Britannia Review

5.0 / 5.0
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Norwegian Fjords; seeing how P&O compared to Celebrity

Review for Norwegian Fjords Cruise on Britannia
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ellay864
2-5 Cruises • Age 50s

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Sail Date: Jul 2019

We have done 4 previous cruises, all with Celebrity (Equinox, Silhouette twice and Reflection) but when looking for a fjords cruise it was this one on Britannia that appealed based purely on itinerary. The price was not a major factor at the time but was certainly welcome as less expensive than Celebrity, plus our first non-fly cruise, which not only saves more money but is a lot easier and gives flexibility for luggage - great for when you have to pack suits for formal nights and a fair bit of clothing knowing we could have any kind of weather. This review is not written purely as a comparative exercise, but given our only previous points of reference have been on Celebrity it was a natural thing to do, so I will draw out the main differences we noted and which we preferred. Some things are really the 'little extras' that add to a more luxury experience, that come with Celebrity, but we also acknowledge they come with a price tag. So drawing attention to them is not necessarily a criticism, simply an observation of what you may not get with P&O but which you pay for to get on Celebrity.

Once booked we did have some apprehension as it seemed most people who'd sailed both lines came down clearly in favour of Celebrity, and a couple of forums online seemed to attract some horribly snobby people. We don't mind dressing up for a formal night but do object to people who seem to think that cruising is only about dressing up and when conversations turned to the newly introduced drinks packages 'attracting the wrong sort of people' we wondered what we were letting ourselves in for! Luckily I found some other groups with more normal people and while we appreciated there would be more formality than Celebrity have, we were prepared to embrace it.

In advance I had looked into what we'd do on each of our port days and one thing I did notice was how much more affordable the ship's own excursions were compared to Celebrity. We prefer to do our own thing, or go with a small private group, but for various reasons found that harder to sort this time on 2 days so opted (initally reluctantly) to book with P&O and were pleasantly surprised at the cost.

Cabin Review

Cabin Standard balcony with sofa

Initial reaction was that it felt smaller to equivalent on Celebrity, narrow between the foot of bed and wall was our first view. However as we looked round we realised things were better than our first reactions suggested. Yes the desk was smaller, the cabin a bit narrower and the bathroom smaller but there were plusses. Storage was actually really good, on balance preferable layout for us than on Celebrity. There's no wardrobe by the bed but instead an alcove area between bathroom and main cabin where there is a whole wall for wardrobe space. It doesn't have a door so clothes are hanging 'open' but that wasn't a deal for us at all, if anything it felt more accessible. This meant a lot more hanging space than the Celebrity wardrobe, and a generous 30 hangers provided but we were told that if we'd wanted more we would have been given them on request. No storage cupboard above the bed, but more useful and accessible storage on the shelf above the hangers. There was then a vertical cupboard with 5 decent depth shelves, plus the safe. This, along with 2 generous drawers and a small shelf on each bedside unit plus a single good sized shallow desk drawer, meant we had more actual storage in the main cabin than I felt we had on Celebrity. The bathroom was smaller, and with less storage than Celebrity though, and at times did feel quite cramped in there. If somebody needed the loo and the other was using the shower, they weren't going to get out that shower until the loo user got out! That was my main gripe but for just a week it wasn't a real big thing, and the other storage did help make up for it.

Celebrity do provide robes and slippers but I found out late on that this isn't standard for P&O though you can buy at a reasonable price (I brought my own with me as luggage was less of a problem!). The other area where Britannia came out poor relation was in balcony. The width was probably about the same but much more shallow. To sit and recline with feet up you'd have to turn sideways along the balcony, so not room for 2 to do that. There are 2 chairs and a small table but it is a limited space.

The cabin was spotless, and well maintained during our week. Towels are good sized (my main hang up on any hotel is a towel that doesn't cover me!) and changed as required. Bed was comfy and temperature good - very efficient air con when we wanted it, warm enough when we needed it. Overall the cabin was good and with great storage for its size; I'd happily book the same again.

Port Reviews

Stavanger

We docked right in the town and on leaving the ship could have walked along the harbour to the main shopping area. However we chose to explore some of the lovely little hill streets, away from crowds and get some of the more 'authentic' feel. Doing that we then circled back to the main town and visited the cathedral. This cost 50 NOK entrance (about a fiver UK money) but was a lovely little gem. Only spent about half hour in there but glad to have seen it. The streets where the main bars and shops are located are picturesque, even in the grey drizzly weather, with one brightly painted street standing out - it was signposted near to the harbour simply as 'the colourful street'. We didn't eat or drink anywhere - prices are very high and we had a ship with free food close by! We were happy just to mooch around, enjoying the buildings and a lot of wall art, and didn't go to any museums etc. We spent a few enjoyable hours this way, stopping to admire hordes of jellyfish in the harbor close to the ship, before boarding. If you want a quite and inexpensive day, Stavanger is a lovely little town to just enjoy a stroll in

Bergen

We bought tickets for the funicular railway in advance and if you plan to do this, dont plan to buy them on the day or you will spend ages in a queue. We bought tickets online that are valid all day, and headed there quite early and beat all queues, being waved on instantly. The railway is about 15 mins walk from where we docked. It is only a short ride (about 6 mins) to the top and there are toilets and cafe, and then lots of walking options. We took a walk of less than 10 mins to a lake which we couldn't walk round due to building work but admired from the side open to us. There are paths that take you back down to the town but we were lazy and took the train back. We then headed off exploring the town itself. We had a Rick Steve guide with us but it is very walkable and easy to just wander round on your own. There are lovely old parts, especially at the Bryggen where many old wooden buildings now form a craft centre. There are some impressive monuments further into town away from the harbour. Again we resisted the eating/drinking locally but if we had wanted to there are plenty of options. Everything is compact so doesn't take too much time, and we also included a visit to the fortress overlooking the town, though we didn't pay to go up the tower which was covered in scaffolding. We had to be back on the ship by 2.30 but the ease of getting round this charming town meant we didn't feel rushed. A lovely place, thoroughly enjoyed it

Olden

Not knowing much about this place I booked a ship's tour to Briksdal glacier, selecting the option of taking troll cars (like a 6 seater golf buggy) to the glacier rather than the 90 min hike. This time the weather was gorgeous and the coach took us past stunning mountain scenery in an amazing light. the morning reflections on the lake as we set off were just fantastic. We had a photo stop by a lake and small waterfall before heading off to Briksdal. The scenery for the whole journey was breathtaking.

At Briksdal we had a short time to spend a penny, take some photos and then join the queue for the troll cars. These took us up the mountain for about 20 minutes, including a drive right past a large waterfall with its spray. You WILL get wet here! Then on leaving the car we had to walk about 10-15mins up to the glacier. It was very steep intially but only for a few minutes, then more comfortable. You cannot go right up the glacier itself but certainly close enough to get a true feeling of awe at the scale of it. This was our holiday wow moment right here - absolutely amazing.

My only criticism would be that we could only stay there about 10-15 mins as we had to get back for the troll car to meet the coach at a particular time, though the time did also include free drink and cakes! This was well organised as we were taken to a separate area to help ourselves to some lovely cakes, no limit on numbers we tried it seemed! If I was to visit again I would probably try to organise private transport so we could spend longer at the glacier but the journey was still one of the best trips I've done anywhere.

Back at the ship and we dropped our bags and came out to explore round the little town, walking out to see both new and old churches. We spent more time walking (now in a lot of heat and bright sun!) than we did in either church but it nice to see them. The old church which is closer is well worth a visit for the interior, with pews with doors on that still have family engravings

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