Britannia 10th July 2022

We have cruised with P&O every year, except during lock down, since our Silver Wedding celebration in 2008. Sadly this latest cruise on Britannia was the first time we have been saddened and disappointed with the whole experience. Staff worked hard but were short staffed and service was chaotic especially during the first four days – after our first port of call – although there were was some improvement the high level of service continued to be missing. Food reminded me of school dinners with the first ‘Celebration Dinner’ truly dreadful. Meals improved slightly after the Fourth Evening Meal. There was no Glass House at all and the Epicurian Restaurant only opened half way through second week without warning. Beach House was good but we were unable to book a second time. No Cheese Board on the menu – when requested I was provided with three triangles of cheese with crackers from the Buffett Restaurant. Waiting times for our evening meal often exceeded an hour with the My Holiday App and the Pagers not working. We regularly asked to share a table as this is all part of the cruising highlight. During the fortnight’s cruise we were only able to share a handful of times, more often allocated a table for two in a corner or sat on a table for eight alone. The atmosphere was flat with mediocre entertainment both day and night. Formal evenings were not celebrated with a photographer in the Atrium -these are special evenings that should be acknowledged in a special way. During these evenings Passengers wearing shorts and t-shirts were rarely challenged. I only noted staff in the Crows Nest challenging passengers and upholding standards. We were thankfully able to sit at the bars – but there was no return of the canopies or snack jars served during pre-dinner drinks. Towels were placed in the pool areas from early morning and left unattended for much of the day making it extremely difficult to lie on a sunbed and enjoy the sun. Although there were numerous announcements – towels were only removed once at the beginning of the holiday. There have been so many features that have been withdrawn from the cruise experience with P&O and these little thing mean a lot! The evening cabin service and the Port Information Pack, so important for the independent traveller venturing into a fresh port for the first time.
I am writing this review in the hope that P&O Cruises will understand that these standards are not acceptable. We are intending to cancel our next Cruise on Arvia next February 2023. It is time to look at other Cruise lines who continue to provide the level of service once delivered so brilliantly by P & O Cruises. We will monitor your changes carefully P & O!