Britannia B515

Reports about cruises on Britannia

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Jacknian
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Britannia B515

#1

Post by Jacknian »

Saturday 25th July
Well at last we were on our way, and it was to prove a very eventful first day ! The traffic was horrendous, and although we started out at 8 am for a usual 3 hour journey, we actually arrived at Southampton at 1pm. Then we queued to drop off the car for around half an hour, and after finally getting in to the very packed departure lounge we waited and waited and waited ! Finally got on to the ship at 3.30 and of course the cabin was ready and the luggage was already outside . No time for lunch as the muster was scheduled for 4.30 and I do like to unpack before that. So all in all a very disorganised and trying start to the cruise and more trouble was to come ! We went down for the safety briefing at the right time and sat waiting ( it was the theme for the day ) well eventually after about half an hour the captain tannoyed to,say that there was a problem with the gangway and lots of passengers were having to come aboard via the crew gangway which was why we were delayed. So the safety talk was an hour late and so was the sailaway from Southampton, we went back to the cabin and sat on our balcony in the sun for a while and then went to the buffet as we were starving by this point. First impressions of the buffet were very favourable, it's lovely and spacious with much more seating and secluded little areas . There is a vending type machine for wine and beer and the tables were laid with cutlery and napkins and cups which was a nice touch. After a quick dinner we went to the cafe , called Java on Britannia, and sat with a coffee for a while, when suddenly half of the lights went out ! After a while the captain came on the tannoyed and said we had a problem with one of the engines and while they were trying to fix it we would be on half power for a while. The opera boys were on in the theatre that evening so I was hoping that wouldn't affect them and luckily the power came back quite soon. We went to the theatre at 8pm for the 8.30 show and there were still plenty of seats at this time but it soon filled up and by 8.20 it was pretty much packed. One observation about the theatre is that the seats are very narrow and there is a metal piece attached to the right hand side, supposedly to rest a glass in but it is not fit for purpose because one side is open and various people had accidents with their drinks. Also the metal digs in your leg if you are not skinny, which I am not, but I'm not huge either ! I had a permanent bruise in my leg for the whole cruise and to make matters worse it was just in the place where my scar from my hip replacement is.
Anyway, the opera boys were amazing ! My husband was not keen to go as he thought it would just be opera, but even he said how great they were. They sang some popular opera but also musical theatre numbers such as ' bring him home ' and ' time to say goodbye ' and some pop songs such as 'angels ' and ' you raise me up ' I loved them and was so glad we went to see them even though we were both very tired after our long day, and it was soon to get even longer !
We went back to the cabin after the show, hubby was shattered and went straight to bed while I read my kindle for a while, and then also went to bed. Suddenly at 20 past midnight a piercing alarm went off and we both jumped up in bed wondering where it was coming from, it became apparent that it was the phone and hubby rushed to pull the plug out of the wall to stop it but before he could , it stopped and a voice came over the cabin tannoy to say ' crew alert, crew alert all available personnel to the engine room ! ' we looked at each other and were wondering what on earth was going on when the captain came over the tannoy and said 'the ships company are leaving the entertainment venues and going to the crew alert stations, no action needs to be taken by the passengers. All the fire suppression equipment is working in the technical spaces ' we were very shocked and thought ' should we get dressed ? Any way as the captain had said no action we waited for further news. At 12.39 just as we were dropping off to sleep,again the captain made another announcement to say that the crew were donning their breathing apparatus to investigate the engine but the CCTV showed no fire although the fixed water suppression system was working. We were getting increasingly worried and very tired but at 12.48 the captain made another announcement to say that the situation was under control and the fire (such as it was ) was extinguished ! They would continue to monitor the situation and as we have 4 engines, turning one off would make only a small difference which would mean we would be late arriving at Vigo tomorrow. At 12.55 there was one final announcement to say that the crew had stood down and the ship was safe and had always been and the captain would make a further announcement at 9am. Well after all this excitement it took ages to fall asleep again and all too soon it was morning and the captain made his further announcement.

Sunday 26th July
We were woken with the tannoy by the captain saying that 'due to headwinds and the incident in the night , we would be late arriving in Vigo, but would stay later in the evening to make up for it. The ship,was fine , everything was safe.'
The weather was not too good in the morning, we had a walk around the ship,as there hadn't been time yesterday, every where was packed with people as the outside areas were not really in use. We liked the general look of the ship, it's modern and there is some strange art work on the walls but overall it's quite minimalist and clean with a brown and cream colour scheme , accented by some other bright colours here and there. After a few hours the sun was trying to come out so we went to the sunset bar at the rear of the ship,and it was lovely there, sheltered from the wind and quite warm. We stayed till 2 and then had a quick lunch. We were really tired after the disturbances in the night so both had a nap for an hour and then got ready for the captains welcome on board party. All the talk around us was of the engine room incident and one family were saying that their poor daughter was very upset and wanted to get off the ship as she was so frightened. We are on freedom dining and got a table for 2 with no trouble, the tables are a bit more spaced out than on Azura or Ventura and it doesn't seem like you are on a table for 10'! The show in the theatre was the headliners singers, they are all good singers, but I didn't really like their song choice until the end when they sang a miss Saigon medley. And so to bed, still feeling quite tired from our disturbed night so no problem falling asleep.

More to follow later.

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GillD46
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Re: Britannia B515

#2

Post by GillD46 »

What an eventful start! Looking forward to more.
Gill

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Kenmo1
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Re: Britannia B515

#3

Post by Kenmo1 »

I hope the rest of your cruise was less stressful than your first day. I would have definitely needed a holiday after that start.

Maureen.


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Jacknian
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Re: Britannia B515

#4

Post by Jacknian »

To continue ......
Monday 27th July Vigo
We were not going to dock until 11.30 , so we had breakfast in the cabin and watched the sail in from our balcony. It was cool and cloudy to start with but soon warmed up. we've been to Vigo many times before so decided not to get off and went up to the serenity area which is at the front of the ship next to the retreat. All the sun beds were taken in this area so we sat off to the side a bit but still in the sun. The serenity area is adults only and no piped music etc , it has some lovely seating areas and some covered spots for those who don't want to be in the sun all day. There is also a nice pool although it is very deep, I was out of my depth in it and I am 5ft 4ins. It was also very cold ! Refreshing after a day sun bathing. After lunch in the buffet which was very quiet, we went back to the cabin for a rest and to get ready for dinner.
Our cruise is a 'strictly come dancing ' cruise and that night it was a show by some of the stars from the T.V. Show. We had been allocated tickets for the 10.30 show so we decided to have a leisurely dinner in the glasshouse, we had used the glasshouse on Azura a few times and assumed this would be the same but it was not quite .Due to its position in the atrium it is used a lot as a bar for people waiting for dinner. This means there are not many tables for people eating, or waiters ! We ordered the trio of sausages at £4.95, the catch of the day at £4.95 and 2 glasses of wine. This took 3/4 of an hour to come, ok we thought, at least it means it's been freshly cooked, and it was nice. Then we decided to order a sundae to share , but we waited and waited for our plates to be cleaned and an hour later my husband had to get up and go and find a waiter to take our dessert order. If we had been in a hurry we would have just left but as our tickets are for 10.30 we stuck it out. The dessert was a bit odd, vanilla, peanut butter and maple syrup ice cream with BACON !! I just could not bring myself to eat it and just picked a bit of the vanilla ice cream off but hubby said it was lovely . We then had coffee and the total bill was £25, not bad we thought but the time spent was 2 1/2 hours which is too slow. Then off to the theatre for the strictly showcase and it was quite good although as there were only 2 couples it was a bit boring in between dances while they got changed etc and we had to put up with one of them being interviewed by our entertainment manager Neil Oliver. One interesting fact emerged during this however and that was that Neil used to be a well known Latin / ballroom dancer and was in the first T.V. Series of 'come dancing !'

Tuesday 28th July Lisbon
We have been to Lisbon many times and done lots of the P&O tours so we went up to the serenity pool again and got some lovely sunbeds positioned under a slatted shade. It was so gorgeous there we stayed for 4 hours which is very unusual for my husband, he usually can't sit still that long. We went in for lunch and decided to give the 'grab and go ' selection a try. It is a great idea, there are baguettes with various fillings, pre-packed salads, pasta etc, and desserts such as cheese cake, fresh fruit salad, chocolate mousse and passion fruit mousse. We made a selection and returned to the cabin. While on the balcony we saw a passenger being taken off in an ambulance with a family member going with them , then later we saw the same person going off in a taxi with some children and luggage, very sad that their holiday is so suddenly cut short and we hoped it was not too serious.
We decided to try the beach house for dinner, we have used the one on Azura and Ventura and loved it so we had high hopes and we were not disappointed. For those that don't know, it is a side of the buffet that changes to a waiter serviced diner at night, serving American style food.
We had very attentive waiters and a lovely meal of 3 courses each for a small cover charge of £5. Unless you want steak or a couple of other things which have an extra small supplement. We had loaded potato skins, then I had a chicken sizzler which is a stir fry which comes out still cooking on a piece of slate. Hubby had a giant burger for an extra £2.95 which he said was well worth it. Then we had dessert and 2 glasses of wine and the total came to around £20. We had a lovely enjoyable meal and the waiters were amazing, attentive but unobtrusive and we vowed to come again soon. After dinner we went to the live lounge to see Manuel Martinez. The live lounge seems to be smaller than the equivalent venues on Azura / Ventura, there are no screens around to watch the act if you are at the back, so we sat quite near the front of the bar but this was a mistake as the venue soon became very packed and people were standing every where and completely blocking our view. From what we heard he was quite funny but it spoiled it a bit not being able to see him. A lesson for next time to pick our seats more carefully.
More to follow.

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oldbluefox
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Re: Britannia B515

#5

Post by oldbluefox »

A bit of a nightmare start to your holiday but it seems to be getting better. Interesting to hear reviews of meals in the Glasshouse and Beach House.

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Jan Rosser
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Re: Britannia B515

#6

Post by Jan Rosser »

I was disappointed with the Glasshouse too - the food was first class but the area where we ate was a but dark and out of the way at the side of the bar area. Absolutely loved the Beach House though - food amazing and the waiters were so attentive as you said. I had the steak sizzler on both occasions we visited and the donuts were to die for ;)

Looking forward to hearing about the rest of your adventure :thumbup:
Janis

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emjay45
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Re: Britannia B515

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Post by emjay45 »

So it looks as if the menu in the Britannia Glasshouse is the same as the Glasshouse on the Aurora. We had that dessert too and I know it seems a bit odd to have bacon on it but it was very nice.
The serenity pool sounds good. :thumbup:

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Gill W
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Re: Britannia B515

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Post by Gill W »

Sounds like an traumatic start to the cruise, it has to get better after that.

I agree about the Glasshouse - it's a bit of a let down after Azura.

We didn't eat there as most of the food on the menu doesn't really suit my diet, but I'm horrified that bacon was on the dessert menu. I generally can have any dessert I want, so I hope there's not going to be new fashion to put highly salted things on the desserts! That's not good for a low sodium lifestyle.

Also agree about the Live Lounge, we only managed to get in there once. After that people went in earlier and earlier so there was no where to sit. I don't do standing for shows.
Gill

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GillD46
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Re: Britannia B515

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Post by GillD46 »

We also disliked the special dining area at the side of the bar in the Glasshouse, but actually really liked the area behind the bar. We quite liked the Live Lounge, and found seats very easily even quite close to the start of the shows. We VERY much liked the Limelight Club. Money very well spent.
Gill


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Jacknian
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Re: Britannia B515

#10

Post by Jacknian »

So after a little break in Sheffield I will continue ........

Wednesday 29th July - Cadiz
We docked at 10am and after a little wait to allow the tour groups to disembark we walked off the ship,and straight into the town. The ship always docks close to the town in Cadiz, and it is only a matter of a few minutes to walk through a lovely little park and into the town. It was very hot even at this early hour and we didn't last long before I just wanted to get back to the air conditioned ship ! We sat in the park for a while just people watching and then strolled slowly back to Britannia. After lunch we sat on the balcony in the shade and it was absolutely lovely sitting there reading our kindles ' this is the life ' as the advert says !
We went to the MDR for dinner and got a table for 2 immeidiately with no trouble. We went early as we wanted to try and get to 2 different venues tonight. Firstly ( and I couldn't believe this ! ) Ruthie Henshall was on in the theatre. She is amazing and has been in so many west end productions I just couldn't believe she was on a cruise ship ! Also I vaguely know her ( name dropping I know ) as my daughter went to the same performing arts college as her. Not at the same time as my daughter is younger but she often went to their events and we met her a few times. Anyway she was brilliant, sang lots of musical theatre numbers of course but also some old jazz and more recent pop songs. We loved it and would have liked to go to her second show but that's very inconsiderate of other passengers of course so we stuck to our original plan and went to the studio to watch ' the theory of everything ' we had missed this when it was on in the cinema so were pleased when we saw it was on. The studio is quite a small venue and as others have said the seats are not very raked so as we had been forewarned of this on the forum we sat at the front and had a great view. The film was very good and quite sad too . We really enjoyed it and then retired for the night as it was gone midnight ! ( very late for hubby as he is an early riser and consequently early to bed too )

Thursday 30th July sea day

It was quite cloudy and cool to start with so Ian ( hubby ) decided to go and do some laps of the walking /running track. This is right at the top of the ship and supposedly takes the place of the promenade deck. In my opinion it is a nice area in its own right and lots of people took advantage of the fact that there are no sunbeds on it and were running and walking there every day, but it does not replace a promenade deck and we really missed being able to just pop,outside after dinner for a look at the sunset or just a stroll in the fresh air. Anyway while Ian did his laps I sat and read my kindle in a lovely shady seating area, but after a while it got very noisy as it was next to the sports court and the kids club were in there playing games. They sounded like they were having a great time but I didn't really want to listen to it so we moved to the sunset bar for a while. It had warmed up by now and soon became too hot to sit in the sun - I don't know how some people can sit out in it all day, but lots do as was evident by the sun burned people around ! Anyway we went back to the cabin and ordered room service for lunch.
It was a formal night so we stayed in the cabin for the afternoon and had a nice leisurely time getting ready. I had looked at the dinner menu earlier in the day and didn't fancy anything so we went to the buffet for dinner. The tables are laid out with cutlery and napkins etc in the evening which is nice and it was a carvery , also nice. Plenty of choice of meats, beef, lamb, chicken and some fish dishes, then the usual roast potatoes , veg or salads. We have really liked the buffet , it it much more spacious than other ships with more seating and seems to be more choice of food. That evening the 4 tunes were on in The theatre , didn't know what to expect but they were amazing ! They sang lots of musical theatre songs such as 'bring him home ' but also a brilliant version of bohemian rhapsody which had the audience on their feet. We loved them and have actually been very surprised at the quality of the singers on this cruise. So far everyone has been great.

Friday 31st July. Lanzarote
We were on an organised tour today and had to meet in the meridian restaurant to get stickers and wait our turn to disembark. We walked off the ship and on to the coach taking us on our trip and our guide introduced herself. She was good at pointing out things and our first stop was at the top of a mountain to see a view of the whole of the island, unfortunately it was so foggy we couldn't see anything at all ! So back on the coach and the next stop was an aloe Vera farm. Very interesting talk by the owner of the farm and some aloe Vera gel given out to eat or rub on your skin. I decided on the skin option, but hubby tried eating it as it's supposed to be very good for your digestion. He wished he hadn't !
Then it was on to a cactus garden which was lovely and I would have liked to buy some but how would we get them home and are you even allowed to bring plants into the country ? Decided not to risk it and just looked and took lots of photos. Then we returned to the ship and spent the rest of the afternoon on the balcony. In the evening it was the passenger strictly come dancing competition. Arlene Phillips was one of the judges and the captain another, as well as Alijaz ( don't know if that's how you spell it ) anyway one of the pro dancers. There were only 4 couples so don't know if there had been a previous round , they were ok, some better than others , and 2 little girls won doing a very energetic jive.

Saturday 1st August Gran Canaria
No excursion booked for today so after the rush was gone we got off the ship and walked to the nearby shopping centre. The majority of the shops seemed to be shut, whether it was the wrong time of day (11,30) or if they were never open we didn't know but it was a bit of a waste of time, apart from the fact that there was a C&A there ! Had to have a little look of course but didn't buy anything. We then had a little stroll around the waterfront area, it is very pretty with lots of yachts and little fish in the sea, but it was extremely hot so we soon returned to the lovely air conditioned ship. As we were getting on we saw Russell Grant arriving with an entourage. Don't particularly like him so didn't wait around, but others seems to be a bit star struck ! And he was loving the attention.
My stomach seemed to be a but upset, just felt a bit queasy, which is quite normal for me on a cruise, but we weren't even moving ! So I didn't have lunch and Ian went to the grab and go fridge and got himself a baguette. Still felt a bit dodgy at dinner time so Ian went to the buffet and picked me up a few crackers and some cheese. It was the first headliners show that night so I forced myself to get ready and we went to the theatre. The show was titled 'sound of the underground ' but I don't really know why. It was very random as my daughter would say, - some songs from the past, Beatles, stones, madness etc but also newer groups like girls aloud and take that. But then they chucked in some Irish dancing and Scottish dancing and a back drop of coronation street ! Don't get me wrong , the singing and dancing was good but there was nothing holding it all together, no apparent theme and just individual numbers thrown together. We were not impressed and as we have a daughter who was a professional dancer and now teaches, we are quite good judges I would say. Hopefully things will improve ?

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Gill W
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Re: Britannia B515

#11

Post by Gill W »

Welcome back!

Generally I love the shows in the theatre..... but I wasn't so keen on the Britannia offerings.

As you say, they seem cobbled together, but with overwhelming special effects that can be quite over the top. I still haven't got over being dazzled at two shows. I sat in two completely different seats, but still managed to have lights shone in my eyes.

It all seems to overpower the performance.
Gill


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Jacknian
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Re: Britannia B515

#12

Post by Jacknian »

I agree Gill, the special effects ARE amazing, but at the expense of choreography. The shows on Azura / Ventura etc are in my opinion better although as we have seen them many times now, we were looking forward to new shows on Britannia. We were disappointed in them as you will see in the rest of my reports.


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Jacknian
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Re: Britannia B515

#13

Post by Jacknian »

Sunday 2nd August Tenerife

We were booked on a tour in the morning so breakfast in the cabin and then down to the dock to find our coach. We were going to visit 3 very different gardens, the first was the botanic gardens and our guide took us round at a very slow pace, describing the various plants with their Latin names etc. she was very knowledgable but it was a bit boring for my husband who had only gone on the trip for my benefit. So after about half an hour we explored the rest of the garden on our own, it was lovely with lots of Palm trees and unusual trees with aerial roots coming from branches and rooting themselves in the soil. Many colourful flowers and ponds with tiny fishes in as well as lots of cactus ( cacti ? ) after a nice wander around it was time to meet up for our next garden which was the orchid garden. This was a much smaller place with lots of ponds with koi carp in and a 3 legged iguana resting on a rock. The orchid house was interesting with many different varieties of orchid although I was surprised to see that they were all in pots just placed strategically among tree branches and other plants to look natural. After a rest in the little cafe for a glass of wine or coffee we then went to our third stop at a more mountainous and wild garden. It was built into the side of a very steep hill and there were hundreds of steps to negotiate, and as my hip is not yet fully recovered from my hip replacement, it was extremely tiring. It was worth the pain as the garden Is really lovely, full of flowers and waterfalls gushing down the mountainside, but I was glad to get back on the coach for a sit down after that. By the time we got back to the ship we were both starving , so we went to the buffet and I had a jacket potato with grated cheese and a huge salad, then back to the cabin for a much needed rest.
That evening we decided to go to the MDR for dinner and again got a table for 2 with no trouble. The main course was pork belly with crackling , roast potatoes and veg, lovely ! Then we went to the theatre to,see 4 girls play saxophones and prance around. Hubby liked it ( probably something to do with the young attractive girls , not the saxophones ) but me not so much. They were good musicians but I wasn't keen on the choice of music they played.

Monday 3rd August. Madeira
We have an overnight stay in Madeira so we had booked a tour tomorrow and wanted a nice lazy restful day today. The sun was shining as it has for most of this cruise so we went up to our favourite serenity pool at the front of the ship and got some sun beds , at first in the shade but later in the sun. We stayed till lunchtime, it is a really nice area, one of the good things about this ship, then went in for some lunch. After lunch we went back to the cabin and sat on our balcony which by now was shady and just watched everything going on around us. We luckily had the side of the ship which faced the port and there was lots happening, - water skis, people standing up on surfboards and paddling along, an old pirate ship giving tours, lots of people exercising in a park, dog walkers etc etc. we spent a nice afternoon just people watching and then got ready for dinner. We went for our second time at the beach house and it was just as nice as the first time. There was a little problem because after we were seated a large party of passengers with several children and babies sat at the next door tables to us and were celebrating a birthday and were extremely rowdy right from the start. No quiet dinner for us we thought but then the head waiter came and asked if we would like to move to a table further away ? How thoughtful of him and we were very impressed.
It was the second show from the headliners ( now called the Britannia show team ) and again we didn't think it was that good. It was more suited to children as it was supposedly a fairy tale theme. There was a man who was meant to be the hero and he was trying to get cinderellas slipper, the bean from Jack, aladdins lamp, etc, you get the picture ! Trouble was the man acting as the hero was extremely 'wooden ' and kind of chanted his lines with no conviction . Then there was the usual problem of flashing lights in our eyes the whole time which detracts a bit from the show. The dancers and singers are really good , the costumes are amazing, the special effects are great, but the material they are given to work with is poor. Very disappointing. So after a quick hot chocolate in Java we returned to the cabin and sat out on the balcony taking in the amazing sight, - it was like an enormous Christmas tree all around us, with lights right up to the top of the mountain. Gorgeous, and hubby said it was the best view we've ever had !


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Jacknian
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Re: Britannia B515

#14

Post by Jacknian »

Tuesday 4th August still in Madeira
We were on a tour today so after breakfast in the cabin we went to catch our coach. We went to the botanical garden, which was lovely but hubby said that he'd seen enough gardens now to last a lifetime ! Then it was on to the farmers market which was very interesting. We first of all had a tasting session of various fruits that they sell , some we'd seen before and others very different to what we are used to , some very tiny bananas with little red seeds inside, and some extremely sweet gooey things, don't know what they were called. Then we had a walk around all the stalls some selling fruit, vegetables, meat and fish as well as craft stalls with embroidery, children's clothes ,tablecloths etc and lovely olive oil, wine and nuts. It was all very interesting but also really hot in there so we went up to the roof terrace for a rest and then went along the street a little way to an indoor ( air conditioned ) shopping centre and bought a nice cold drink. Then it was time to meet back at the coach and then back to the ship. That afternoon it was the great British sailaway, I know some people don't like the sailaways but we particularly like the great British one, it's lovely to,see the children dressed in their red ,white, and blue outfits and some of them even had Union Jack bikinis , Very cute. It was a really sunny afternoon and we waved our flags and sang the songs and drank plenty of Pimms, lovely !
We went to the great British buffet for dinner and had fish and chips and then on to the theatre to see a singer who's name I've forgotten, but I was so shattered I was falling asleep so after that it was straight to bed , no stopping at Java for hot chocolate.
Wednesday 5th August. Sea day
After breakfast we did our usual morning routine of Ian's walking and my reading, I've done really well on this cruise, I've read 8 books and still have 4 more if I need them. I love my kindle, I would never have been able to pack 12 paperbacks. We didn't have lunch as it was the chocoholics buffet for afternoon tea, so we went to that. Well what a disappointment it was just a normal afternoon tea with a few extra chocolate cakes. Nothing like the chocoholics on other ships we've been on. We went for a walk around after that to take some photos of the indoor areas while it was quiet, we found the crows nest at last , it is tucked away at the front and is quite difficult to find down a corridor next to the lifts. The library is attached to it and seems to have lots of books but not much seating.
After dinner in the MDR we went to the theatre to,see 'gravity ' the third headliners show. To be fair it was better than the other two shows but still had no theme. There were lots of modern songs such as 'up town funk'which was fine , and they are a really talented bunch of singers/ dancers but it was like they'd just thought , ' what else can we chuck in ? ' there was roller skating, ballerinas on pointe, fire eating, bikes, a flying girl, kites wafted over the audience as well as the usual special effects, fireworks and lots of strobe lighting. Wow ! It made me tired just watching them, but it was all very random with nothing joining it all together. Sack the choreographer I say !

Thursday 6th August. Sea day
It was a lovely day again, so after breakfast we went to the serenity area and sat in the sun for a while. Ian went off to do his laps so I stayed in the sun and read my kindle. Had a quick dip in the pool to cool off - daren't leave the sun bed for too long as there were lots of people walking around looking for beds. Then Ian came back and we went in for lunch and saw the funniest sight, - Russell Grant having lunch with his napkin tucked in his collar ! After lunch we went back to the cabin to start a bit of packing :( then as it was a formal night we needed to start getting ready. MDR for dinner as it was beef Wellington night , hurrah . My favourite dinner of the whole cruise. And then the parade of the chefs as usual. In the evening it was the second strictly come dancing show and it was Ian Waite and Camilla Dallerup. It was quite good but again as there were only 2 dancers there were lots of gaps in between which have to be filled somehow, with boring talking unfortunately.

Friday 7th August sea day
After our usual morning routine of walking (him) and reading (me) we went back to the cabin to pack . It was mostly cloudy with a bit of sun now and again, but still warm. So I packed a bit , then sat out looking for dolphins, then packed a bit, then sat out again. The sea was empty, no dolphins, no ships, nothing. It was very peaceful, back to the madness that is our normal life tomorrow. We tried to go to the beach house for dinner, but it was fully booked. I didn't even realise you could book as in the horizon paper it says 'no need to book ' foolishly I took that to mean you couldn't book. It was quite interesting as in front of us were another couple who were also trying to get in and HAD booked but the man was in shorts and sandals and the maître 'd would not let them in. There was much arguing and the couple said they had checked with reception who,apparently told them it would be ok as it was the last night. The maitre'd was having none of it and they said they were going to reception to get them to phone , and as we were trying to get a table, reception did ring and another waiter took the call and said 'no' , no exceptions ! Anyway we went to the buffet instead and had Italian , which was very nice. We decided on an early night as it would be an early start in the morning.

Saturday 8th August Southampton
We had the earliest disembarkation time, apart from the self help people so we went for breakfast at 7 and it was pretty quiet, then back to the cabin to pick up our hand luggage and we said a grateful goodbye to our lovely cabin steward. We had to go to the meridian dining room to wait and got a seat with no trouble, ( unlike last year ) our group,was called at 8.30 and we were off the ship and driving away by 9.30 a very efficient disembarkation.

Final thoughts
We had a great cruise ,we really enjoyed it but there were good and bad points to this ship
First the good. In the cabin, the shower is much better than other ships, the decor is nice, modern and clean, and there are a good selection of films that are free on the T.V.
The buffet is much nicer than on other ships, it is big, spacious and lots more seats. They lay the tables with cutlery, napkins, cups etc for dinner which is good, and another nice touch is that a waiter comes round with tea and coffee at breakfast and dinner. The food in there is fine, considering they are catering for hundreds, I think they do very well. The beach house is brilliant, loved it, but then it is the same as on Azura.
Outside areas are lovely, we really liked the wicker furniture, plants, coffee tables etc which are on the deck areas with sunbeds. We also really liked the serenity area with some nice shady spots and no music. We also liked the grab and go option for lunch .

Not so good,-- the balcony is tiny, if like us you use the balcony a lot then it is a definite disadvantage. It is so small you cannot face forward to the glass screen but have to sit sideways and also the glass is very reflective and you can see your neighbours reflected in the glass. There is still no option on the T.V. To access your account and I don't think this is ever coming according to our cabin steward. Entertainment, - well there were some really good singers but not much else, only one magician and one comedian, and I think there was one tribute act though we didn't see it. This could have been because it was a strictly come dancing cruise. As already mentioned we didn't really like the headliners shows . It is strange but although this is a bigger ship than any others it feels smaller, the various entertainment venues seem smaller - the live lounge for instance which is far too small for the amount of people and doesn't even have the screens round if you are at the back or have people standing in front of you. There is no middle entertainment venue only a dance floor for the ballroom dancers, and a lot of space is taken up,with places that you have to pay to use, such as the limelight club, the cookery club, and the market cafe. Most importantly there is no promenade deck as such, just the running track on the top deck which doesn't replace a proper wraparound prom deck. All in all it is a lovely ship but probably not for us because the main things we like are not on this ship. I think it is most suited to families with children and there were a lot on this cruise , that is our fault for booking a cruise in the school summer holidays and they all seemed to be having a brilliant time, and were very well behaved. So next year we are booked on Ventura going to the Greek Islands and I know that will suit us better.

User avatar

oldbluefox
Ex Team Member
Posts: 11305
Joined: January 2013
Location: Cumbria

Re: Britannia B515

#15

Post by oldbluefox »

Thank you for a very comprehensive review. I enjoyed reading it.

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Gill W
Senior First Officer
Senior First Officer
Posts: 4897
Joined: January 2013
Location: Kent

Re: Britannia B515

#16

Post by Gill W »

Thanks for the reports, and I agree with virtually everything that you said

I think the show 'Gravity' was my favourite of the production shows, but I think the whole show was just an excuse to sing 'Defying Gravity' from Wicked - it was so obvious that they were going to sing that at some point. Also, since that show, I haven't been able to get 'Uptown Funk' out of my head..... it's been 6 months now! :lol:

I think the Britannia shows, with their modern songs probably do better in the summer. On the Maiden, most passengers had never heard the songs before :lol:

But it sounds as if you had a good time, which is the main thing
Gill

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