The Britannia cruise ship occupies a useful middle position in the P&O Cruises fleet. It is a large contemporary ship with substantial dining, entertainment and family facilities, but it is smaller and more conventional than Iona and Arvia. For many passengers, that makes Britannia easier to understand and navigate without reducing the holiday to a traditional small-ship experience.
The ship is particularly well suited to couples, families and first-time cruisers who want a broad mainstream product without choosing the fleet’s two largest vessels. Its recurring weaknesses are well known: the lift arrangement can be frustrating, crowded sailings place pressure on public spaces, and some aspects of service or food can vary. Britannia is a good compromise, not a flawless one.
The Britannia cruise ship in one sentence
Britannia is the best all-round P&O choice for passengers who want plenty of dining and entertainment without stepping up to Excel-class scale, but anyone with limited mobility should examine cabin position and lift access particularly carefully.
When was Britannia launched?
Fincantieri built Britannia at Monfalcone in Italy. The ship was launched in February 2014, delivered in 2015, named in Southampton on 10 March 2015 and began her inaugural cruise later that month. P&O reports a 2024 refurbishment. At roughly 143,700 gross tonnes and 330 metres long, Britannia is large by any ordinary measure but meaningfully smaller than Iona and Arvia.
Where Britannia usually sails
Britannia commonly sails from Southampton to the Norwegian fjords, Mediterranean, Spain, Portugal and Canary Islands, and also operates Caribbean fly-cruises from Barbados. The programme makes the ship flexible: it can serve as a no-fly British holiday or a warm-weather resort ship. Always check the current season because homeports and route emphasis change.
Who Britannia suits best
- First-time P&O passengers: Britannia demonstrates the modern line without the full scale of Iona or Arvia.
- Couples: dining and bar choices support a more adult evening even though the ship welcomes families.
- Families wanting a conventional resort ship: children’s clubs and entertainment are present without the ship being defined solely by high-energy attractions.
- Food-focused passengers: Britannia has a stronger culinary identity than several older fleetmates.
- Travellers comparing no-fly and Caribbean fly-cruise options: the ship operates in both roles.
Who should avoid Britannia?
- Passengers who need the easiest possible lift access and minimal walking.
- People wanting the newest P&O hardware and the widest range of venues.
- Small-ship cruisers who regard 3,600-plus passengers as excessive.
- Adults wanting a guaranteed child-free environment; Arcadia or Aurora are the relevant P&O alternatives.
- Travellers expecting a highly inclusive fare with drinks, Wi-Fi and all restaurants included.
Dining on Britannia
Dining is one of the better reasons to choose Britannia. The ship combines included main dining and buffet options with casual food and speciality restaurants. It offers enough choice to vary a one- or two-week cruise without the selection becoming as operationally complicated as on the Excel-class ships.
Passenger feedback is not uniformly positive; quality and service can vary, particularly at busy times. The fairest conclusion is that Britannia has good dining potential rather than guaranteed excellence at every meal. Choose a mixture of included and speciality venues instead of assuming that the most expensive option will always be the best.
Entertainment and onboard atmosphere
Britannia offers theatre productions, live music, bars, quizzes and organised activities. It feels contemporary but remains recognisably P&O: British passenger mix, familiar entertainment and evenings that alternate between smart-casual and Black Tie expectations. The atmosphere varies with route and school calendar, but usually feels less like a high-intensity family resort than Arvia.
Britannia cabin guide
Britannia offers inside, balcony, suite, solo and family accommodation. A notable practical point is that cabin position can have an outsized effect because of the ship’s lift layout. A cabin that appears convenient on price alone may require repeated long walks or awkward changes of direction.
Best cabin choice
Choose a cabin close to a lift bank that serves the public spaces you expect to use most, but not directly beside the lift lobby. A balcony is attractive in the Caribbean or fjords, while a well-positioned inside cabin can be better value than a distant balcony.
Cabin cautions
Study the deck plan above and below, check the route to dining and theatre areas, and do not underestimate the central lift issue. Passengers with restricted mobility should choose based on practical routes rather than simply selecting “midship”.
What passengers commonly praise
Recurring praise includes comfortable cabins, a generally friendly crew, attractive public areas, dining choice and a ship size that feels more manageable than P&O’s largest vessels. Many passengers regard Britannia as a balanced product: enough happening to avoid boredom without requiring a holiday organised around activities.
Recurring criticisms
The lift arrangement is the most persistent complaint. Passengers also report crowding around popular venues and variable food or entertainment. As with other large ships, these issues are more visible when the vessel is full. Cabin location and sailing date can therefore change the experience more than the brochure implies.
Britannia versus Iona and Arvia
Choose Britannia when you want a large modern P&O ship but do not need the maximum number of restaurants, attractions and passengers. Choose Iona for fjords and stronger all-weather spaces. Choose Arvia for a livelier warm-weather family holiday. Britannia is often the safest compromise for couples or mixed-age groups who find the newest ships excessive.
Britannia’s age and 2024 refurbishment
Britannia is no longer the newest ship in the fleet, but that does not make it obsolete. The 2024 refurbishment refreshed parts of the public product, while the underlying design remains familiar. Passengers comparing it with Iona or Arvia should focus less on launch year and more on which style they prefer: Britannia has fewer headline venues, yet the simpler choice can make the holiday easier to manage.
Age becomes relevant where design cannot be changed easily. The lift arrangement is the clearest example. Cosmetic work can refresh cabins and public rooms, but it cannot transform the ship’s basic circulation. This is why deck-plan analysis remains important even after a refit.
Families, solo travellers and accessibility
Britannia welcomes families and provides children’s clubs, but the ship is less dominated by high-energy family attractions than Arvia. This can suit parents who want organised provision without turning every day into an activity schedule. Families still need to examine cabin space carefully; a cabin that technically sleeps four may not provide comfortable storage and movement for four.
Dedicated solo accommodation makes Britannia worth checking for single travellers, although the supplement and cabin location remain decisive. Our guide to solo cruising from the UK explains why a purpose-built single cabin is not always the cheapest option.
Passengers with reduced mobility should place cabin position above view or deck prestige. The central lift arrangement can create awkward routes, and a long corridor repeated several times a day may matter more than a balcony. Confirm accessible-cabin specifications and practical routes before paying the balance.
What costs extra on Britannia?
Daily service charges are included, as are main dining, standard entertainment and children’s clubs. Drinks, Wi-Fi, excursions, spa treatments and several dining venues are additional. Britannia’s speciality dining is a strength, but booking every chargeable venue can undermine the ship’s value. Select experiences that genuinely improve the holiday rather than treating every supplement as essential.
No-fly Southampton departures can remove air fares and luggage restrictions, but they may involve additional sea days and higher parking or rail costs. Compare the complete journey using our guide to flying to the Mediterranean versus sailing from the UK.
How to get the best from Britannia
- Choose the cabin by lift bank and daily route, not merely by deck number.
- Use a mixture of included and speciality dining rather than pre-booking every evening at extra cost.
- Travel outside school holidays for a more adult atmosphere when dates allow.
- Keep enough flexibility to respond to weather on fjord and Atlantic itineraries.
- Do not dismiss the ship because it is older than Iona and Arvia; the more conventional scale is part of its appeal.
Best and worst features
| Best feature | A convincing middle ground between older P&O ships and the very large Excel-class vessels. |
|---|---|
| Biggest weakness | The lift design and the congestion it can create. |
| Best dining feature | A broad selection without quite the same reservation pressure as the newest ships. |
| Best cabin strategy | Choose around the lift route and your daily priorities. |
| Best passenger type | Couples, first-timers and families wanting a balanced mainstream ship. |
Official information
CruisePing verdict
Britannia is the P&O ship we would shortlist for passengers who want a modern mainstream cruise but are wary of Iona and Arvia’s scale. It has enough dining, entertainment and family provision to remain interesting, while its smaller size creates a more conventional rhythm. The lift layout is a genuine drawback, so cabin selection needs more care than usual. Get that decision right and Britannia can be the fleet’s most balanced all-rounder.