7 Nights Norwegian Fjords Cruise

A Fabulous 2 weeks

This cruise Jan 25th was similar to one taken last year starting and ending in Barbados with flights from Manchester included. We chose to upgrade to Premium Seats and though I acknowledge that this is not cheap, the Premium experience on both flights with TUI on one of their Dreamliners was faultless. Similarly, transfers to and from the ship worked like a military operation. Once our cases were checked in at the airport we didn’t have to worry about them until they arrived at our cabin (within an hour of landing). Similarly, once left outside on our last evening they were not our problem until we collected them back at our home airport. P&O handle this side of things extremely well. Accommodation We had an aft cabin which is priced as a GD. It is an excellent location being really quiet and in a great location. Our neighbours on both sides were great and we never heard a thing other than when were all on our balconies either at sail-away or on a sea day – just people chatting. Due to the design of the ship the balcony is not only wider than other normal balcony cabins, but it is also longer than other aft cabins. It gave us a great space to unwind and enjoy the view of the wake. There was little vibration and we hardly noticed the ship ‘shuddering’ when we docked. We were also pleased that we did not experience much soot on this balcony at all – perhaps more to do with the weather or speed at which we were travelling. The balcony was kept very clean and the furniture and banisters / glass panels well maintained and clean. The shower was quite powerful and we had fresh towels regularly and flannels were provided on request. There was a large interactive TV with a good range of channels and films / programmes. Unfortunately, though the public areas looked great, with new carpets on the stairs and corridors etc., despite the recent refurbishment it was disappointing to find that our cabin still looked tired. I.e. the carpets near to the balcony window were grubby as a result of passengers bringing in soot from the balcony on their feet and, though the carpet seemed to have been cleaned as part of the refurbishment, parts had been allowed to become messy in a relatively short time. The bed settee was also marked, worn and tatty with the edging perished. The initial feel was that the cabin felt unloved and not a priority. Perhaps P&O need to consider new carpets and soft furnishings in cabins – or a rolling programme of improvement moving forward. She is their ‘flag ship’ and it is her 10th anniversary year after all. Though we had a good two weeks (and have booked the cabin again for 2027) on reflection we should have asked for the marked parts of the carpet to be cleaned. We chose Freedom Dining for most meals. Once again the pager system worked well and even the ‘app’ booking system seemed to run ok the few times we used it which is a massive improvement on an experience we had in June 2023. Though we generally enjoyed our meals in the Peninsular Restaurant we found that service was pretty hit and miss with our experience ranging from excellent to woeful. It was a bit of a lottery each evening, but thankfully the good evenings out weighed the ‘shaky’ ones. We did notice that some of the waiting staff were new (hunting for tables) so this may have been one reason for the odd ‘blips’ we experienced. The quality of the food and menu choice were also a bit hit and miss in the Peninsula, but it is was obvious to us that P&O have made an attempt to make their menus more interesting and varied than previous menus. The meat dishes were generally very good with a range of vegetables (it wasn’t death by green beans!). Sadly, some of the desserts were pretty bland – something noted by a number of fellow cruisers each evening. We chose the Commodore Package for 6 bottles of wine for mealtimes and the choice and standard in this package was excellent and good value. We were able to use it in all of the other restaurants too. We ate at one of the speciality restaurants, The Epicurean, twice and on both occasions the quality of the service and food was excellent. The full lobster was my favourite main course. After a poor experience last year we gave The Beach House another go too. This used to be one of our favourite select dining restaurants, but changes to the menu have seen far more spicy dishes and a lack of choice for anyone who does not want to have chilli or hot spices as an ingredient in their meal. It was interesting to note that when all other speciality restaurants were fully booked by the start of the day 2 The Beach House had a lot of spaces all week. This must tell P&O something so we hope that they review that menu again. Having said this, I was pleasantly surprised with our meal, though the choice was limited for both of us which meant we did not return. We also wanted to try the Glass House, but for some reason this is the only speciality restaurant that can not be booked in advance. We tried a number of times, but unless you were prepared to go to dinner at 6pm there was little chance of having a table without waiting hours or eating very late. I do wish that P&O would review this arrangement. We know that some cruisers avoid the buffet like the plague, but we prefer to use the buffet for breakfast and a snack in the afternoons occasionally. Having been used to using the buffet in the school holidays in the past we found it to be a much calmer experience in January and again hygiene measures were very good with staff ‘on duty’ each day to ensure that anyone entering washed their hands. We also took our own antibacterial hand foam with us when visiting the buffet which may sound like ‘over kill’, but better be safe than sorry. The food was a good quality at breakfast – though the toast is still like eating chipboard. (Am not quite sure what they do to it!). We also found that the food choice in the buffet for lunch and afternoon snacks was much improved from last year. On one occasion we ordered room service for the first time and the food ordered was of a good quality and delivered in good time. I think it cost us about £8 and it was well worth it for one evening. Similarly, on the days that we were going out on excursions we ordered breakfast service in our cabin which was always delivered at exactly the time we had requested it. E.g. the ‘window’ was from 7 to 7.30am but we had written a request for 7am as we were on an excursion. We did this each time and were very appreciative of their flexibility in granting our request A member of the crew noted that on this cruise Britannia ‘was a happy ship’ and we totally agreed. The overwhelming majority of the crew were extremely helpful, friendly, polite and happy. I don’t think we walked past one member of the team around the ship who did not smile and say hello or share a few words with us. Special mention to our Cabin Steward who was excellent – helpful but unobstrusive if that makes sense. The Bar Staff were great fun – particularly those in the Serenity Bar at the front of the ship and Brian in the Atrium. I still think that P&O has to look at its Cocktail Menu and the choice and quality of some of those cocktails however – we played ‘hunt the alcohol’ more than once! (Avoid the Cosmopolitans, but head to the Serenity Bar for the best Pina Coladas!). The revived Sunset Bar is now a lovely no smoking space space since the refurbishment. We also liked the deck space outside Java. It was designated a smoking area, but we found that if we sat at the front the smoke was not noticeable and the view down the ship and closeness to the sea reminded us of the promenade deck on the older ships. Our fellow passengers were mainly middle aged / retirement age with very few children on board. Everyone we met was friendly, polite and obviously having a good time. There was no indication that the drinks packages had led to any poor behaviour and we found people to be considerate of others in terms of the use of the lifts for those with mobility issues. This is particularly important on Britannia as she has a the strangest set up in terms of the lifts and stairs. We met some lovely people around the ship and on our excursions and thanks go to them for a great cruise. There was much talk about the All Inclusive Drinks Package before we went, but we found that, though we enjoy a range of drinks throughout the day, by resisting the temptation to book it we saved money by using the old ‘pay as you go’ system. We think that we saved about £400 by not buying it. Having said that we did excursions at all ports and spent time looking around so for those who prefer to stay on the ship more it may be worth the additional cost. Sea days. To be honest sea days are not always my favourite, but as it was such a busy cruise for us it was good to have 4 ‘down days’ when we could relax and recharge. There was a massive range of activities on offer to suit all tastes and I can’t see how anyone could be bored. We tended to enjoy our balcony on these days, however, preferring to avoid the busy pool areas that we find anything other than relaxing in the intense heat which varied from 26 to 32 degrees in the shade. We did use the Serenity Pool for short periods and there were always sunbeds available toward the middle of the day. It is a lovely area and we found that it was nice to have a quiet swim, then relax on one of the sofas in this area and enjoy a drink or two from the Serenity Pool Bar. As in every hotel and cruise ship we have been to there were still those whose main aim in life seemed to be getting up at the crack of dawn to put towels around sunbeds by the main pool area for some reason. Each to their own in terms of location I suppose – they were welcome to them as the main pools are noisy with limited space and the sunbeds are almost on top of one another. I’d go as far as to say that it is the least favourite part of the ship / cruise experience when busy. Excursions. We chose to buy the ship’s excursions as we are not as confident with the ports yet and on the whole they were excellent value for money and we had some great days and evenings out. (Full list below). The towel exchange now works well as you can swap your towels as you return to the ship if you’ve been on a beach excursion of any kind. To sum up. Looking back on the cruise we both agreed that it was one of the best cruises we had done (including those on Celebrity and Royal Caribbean) and excellent value for money. You can’t book a cruise at the price we paid for this fly cruise to the Caribbean and expect the 5 star facilities, food and service found on other far more expensive cruise lines. A cruise is what you make it and sometimes a bit of homework helps! Though things were not perfect the positives totally out weighed the negatives and we had a wonderful time. Was it perfect? No. Did we have wonderful time and would we book again? Without a doubt ….. and already have. Thank you Britannia for a cruise that will remain in our memories forever ….. for good reasons ;-) Curacao The Ultimate Island Experience (6 hours) An excellent tour which gave us the chance to swim with turtles for an hour, visit a number of special parts of the island and an hour at a beach. It is a lovely island and we docked close to the colourful town. The ‘5 O’clock Somewhere’ bar close by is worth a visit for a nice cocktail. Bonaire 4 x 4 Jeep Adventure (4 hours) This was a new port and we loved it. The Jeep Safari was great with our driver / guide being knowledgeable, friendly and great fun! We saw many of the sites of the flat side of the island including a short stop by a stunning beach. The small town is bright and colourful – a place we would very much like to return to. St Vincent 4 x 4 Jeep Safari and a Beach stop (4 hours) We did this excursion in 2024 and loved it so much that we booked again. The entertainment at the port is lovely with the steel bands and Caribbean Band and though the port itself is not the prettiest don’t be put off and go in land to see the real island. It remains one of our favourite ports. The beach visited is called Brighton Beach and is stunningly beautiful. The people are among the friendliest you will meet anywhere. Grenada Rum and Chocolate 4 hours (but it was 5 hours) This tour was probably the most disappointing as we spent a lot of time in the mini bus – at least an hour plus each way on hilly, uneven windy roads. The driver was amazing as our guide so credit to him. I do not get travel sick but a number of people on the coach felt queasy during the journey so perhaps the excursion’s description needs to be tweaked. The most disappointing element of the tour was probably the tastings of the rum and chocolate after the relevant factory tours. Both tours had been led well by our guides but the ‘tasting’ consisted of a thimble full of 2 types of rum and 2 different type of chocolates in the shape of 2 small chocolate ‘coffee beans’. It wasn’t exactly what we had expected ... St Lucia Sunset Cruise (4 hours) Beach Break (4 hours) The Sunset Cruise was one of the highlights of our cruise. Leaving at 4pm we sailed towards the Pitons and enjoyed the beautiful views as the sun set. There was a lovely party atmosphere on board the catamaran and it was a fabulous evening. The beach break was at a small beach about 20 minutes from the ship the following day. It was odd to have to pay an extra $10 for an umbrella and the people trying to sell us souvenirs etc. was relentless (with one becoming aggressive). We would not return. Antigua Jolly Beach Break (6 hours) It was good to relax by the sea and though the Jolly Beach resort wasn’t the best that there was to offer we enjoyed our day enjoying a beautiful beach and stunning views of the turquoise sea. Be aware that the rum punch is lethal! St Martin Catamaran Sail-away (4 hours) Another excellent excursion. 45 minutes snorkelling with many different types of fish followed by a short beach stop and views of the various site-seeing spots of the island. It was a beautiful sail and our only complaint was that it was not long enough as we did not want it to end. Barbados Copacabana Beach Break (6 hours) Carlisle Bay This was an organised excursion from the ship where we were transported to the Beach Club (15 minutes) and had sunbeds and an umbrella included as well as a beautiful Bajan Lunch. The beach is stunning and the white sand is like fine talcum powder. It gets a little busy but it is a lovely place to relax and enjoy one of the best beaches in Barbados.

Norwegian Fjords on our first P&O UK cruise

This was our first cruise on P&O UK cruise line. It was great value and included the daily service charges included in the fare. It was a British experience where everyone was lovely and the vibe was more relaxed. As an American, you can only book P&O UK through VacationsToGo; we booked through Emma Cruise's US travel agent, who went through VacationsToGo. Embarkation Our assigned embarkation time was late -- 2:45pm, but it worked out and gave us time to explore the SeaCity (Titanic) Museum. We went early, at 10:30 am, to drop off our luggage because it did not work out to store it at the Airbnb. There were people available to let us know that they start taking luggage at 11am. This is the first time that we brought luggage before our check-in, and it worked out well after we knew the state time. Originally, we wanted to carry it on since the rooms should be ready before our check-in time, but when that did not work out, we checked them. We also learned that our luggage tag had a number that matched to the luggage drop off areas, which inside had a carousel that after that I could not see what happened. We arrived back early (walked too fast -- cruise excitement), about 2:30 pm. We were put into a line outside, and pretty quickly chosen to enter the line inside. The inside line was long and slow; we were about halfway through it at our original 2:45pm boarding time. When getting to the check-in desk, she checked our boarding passes, took our passports, scanned with iphone, updated one data element, and our pre-submitted pictures were good. This was quick. Then we were seated, but pretty quickly called to join the security line. After security, we got on the ship quickly, though a stoppage on the ship to direct people to their muster station. For muster, you visit the station and get your boarding passes scanned (keycards only available at the cabin door) and then watch the safety information on the TV in the cabin. We left from Southampton's Ocean Terminal, right across from where the Titanic originally left from, and the terminal was nice. Look at that pretty sunshine in the UK! Buffet We always found a spot to sit, so the ship could handle the number of passengers. Husband liked the buffet better than me. I thought some days were better than others; after not really finding much one day, the next I went outside for a burger. It was good. I also had some outside pizza. Smoothies are a cool idea and inclusion at breakfast; however, it was too sweet for husband's taste. Some stand outs were the iced buns and sirloin steak for breakfast. Husband noted the cheeses as the stand out. The only afternoon cookies that I saw were almond cookies (I think); there were no chocolate chip or chocolate cookies, boo. I tried the almond cookies one day; not great. I was also disappointed at the lack of British food -- I was excited for a Yorkshire pudding, but no Yorkshire puddings. MDR Before the cruise, online, it looked like we had anytime dining, but after getting in our cabin, we found a paper assigning us 8:30 pm dining. This was way too late for us, so we went to the noted place to see if we could have anytime or earlier. He noted too many people on anytime and assigned us 6:30 pm at a table with 8 near a window. It was a nice spot, and we had great tablemates. Our waiter and assistant waiter were good. Also, a cultural difference -- I do not like fruit in my desserts, but the British do, so the desserts were too fruity for me. Husband liked the desserts. Most dishes that we had were good or very good, maybe a couple of just okays. There were two Celebration Nights (formal nights); the first had much more fan fair and was really nice with champagne served and the Captain speaking in the atrium before dinner. We forgot to go to the atrium on the second formal night but did not see that the Captain was speaking, like before, from the daily schedule. There was a medical evacuation during the second celebration night; though I do not think that impacted the possible fan fair. This was concerning to us, and we could see the helicopter out the window. Ship There was a little rust on the hull, but the inside and the outside passenger decks were well maintained. The ship needed a better promenade. There was only two small sections on each side, one was the smoking section. After these sections, each side was blocked, citing safety and not wanting passengers near the lifeboats. We normally get to walk around the promenade on other ships with lifeboats with no issue. We enjoy walking the promenade and taking in the views. Included food was MDR (with some upsell items each night), the buffet, and a pizza and a hamburger places by the pool. The Crow's Nest, a front 270 degree view of the ocean, was very nice. The gym also had good window views. P&O did a great job of keeping as up to date as things occurred (delayed departure, missed port, and medical evacuation). Also, the Captain's daily announcement was not always done by the Captain, but by anyone on the Bridge team. I heard that there was the possibly of P&O having a dark and silent channel that would only un-silence and wake one up if the Northern Lights were out. They had been spotted the night before in north UK. I did not see anything about this, so I called Guest Services. They said the web cam channel, which we had to mute because it played music and cruise ship ads. Husband still did not want me to leave the TV on, so we only had it on the first night. When I was wake I looked at the channel for any signs of Northern Lights, though the quality was not good in the dark. The TV also went into sleep or suspend mode, so I finally grabbed the remote to wake it up when I woke up. No room announcements for the Northern Lights. I did not get to see the Northern Lights and was sad, being on the cruise in September, we did not have the long hours of daylight and had some good Northern Light chances. We used the P&O Holiday webpage (the non-app, app) to watch our onboard spending account and to see the the daily schedule. Since we had set dining, we did not need the app to join the dinner queue. Cabin - room: Inside, deck 14 We really liked the room. Since it is challenging for American's to book P&O, I could not see the prices of each room category and see which rooms were still available, so we just booked a guaranteed inside. It was assigned about a month before the cruise. I was happy with the location; nothing nosy around. It was a very quiet room. The layout was also very good. There was a large closet that blocked light at night from the bathroom to the bedroom. On the other side of the closet, the full length, was a desk. The vanity area (a small stand mirror and lamp) was not well lit. The TV was big and included ondemand movies and TV shows, which was very nice. I liked the two drawers in the nightstands. The shower had a shower door, instead of curtain, and was good size. The cabin also had a wonderful tea kettle for husband that our room steward kept stocked with tea and biscuits. Our room steward was awesome! She left a pad of paper and pen for requests. We were able to get ice, wash clothes, and an extra hair towel for me. The towels were very big and soft; we never had less than three. She also began filling the tea supplies with sweet-n-low after husband brought some from the buffet, thinking that she did not have any on her cart. We were two decks below the buffet and further to the MDR. Entertainment There is not a Cruise Director on P&O, but an Entertainment Manager. She made some announcements. Nothing over the top, and not as annoying as American lines. More relaxed and laid back. I did not hear any: "IT'S BINGO TIMEEEEE". I would have liked more activities; the majority of the activities were extra pay activities (may be true of all cruise lines now). We did two Pub trivias/quizzes, and one after dinner trivia. The after dinner trivia had an impressive prize of a 30 GBP wine voucher. We only went to one show: magician and illusionist. It was light on both; however, it had some cool acts so was enjoyable. They had crew that found empty seats in the theater and got people seated right before the start, which was nice assistance to provide. The ship had a very nice and big library. Disembarkation Disembarkation was fast. We did self-walk off. It was supposed to start at 7am; however, they did not announce it, which was odd. After breakfast, we went back to the room for our stuff and were down about 7:15am. In the terminal, no passport control and customs only if one had something to declare.

First cruise

Our first cruise , amazing experience , excellent service , very clean and all staff couldn’t help enough. Fly cruise to the Caribbean. Prepaid excursions were well worth the money with excellent guides on the day. Unfortunately due to weather , one port stop had to be cancelled and P and O refunded the cost straight away . We upgraded to an outside cabin with balcony which was a blessing as the personally I would have found the inside cabins a little claustrophobic. Choice of dining from set times or free dom dining including an almost 24 hour buffet and for those leaving the bars late in the evening this was a great idea . Although we paid a reduced price the service was excellent . I felt that we were not allowed to lift a finger as even to move sun loungers a crew member would appear from nowhere to arrange this for you. Simple Spoilt , well done P And O we will be back .