Mixed feelings about this ship.

Just been on Britannia to Norwegian Fjords. Here are my views of the ship.
We were looking forward to seeing the ship after all the hype.
We have had several cruises, all with P&O on Arcadia, Aurora, Oriana and Azura
Check in was smooth and efficient as usual. We went straight to our cabin, which was ready.
Cabin ƒ?? we chose an inside cabin on this cruise just to try it out. Cabin, very clean and tidy. Great improvement with TV, although I was surprised we couldnƒ??t get on board account or book room service etc. There are no plugs near the bed, which can be a bit of a pain if you have any medical equipment that you need to plug in, although extensions are available if you ask. There is lots of hanging space and storage. Bathroom tiny but functional, shower and screen much improved. The bedside tables seemed quite high.
Food ƒ?? the food in the main dining room was a bit hit and misses. We ate there only twice. The first meal was ok. The second was appalling. We were given one slice of very fatty beef that was so thin it was almost transparent, served with 1, yes 1 potato, a few green beans (same as the night before) and half a tomato. My husband likes neither green beans nor tomato so he was left with this awful meat and 1 potato. The service felt a bit rushed and impersonal. I suppose that is the trade off for freedom dining. I do like the idea of freedom dining and it worked very well but you do lose that rapport with your waiters. We did a weekƒ??s cruise on Azura with club dining last year and food and service was exceptional.
Sindhu was great again, fab food and service. We also liked The Beach House on deck 16, good food and well worth the cover charge; the Waldorf salad is to die for.
We had the Eric Lanlard afternoon tea in the Epicurean. This was very nice except for the lollipop cakes with candy floss tops, that both popped off the cake stand landing one in the milk jug and the other not to be outdone, in the cream, still it made for good entertainment.
We had a lovely meal in the Limelight club the setting is luxurious and we enjoyed Jackie Graham. Great venue. We love the Glass House on Azura but somehow felt that this one didnƒ??t seem to have quite the same ambience, whether itƒ??s the muted green tones or its position on the ship I donƒ??t know but it fell a little flat for me. The food and wine though was excellent.
I like the layout of the open decks and pools. There are lots of sunbeds and different types of seating. The grill and grab and go are a great idea too. I like the quiet adult only area and the retreat looked good.
It’s a shame about the small outside space on deck 7. It was nice to see that the hot tubs were well used even on the cooler days.
I like the muted colours and understated modern style of the atrium, itƒ??s a lovely place to sit and have a natter. I also like the general d??cor throughout the ship, although not necessarily some of the artwork.
We went into the Blue Bar a couple of times as we like to look at the sea while chilling, I felt that itƒ??s a bit dark and seemed to be one of the less busy areas.
We tried the market caf?? cakes, which were nice, but just nice. Iƒ??m not sure just how much of a success this will be really. We tend not to use the Casino or Brodyƒ??s but these seemed to be very popular. The crystal bar appeared to be fairly quiet too at the times we passed.
We did try to see the Take That tribute act in the Live Lounge but it was packed.
My main moan is the theatre ƒ?? its way, way too small for a ship of that size meaning that you have to go ridiculously early and sit for ages in seats that are snug to say the least, poor design? Or perhaps their way of getting you to go into other venues where you are likely to buy more drinks, yes cynical I know. The absence of stairs midship can cause a problem for some people but on the up side, itƒ??s a good way of walking to burn off some of the excesses. The lifts are also quite small and seemed to be causing quite a problem for some people who didnƒ??t seem to want to share them.
There appeared to be plenty of seating both inside and out, another plus. The library is good too, once we located it. Disembarkation was brilliant, we got off early, taking our own luggage and this is the first time that we have been able to walk straight off the ship without having to queue, very impressed. All in all, whilst I canƒ??t say that I dislike the ship; it doesnƒ??t quite live up to the hype for me. I think maybe that the ports and the weather played a big part in my overall enjoyment of this cruise, Iƒ??m more of a warm weather creature and did this as my husband wanted to see the Fjords. I would sail on her again; in fact we are booked on her again in October this year, this time to the med and in a balcony cabin. I may have a different view again after I have spent more time on her but at the moment Azura still has the edge for me.