Smurfie's Return to Cruising

Reports about cruises on Britannia
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towny44
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Re: Smurfie's Return to Cruising

#101

Post by towny44 »

screwy wrote: 31 May 2022, 14:56
We’ll they’re not sharing one with me.
Unless it's a headliners dancer!
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Mervyn and Trish
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Re: Smurfie's Return to Cruising

#102

Post by Mervyn and Trish »

towny44 wrote: 31 May 2022, 11:49
Mervyn and Trish wrote: 31 May 2022, 11:24
Other than the people going up to go down who are clearly going in the wrong direction....
Britannia has far too few lifts, only 14 compared with Iona's 22.
That's not a lot different compared to the number of passengers. The problem we had with Britannia was the lack of mid ship stairs the full height of the ship meaning one had to use the lifts. And the lifts were programmed in such a way that those pressing the "wrong^ buttons could intercept one before it had completed its full up or down journey and reverse its direction.

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towny44
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Re: Smurfie's Return to Cruising

#103

Post by towny44 »

Mervyn and Trish wrote: 31 May 2022, 15:24
towny44 wrote: 31 May 2022, 11:49
Mervyn and Trish wrote: 31 May 2022, 11:24
Other than the people going up to go down who are clearly going in the wrong direction....
Britannia has far too few lifts, only 14 compared with Iona's 22.
That's not a lot different compared to the number of passengers. The problem we had with Britannia was the lack of mid ship stairs the full height of the ship meaning one had to use the lifts. And the lifts were programmed in such a way that those pressing the "wrong^ buttons could intercept one before it had completed its full up or down journey and reverse its direction.
It's 10% less per capita, which seems quite significant to me, especially when all midship passengers have to use the lifts, or walk to the forward or aft stairs.
Even more strange is that RCIs Freedom class which has
nearly 4400 passengers at double occupancy, vs 3650 for Britannia, and only the same number of lifts, rarely has queues for lifts, however they did seem quite a bit larger than P&Os shoe box lifts.
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Mervyn and Trish
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Re: Smurfie's Return to Cruising

#104

Post by Mervyn and Trish »

Maybe they have passengers better trained in correct lift use.

My comment was in the context of your original post of "far too few" lifts. By your own calculation only 1 more would give it more per capita. I still think the daft midship staircase issue and the software glitch are more significant. The former is especially silly since the stairs to the upper decks actually exist but they're behind staff only doors. A minor bit of steelwork modification at refit would solve that problem. And a software engineer could solve the other even quicker.
Last edited by Mervyn and Trish on 31 May 2022, 17:24, edited 2 times in total.

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screwy
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Re: Smurfie's Return to Cruising

#105

Post by screwy »

towny44 wrote: 31 May 2022, 15:02
screwy wrote: 31 May 2022, 14:56
We’ll they’re not sharing one with me.
Unless it's a headliners dancer!
I didn’t want to step on OL’s toes.
Mel

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Stephen
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Re: Smurfie's Return to Cruising

#106

Post by Stephen »

towny44 wrote: 31 May 2022, 15:02
screwy wrote: 31 May 2022, 14:56
We’ll they’re not sharing one with me.
Unless it's a headliners dancer!
And with his luck it’ll probably be one of the ‘nice’ boys :D
Last edited by Stephen on 01 Jun 2022, 08:05, edited 1 time in total.

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Onelife
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Re: Smurfie's Return to Cruising

#107

Post by Onelife »

Stephen wrote: 01 Jun 2022, 08:03
towny44 wrote: 31 May 2022, 15:02
screwy wrote: 31 May 2022, 14:56
We’ll they’re not sharing one with me.
Unless it's a headliners dancer!
And with his luck it’ll probably be one of the ‘nice’ boys :D
At my age you can’t be too choosey :thumbup: :wave:

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Re: Smurfie's Return to Cruising

#108

Post by david63 »

Tuesday 31st May – La Coruna
Not coming here again – every time we come it is raining and today is no exception.

As we had called here on our last cruise in February 2020 (just pre Covid) we decided that we would go on one of the excursions today – that was not a good idea. Driving round in a coach looking at the local scenery in the rain is not my idea of a “fun day out”, and the much anticipated tapas was as much a washout as the weather!

The Spanish are far more strict than anywhere else that we have visited in that you have to wear a mask when on public transport (excursion coaches apparently fall into that category) or in an enclosed space (shops, bars, restaurants etc)

There was the dreaded “ding dong” tonight with the news that we would not be going to Valencia but instead we would be going to cardigan due to the fact that Valencia is a 40 minute shuttle bus journey and as the Spanish had not managed to get their act together and be able to provide enough shuttle buses.

Tonight we had booked to go to the Limelight (Ray Quinn) again but were somewhat disappointed – the food was not as good and the service seemed slow and disjointed.

Wednesday 1st June – Sea day
The weather today was a considerable improvement over the previous day in that the sun was showing its face – however only the brave, or foolish – not sure which) would attempt to sit out as there a strong wind and the sea was “lumpy” to say the least.

Because we were getting a bit bored we tried out Britannia’s cinema (The Studio) this afternoon and whilst it may not be the best cinema at sea it was by no means the worst (Arcadia).

On this cruise we are trying out our hybrid form of Freedom dining in that we have a table for two in the club MDR and plan on using the alternative dining venues whenever we fell like it. Have to say that being on a proper table for two, rather than the six in a row tables for two that are treated as a table for 12, is a relaxing way to dine – just like being in a proper restaurant.

The excitement is building as to what P&O will be putting on over the next few days for the Queen’s Jubilee – after all she is the godmother of Britannia so it should be pretty special.

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Re: Smurfie's Return to Cruising

#109

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Thursday 2nd June – Sea day
Firstly there is a significant improvement in the weather today, the sun is out most of the time but keeps dodging behind the clouds, the wind has dropped and the sea is a lot calmer.

Now unless something is going to be pulled out of the bag the Jubilee celebrations this seems to be a pretty low key event. Other than some P&O bunting in the atrium you could be forgiven for not realising that anything was going on. Most of todays activities, which are exactly the same as yesterday’s activities, have been given “royal” sounding titles. One thing that is different is that the Trooping of the Colour is being broadcast in Brodies.

Oh no “ding dong” – due to overcapacity in Marseilles we will now be going to Toulon on Sunday. How nobody knew until today that there would have been five cruise ships with a total of 18K passengers in Marseilles that day is something of a mystery. Not unsurprisingly the French cannot provide the necessary transport for the excursions and the shuttle. With a potential 18K passengers I am not sure that I wanted to go there anyway!

A quick walk around the decks confirmed that the invisible man/men/women are onboard as there were numerous sunbeds with towels on them and nobody else!!

Tonight was another formal night and once again it was well supported – at least in the venues that we visited, The highlight of the day was the “Jubilee Celebration Dinner” – basically the same menu as most other dinners but with “royal” sounding names and nothing new or special.

Excellent show in the theatre tonight – Becky Porter as Adele.

Friday 3rd June – Cartagena
Today should have been Valencia but it isn’t – it is Cartagena. Could not remember having been here before but as soon as we saw the main street it all came back to us.

So today it looks as if the weather has at last changed and “summer” has arrived with the sun cracking the flags.
One thing to point out is that there have been no massive queues waiting to get through passport control as some had predicted would happen post Brexit – in fact you do not even need to carry your passport in Spain.

Having gone ashore and not really knowing what we wanted to do we started off strolling around and started talking to another couple whilst looking longingly in the window of the giant meringue shop. They told us about the lift up to the tower which could be paid for with the entry to the amphitheatre – which we wanted tom visit anyway when it opened. So off we go to get the tickets which cost the grand sum of £17.50 for the two of us for entry into the amphitheatre, museum, lift to the tower and entry into the tower.

First stop was the Roman amphitheatre which has been excavated and partly restored. One thing to be aware of when visiting this amphitheatre is that there are steep narrow steps with no handrails which need to be negotiated. Following on from there we went to the museum where many Roman ruins have been found and excavated. Last time we were here this area was still being excavated and restored so it was interesting to see it now completed. Then a short walk to the lift for the tower then across the walkway to the tower and another climb to the top where the views over Cartagena are quite spectacular. After that it was another short walk back to the ship – all in all an excellent few hours at very little cost.

The “no shorts after six in public areas” rule has either disappeared or is certainly not being enforced – and it is not all youngsters.

This evening we decided that we would have dinner in the Glass House. The Glass House currently has a queuing system the same as freedom dining. Having eaten in the Glass House on other ships we were disappointed with the Glass House on Britannia. In the past there have been dedicated waiters in the Glass House on other ships but on Britannia the waiters are the bar waiters who clearly did not have the requisite skills for the job. Now whether this has always been the case on Britannia I don’t know or whether it is to do with the current situation and these staff have not yet returned to the ship – but I believe that it is only recently that the Glass House on Britannia has started serving food. I must also add that the service was slow despite the fact that there were very few eating. Needless to say we will not be eating there again.

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Stephen
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Re: Smurfie's Return to Cruising

#110

Post by Stephen »

It sounds like your almost on a different cruise David to what you booked.

Will you be requiring my compo forms service.

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Re: Smurfie's Return to Cruising

#111

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Saturday 4th June – Sea day
A very lazy day as we had sun on the balcony all day – which is very unusual for us, so that is where we sat trying to become lobster impersonators!

Today’s rip off – there is a Mojito cocktail on the normal bar menu priced at £6.95 but the cocktail of the day is “Garden Party Mojito” priced at £8.75 and both have the same ingredients.

On this part of the cruise we are on a table for two in the MDR as we knew in advance that we would want to sample the other dining venues and we do not like constantly leaving a table foe eight. What we have found is that although we miss the company the evening meal is far more relaxed and enjoyable. Having said that we would only consider a table for two on a ship that had a good selection of alternative dining venues.

There is a growing number onboard who appear to be of the opinion that rules do noy apply to them – I am now seeing several wheelchairs being left in the corridors – maybe they do not book adaptable cabins and then realise that there is insufficient space in the cabin for a wheelchair, but nonetheless rules is rules and they should be enforced. (Would it be OK to nip out in the middle of the night and move them? Asking for another passenger)

Sunday 5th June – Toulon
Today we docked at La Seyne which is opposite Toulon and is accessed by a free shuttle boat which takes about 10 minutes each way.

Again the weather was being kind to us with plenty of sun and temperatures in the mid-20s.

Never having been to Toulon we decided to take heed of the captain’s warning that after around 09:30 the shuttle would get busty – so were off the ship and on the shuttle at 09:00 (ish). Toulon is a typical French waterfront marina place that is lined with bars and restaurants. The main attraction on a Sunday is the market – which does make Tesco’s (other supermarkets are available) fruit and veg section look somewhat pathetic.

After a couple of hours of walking round, and being cursed (well I guess that was what was being said) at by disgruntled Frenchmen, and the hoards now descending on the place (just as the Captain had predicted, we decided that we would make the 10 minute trip back to the ship and spent the rest of the day on the balcony.

This evening we went to the Beach House and whilst the food was excellent (far better than the Glass House) the service was quite slow, and this was not to do with a shortage of waiters as there were plenty around so I can only put it down to a shortage of kitchen staff. There does seem to be a shortage of staff in a few areas of the ship but overall everything is running smoothly.

Monday 6th June – Barcelona day 1
The day started off with a promise of hot and sunny weather and did not let us down – by mid afternoon the temperature was up into the high 20s.

Having been to Barcelona more times than I care to think we took an excursion out to Sitges – a 45 minute drive from Barcelona and is a beach resort. The first downside was that the coach is not allowed into the town so where it parks there is a 15 minute walk into the town.

Sitges is a pleasant little town with many backstreets in the old town that can be explored – although most of the shops are typical holiday “tat” shops. There are also plenty of bars/restaurants around. After having wandered around for some time we were in need of some lunch and had already decided that as we are in Spain we would have some Tapas. We resorted to the old “look for the small scruffy places where the locals are eating” and found a small restaurant on the seafront where we had one of the best meals in a long time – the food was fresh, hot and delicious. After the lunch, which obviously included a few drinks we wandered along the sea front back to the meeting point (which was the same place as we were left to out own devices) for the 15 minute walk back to the coach for the 45 minute drive back to the ship.

One thing that we seem to be doing on this cruise is attracting first time cruisers in an evening and this evening was no different. Now I don’t know if this couple had not done their homework or not but for the first week they had been eating in the buffet as they did not realise that they could eat in the MDR for free, It makes you wonder how many others do the same and if that is the case then there is something missing in the information that is being given.

Parked up behind us today was Costa’s version of Iona and I have to say that she looked an impressive ship.

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Stephen
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Re: Smurfie's Return to Cruising

#112

Post by Stephen »

Thanks for the review update David.

Do wheelchairs float by any chance? ;)

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Re: Smurfie's Return to Cruising

#113

Post by david63 »

Stephen wrote: 07 Jun 2022, 11:32
Do wheelchairs float by any chance?
I don't know - would you like me to try? :crazy: :crazy:

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Re: Smurfie's Return to Cruising

#114

Post by Stephen »

david63 wrote: 07 Jun 2022, 11:34
Stephen wrote: 07 Jun 2022, 11:32
Do wheelchairs float by any chance?
I don't know - would you like me to try? :crazy: :crazy:
I dare you ......my friend said :D

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Re: Smurfie's Return to Cruising

#115

Post by david63 »

I have no proof, and I doubt that anyone would confirm it, but I suspect that there may be some crew testing positive for Covid. Just a few little things that have changed in the last couple of days.

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Mervyn and Trish
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Re: Smurfie's Return to Cruising

#116

Post by Mervyn and Trish »

You mean they've broadcast an appeal for anyone who knows how to steer a ship to report to the bridge? Or they've given you rubber gloves to clean your own toilet?

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Stephen
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Re: Smurfie's Return to Cruising

#117

Post by Stephen »

I've captained a ship before if it's of any help.

It was on a model boating lake though. Does that count.

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Mervyn and Trish
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Re: Smurfie's Return to Cruising

#118

Post by Mervyn and Trish »

Those Titanic models are very realistic.

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Re: Smurfie's Return to Cruising

#119

Post by oldbluefox »

I've steered a ship on my PC if that's any help.

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Mervyn and Trish
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Re: Smurfie's Return to Cruising

#120

Post by Mervyn and Trish »

Me too. I sunk QM2 in New York.

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Re: Smurfie's Return to Cruising

#121

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Tuesday 7th June – Barcelona day 2
Another day that was about to be hot and sunny so we made an early start to get the shuttle bus into Barcelona. There was a slight problem with getting off the ship as the computers had gone down and they were having to manually take down cabin numbers and names.

I have to say that the Ramblas is looking seedier every time I visit it and this time was no exception. Having walked the length of the Ramblas and back the heat was starting to build and the place was getting extremely busy so we made our way back to the ship for another day on the balcony in the sun.

One thing that I have noticed while going around the various countries is the number of shops/restaurants/business that have closed down, possibly due to Covid. So as we already know it is not just the UK business that have suffered – but it is quite depressing to see.

Tonight we had another excellent meal in Sindhu. It was quite evident that as the night progressed and the number of diners in Sindhu decreased so did the staff – presumably being re-deployed elsewhere on the ship.

(I forgot to add that Sitges appears to be a magnet for gentlemen of the same persuasion!)

Wednesday 8th June – Sea day
Another lazy day lying on the balcony. The day started off by being hot and sunny but by mid-afternoon it was still hot but had become cloudy and a slight breeze had developed.

Tonight was another formal night and again was well supported and we ate in the Epicurean where the service was 100 times better than our previous experience there.


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Re: Smurfie's Return to Cruising

#122

Post by cruisin_duo »

Thank you for posting about your back to back cruises David.

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Re: Smurfie's Return to Cruising

#123

Post by david63 »

Message for towny - don't know if this will be good news for you or not but the TV content is being updated on Sunday morning

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Re: Smurfie's Return to Cruising

#124

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Thursday 9th June – Cadiz
The day started off clear and hot and only improved as the day progressed, reach temperatures in the mid-30s.

Having been to Cadiz on several occasions, and last time going to Seville, we opted this time for the Horse Show and sherry excursion. The timing of this excursion was a bit odd in that it did not leave the ship until 10:45 and arriving back around 16:00 with no lunch included. Anyway the first part should have been a 45 minute drive to Jerez but due to traffic too almost an hour. The horse show was at the Royal Andalusian Horse School and it was impressive as to what the riders could do and how well the horses were trained – an excellent one and half hour show which I think everyone would have been happy to continue longer.

After the horse show it was then a drive to the Tio Pepe bodega for a tour and wine tasting. This is where things started to go somewhat pear shaped as the bodega was not really suitable for those with limited mobility or were wheelchair users so this caused some confusion and slowed the whole process down, resulting in the tour being rushed – not that it mattered too much having been to a bodega before. The one interesting fact is that many of the well known sherry brands all come from the same bodega. Now this is where things seriously went downhill – after the tour the was the obligatory “wine tasting” which comprised of three small glasses of different sherry, the problem being that we only had about 10 minutes to “taste” the three. Didn’t like the first one but the other two were fine, but I am not a great sherry drinker.

At least the excursion guide tipping avoiders are alive and well on Britannia!

Friday 10th June – Sea day

Strange day today weatherwise in that it was still quite warm and we had the sun on our balcony almost all day but there was a strong wind and quite a large swell which meant that the outside deck areas were closed. We tried sitting out on the balcony for a while but there was too much spray being thrown up – bit like sitting out in the rain!

Tonight was our final formal night (of eight!) and once again it was very well supported – although there always has to be the stand out rebel in shorts when everyone else is in formal wear.

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Re: Smurfie's Return to Cruising

#125

Post by towny44 »

david63 wrote: 10 Jun 2022, 16:52
Message for towny - don't know if this will be good news for you or not but the TV content is being updated on Sunday morning
Interesting, just as long as they keep Sky News and Sky Sports news, I will be happy, although I would prefer the UK versions rather than the Irish ones, but it is interesting to see how different the Irish adverts are compared to ours.
John

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