p&o cruises britannia wifi

New P&O Cruises WiFi Packages: Which is Best for You?

Deciding if you need WiFi on your cruise can be a tricky decision. How good is the WiFi on a cruise? How much does it cost? In this post, I explain the different P&O Cruises WiFi packages available and what’s included in each to help you decide.

Is there free WiFi on P&O cruise ships?

Unfortunately, WiFi is not included in your cruise fare with P&O Cruises and so when you’re onboard you should switch your devices to aeroplane mode/roaming off to avoid costly charges. If you do need WiFi during your cruise, you can purchase one of the P&O Cruises WiFi packages (read on).

If you choose not to purchase WiFi for your cruise, you should be able to connect in the cruise ports you visit. Check your phone contract to see if you can use your data in the countries you’re visiting .

Follow the crew! The crew are experts in knowing where the free WiFi spots are in cruise ports . You can usually find free WiFi in bars, restaurants and shopping areas in ports. Some are limited to 30 minutes, whilst others are open for as long as you stay.

How Much is WiFi on P&O Cruises?

P&O Cruises WiFi packages start from £10 per day. You can choose to pay for WiFi for one day or for the entire cruise . The price per day is cheaper if you pay for a package for your whole cruise.

You can choose from two WiFi packages depending on what you need:

My WiFi Essential

My wifi ultimate.

Both packages allow you to access the WiFi on multiple devices but only one device at a time. You must log out of one in order to use another.

If you want to use multiple devices simultaneously, you will need to purchase more than one package (discounts are available).

My WiFi Essential is the basic WiFi package and allows:

• Unlimited data
• Web browsing
• Music streaming
• Social media, texts and images (no videos)

My WiFi Ultimate WiFi package allows:

• Video streaming
• Up to 3x faster connection

Deciding on which package to choose ultimately comes down to if you want to stream video and get quicker internet. If you just want to browse the internet and check your social media, the My WiFi Essential package should do the job.

P&O Cruises WiFi Packages have Changed!

It’s important to be aware that the Essential and Ultimate WiFi packages are now the two options for WiFi . These have replaced the three WiFi packages that P&O used to offer:

If you are purchasing a internet package for your next cruise, you will need to choose either the Essential or Ultimate package/day passes.

How Good is the WiFi on P&O Cruise Ships?

WiFi on cruise ships is operated using satellites, our internet at home is served through cables. The reality is that the WiFi on cruise ships is affected by two key factors:

• Your cruise itinerary
• How many passengers are using the internet at the same time

There are some regions that are notoriously bad for WiFi (Norwegian Fjords) and some that are relatively good for WiFi (Caribbean).

Due to the large number of cruise ships that operate in the Caribbean, there are plenty of satellites serving that region.

When I was on a cruise in the Norwegian Fjords, the WiFi was pretty much non-existent, even with an internet package but I was able to jump on to my own 4G once the ship had reached port (even when I was still on the cruise ship).

It’s worth taking into account where your cruise is going and if internet is even likely to be available.

If you are sat in a busy lounge or on the lido deck, you may find a lot of other passengers trying to get on to the WiFi at the same time, which can slow things down.

The best thing to do is find a quiet spot away from busy public areas for the best chance of using the WiFi.

P&O Cruises has invested in hardware and increased its bandwidth to provide a faster connection speed and an enhanced service.

What things can’t you use wifi for on p&o cruises.

It’s likely that some sites will be blocked during your cruise such as:

• Adult content
• Alcohol and tobacco
• Anonymisers
• File sharing
• Online gambling
• Streaming hacking
• Proxy avoidance
• Violent content

Some Wi-Fi calling, remote desktop connections and VPNs may not be available.

How to Purchase WiFi from P&O Cruises

To buy the package of your choice, call P&O Cruises’ Customer Contact Centre on 0344 338 8003 (local call charges apply) and have your booking reference to hand.

Alternatively, once you’re on board, simply use the free Wi-Fi to access by following the easy on-screen instructions. The cost of the WiFi will be added to your onboard account .

You can purchase WiFi at any point during your cruise or simply pay for a day pass. If you pay for a package part way through a cruise, you only pay for the remainder of your cruise.

Tips for using WiFi on a Cruise

• Decide if you are going to need WiFi for the whole cruise or just on particular days (it may be cheaper to pay when needed)
• Save money by sharing the WiFi with others in your stateroom, you can buy one package and switch between different devices
• If the geographical area is not good for WiFi, consider saving money on a WiFi package and just use free WiFi or your own data in ports
• Ask crew where the best free WiFi spots are in port
• For faster speeds, avoid crowded areas or times of the day when more people may be browsing the internet

For more tips on how to plan for your next P&O cruise, head to my dedicated P&O Cruises section .

Laura is a UK cruise blogger based in Cornwall, UK. She founded Cruise Lifestyle in 2016 to share useful advice about cruising, destinations and food. Last port visited: Bridgetown, Barbados Next port of call: unknown, but she can’t wait for cruising to resume safely!

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Things to Know Before You Cruise

P&O Cruises Wifi: Costs & Packages

Are you planning a cruise with P&O Cruises? As someone who loves to stay connected, I was curious about the wifi options available on board. To my surprise, I learned that wifi is not included and must be purchased separately. This got me thinking about the different packages and costs, and I was determined to find out more.

In this article, I’ll be sharing my findings on P&O Cruises wifi packages and costs. Whether you’re a first-time cruiser or a seasoned pro, staying connected while at sea can be a challenge. With a variety of package options available, it’s important to know what you’re paying for and how to make the most of your wifi access.

So, let’s dive in and explore the world of P&O Cruises wifi!

• Wifi on P&O Cruises is not included and must be purchased separately.
• Two packages are available: My Wifi Essential and My Wifi Ultimate, with different speeds, data allowances, and prices.
• Passengers should consider their internet needs and compare prices to choose the right package.
• Passengers can maximize the value they get from their wifi package by following best practices and avoiding heavy usage.

Availability and Access

I can access limited free wifi on the My Holiday planner website, but I must purchase one of two wifi packages to have full access while on board P&O Cruises. The wifi packages, My Wifi Essential and My Wifi Ultimate, offer varying prices and durations.

However, passengers should be aware that wifi speed and reliability depends on the location and number of users on board.

While on board, passengers can also use mobile data when docked, but this can be expensive at sea. Alternatively, public computers are available in the library for those who do not wish to purchase wifi packages.

It’s important to note that free internet access is available for medical reasons. It’s recommended that passengers compare prices and use the best-price guarantee before purchasing a wifi package for the whole cruise, as the author doesn’t believe it’s worth the expense.

Cost Comparison

Comparing the prices of the two wifi packages offered on P&O Cruises is a smart way to decide which one to purchase. My Wifi Essential is the cheaper option at £18 for 24 hours or £12 per day for the whole cruise. This package offers basic internet access and is suitable for checking emails and social media.

On the other hand, My Wifi Ultimate costs £24 for 24 hours or £18 per day for the whole cruise. This package provides faster internet speed and is ideal for streaming videos and making video calls.

There are benefits to both packages, depending on your needs. Pre-purchasing wifi packages before the cruise can save you money and time. You can also avoid long queues and ensure that you have internet access as soon as you board the ship.

Additionally, by comparing the prices and using the best-price guarantee, you can make sure that you’re getting the most value for your money. Ultimately, the decision to purchase wifi on a cruise depends on your personal preferences and requirements.

Package Options

Choosing the right internet package for your P&O cruise can depend on your internet needs and preferences. P&O offers two wifi packages, My Wifi Essential and My Wifi Ultimate, both of which can be purchased before or during the cruise. My Wifi Essential costs £18 for 24 hours or £12 per day for the whole cruise, while My Wifi Ultimate costs £24 for 24 hours or £18 per day for the whole cruise.

To help you decide which package is right for you, here is a comparison table of the two packages:

As you can see, the main difference between the two packages is the cost and data allowance. My Wifi Essential is cheaper, but has a limited data allowance of 150MB per day and a slower speed limit of 1 Mbps. On the other hand, My Wifi Ultimate is more expensive, but offers unlimited data and a faster speed limit of 3 Mbps. Additionally, both packages have user restrictions, meaning they can only be used on one device at a time. Consider your internet needs and preferences before choosing the right package for your P&O cruise.

tips and Recommendations

Interestingly, based on my experience working in the cruise industry, the wifi speed on a cruise ship can vary greatly depending on the location and number of users. It’s important to keep this in mind when purchasing a wifi package, as you may not always get the same speed throughout your trip.

Additionally, it’s important to note that wifi blackspots do exist on cruise ships, so you may experience some areas where the signal is weaker than others.

When it comes to getting the most value out of your wifi package, there are a few best practices to keep in mind. Firstly, consider purchasing your package before your cruise, as prices may be lower than if you were to purchase on board. Additionally, if you don’t need constant internet access, consider purchasing a package for only a portion of your trip, rather than the entire duration. This can help you save money and still stay connected when you need to be.

By following these tips and recommendations, you can maximize the value you get from your P&O Cruises wifi package.

Are there any restrictions on the type of devices that can use P&O Cruises wifi?

Yes, P&O Cruises wifi supports most devices, including smartphones, tablets, and laptops. Technical support is available for any issues. However, only one device can be connected at a time per purchased package.

Is there a limit to how much data can be used on the My Wifi Essential and My Wifi Ultimate packages?

When it comes to data usage on P&O Cruises’ My Wifi Essential and My Wifi Ultimate packages, there is a fair usage policy in place. Data usage monitoring is enforced to ensure all passengers have equal access to the service.

Can passengers receive a refund if they purchase a wifi package but are unable to connect?

Passengers can receive a refund for a wifi package if they are unable to connect. Technical support is available to help resolve any connection issues. It’s important to check the refund policy before purchasing.

Are there any public areas on the ship where free wifi is available?

Funny you should ask, as I’m currently sitting in the ship’s library, where there’s free wifi available for all passengers. However, it’s limited and can be slow. Alternatives include purchasing wifi packages or using mobile data when docked.

Is it possible to upgrade from My Wifi Essential to My Wifi Ultimate during the cruise?

Yes, upgrading options are available from My Wifi Essential to My Wifi Ultimate during the cruise. Cost comparison shows that it might be more cost-effective to purchase the Ultimate package for the whole cruise upfront.

• P&O Cruises ( UK )

Britannia Wifi

By Megabear2 , September 9, 2022 in P&O Cruises ( UK )

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Has anyone had recent experience of Britannia's wifi packages since the change?  I have to purchase the package for my husband to work throughout our 14 day holiday and am interested in email, social media and web browsing. I note the dearer package states itself as 3x faster but previous experience has shown actual connection has been the main problem in the past.

Any help very much appreciated. Thank you.

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Orianababes

Used Wi-Fi on Britannia in June.

For your indicated uses the ordinary package looks ok. If your husband will be handling large amounts of data the faster pack may be better.

We had no real connection issues

To a certain extent does not wifi speed depend on the location of the ship ? Speed in the Med will probably be better than in the fjords. 

I was on Britannia in June and the cheaper package was just about OK - significantly better before 08:00 and after 22:00 (approx times). The higher priced package (which I tried for the last couple of days) was certainly faster.

On the basis that you can upgrade the package at any time then I would suggest that you start on the lower one and then upgrade if necessary.

Thank you everyone.  I will book the cheaper one to start as suggested.  Incidentally I assume those who booked had to visit reception to get their package activated in the same way as before?  I recall a gift card in our cabin being the previous route to activation which I found quite amusing.  I assume any peninsular club discount also still applies unless anyone knows differently.

3 minutes ago, Megabear2 said: I assume any peninsular club discount also still applies unless anyone knows differently.

I don't think the discount kicks in until you have spent any obc that you may have.

4 minutes ago, wowzz said: I don't think the discount kicks in until you have spent any obc that you may have.

Thanks.  As it's an essential I'll call them and buy it before travel to ensure we get the discount and if I get a receipt can claim it as a business expense!

Planning on using OBC for drinks, retreat and the spa as being Christmas we have booked all our excursions and will reserve our specialist dining before as well.  Do seem to have rather a lot of OBC to spend which is unusual for us. 

5 hours ago, Megabear2 said: Incidentally I assume those who booked had to visit reception to get their package activated in the same way as before? 

I have always gone to the library to get it activated and did so on Britannia in June.

The saving by buying in advance is negligible on the new packages - on a 14 night cruise I saved £10 by purchasing in advance (cost more for the phone call!!)

4 hours ago, david63 said: I have always gone to the library to get it activated and did so on Britannia in June.   The saving by buying in advance is negligible on the new packages - on a 14 night cruise I saved £10 by purchasing in advance (cost more for the phone call!!)

Thanks for the information.  The amount of the saving isn't so important but if there is one I won't say no!  More importantly as its work related we require an invoice and purchasing in advance generally generates one.

6 hours ago, Megabear2 said: The amount of the saving isn't so important but if there is one I won't say no! 

You will probably save more with your Peninsular discount!

6 hours ago, Megabear2 said: Thanks for the information.  The amount of the saving isn't so important but if there is one I won't say no!  More importantly as its work related we require an invoice and purchasing in advance generally generates one.

Normally no invoice is provided, an envelope is in the cabin to

remind you how to connect up.  I just got a price for a 19 night

cruise payable in advance and the saving is hardly anything 

compared to price on board.

Hope you don’t have an icloud account because the Britannia IT

system does not accept the icloud platform!!! The exact words from

the IT manager on board. Very strange. Have a brilliant time anyway!  

CaptainPedantic

I'm interested to know what package is needed/best to be able to at least make voice calls via WhatsApp or FaceTime? 

17 hours ago, clubcardcruiser said: I'm interested to know what package is needed/best to be able to at least make voice calls via WhatsApp or FaceTime? 

We plan to only purchase by the day for use on sea days.  Mobile will work in the med for us for WhatsApp calls on 3G/4G and whilst in port.  Probably have to have the higher price day rate onboard.  Is this a 24 hour rate from time of purchase?   Could use over two days if purchase in the afternoon and continue following morning.  

You will probably need the more expensive package but as I have said before - try with the lower priced package first and upgrade if necessary.

3 minutes ago, seapals2 said: Could use over two days if purchase in the afternoon and continue following morning.  

Yes, it is a 24 hour "contract".

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P&o cruises wifi – how to stay connected onboard p&o’s ships.

All you need to know about the WiFi options on P&O Cruises so you can decide what package is best for your needs – or if you need one at all!

In today’s connected world, WiFi is one of those things that is a must-have for many people.

If this is you too, you’ll be pleased to know that P&O Cruises make it easy to stay in touch with family, friends and keep up to date with your social media while on board their ships.

You don’t even have to worry about missing the latest episode of whatever TV series you are currently streaming or binging. 

That said, unfortunately WiFi is not included in your cruise fare. However, P&O offer two different WiFi packages that you can purchase depending on your requirements.

At a Glance – P&O Cruises WiFi packages

There are two WiFi packages you can choose from when onboard P&O ships.

• My WiFi – Essential (for social media, email and web browsing)
• My WiFi- Ultimate (with a faster connection for music and video streaming)

Before getting into the details of the two packages there are a few things to be aware of and take into consideration before you part with your cash.

Things to know before purchasing a WiFi package

While being unconnected may send a shiver down your spine it doesn’t actually mean you are uncontactable. If there are any emergencies at home, your family and friends can easily contact the ship to get a message to you. 

You can also still use the My Holiday webpage to personalise your cruise without purchasing a package. P&O provides limited free WiFi so you can connect to this page.

Tip | The My Holiday web page (often confused as an app) is where you can personalise your cruise holiday. You can use this to make reservations at restaurants, order room (or should that be cabin) service, book entertainment venues and more. You’ll also find information about the ship on these pages.

WiFi is only for use on board the ship you are cruising on. If you get off the ship while in port, you can use your own mobile data if available or local WiFi.

One final thing to be aware of is that the signal strength can vary. On land, these signals are transmitted by cables while at sea they have to go via satellites.

They can be impacted by location and weather conditions. So, don’t expect the same super speedy and reliable connections you can get on land. 

How much is WiFi on P&O Cruises and what is included?

If you do decide to purchase a WiFI package, you have two options to choose from.

The first is for light users, those that just want to be able to keep in touch with people or check in on their socials. While the other package is more suitable for heavier users, those that like to video chat or use streaming services.

My WiFi – Essential 

£12 per day with a cruise plan or £18 per day without .

If you just want to keep in touch with family and friends or keep your socials up to date, then the Essential package is a good option. It allows you to use messaging apps such as What’s App, share photos and update your social channels and use email. 

You can also browse the web. Handy if you want to have a quick search for what to do in port before you dock.

My WiFi – Ultimate

£18 per day with a cruise plan or £24 per day without.

The Ultimate WiFi package gives you everything in the Essential package plus a few extras.

It also comes with a faster connection. If you like to video chat or stream music or movies, this is the option for you.

You can find out more about both WiFi packages on the P&O website.

Do you really need WiFi?

You might be thinking now, well of course I need WiFi! Why are you even asking?

But before diving in and purchasing a WiFi package it is worth having a quick think about if you really need it and if you do how much you will realistically use it? It might not be as much as you think. You are on holiday after all!

Hopefully you’ll be enjoying yourself so much you won’t want to be on your phone or tablet a lot. It can also be a good opportunity for a break from social media and being connected all the time.

Not having a WiFi package doesn’t mean you won’t be able to get online all cruise either. There are other ways to connect.

When the ship is docked in port you may be able to connect to the local network and, if your mobile phone package/contract allows, use your own data allowance.

For example, my provider allows you to use data in Europe just like you are at home. For regions outside Europe there is a small daily charge. If you don’t need to be online all the time, this is a good option and doesn’t cost you any extra.

When I cruised the Norwegian Fjords , I was off the ship for the whole day in three of the four ports. I was able to use my own data allowance to send a few messages and photos to family and friends. So, the package wasn’t really worth the cost on this particular cruise.

Tip | Make sure you put your phone in airplane mode while onboard. Expensive charges can rack up very quickly and you don’t want to end up with a huge surprise bill at the end of your cruise.

Buying a WiFi Package

You can buy a WiFi package for the duration of your cruise or ad hoc per day. 

If you want to keep in daily contact with friends and family or update your socials regularly then buying WiFi for the length of your cruise means you will always be connected while onboard. 

Both packages are available to buy for the duration of your cruise before you join the ship. You can also buy at any time once onboard. You’ll just be charged for the remaining days of your cruise. 

Alternatively, if you just want to be able to check in every so often, buying per day will be a better option. You then get access to WiFi for 24 hours.  Access can be bought on the ship and will be charged to your onboard account. 

On my last two cruises with P&O, I purchased a day’s WiFi access on the two sea days. This gave me a chance to send a few messages and check social media without the cost of having to buy a week’s worth of WiFi.

It worked well for me as I could use my mobile data (with no extra charge from my provider) while in port.

The Last Word

It’s never been easier to stay connected while you are cruising. However, WiFi packages are not cheap, particular if you purchase one for your whole cruise.

So, it pays to think about how much you will really use your devices so you don’t end up spending more than you need to.

You may also like…

• P&O Cruises Dress Code: What to wear on your cruise
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P&O Cruises WiFi Packages - How much do they cost?

We cruised on the Iona on one of the first cruises from the UK following the pandemic in August 2021. While some people like to disconnect while at sea, we like to stay connected so we can share our experiences.

There are various WiFi packages you can buy on board and the details of all these are included below. We also let you know if we think purchasing one of these packages is good value or not.

The Connect WiFi Package

The Connect Package (£7.75 for 24 hours)

If you want to have your social media fix this connect package gives you access to social media services including Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram. It also includes WhatsApp for staying in touch with family and friends.

The Browse WiFi Package

The Browse Package (£12.50 for 24 hours)

This package includes all that is in the connect package above but also includes internet browsing and email access such as Gmail and Outlook.

This is the package that we chose to purchase.

The Works WiFi Package

The Works (£24.95 for 24 hours)

This package provides all of the above, but also allows app downloads/updates, and streaming of You Tube, Spotify and Apple Music. Internet calling on Skype and FaceTime is also included in this package.

How to connect to the P&O WiFi Packages

Once on board, just log on to the ship’s Wi-­Fi to get connected. Almost any device that can connect to Wi-­Fi can be used on board their ships. Make sure that the Wi-­Fi is turned on and then connect to the ship’s Wi-­Fi network, which should show up automatically.

How good is the WiFi connection on P&O Iona?

P&O state that ‘It’s worth bearing in mind that satellite internet will be slower than browsing at home as the signals have to travel thousands of miles to reach the satellites in space. Weather and the ship’s position can also occasionally impact on the signal. We do our best to manage the connections, however speed will vary and intensive activities like streaming content may not work at all times or may be excluded from certain plans’.

We found that the WiFi connection on board Iona at this time was the worst we had every experienced on a cruise ship.

We are a bit confused on why P&O have launched a brand new ship that doesn’t have the best technology available. When you compare this to MSC , Royal Caribbean and Princess of which we have all experienced in the last 3 months then this is definitely the worse.

The connection would come and go, which was extremely frustrating. We tried all sorts, different parts of the ship, but it still would not constantly work.

We are hoping that P&O take on board the feedback we have given and the majority of passengers who we spoke to who were also frustrated with the WiFi and that they make some improvements for the future.

It will be interesting to see if it does improve as we are back on Iona in January. For now though we advise you not to waste your money and stick to using your data or free WiFi at a cafe on your port days.

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Cruising has changed – come and sea…

REVIEW: P&O Britannia – British cruising is back

After a pause of nearly eighteen months cruising has restarted in the United Kingdom. How has the pandemic changed cruising, and what did I make of my first time sailing with P&O? Join me as I take one of the first cruises back on the seas.

As cruising restarts in the UK sailings have been limited to UK waters & ports only, although that is now beginning to change. Our cruise embarked in Southampton Thursday 5th August 2021 and was a 3 night, all sea days, sailing.

This would be my first time on P&O Cruises, a line I’d always been curious about but had not yet booked with. I suppose I had some preconceived notions of what a British branded, British marketed cruise would be like. I went into this cruise with an open mind.

Embarkation in Southampton

In the days leading up to the cruise I was able to complete an online check-in process on the P&O website that provided me with PDF copies on my cruise ticket, boarding pass, luggage tags and health declaration. These need to be printed out to bring with you.

Because of the changing public health situation you’re now required to have comprehensive cruise-specific travel insurance to sail, this should cover COVID care, medical bills up to £2m, and repatriation. Proof of cover should also be printed and brought along.

On arrival at Southampton Ocean Cruise Terminal we dropped our bags in the zone colour coded to our luggage tags and joined a moderate queue for COVID-19 testing.

Although there were a decent number of people in the queue it moved at a steady pace. Within 30 minutes of arrival we’d been able to drop off our luggage and had a COVID test administered. The test is a standard nasal swab, with results in 30 minutes. You’ll need a mobile phone with you to receive your results via SMS.

Once tested we were given a colour-coded wristband and shown our area of the terminal to wait in. In almost exactly 30 minutes we got our negative result SMS which meant we were allowed out of the waiting area and to proceed to the check-in desk. Because I’d completed check-in online this was as simple as showing the SMS, boarding pass and our passports – we got a ‘OK to board’ stamp and proceeded to the security area.

Unfortunately, security is where our so far smooth embarkation ground to a halt. We waited an hour in the security area whilst the team turned up and started setting everything up for the day. We’re not sure why it wasn’t ready ahead of passengers waiting, and given how slick everything had been so far we found this somewhat frustrating – as did many other, more vocal, passengers. But after that hour wait, and processing through standard security, we were on our way to the ship.

First impressions of Britannia

Entering through the atrium on Deck 5 you quickly get a good impression of how Britannia was designed. The decor is muted, there’s dark wood panelling, iron-effect railings – it says “upscale hotel lobby” more than cruise ship atrium. The atrium centrepiece is a starburst chandelier which rather than containing its own lights is lit from spotlights around the atrium, allowing it change colour and appearance depending on the time of day.

The darker, more intimate, upscale hotel feeling continues throughout the ship with well-blended choices of wood, marble, and blue accents – all with subtle lighting.

Britannia is a Royal-class cruise ship, weighing in at 143,000GT she’s one of the biggest ships to serve the United Kingdom. Britannia was launched in 2014 by Queen Elizabeth II, and saw a comprehensive refit in 2019.

Our stateroom

At the time of booking we chose a ‘Guarantee Balcony’, which means that you don’t choose your specific cabin – just the grade of cabin you want. A couple of days before boarding we were told we’d be in A247, a HF grade balcony on Deck 15. This room is perfectly located right next to the forward lifts & stairs, with just one flight between you and the pool deck.

On arrival at the stateroom we saw that the room had been cleaned and a blue seal had been put across the door to show no-one had been in it since its cleaning – part of P&O’s ‘Sail With Confidence’ health programme. Our smart cards were waiting for us in the post box area just to the left of the door.

As you enter the stateroom, there’s a large dressing area & wardrobe immediately to your left. This is easily the biggest wardrobe I’ve seen on a cruise ship. I liked how it kept all the clothes, bags, shoes etc out of sight from the main room. There are also shelves, cubby holes and a safe big enough for an iPad.

The bathroom is accessed through this dressing area and is compact, but has just about enough room for anything you’d need. The only real pinch-point was entering/exiting the shower. The glass shower door opens outwards into the bathroom – you kind of have to stand right next to the toilet to open & close it as the door passes (and occasionally knocks) your knees – but it’s fine. A bar of hand-soap is provided, as well as shower-gel and shampoo from The White Company.

On this particular sailing I was travelling with a friend, as my partner couldn’t get time off work, so we had our cabin set up with twin beds. The same room is reconfigurable as a double if you submit your preference ahead of time, or ask your stateroom attendant. We found the bed and pillows incredibly comfortable, if a little soft for my personal preference. We both slept well.

The main room is of a decent size. Plenty for two adults to move around and co-exist without getting in each others way. Aside from the beds there are was one bedside table, a small desk with mirror and chair, an arm chair and matching side table. There were also two full length mirrors in the room, which is always welcome when more than one of you is trying to get ready for dinner.

Our only slight disappointment with the room was that there were no USB sockets for charging devices. For a ship built in 2014 and refurbished in 2019 this seems an odd omission.

Balconies on Royal-class ships are known to a be a little shallow, and Britannia is no exception. It was a bit snug out there, but room enough for two chairs and a small drinks table. We found the balcony to be well shielded from the wind, with plenty of privacy from the cabins either side of us.

Bars and Lounges

Compared to other ships her size Britannia has fewer bars than you might expect, but that doesn’t mean you’re going to be short of places to drink. Here’s a quick tour of the places you can grab a drink onboard.

The Blue Bar & Market Café in the atrium on Deck 5 is the the place to see and be seen on Britannia. These two venues sit starboard and port of the atrium seating area respectively, with The Blue Bar serving champagne and cocktails whilst the Market Cafe serves Costa Coffee and cakes. This space often hosts live music such as pianists and saxophone players throughout the day and into the night.

Moving up to Deck 6, just off the atrium you’ll find Brodie’s Bar. Brodie’s is the traditional British pub featured across the P&O fleet. Here you’ll find a wide range of beers and ciders, both on tap and by the bottle or can. This venue is also home to the daily trivia and quiz events – as well as where you can watch live sport onboard. During our cruise the 2021 Tokyo Olympics were shown in Brodie’s. There’s extra seating and pool tables just outside of Brodies on the port side, to the starboard side you’ll find the small casino area.

Heading up to Deck 7 aft you’ll find the Live Lounge which is one of the Britannia’s show lounges, host to nightly musical performances and gameshows. Live Lounge is a dark but elegant venue and offers table service of cocktails, champagne and wines. Seating is limited for the shows, so if there’s something you want to see – turn up early.

Walking forward on Deck 7 you’ll find the Sindhu Bar. Whilst officially part of the Sindhu Indian restaurant the bar was open to all passengers who wanted an evening drink. This venue was not open during the day on our cruise.

Now back in the atrium on Deck 7 you’ll find yourself with The Glass House on the port side and Java on the starboard. The Glass House is a wine bar styled and curated by Olly Smith of the BBC, here you can pick from a variety of wines not seen elsewhere onboard, as well as wine flights for the adventurous wine explorer. Java is another coffee shop, serving Costa Coffee in a similar fashion to the Market Cafe on Deck 5. Both The Glass House and Java have access to an outdoor promenade seating area – though due to the weather on our sailing this wasn’t used.

Continuing forward on Deck 7 you’ll find The Crystal Room . This light and elegant venue was used for talks, seminars, ballroom dancing lessons and in the evening – karaoke. Much like The Live Lounge this venue filled up fast and more than once we had to change our plans. There are benches outside The Crystal Room on the port side, but you won’t get drinks service sitting there.

Decks 8 through 15 are purely staterooms, so let’s hop in an elevator and head up to Deck 16 forward. Here you’ll find The Crows Nest. This is Britannia’s observation bar. During the day it offers 270º views from the front of the ship, you’ll find books and boardgames along with an extensive gin menu. When evening comes around it turns into an elegant piano bar – our pianist onboard, Paul Cassidy, was excellent. Due to limited seating and the size of the venue we had trouble getting in here a few times on our cruise. Sensing a theme yet?

Leaving The Crow’s Nest and heading outside you’ll come to the main pool, or lido, deck. There are two bars one either side of the pool area. The Lido Bar and the Riviera Bar both serve this main pool area with seating areas and sun lounger service.

Heading aft, through the Horizon Buffet you’ll find the Sunset Bar . This aft-facing bar both serves drinks and provides an outdoor seating area for the buffet. There’s plenty of table and sofa seating on both sides of the bar, with the port side being a permitted smoking area. In the centre the main bar is styled like a beach hut with quirky seaside styling and faux foliage. This was a great place to experience sail-away, find a quiet spot during the day, and to stargaze at night.

Finally, if we take the steps either side of the sunset bar and follow the jogging track all the way to the front of the ship you’ll stumble upon the adult’s only Serenity Pool & Bar. This space is exclusively for the use of passengers 18 years of age and over. Comfortable seating, loungers, and attentive table service make this a great place for a peaceful drink in the sun.

Complimentary Dining

Whilst the Britannia has no shortage of places to eat, due to COVID safety measures choices were often quite limited and we didn’t feel quality was up to par with other cruise lines. Let me explain.

Breakfast in the Main Dining Rooms. Preferring a more relaxed a la carte breakfast we ate in The Meridian Restaurant on two out of our three mornings. Booking a table was slightly chaotic, we’ll get to that later, but once we were seated we found the service attentive and polite. Our Eggs Benedict were perfectly cooked and came out quickly, the orange juice was freshly squeezed and the coffee perfectly acceptable.

Celebration (Formal Night) Dinner in the Main Dining Rooms. I’m eager for any excuse to dress up, so formal night aboard a cruise always gets my vote. Once again we had trouble securing a table to eat at, more on that later, but eventually we were seated in Britannia’s other main dining room – The Peninsula Restaurant.

Due to the chaos getting a table we were seated fairly late into the evening by which point it felt like presentation and service had gone out of the window somewhat. We opted for the Marco Pierre White recommended menu and ordered a bottle of wine to match.

The ‘Amuse bouche’ didn’t arrive, instead we were offered another bread roll. My Crab & Scallop Ceviche, whilst tasty, was both very small and offputtingly warm, my companion’s Smoked Duck looked a better choice and he seemed to agree.

For our soup course I opted for the Chicken and Sweetcorn Soup and my companion chose the Cream of Artichoke Soup. Neither had any real flavour and there was soup down the side of both bowls. Disappointing.

Onto the main courses. Here things started to look up. I opted for lobster, as I do any time it’s on offer, and my companion went for the Beef Tenderloin. The half lobster was well cooked and the Mornay sauce was rich, the creamed potatoes were perfectly smooth – unfortunately the greens were cool to the touch and limp. The beef tenderloin was served medium-rare as requested, the jus was rich, the cauliflower delightful – but again limp and cool greens.

Finally, for dessert I opted for the Mango & Pink Peppercorn Sorbet, which was incredibly refreshing and delightfully picante, it felt like it could have used some flair or garnish however. My friend picked the Biscuit Glace which he enjoyed – especially the variety of textures.

All in all it was an enjoyable meal, it just felt like that because we’d been seated so late (due to issues outside our control), that we weren’t seeing the best of Britannia. We didn’t see our waiter after we ordered, just other team members who delivered our food, presentation was sloppy, courses were missing, sides were cold and everything felt a little… rushed.

The Horizon Restaurant (Buffet). Deck 16 aft is where you’ll find Britannia’s buffet. The space is bright and airy, with many tables next to or facing a window out to sea. The buffet stations are arrange in a grid fashion in between the two seating areas – with drinks stations peppered throughout.

To try and better facilitate social distancing and safer cruising P&O have divided the buffet stations in four quarters – serving only the area of seating closest to those stations. Unfortunately, what this means is that the food choices were vastly reduced from what we were used to – with maybe only three or four hot options and a salad bar for lunch. This was by no means a disaster, and we understand why it was necessary, but if you cruise during a time of COVID restrictions it’s something to be aware of.

Pizza, Hotdogs and Burgers – oh my. The pool area on Deck 16 is home to some grab and go hot food options throughout the day and early evenings. On the port side you’ll find a pizzeria offering three options of pizza for you to take away, on the starboard is the grill where you can get made to order burgers, hotdogs and fries. Due to the issues with virtual queuing for restaurants, I’ll get to it I promise, and limited choice in the buffet these two venues were very busy on our sailing. We ate here most days and were never disappointed with the choice or quality.

Speciality Dining

We had the pleasure of dining at two of Britannia’s Speciality restaurants on our short sailing, we ate at the Glass House on night one and the Epicurean on night three. We didn’t have a chance to eat at Sindhu, the ship’s Indian restaurant – a guest favourite, and due to buffet space issues the Beach House wasn’t open during this sailing.

The Glass House overlooks the atrium from Deck 7 and serves up small, tapas style, plates. The cuisine is very international, from scotch eggs to tempura, and steaks to Sicilian stew. Each course has a recommended wine, or as mentioned earlier, you can choose a flight of wines to accompany your meal.

I won’t go into every plate we ordered, or we’ll be here all night. The stand out plates for us were the curried scallops, polenta fries and the sticky oxtail bonbons. The dishes came out as they were ready, and with the possible exception of the beef salad (which felt more like a stir-fry without rice or noodles) everything was excellent. Plates are priced individually or 3 for £6.95.

The Epicurean is P&O’s top-tier specialty dining experience and it certainly lives up to its reputation. We dined at The Epicurean on the last night of our cruise after managing to bag a last minute booking.

Bright, airy, with pastels and plenty of glass, The Epicurean feels upmarket and at the same time comfortable. On arrival we were given two glasses of Tattinger Rosé whilst our table was prepared.

When we were seated we were offered a choice of multicoloured breads with flavoured butters and we chose ourselves a bottle of wine whilst we perused the menu.

The menu is small enough that you know each dish is going to be made with care, but large enough that there’s something for everyone.

For starters I opted for an Alaskan Snow Crab, Langoustine and Caviar cocktail which came with a pea custard and shot of mojito, Craig chose 24-hour slow cooked ox cheek with a parsley sponge. Both were incredible, both in terms of flavour, presentation and variety of textures.

On to the mains. Even with the good portions of the starters my stomach was rumbling – because it knew what was coming next. As mentioned earlier in my review, if I see lobster I physically cannot not order it – so with that in mind I chose the Black Cod and Cold Water Lobster with a Caviar Gratin, Craig picked the Beef Fillet with Confit Bacon and Mushroom Pureé. Our sides were thick cut chips, tenderstem broccoli and a garden salad.

I cannot put into words just quite how succulent and tender my fish were, I’ve never had lobster quite like it in my life – and I’ve eaten a lot of lobster. Craig’s steak was perfectly cooked and it now feels wrong if bacon isn’t confit’d.

Between our main and our dessert our waiter brought over some liquorice lollipops. Whilst I appreciate the thought, if there’s one flavour in the world I cannot stand it’s liquorice – but Craig assured me it was delicious.

Much like my obsession with lobster, I cannot say no to a crêpe. So Grand Marnier crêpes were a no brainer for me. Wonderfully light with a sauce that perfectly straddled sweet and cheekily alcoholic. Craig picked a deconstructed Jaffa cake that came with handmade vanilla ice cream – and to finish were got some little novelty truffles.

I’m not being hyperbolic when I say that this was hands down the best meal I’ve ever had on a cruise, and close to the best meal I’ve ever had – period. The service was attentive and friendly without being too much, the space was upscale whilst still being comfortable and the food was simply divine. If you’re sailing P&O I’d heartily recommend you treat yourself to The Epicurean.

Entertainment and Leisure

P&O has never been the go-to line for over the top gimmicks and amusements, but that doesn’t mean you’ll be bored. The daily planner, in paper form, delivered to your stateroom each evening is packed with things do – there are quizzes, enrichment lectures, dance classes and films throughout the day, as well as mixers with your fellow cruises – that said we were surprised not to see an LGBT mingle event.

Pools & Hot Tubs

We found the ratio of pools to hot tubs slightly confusing on Britannia. There are three full sized swimming pools and a small wake view pool, but only two hot tubs – with a further two in the for-fee Retreat area. Compare this to another Royal-Class cruise ship, such as the Sky Princess, which has nine publicly accessible hot tubs. It just didn’t make sense to us, and was another comment several people I spoke to made. The three swimming pools are of a decent size and depth.

Music & Performers

We enjoyed the fact that no matter where you went on Britannia that there always seemed to be live music. This is something quintessentially cruise. The atrium almost always had a pianist, guitarist, sax player or even a sea-shanty band playing. The Crows Nest, whilst quiet during the day, hosted the excellent pianist, Paul Cassidy in the evenings. Live Lounge was home to the onboard band, Pulse, who blew me away with their excellent covers of well known songs split into three themed nights. The Crystal Room hosted karaoke and dance classes.

On the last night of the cruise the onboard DJ hosted a silent party on the pool deck. Everyone gets a set of wireless headphones, and can choose between three simultaneous stations – each of which is playing a different style of music but somehow mixed together so it felt like we were all dancing to the same beat. Really good fun.

We didn’t have time to see any of the onboard theatre shows but having spoken to many of our fellow cruisers they could be summed up as follows: ‘Mr Tickerton’s Clockwork Circus’ was excellent and people wished it was on multiple nights, the comedian was awkwardly unfunny and several people we spoke to left.

Cruising during COVID

Running cruises during COVID is no small feat, the fact we’re able to cruise at all is a true joy, that said there were definitely highlights and pitfalls during our short three night sailing. These can be broken down into 3 categories:

The MyHoliday “app”

Whilst P&O refer to MyHoliday as an app, it’s actually just a mobile website you visit through your phone’s browser. MyHoliday is essential for booking tables in restaurants, queuing for the buffet, booking seats for theatre performances, and buying WiFi packages. Unfortunately we rarely found it worked as advertised.

For example, queuing for breakfast – not all the restaurants would show up on my phone, but they would on my friends – we waited for nearly an hour for our buffet spot when we somehow fell out the queue and had to start the process all over again. The page frequently logs out too, leaving you unsure if you’ve lost your progress.

Because you can’t book in the main dining rooms, you have to join a queue. We waited over 90 minutes for a table on Celebration Night – which as mentioned earlier meant we got seated super late and we felt that our meal & service suffered as a result.

There were several missing features that would seem a no-brainer and super simple to implement. There’re no deck plans to find out where you are, or where you’re going. You can’t see the daily planner either, a simple link to a PDF copy would keep people happy.

The concept is sound, even if it seems already outdated compared to Princess’ OceanMedallion app, but there’s a lot of work to be done.

Social Distancing and Mask Wearing

Conditions of this cruise were that all guests were double vaccinated, were tested at the terminal before boarding, wore a mask when moving around the ship and observed social distancing instructions where necessary.

We found all guests onboard to be respectful and following the requests without complaint. Simply having to wear a mask is a very small trade off for being able to safely cruise once again – we wouldn’t hesitate to take another cruise during this time at all.

Britannia was spotless. From our staterooms, to the stairwells and the bars everything was super clean. It was very notable that there were an army of cleaners all diligently keeping every area of the ship clean and tidy. When a table in a bar was vacated it was immediately disinfected and the soft furnishings fogged. We felt very safe sailing with P&O onboard Britannia.

Final Thoughts

When we booked onto Britannia I freely admit I had concerns that P&O wouldn’t be the cruise line for me. Several of our friends referred jokingly to the cruise as the HMS Brexit. I very much viewed this cruise as an experiment and went in with an open mind – and I’m glad I did.

We were definitely some of the younger guests aboard, but we never felt unwelcome or out of place. I was worried about all the over-the-top patriotism and flag waving but we managed to successfully avoid any of that.

Britannia is a handsome ship with some elegantly designed spaces but we did notice that in some areas, such as the Crow’s Nest and Crystal Room, that some of the furniture was looking a little worn and tatty – something we thought would have been addressed during the many months of inactivity.

We were disappointed that P&O don’t offer beverage packages on their shorter sailings (below five nights), which puts them out of step with most lines offering UK short sailings these days. Drinks prices onboard certainly aren’t terrible, but they’re not cheap either, with bar bills quickly adding up. As UK consumer tastes and expectations change towards all-inclusive sailings it feels like P&O needs to catch up here.

As mentioned previously the MyHoliday portal used to manage dining, view your account and make bookings really isn’t quite up to scratch and caused plenty of headaches for us and our fellow passengers. Combine this with poor WiFi speeds and we found ourselves frequently frustrated by the lack of onboard tech.

The crew onboard were a credit to P&O and themselves. Everyone was always friendly and smiling, drinks service was swift, and if we ever looked lost onboard someone always came up and offered to help.

The question I always ask at the end of a cruise is “Would I sail with this line/ship again?” – and I think the answer has to be a “yes”. I don’t think the product is entirely right for me, based on my demographics, but this didn’t stop us having a really enjoyable cruise. Britannia is a handsome ship with some great staff and stunning venues, and P&O should be very proud.

I’m already eyeing up a trip on P&O’s newest ship, Iona, so that should tell you all you need to know.

If this was interesting to you consider sharing it using the buttons below. Have you sailed on on Britannia? What do you think of the P&O product? Got a question I haven’t answered here? Feel free to leave a comment, or contact me on twitter at  @CruisingWithTom or Instagram at @TomLovesCruising

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2 Comments Add yours

Thanks for sharing the blog Tom. Having sailed on Britannia about 6 years ago, it’s is surprising and slightly disappointing to see that some things seem to have slipped. Eating in the main dining areas wouldn’t have been like this. It has been crying out for some kind of smart technology for passengers, to keep up with other cruise lines but despite having had 18 months to trial and perfect, it doesn’t appear to work effectively and lots of people have commented on it.

I’m travelling at the end of September, could I ask how you found their communications or if you needed to contact the customer services, as I’m finding it difficult to get any info out of them!!

Glad you enjoyed your trip. The photos are fab!!

Hi Alison, thanks for checking out the review and taking time to comment. I agree, given how far Princess have progressed with tech (on their identical ships) it’s odd that P&O haven’t kept up.

I did struggle to get hold of P&O during the lead up to the cruise. I could tweet and send them direct messages via Twitter, but getting hold of them on the phone often involved a one-hour wait. There’s definitely some work to be done in the customer contact area for P&O.

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• Bungy Jumping
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Caribbean cruise on britannia: honest review with p&o cruises.

Page Contents

If you haven’t observed this already, I love the concept of taking a cruise. Waking up in a new destination with a list of activities to chose from and fresh islands ready to explore. At least that’s what you get a Caribbean cruise with P&O Cruises , together with gorgeous sunshine, crystal clear waters, wildlife and rum punch.

In my view it’s also the best way to see as many destinations as possible in the Caribbean on a reasonable budget. You get a feel for each island, and if you like them enough, you can go back. And you don’t have the expense of hotel costs. Cruises often work out remarkably reasonable compared to Caribbean package holidays.

This article will run you through my experience on a two-week cruise on Britannia. I’ll talk through the islands, what I did, what other options you have and my thoughts on the islands. I’ll start with talking about Britannia herself.

If you like to watch videos of the trip rather than reading, skip down to the videos section at the bottom of my article!

Britannia at a Glance

One of the most famous ships in the P&O fleet, Britannia holds 3657 guests and 1350 crew. That felt like a considerable size to me, but I quickly found my way around onboard and it’s small enough that you’ll bump into people you’ll met on your holiday.

Britannia has 10 dining options, 7 entertainment places and 8 bars or cafes. Featuring some of the usual P&O staple venues such as Sindhu, the Glass House, The Crow’s nest, Beach House and Epicurean. My experience dining in Sindhu on Britannia was one of the best I have had on cruise, the food and staff were fantastic.

If you’re not familiar with how dining works on P&O Cruises, then you have a number of restaurants included in your full-board package, and a few restaurants that are extra. You can eat for free at the Horizon buffet more of less any time of day, which has great food. For a sit-down experience, you can book in at the Peninsular and Oriental restaurants, also included in your standard package. The latter features a menu and waiter service, so a lovely dining experience.

To step things up, certain restaurants are extra, but they are well worth it in my opinion. These include Sindhu, Epicurean, The Glass House and Beach House which is just a small fee.

There are 3 choices of room onboard which I like because it doesn’t overwhelm you with options and price difference. I had a suite, which included a balcony. This gave me space to work (yes, I was working!), and that game-changer of a balcony. I absolutely love a balcony, those sunset beers of waking up for sunrise and watching us sail into a new destination. You honestly cannot beat that feeling. You can also get inside cabins or balcony cabins.

Finally, you of course have all the expected entertainment options. You can usually find me at the Headliners Theatre for the daily shows, the sports bar of Brodie’s which usually has acoustic music, or partying at my favourite, the Live Lounge.

Caribbean Cruise on Britannia

Now that we’ve discussed the essentials about Britannia cruise ship , let’s go through all the stops that you’ll have on the Caribbean Cruise. Spoiler alert: You won’t be disappointed!

You’ll start and finish this cruise in Barbados, so make sure you check the immigration and Covid requirements for entering Barbados. I wrote an article on this, and also check Cruise with Confidence  page on the P&O Cruises website.

Depending on which day you arrive, you’ll either have a free day in Barbados at the start of the cruise, or at the end. Mine was at the start, and if you want a relaxing day head to the Boatyard . It’s within walking distance of the ship and for $30 you can use their inflatables, rope swing, free Wi-Fi and snorkel with turtles.

Top tip : get an e-SIM that covers with whole Caribbean with Airalo and get $3 free using the code  SCOTT801  or signing up from  this link.

I set Airalo up on the free Wi-Fi as you can’t set it up on the Cruise Wi-Fi. For $10 I got 1GB for a week and was valid for all the islands we were visiting, it was brilliant.

If you don’t want to head to the beach, there are plenty of Shore Experiences in Barbados. These include a sunset cruise, a 4×4 adventure, the best of Barbados and of course beach hopping. A lot of the combined trips include snorkelling with turtles and a couple of beaches. Or why not hop in a taxi and to go the Mount Gay Rum distillery? I did that on my 2017 visit to Barbados .

After a sea day we arrived at the beautiful Dutch-Caribbean island of Curaçao, and you’ll certainly notice the Dutch influence. The ship docks at the capital Willemstad , which is well worth exploring for an hour or two.

I picked an island explorer tour, which was a whistle-stop tour of the island. I picked this one as I’ve never been to Curaçao, so wanted to see as much as possible. It also finished around 2pm, giving me a couple of hours to explore Willemstad.

The tour started with snorkelling with turtles at Playa Grandi on the northwest of the island. What a way to introduce the group to the island! Perfectly crystal-clear waters and some epic shots. After that we went to the caves and viewpoint of Shete Boka Park , followed by Playa Kenepa ; one of many stunning beaches on the West Coast. Our final stop was to see the wild flamingos at Saliña Jan Kok . That really was a wonderful way to finish the tour.

Other shore experiences I was considering were the Hato Caves and beach and the Ultimate Island Experience. There aren’t any beaches within walking distance of the port, and I really recommend seeing the flamingos in the wild as that’s something quite unique to Curaçao.

Our second port was the island of Aruba, and like Curaçao it’s another Dutch territory close to Venezuela. I’d heard mixed reviews about Aruba so as I’d just done an island experience tour I decided to go it alone and rent a car.

You dock in the town of Oranjestad , which feels busy a bit like Miami. It wasn’t that easy to find a car rental, but I did find a Hertz office inside a hotel. The car was small and a bit beaten up, and cost $60 for 24 hours. I had a list of places to visit, here are my thoughts.

My first stop was the California Lighthouse , a viewpoint where everyone stops at. It was busy and honestly not worth it; however, the trip north was made worthwhile by my stop at Hadicurari Beach , a stunning kitesurfing spot on the West Coast. I then headed south to a hidden gem of a beach called Mangel Halto (a nice insider tip I got). It’s small and you can find your own private beach hidden in the mangroves, if you’re looking for a secluded beach escape, I’d recommend taking a taxi here.

My next stop was to see the beautiful street art of San Nicolas . A good starting point is Charlie’s Bar , which certainly attracts the tourists but is fascinating. From there you can wander the streets and admire the artwork. Close to San Nicolas is Baby Beach , a popular stop with several of the tours. But this was far too busy for my liking, which is a shame as it’s a stunning spot.

I then hightailed it to the East of the island for two more stops. The first was the Natural Bridge and the second Bushiribana Ruins . I was more impressed by the ruins, and these were popular spots for the UTV tours.

The Shore Excursions I was tempted by were the Jeep Safari, Catamaran Sail and snorkel or the UTV adventure. I don’t think an island highlights trip would be brilliant here, and the UTV did look fun however keep in mind you very much follow other UTVs in a line and don’t go off-road much.

St Vincent & the Grenadines

St Vincent was the first of the island that had further Covid requirements in place. Whilst I understand this is a bit inconvenient, please keep in mind that often these islands do this to protect their population, which have lower vaccination rates than the UK. St Vincent required a PCR test done onboard at an addition cost of £25.

The PCR test was extremely easy and organised by P&O, giving me an allocated timeslot the day before, with my results added to the ship’s manifest. Once you’re in the dock you meet your tour and stay in that tour “bubble”.

I decided to get out at sea today and picked a catamaran tour of the West Coast and Volcano viewing. It was only in April 2021 when the volcano last erupted! Sadly, the unpredictable Caribbean weather meant that we couldn’t view the volcano and headed back south for blue skies. We still stopped at a secluded beach and drank rum punch. The island is absolutely stunning from the ocean, so this was a great morning. Just watch out for the rum punch, the rum was 85%!

If I’m honest I had some regrets at not exploring St Vincent by land. I had a good feeling from the island and the people and remember it as one of my favourites from when I was younger.

Shore Experiences on land that would have tempted me were the Vermont Nature Hike or the 4×4 Safari. And other options by sea were the Dolphin and Whale Adventure or the Northern Grenadines Sail away. Possibly one of biggest frustrations on this cruise was trying to choose the best adventure and FOMO (fear of missing out) if you pick the wrong one! First world problems…

It’s not very often in life you get to return to a place you really love, but Grenada was one of those. I spent a week here in 2017 and felt a connection with the island and always wanted to come back.

Grenada (pronounced Green-aida) also has restrictions in place which mean you can’t leave your tour bubble, but there was no requirement for another Covid test. Because I’ve already seen a lot of this island, I picked an experience I hadn’t done, and one that looked like a lot of fun, River Tubing!

This experience was brilliant. We drove to a spot in the rainforest (even the drive is brilliant, but I do love this island), and after a safety briefing, we were given our tubes and away we went. For a couple of hours, we floated down the river, with some calm bits and some less so. But there were a group of brilliant guides there to help us through and entertain us. Their energy was brilliant. The tour ended with the chance to jump into the river and of course a rum punch!

If you haven’t been to Grenada however, I recommend something that will show you more of the island. There are a few options like the Grenada Highlights, Island Drive and Annandale Falls, or the Eco trek to Bamboo Falls.

Grenada is also famous for the Rhum Runner boat trip, following a famous pirate route. It’s basically a very boozy boat party! Watching the Rhum Runner return to port was entertaining to say the least (check out the video below!).

Ahhh coming back to St Lucia after 21 years away. I promise it won’t be as long next time! St Lucia holds a special place in my heart because one of my travel memories as a teenager was exploring St Lucia alone. I left my family to do their thing and felt the buzz of a rainforest trek, meeting locals and pushing myself.

Okay it’s not exactly the most intrepid thing I’ve done, but at that age it planted a seed for travelling along. 10 years later I went backpacking, and 5 years after that I started this travel blog.

In St Lucia I recommend anything which includes the stunning Pitons . I picked the tour Pitons and Lunch with a Local. It was a quite easy short hike for the Pitons, and I wanted to eat Caribbean food. Sadly, as you’re on a cruise where food is included you don’t get to enjoy the food as much as I’d have liked, and I was craving some good Caribbean grub. I wasn’t disappointed!

The hike was the Tet Paul Nature Trail , which was easily signposted if you want to find it yourselves. It took under an hour with a 10-minute climb which certainly raised the heartrate but wasn’t too testing, you don’t need a guide for this hike. Once you get to the top you can walk the circular route to see both Gros Piton and Petite Piton, and fantastic views over St Lucia including the tallest mountain on the island.

Following the hike, we went to lunch and ate fantastic Caribbean food, for what was included you’ll have to watch the video below but let me tell you it was delicious, especially the plantain!

There are plenty of good tours available on St Lucia, but I really recommend anything that include the Pitons, as they are such a spectacular sight. If you don’t fancy them anything that includes the rainforest of plantations are also a great bet.

Finally whichever tour you end up on, if you fancy a few more drinks and a wonderful atmosphere head to Rum Therapy bar at the port. It’s a fantastic spot for sunset right with views overlooking the ship. However, females attending alone should be warned the bar staff here are not discrete with their attention and intentions, which was a real shame and, in many ways, let down the island. I would advise against solo females going alone.

St Kitts & Nevis

Another stunning island and without doubt one of my favourites is St Kitts (Shh don’t tell the others). It’s another port that required you to be on an organised tour or take a licensed taxi to and from the port. There is so much to explore on St Kitts, but I decided to get active and did Nature Kayaking . The bonus part was this also included snorkelling which was the best part.

Our trip was only a couple of hours and first headed to Discovery Beach where we picked up our kayaks. We kayaked for around 20-30 minutes to a small bay (there were no other people), so it was suitable for people that haven’t kayaked before.

From the bay we put on our snorkels, and it was here that the real surprise of the trip. We saw turtles, stingrays, jellyfish, octopus and a shoal of squid! Look out for the video for at least that part, as it blew me away just how much we saw in around an hour.

After a quick rum punch (yes this really is part of every tour), we headed back to the port via the Timothy Hill Overlook , a fantastic viewpoint that most tours will stop at. The Port is also lively with a few nice bars if you have time. Our tour finished by 12pm, so I was on the look out for something else to do!

Top recommendation : I met up with a few people from the cruise, and decided to head to a fantastic bar, and tip from my friend Esther; Spice Mill Restaurant . This restaurant is a rustic gem on the white sands of Cockleshell Beach , which overlooks the island of Nevis. It’s also home to Hibiscus Spirits where the owner Roger distilled local rum (which I can verify is amazing).

The website describes Spice Mill as “Caribbean dining, liming and indigenous architectural experience.” What more could you ask for? If you do end up there following this article, please say hello to Roger for me, and grab me a bottle of Hibiscus Spiced Rum.

The other Shore Experiences that tempted me were the Rainforest Discovery, Discover Nevis Island or the Jeep Safari. St Kitts is definitely somewhere I’ll be coming back to for longer.

Next up was Antigua, one half of the nation Antigua and Barbuda. Known for having one beach for every day of the year (yes it has 365 beaches!) and its famous naval history. The ship docks in the capital St Johns , and as far as I could see there isn’t a beach within walking distance.

My tour was a Segway tour of Fort Worth, and this is also where you do the Horse-Riding Tour. We headed along the beach finding our balance before a couple of beach stops. After that we stopped for some fruit at Fort Worth and wandered around.

The tour leaves you for an hour at Runaway Beach , enough time for a swim and a local beer. It’s easy to see the appeal of the beaches in Antigua, picture-perfect.

Nonetheless, if I came back, I wouldn’t necessarily recommend my tour, there wasn’t really enough to see in the area. I’d look into the Island Safari, Stingray Sensation or the Best of Antigua.

Antigua is famous for the swimming with Stingrays, and although some people frown upon experiences like this one, I’ve only heard good things! Book this one fast though as it could sell-out.

Finally, friends of mine headed to Dickerson Bay Beach in a taxi. You can also take a tour there. And they went to the floating Kon Tiki Bar , which looked like great fun and a unique experience! Antigua, I’ll just have to come back for more of these experiences.

The final stop on the cruise and the moment when you realise just how fast the second week goes! St Maarten is another one where you have the choice between a beach day or a tour. This is a port where you can walk to Great Bay Beach , and there are no Covid rules restricting you to an organised tour.

It’s also home to Maho Beach , positioned right next the Princess Juliana Airport and famous for the low flying planes. I’ve felt like this is a bucket list place to go myself, so decided to get a taxi to it. There is a taxi rank right on the port and a return cost $16 per person, they give you a wristband, so they know you’ve paid for the return journey.

I arrived around 10:30 and there weren’t too many people, but as the day went on it got busier and busier. It’s a surreal experience, to watch these planes flying in so low. And every hour or so you get a quite large one come in. Sadly, nothing really huge landed when we were there.

It’s the take-off that provides the most entertainment, as the blast from the jets caused some powerful wind. So much so that people have been seriously injured. Thankfully now it looks like the bigger planes use the runway from the other side, meaning people cannot go and stupidly hurt themselves. It was still powerful enough to blow people’s stuff across the beach, so I chose to sit away from the blast. I do not need to get sand blown in my face for an adrenaline rush.

If neither of these are for you then the tours that tempted me were the Snorkel, beach and RIB experience. And anything that took to the water, as the island looks beautiful from the ocean.

Videos of my Caribbean Cruise on Britannia

I hope that gives you an insight into my experience with P&O Cruises in the Caribbean and has given you some ideas if you are planning your holiday. There are some fantastic deals with P&O Cruises right now, and not all the ships will be full.

If you have any questions at all about my experience, please drop them in the comments below.

This article was supported by P&O Cruises but as always, the opinions and photos in the article are all my own, and I think it’s clear to see I loved every minute of my time in the Caribbean!

Founder & Editor of Intrepid Escape, a huge lover of adventure, adrenaline, sport & fitness. After travelling extensively for the last 12 years, Scott started to document his travels before fulfilling an important lifelong goal by starting Intrepid Escape. He has since become a full-time Travel Writer, Videographer, Presenter and Producer.

8 thoughts on “ Caribbean Cruise on Britannia: Honest Review With P&O Cruises ”

Looking to book Britannia January 23, definitely want to (respectfully) interact with Stingrays & snorkel to see Turtles. Found your site by accident but wow how informative for us to get the best from the Caribbean! Thank you

Hi Scott, and thanks for your extremely informative review. We are taking this cruise on 28th January 2023 and the excitement is building already! Regarding the shore excursions is it particularly sensible to take the P&O excursions for security and ensuring you get back to the ship on time?

Hi, really informative page, thank you. Is it easy to book tours and things to do when you arrive on the islands? Or do you have to book the P&O ones? Thanks.

I will be going on the Caribbean cruise for my honeymoon november 2023, how much do the excursions cost? Thanks

The only thing I cannot find, is what time you have to be back on the boat???

Yes, that’s the first thing anybody would want to know. I don’t like when ships dock at you’ve finished your breakfast then you feel you have to leave and tour the whole country and be back before 5pm which is way too early. Turns into a working day and you can’t relax for clock watching. Also in Grenada by the waterfall young local can hassle you to pay them to watch them dive into the waterfall – very offputting.

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Impeccable service: The staff were friendly, attentive, and always went the extra mile to ensure a flawless experience.Cleanliness & hygiene: The ship was spotless, and the crew maintained high standards of hygiene throughout the voyage.

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Cruise life: A day on board P&O Cruises Britannia

Posted on Last updated: March 24, 2020

Before I went on my first cruise it wasn’t hard to find out practical information about the ship, the destinations we’d be visiting and what to pack. But one question that was a lot harder to answer was what’s it actually like on a cruise? What do you do on a typical day? If you’re a first-time cruiser you probably have no idea what to expect. So after my latest trip I thought I’d share a day in the life of a cruise, with how I spent 24 hours on board P&O Cruises Britannia .

Of course you can do as much or as little as you like on a cruise – be energetic or lazy, sociable or reclusive, do your own thing or get things organised for you. Everyone’s version of an ideal day will be different, but this is how this independent traveller-turned-cruiser spent her time.

Read more: Canary Islands cruise: A taste of La Palma, Tenerife and Lanzarote

Sailing out of Madeira

About P&O Cruises Britannia

But first an introduction to my floating home for the week – MV Britannia . Launched in 2015, she’s the flagship of P&O’s fleet and Britain’s largest cruise ship. She’s 330 metres long (that’s 20 metres taller than London’s Shard) and can hold 3647 passengers and 1350 crew, with 1837 cabins, from suites to inside singles, which are divided across a range of cabin grades .

In winter Britannia sails the Caribbean and in summer the Norwegian fjords , Mediterranean and Canary Islands. Most of P&O Cruises in summer start from Southampton so the majority of passengers are British, and the fact you don’t need to fly means they’re popular with plane-phobics and attract families and an older crowd (though there are some fly-cruises too).

My mum and I joined Britannia on a 12-night Canary Island cruise, which started in Southampton and visited Madeira, La Palma, Tenerife, Lanzarote and Lisbon before returning to Southampton. And here’s how we spent a day on board P&O Cruises’ Britannia .

24 hours on board P&O Cruises’ Britannia

P&O Cruises Britannia

8am: Rise and shine

For me, the best part of a cruise is waking up in a new destination. So I’m usually awake early and out on the balcony as we come into port. The Canary Islands use the same time zone as Spain, which means the sun didn’t rise until after 7am when we visited in June. So I got to see more sunrises on board than I have in the last five years (I’m definitely not a morning person).

Being a British ship means Britannia runs on tea, so there’s a kettle in each cabin. You can get a self-service breakfast in the buffet (Full English, pastries, cereal, fruit, ham and cheese) or be waited on in the dining room. Or you can be lazy like me and take advantage of room service. If you fill in a card the night before and tick what you’d like and what time it’s delivered to you.

Sunrise in Lisbon from my balcony

9am: Land ahoy

At some ports you have to take a tender (small boat) to reach the shore, but on this trip we were able to dock in every port, so it was easy to get on and off ship. Once the local authorities give the go ahead the captain makes an announcement that you can disembark. The ship arrived into port around 8am, but we usually held on for a bit to give the people going on shore excursions a chance to get off the ship first as disembarkation can get a bit manic.

There are a range of full-day or half-day excursions available, or it’s easy to go off and do your own thing. You get given an info sheet for each destination with a map and basic details of what there is to see and do. We could walk into town from all of our ports (the Canaries have helpful lines marked on the pavement for the directionally challenged like me to follow) or there are shuttle buses (which were free in some ports and cost £4/€5 in others).

Docked in La Palma

3pm: Back on board

After a day exploring we’d head back to the ship, where your cruise card (which also acts as a door key/onboard credit card) is scanned so they know who’s back. There is always food available somewhere on board, so we tended not to eat too much while we were on shore and would grab food back on the ship. Another British touch on Britannia was the afternoon tea.

There are cakes and sandwiches every afternoon in the buffet (with gluten-free versions available if you ask) or you can get a waiter service version in the dining room. If you’re a real afternoon tea fan there’s a also special version in the Epicurian restaurant (only available on sea days) which is designed by pastry chef Eric Lanlard, who gives the traditional tea an unusual twist with quirky duck and raspberry macaroons and chocolate cannelloni.

Afternoon tea in the Epicurian and the buffet

3.30pm: Cookery class

Each ship has on-board activities, Britannia ‘s include an on-board cookery club. There’s at least one two-hour class per day, with 12 workstations up on the 17th floor so you get a panoramic view while you cook. As part of P&O Cruises’ Food Heroes collaboration, guest chefs like James Martin come on board to teach special cookery classes. The rest of the time the P&O chefs run classes teaching guests to make things like bread, pasta or Thai street food.

There are also ‘demo and dinner’ evenings where you’re shown how to cook a new menu then get to eat it all. We checked out the chocolate-making workshop where tasty gluten-free chocolate brownies and deliciously rich (and slightly boozy) chocolate truffles and honeycomb were on the menu – and you’re given recipe cards so you can make them back home.

Handmade delicousness

5.30pm: Sailway

Depending on which port we were at, we set sail sometime in the late afternoon. The main Lido Deck pool hosts a sailway party with bands and DJs. But I liked the quieter Sun Deck where we could sit with a glass of Prosecco and dip our feet in the pool as we sailed off. P&O does let you bring alcohol on board, so we could buy a bottle of local wine and sit on the balcony too.

Then it’s time to get ready for dinner. On a full 12-day cruise there are four black-tie formal nights, though they usually tend to be on sea days when you’ve got more time to get ready. The dinner dress code is smart casual on other nights (though if you do want to dress to the nines every night then a cruise ship is the one place where no-one will bat an eyelid).

Sailaway party on the Lido Deck

7pm: G&T o’clock

For pre-dinner drinks there are a few bar options, from the outdoor Sunset Bar at the back of the ship to an English pub (it was surreal seeing people drinking pints and watching the England match in the mid-Atlantic!). My favourite bar was the Crow’s Nest, high up at the front of the ship for a Captain’s eye view. It’s home to The Great British Gin Menu with 20 different gins from around the country – my top choice was Sunderland’s Poetic Licence’s Northern Dry Gin.

G&T in the Crow’s Nest

8.30pm: Dinner time

There are 10 places to eat on board, but most people go to one of the main dining rooms where you’re served a four-course menu each night. We had a ‘Freedom dining’ package which means you don’t have to eat at a particular time or at the same table every night. You just turn up when you want and can choose whether to have a table by yourself or share with other people.

Most of the time we shared and had some good chats (and got lots of cruise tips – so many cruise addicts were on their 10th or more trip). If you fancy a change there are a few speciality restaurants, where you pay a bit extra. We tried out Sindhu, an fine-dining Indian restaurant with a menu designed by another of the P&O Food Heroes, Atul Kochhar. We also liked The Glass House, a wine bar with some unusual wines and tapas-style food on the menu.

Dinner at Sindhu

10pm: Catch a show

Each night guests are given a copy of the ship’s newsletter with details of all the next day’s events, so you can plan what you want to see. Britannia has a big theatre with three shows each night, including comedians, West End shows and tribute bands. The 8.30pm performance tends to be the busiest so we normally went for either the early show before dinner or the late one afterwards. Our cruise had a Strictly Come Dancing theme so there were dance shows and classes around the ship too. There’s also a cinema and live music in the bars later on.

Strictly stars and the lobby bar

11.30pm: Time for bed

There’s a club, karaoke bar and casino on board Britannia , but by this point I was usually exhausted so just finished the night off with a walk around the top deck. It’s almost deserted in the late evenings and looks beautiful all lit up. Then it was back to our cabin, which had been tidied up and the bed turned down by our lovely cabin steward Carol while we were out, where we headed off to bed while the ship sailed onwards to its next destination.

So that’s how I spent my days on board P&O Cruises Britannia – how would you spend yours?

Thanks to  P&O Cruises for hosting us on board Britannia. All views and opinions are, as always, my own. A similar 12-night Canary Islands cruise departing from Southampton costs from £999 per person for an inside cabin or £1299 per person for a balcony cabin.

• P&O Cruises ( UK )

Britannia Wifi

By Megabear2 , September 9, 2022 in P&O Cruises ( UK )

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Has anyone had recent experience of Britannia's wifi packages since the change?  I have to purchase the package for my husband to work throughout our 14 day holiday and am interested in email, social media and web browsing. I note the dearer package states itself as 3x faster but previous experience has shown actual connection has been the main problem in the past.

Any help very much appreciated. Thank you.

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Orianababes

Used Wi-Fi on Britannia in June.

For your indicated uses the ordinary package looks ok. If your husband will be handling large amounts of data the faster pack may be better.

We had no real connection issues

To a certain extent does not wifi speed depend on the location of the ship ? Speed in the Med will probably be better than in the fjords. 

I was on Britannia in June and the cheaper package was just about OK - significantly better before 08:00 and after 22:00 (approx times). The higher priced package (which I tried for the last couple of days) was certainly faster.

On the basis that you can upgrade the package at any time then I would suggest that you start on the lower one and then upgrade if necessary.

Thank you everyone.  I will book the cheaper one to start as suggested.  Incidentally I assume those who booked had to visit reception to get their package activated in the same way as before?  I recall a gift card in our cabin being the previous route to activation which I found quite amusing.  I assume any peninsular club discount also still applies unless anyone knows differently.

3 minutes ago, Megabear2 said: I assume any peninsular club discount also still applies unless anyone knows differently.

I don't think the discount kicks in until you have spent any obc that you may have.

4 minutes ago, wowzz said: I don't think the discount kicks in until you have spent any obc that you may have.

Thanks.  As it's an essential I'll call them and buy it before travel to ensure we get the discount and if I get a receipt can claim it as a business expense!

Planning on using OBC for drinks, retreat and the spa as being Christmas we have booked all our excursions and will reserve our specialist dining before as well.  Do seem to have rather a lot of OBC to spend which is unusual for us. 

5 hours ago, Megabear2 said: Incidentally I assume those who booked had to visit reception to get their package activated in the same way as before? 

I have always gone to the library to get it activated and did so on Britannia in June.

The saving by buying in advance is negligible on the new packages - on a 14 night cruise I saved £10 by purchasing in advance (cost more for the phone call!!)

4 hours ago, david63 said: I have always gone to the library to get it activated and did so on Britannia in June.   The saving by buying in advance is negligible on the new packages - on a 14 night cruise I saved £10 by purchasing in advance (cost more for the phone call!!)

Thanks for the information.  The amount of the saving isn't so important but if there is one I won't say no!  More importantly as its work related we require an invoice and purchasing in advance generally generates one.

6 hours ago, Megabear2 said: The amount of the saving isn't so important but if there is one I won't say no! 

You will probably save more with your Peninsular discount!

6 hours ago, Megabear2 said: Thanks for the information.  The amount of the saving isn't so important but if there is one I won't say no!  More importantly as its work related we require an invoice and purchasing in advance generally generates one.

Normally no invoice is provided, an envelope is in the cabin to

remind you how to connect up.  I just got a price for a 19 night

cruise payable in advance and the saving is hardly anything 

compared to price on board.

Hope you don’t have an icloud account because the Britannia IT

system does not accept the icloud platform!!! The exact words from

the IT manager on board. Very strange. Have a brilliant time anyway!  

CaptainPedantic

I'm interested to know what package is needed/best to be able to at least make voice calls via WhatsApp or FaceTime? 

17 hours ago, clubcardcruiser said: I'm interested to know what package is needed/best to be able to at least make voice calls via WhatsApp or FaceTime? 

We plan to only purchase by the day for use on sea days.  Mobile will work in the med for us for WhatsApp calls on 3G/4G and whilst in port.  Probably have to have the higher price day rate onboard.  Is this a 24 hour rate from time of purchase?   Could use over two days if purchase in the afternoon and continue following morning.  

You will probably need the more expensive package but as I have said before - try with the lower priced package first and upgrade if necessary.

3 minutes ago, seapals2 said: Could use over two days if purchase in the afternoon and continue following morning.  

Yes, it is a 24 hour "contract".

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Britannia itineraries, 5 night western europe, 7 night norwegian fjords, 14 night scandinavia and baltic sea, 14 night british isles, 7 night spain and france, 14 night canary islands, 14 night mediterranean, 15 night caribbean, 14 night caribbean, p&o cruises fleet.

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P&O Cruises' Britannia sets sail after extensive refurbishment

P&O Cruises UK 's flagship Britannia left from Southampton on April 21st following an extensive multimillion drydock refurbishment .

The company recently announced that Britannia will be featured in its travel agent ship visit schedule, offering 3 opportunities for visits.

Completed earlier this month, the refurb prepares the vessel for its upcoming 10th-anniversary celebration cruise on June 6, 2025.

The upgrades encompass various areas of the ship, including public spaces, all staterooms, as well as an extension of the loyalty desk and cruise sales area. Additionally, enhancements have been made to the Market Cafe, and a substantial investment has been allocated for crew areas. The children's splash area has been revamped with interactive water features. Furthermore, the capacity of the Sunset Bar has been increased with extra seating, incorporating design elements from P&O UK's newest ships ( Iona and Arvia ).

Paul Ludlow (the company's President and CEO) said Britannia was their flagship, and with her 10th anniversary celebration cruise next summer they knew the importance of ensuring the vessel looked "its absolute best to deliver an elevated experience" for their new and loyal guests.