The P&O Britannia ‘home ports’ in Barbados for the Caribbean season. In two weeks, it may visit 8 ports and have four sea days. The sea days are often the formal nights. What does this all mean? Let Jean show you the ship, and the Caribbean ports so you can get a prequel to your wonderful holiday.
FILM MENU
0:00 – Britannia Atrium 0:43 – Sint Maarten 1:38 – Britannia Crystal Room 2:09 – Grenada 3:14 – Britannia Entertainment 3:42 – Antigua 4:47 – Britannia Cabin 5:36 – St Vincent 6:30 – Britannia Crows Nest Lounge 7:27 – Barbados 8:08 – Limelight Club 8:31 – The app & dining 9:23 – Kids Clubs 9:38 – St Lucia 10:45 -Ship Atrium Deck 5 11:06 – Gym 11:16 – Bars/Buffet 11:39 – Daily Horizon
BRITANNIA
Known as the Royal Class of 6 ships, Britannia joins the Royal Princess, the Regal Princess, the Majestic Princess, the Sky Princess, the Enchanted Princess, and lastly, the Discovery Princess which entered service in 2022. P&O has just one ship in this class which is unusual and they normally sport ships in pairs, one being a no-fly option, the other being more adventurous. This ship has staged huge events like the final show of the 13th series of Ant & Decs Take-Away was transmitted live from the ship on 2 April 2016, the year after it came into service. It also used to have a summer of Strictly – a little SCD clip is hidden in this film.
Of the Britannia’s 3647 guests, around 1000 can be children in the school holiday weeks. At this point, the school clubs will be at capacity, and there are additional entertainers aimed at that younger audience who use some of the venues the adults use during the evening. The rotation of space on a ship is incredibly clever, and the Britannia has a variety of venues to make this easy. The ship has a 936-seat main theatre with a show cast and exceptional entertainers.
The ship is by old standards a large-ship, but by any modern comparison, it should be classed as a medium-sized ship. She is said to have 13 bars as well as 13 restaurants and cafés but you will find pool-side pop-up events and other special get-togethers in all sorts of places. We pause to say that you will still find small ships classed as under 1000 guests, medium from 1001 to 2499, and large ships 2500 to 3499. The definitions need some attention as the ICON of the seas holds 7600 and there are over 70 ships that hold over 4000 guests. You may find Britannia big if you have been on a smaller ship, but small if you have been on the Arvia or Iona. It doesn’t have a food hall like the Arvia or Iona and is a slightly larger version of the Azura or Ventura and with more to offer than those Grand Class ships. It still has the convention of the upper pool decks, the main entertainment decks below from deck seven down, and it has the Limelight Supper Club. The ship has a buffet, pool bar, and main restaurant food inclusive, with fine dining options at an additional cost. The main entertainment venues are free, The Limelight is a supper club that costs extra.
The ship is a family ship, but still has 27 single cabins, and 64 suites. A suite is seen in Jean’s film. It is 143,000 tonnes, was launched in 2015, and has a crew of around 1,350. There are ship maps by every elevator, and the ships is described as having 5 sections Aft (rear), Mid Aft, Midships, Mid Forward, and Forward. Built by Fincantieri at its shipyard in Monfalcone, Italy, as are many Carnival ships, she was named by the late Queen Elizabeth II.
She is 330m in length, which is important if she has to turn in a port like Rostock, Germany, and she can, just… and she has a draft of 8.3m which dictates how deep the port needs to be for her to sail in and dock. Modern cruise ships do not go into the inlets that the old wooden ships of the likes of Nelson, they need modern cruise ports or will dock in Container ports when you will be shuttled out by bus. In the Caribbean, the ship normally docks at its ports, so you will not normally be subject to a tender operation.
The film is a good orientation to your holiday, the rest you will pick up fast. We often say that the difference between an experienced cruiser and a new cruiser is three days. Your holiday will be over too soon and you will be booking your next cruise. See the Cruise Doris Visits fuller ship tour menus, and the fuller port guides.
Caribbean Ports https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL7-hz4M-3Ec17UR-_K3MOgf6pzSD08Whx
Baltic Ports https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL7-hz4M-3Ec00ygFcD0OYO5nTYyy1gysX
