more than just a thoroughfare but part of the entertainment and meal offering aboard.


The most striking part of the atrium’s design is the huge starburst art installation that hangs from the ceiling. It extending down over two decks and is impossible to miss so it definitely draws attention. At the forward end of the space there’s a spiral staircase that connects the three decks of the atrium.


Second, I really liked Britannia’s three formal dining rooms. Two of them in particular caught my eye; the Peninsular and the Oriental – the words that form the P and O in P&O’s name. The third is the Meridian, a name that comes from the first class lounge aboard P&O’s Canberra.

Given my interest in maritime history, the use of these historic names makes me happy… Given there are three dining spaces, the rooms are all smaller than you might expect. But this creates a more intimate feeling in each room which is a good thing given the size and scope of the ship is huge.


Thirdly, Britannia’s Sports and Sun Decks have lots of outdoor space for you to enjoy the sun… though when I was aboard there wasn’t any sunshine to be seen! There’s space for you to go for a jog, and heaps of deckchairs to lounge around on.

The top decks have three reasonable sized swimming pools as well as one tiny plunge pool at the back.


From the top decks you get a great view of Britannia’s two funnels – which are a bit of a throwback to the Canberra’s famous twin smokestacks, though those aboard Britannia are much bigger and boxier than Canberra’s.


Now on the topic of deck space – this brings me to the one thing I really didn’t like about Britannia.

There’s no boat deck!

Despite the popularity of the boat deck (or Prom Deck) aboard P&O’s older ships, Britannia has no true wrap around promenade. There’s only a few very small observation nooks on Main Deck, which is a huge downside if you enjoy a regular stroll on the boat deck during sea days.

Fortunately P&O doesn’t have this problem on their newest ship Iona, which does feature a proper Promenade Deck. Does the promenade deck matter to you? Share your thoughts in the comments below.


Brodies’ was the fourth thing I loved about Britannia. This is a spacious bar with a striking black & white floor and seating overlooking the port side of the ship. But it’s the name of this bar that caught my attention, as it pays tribute to one P&O’s founders: Brodie McGhie Wilcox. Mr Wilcox teamed up with Arthur Anderson in the 19th century to create the shipping company Wilcox & Anderson Co. Under the direction of the two, the company grew to become P&O – one of the largest and most influential shipping lines in the world.


Arthur Anderson is probably the more famous of the two founders as he was more entrepreneurial and enthusiastic with the media. But while many of the P&O Cruises ships have an Andersons Bar – Wilcox seems to have missed out – until Britannia!


My fifth favourite part of Britannia is the Crows Nest Bar; which continues a tradition from the P&O Canberra, where the forward facing was first named Crows Nest – this is a play on the lookout platform that ships had on their mast which was also called the crows nest.

Since Canberra, many P&O ships have had a Crows Nest. It is found at the forward end of Lido deck, with views over the ship’s bow. A large bar at the back of the room serves drinks day and night.


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Music: Youtube Audio

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#cruisenews #cruiseship #britannia #cruiseshiptour

Видео 5 things I loved, 1 thing I didn’t! P&O Britannia Cruise Ship Tour! канала Chris Frame