Luxury Cruise Holidays | Caribbean Sea Cruises | P&O Cruises

Ship Reviews

My wife and I have cruised 60 + times with various cruise lines when we were younger and have just come back to it since we both retired.We last sailed with P&O 20 odd year ago namely the Oceana and Oriana,we recently sailed on Azura which I thought was about the right size for us.As for the Brittania we found it too big and very difficult to get around due to the lack of stairs.From our cabin the lifts were 10 yards away but the stairs were a very long walk and it was embarrassing going up 1 floor to pool and buffet in lifts that were normally packed.Going down to restaurant on deck 5 or 6 could also be a long wait.On sea days getting a pool bed is a nightmare,people are up there before 7-00am putting towels down then disappearing for breakfast.Something to think about is that when you pre book the Epicurian or Sindhu restaurants they have 2 menus and I got caught out in Sindhu by getting the menu I didn’t want and found the meal very poor.We went to the Epicurian twice and fortunately got the good menu and found the food to be 5 + star.Found food in main dining and Horizon to be very good as well most of the Islands we stopped at were like Shanty Towns especially St Lucia where we heard of some people being robbed in town.There were some nice places in St Martins though.We found the P&O excursions very expensive so used the local mini busses to take us around for half the price.The popular beaches on some of the islands are beautiful but way overcrowded due to the amount of ships and if your luck enough to get a bed it’s $30 for 2 beds and an umbrella and also there is usually only one place selling food and drinks,they are total rip off merchants so always take something with you.Majority of staff on ship were marvellous but others have gotten above their station and should be replaced.One thing I would advise is not to be conned into buying their celebration packages if my birthday surprise for my wife on the Azura is anything to go by.Once they have your money they don’t care.It was our Anniversary on Brittania but I just took on my own champagne,chocolate and card for my wife.I paid P&O for birthday card and still waiting.Customer service is total waste of time,I sent 2 letters to them,they acknowledged they received them and 2 months later still heard nothing.I would go on cruise again because it is still a fair price compared to others but I would like to see more regional airports being used,people from Scotland and Ireland are at a massive disadvantage and have at the very least a £250 add on for flights and overnight stay at Gatwick.Another help would be letting such people check in their bags the night before flight.

This cruise was good. Ports very welcoming. Staff fab. Food hot and tasty IN THE RESTAURANTS. Britannia was full but there was still plenty of sun beds. HUGE NEGATIVE when I got home I discovered that P&O have taken my on board spend account TWICE and apparently I will have to wait between 14-30 days before they credit me back. DO NOT register a debit card with P&O (my mistake). My tip - put cash onto your account when you get on board or use a credit card. My bank account is now so over drawn that I can't get access to any money until P&O decide to release my money. I have contacted P&O on several occasions but they don't give a stuff. They sign post me to their terms and conditions whilst P&O is holding on to a lot of my money. It's caused me great hardship. Please be warned !!

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.