The Britannia Maiden Cruise (part 5)

Reports about cruises on Britannia
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Gill W
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The Britannia Maiden Cruise (part 5)

#1

Post by Gill W »

Ajaccio, Monday 22nd March

I'm writing this whilst sitting on our balcony in Ajaccio. We've had some sun and some cloud - the weather has been like this for most of the cruise.

Last night, we attended The Limelight Club, to see Kiki Dee and her music partner, Carmelo ( can't remember his surname). We were seated at around 7.30pm. The dinner is selected from a fairly small menu, but it was all very appealing. We had our starter and main, then Kiki Dee came out and did three songs, then we had dessert and coffee. Then they did their main set, while we sat at our tables with our drinks.

I'd recommend this experience - it is a very intimate, relaxed, un-rushed occasion, very different to anything I've previously done at sea. We left the club at around 11.50pm. If I'm honest, the show probably went on a bit too long - but for £22 each, the meal and a whole evening's entertainment was definitely worth the money.

While I've been typing this, a pod of dolphins has been swimming around near us - love it when that happens.

This morning we had a good walk around Ajaccio - it is a nice little town.

So, we'll now re-commence our tour around the ship. We were on deck 7, in the atrium.

If you walk aft, you'll pass the future cruise and loyalty desk - this always looks busy.

You'll then enter the photo gallery. This is a very large area, where lots of photos can be displayed. But they don't need to be displayed, as it's all on large touch screens. This is what we've been waiting for, for years! You sign in with your name and cabin number, find your photo ( they are in categories, such as restaurants and gangways) and save it into your basket. Then at the end of the cruise, or whenever you are ready, you can review your basket, and decide if you want to buy.

I think this is a great innovation, and saves lots of paper and ink. But we could have done with a much smaller gallery - all the space it uses is somewhat wasted.

The Studio is just off the Photo Gallery. This is the cinema, and other activities are held in this space, such as (non celebrity) cooking demonstrations. I think this is a nice space, although the tiers for the seats are quite shallow. If you watch a film, you can't see the bottom of the screen, quite awkward if there are subtitles!

If you exit the Studio and continue aft, you'll find Sindhu, and the Sindhu Bar. This is typically a quieter area of the ship. We'll be visiting Sindhu later this week.

Then, finally, we find The Live Lounge - the usual type of entertainment venue at the back. I would say this is similar in size to Manhattan or Havana on Ventura and Azura.

I think they've learnt from feedback from the design of the previous lounges. There are still screens between the different seating areas, but they are not solid screens like on Ventura and Azura. It's more like a row of poles, so you can see through the gaps. ( they are nice, illuminated poles - it's not like an old fence!)

You'll now need to return to the atrium, and go down the atrium staircase, to level 6. Ignore the shops if you can - have a look into Brodies - it's the typical pub and casino area.

Continue down to deck 5 - this is where you'll find the Limelight Club. It's normally closed during the day, but you can have a peep through the window - it really looks good, especially in the evening.

The shop with all the essentials is nearby, and then round the corner is the reception desk. This looks very much like an upmarket hotel with lots of marble.

Then, there's the Shore Excursion area, equipped with lots of screens, so you can book your tours and print your own tickets.

Finally, you come to the spa. I haven't been in the Spa, so I'll have to leave that for someone else to tell us about that.

That's all for now - I'll continue next time.
Gill

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Manoverboard
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Re: The Britannia Maiden Cruise (part 5)

#2

Post by Manoverboard »

The Limelight Club sounds very good and is no doubt booked up yonks in advance ... the idea of screen based photos and excursions sounds good too although this should be possible via one's interactive screen in the cabin.
Keep smiling, it's good for your well being

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Gill W
Senior First Officer
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Joined: January 2013
Location: Kent

Re: The Britannia Maiden Cruise (part 5)

#3

Post by Gill W »

We booked the Limelight Club a couple of months before the cruise, and it was full on the night we went. It will probably depend on the act that is performing as to how popular it is.

:thumbup: for viewing and ordering photos and excursions from your cabin - it would also cut down on the numbers of people in the public areas. The photo gallery area got very busy towards the end of the cruise
Gill

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Kendhni
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Re: The Britannia Maiden Cruise (part 5)

#4

Post by Kendhni »

Hi Gill, thanks for the reports .. have just been reading through them. Really looking forward to joining her later this year.

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Topic author
Gill W
Senior First Officer
Senior First Officer
Posts: 4897
Joined: January 2013
Location: Kent

Re: The Britannia Maiden Cruise (part 5)

#5

Post by Gill W »

Hello Ken, long time no see

Hope you enjoy Britannia
Gill

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