I have been to … sea, aboard MV Britannia

The end of June this year marked an important birthday for my wife, and to celebrate we went on the first cruise P&O Cruises have been able to run since the lockdown began last year. It was a short cruise that went up and down the English Channel, but it gave the company the opportunity to test its newly-introduced anti-COVID-19 procedures, and us the chance to have a break from home for a few days.

This was the first cruise we had been on since February 2020, and we knew from the pre-cruise paperwork sent to us by P&O that things were going to be rather different from the way they had been. I addition to the normal paperwork we had to take with us, we had to have proof provided by the NHS that we had both been vaccinated at least two weeks before boarding the ship, that we had adequate travel insurance to cover any medical bills that we might have to pay if we became ill, that we had completed a detailed health declaration, and that we had not been in contact with anyone who had failed a COVID-19 test within the last fortnight.

Sunday 27th June: Southampton

We set off from home at 8.05am, and by 9.15am we had driven around the M25 to Junction 12, where we joined the M3. Thirty minutes later, we reached Winchester Services, where we stopped for breakfast and to restore our comforts. We were supposed to be at Southampton Docks by 11.00am, and actually reached the COVID-19 testing station fifteen minutes early. We were marshalled into a queue at the Mayfower Cruise Terminal, and at 11.00am we were sent back testing station to join the queue of cars whose occupants were waiting to be tested.

The testing didn’t start until 11.30am … and at first the process was very slow. Some of our paperwork was checked as we sat in the queue … but not all of it. We were eventually asked to drive forward, where our names were checked against out passports and proof of vaccination, and we were issued with a wristband with an individual barcode on it. That done, we drove forward to the place where the lateral test was conducted. Our noses were swabbed, the swabs placed in sealed plastic tubes to go to the onsite laboratory, and we were then told to drive to the ship.

To reach the Ocean Terminal, which was where MV Britannia was moored, we had to drive out of the docks, along the main road, and back into the docks via a different gate. We were directed to join a queue of cars which were waiting to unload their occupants and luggage before being handed over to the valet parking service. Sue and I did not have to wait very long, and once the luggage had been loaded onto a trolley and the car keys had been passed over, we set of for the terminal building. Our luggage was take from us by a porter, and once inside the terminal we went up the escalator to the main reception area.

It was somewhat frustrating to discover that the paperwork that had been checked at the testing station had to be checked again, but despite these delays, Sue and I were soon booked in and sitting in the priority boarding longue waiting to go through the security checks.

We waited, and waited, and waited … and finally, at 1.15pm, we passed through the security screening and were walking aboard Britannia. Once aboard we were directed to our emergency muster station to be scanned in, and then told that we could go to our suite. This was on Deck 7 Portside Forward, and we were there in a matter of minutes. From there we went to our suite, just two decks above our muster station.

The view from our balcony was rather uninspiring, as it was effectively blocked by a large car transporter that was just leaving Southampton.

Waiting for us was an invitation to go to a special lunch in the Meridian Restaurant (Deck 5 Midships). The food was excellent, and whilst we were in the restaurant, Sue and I attempted to log on to P&O’s ‘My Holiday’ smartphone app. This took us over an hour to do successfully, but it was vital that we did it as this was the only way we could book meals in any of the ship’s restaurants as well as to check our onboard accounts. The problem was that you had to connect with the ship’s passenger Wi-Fi service, download the app, and then switch to Airplane Mode. Unfortunately, this did not work the first three time we tried it as we found that every time that we switched modes, we ‘lost’ the app. We did manage to do it – eventually – and discovered that a restaurant booking that we had made some weeks before we came aboard had been cancelled when we had installed the app. The booking was quickly reinstated once we worked out how to do it, but the app was not as simple and easy to use as we had been told it would be.

After lunch and a short spell in the Sunset Bar (Deck 16 Aft), from where we had a view over the terminal building and part of Southampton ...

... Sue and I returned to our cabin and unpacked our luggage. This had been delivered whilst we had been at lunch, and because our cruise was only a short one, this did not take very long. By this time, the car transporter had departed, and we were left with an almost equally uninspiring view of the docks and the storage facilities for exported cars and vehicles.

Whilst we were unpacking, our cabin steward – Sachin – and our butler – Elston – both introduced themselves to us and made sure that we were settling in all right and didn’t need anything.

Sue and I returned to the Sunset Bar in time for Britannia’s departure from Ocean Terminal at 6.00pm. We had a drink and stayed there until the sip was well on her way towards the Solent, at which point we returned to our suite to get ready for dinner. Just after 8.00pm Sue and I had a pre-dinner drink in the Sunset Bar and used the app to book a table in the Peninsular Restaurant (Deck 6 Midships). We were twelfth in the queue when we booked the table, but by the time we were halfway through our drinks, we were at the front of the queue and had to make our way down to the restaurant.

The restaurant was very empty in comparison to how crowded it would have been on a pre-COVID-19 cruise, but this actually made it feel much more pleasant. The service and food were – as usual – second to none, and we were able to chat with a couple on a neighbouring table. After dinner Sue and I paid our final visit of the day to the Sunset Bar before returning to our suite to sleep very soundly indeed!

Monday 28th June: At sea

Overnight Britannia had sailed to a position to the south-east of Portland before turning eastwards. By 9.00am, just as Sue and I were going up to the Epicurean Restaurant (Deck 16, Forward) for breakfast, it looked as if Britannia was going back the way she had come, ...

... but by 11.30am she had turned northwards and then north-westerly and was well into Lyme Bay.

During these manoeuvres, Britannia passed an Albion-class landing ship, which was at anchor.

Later, whilst we were sitting in the Sunset Bar having an early afternoon drink, ...

... the ship steamed past us on her way westward.

We spent some time during the later morning exploring the ship. Because it was so empty, we were able to see so much more than we had seen on past cruises aboard Britannia and had the opportunity to gauge just how big her public spaces are in comparison with other P&O ships. The only downside was the constant need to sanitise our hands each time we entered a new area. This is part of the ship-s anti-COVID-19 procedures and makes perfect sense, but both Sue and I have noticed that the repeated use of sanitiser does seem to be having an effect on the skin on our hands.

Britannia continued to sail around Lyme Bay towards Torbay, ...

... where five cruise ships (including Queen Mary, Queen Victoria, Ventura, and Arcadia) have been moored on and off since early last year.

Britannia had also been moored in the bay until she was brought back into service by P&O, and she made a point of saluting her former colleagues as she sailed past them.

Because we were going to have a special dinner in the Epicurean Restaurant to celebrate Sue’s birthday, we decided to skip lunch and have afternoon tea in the Meridian Restaurant. We booked this for 3.00pm, and we were not disappointed by our decision. The selection of sandwiches and cakes on offer was a good, if not better, than most hotels and restaurants where we have previously had afternoon tea.

After tea, Sue and I returned to our cabin and read and rested until it was time to get ready for our trip to the Epicurean Restaurant. We had a pre-dinner drink in the Sunset Bar and arrived at the restaurant at 8.30pm. The food was excellent – as usual – and we did not leave until 10.45pm. We had a short break for some fresh air on the open deck area near the Java Café (Deck 7 Midships), and then went up two decks to our cabin to get ready for bed.

Tuesday 29th June: At sea

Whilst we had been sleeping, Britannia had sailed down the Channel, rounded Land’s End, and had sailed along the north coast of Cornwall.

By the time we had got up, had breakfast in the Epicurean Restaurant, and made our way back to our cabin, the ship had turned around Lundy Island ...

... and spent the rest of the morning sailing south-westerly back along the coast of Cornwall.

After breakfast we went for a walk around the ship before returning to our cabin, where we stayed until 11.30am. By then, both of us were feeling thirsty and so we went up to the Crow’s Nest Bar (Deck 16 Forward) for a drink and to read. On a normal cruise, the Crow’s Nest is packed on sea days, but on this occasion, it was almost empty, and Sue and I were able to find somewhere to sit that was close to the centre of the panoramic window that forms the curved front of the bar. Sue ordered and café latte and I had a Diet Coke, and we stayed there reading (and resting!) until 12.30pm.

We both felt in need of some fresh air and went down to the open deck area near the Java Café. It was actually colder there than we had expected, and by 12.45pm we were back in our cabin getting warmed up. Sue and I debated about what to do for lunch and decided that we would choose from what lunch venues were available at 2.00pm. In the end we elected to go to The Glass House (Deck 7 Midships) because app indicated that there was no queue.

As the name suggests, The Glass House is a wine bar. The range of wine and other drink sold there are all recommended by Ollie Smith, the well-known wine expert. He was on board Britannia for the duration of the cruise, and he actually talked in turn to everyone who was eating and drinking in The Glass House during our time there.

We talked to him about how much we were enjoying the cruise, and the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the travel, tourism, and hospitality industries.

After eating a very pleasant lunch, Sue and I went out on to the open deck area near the Java Café for some fresh air before returning to our suite to rest and to read. At about 6.00pm, we began getting ready for the first (and only) formal dinner of the cruise. By 7.45pm we were in the Sunset Bar having a pre-dinner drink, and at 8.30pm we were seated at a table in the Meridian Restaurant. The dinner was good although the service was a bit slower than normal as so many people had decided to eat later so that they could watch the England vs. Germany European Championship football match on the TV.

Sue and I left the restaurant at 10.30pm, and after a short spell on the open deck areas near the Java Café, we went back up to our suite to get ready for bed.

Wednesday 30th June: At sea

Whilst we slept, Britannia had sailed out into the Western Approaches, around the Scilly Islands, and back into the Channel. She was south of Penzance when we woke up, ...

... and as we were getting ready for breakfast, she sailed into Mounts Bay.

She sailed around the coast of this part of Cornwall whilst Sue and I ate breakfast in the Epicurean Restaurant, and we could clearly see St Michael’s Mount some distance from the mainland.

After breakfast, Sue and I paid a visit to the Future Cruise Desk (Deck 7 Midships) to book a cruise to the Mediterranean aboard MV Ventura that will depart in late October 2022. This only took a matter of minutes, after which we went out onto the open deck space near the Java Café. We then paid a visit to the ship’s shopping area, where we bought a small present for the person who was looking after out cat whilst we were away. Sue and I then went back to our suite to read and rest until the midday announcement by the Officer-of-the-Watch.

As it was very sunny, we made our way up to the Sunset Bar, where we had a drink, sitting in the sun. It was very pleasant sitting there watching the coast of southern Cornwall on the horizon, and we stayed there until 1.45pm, when we went into the Horizon Self Service Restaurant (Deck 16 Aft) for a light lunch.

We took our time eating lunch, and returned to the Sunset Bar afterwards, where we sat whilst Britannia continued on her way along the southern coast of Cornwall.

Sue and I stayed there until just before 3.00pm, when we returned to our suite to pack our suitcase and one of the two travel bags we had brought with us. Packing took less than thirty minutes, and after leaving them outside our suite door for collection, we spent the rest of the afternoon resting in the suite or on the balcony.

At about 5.00pm, our butler – Elston – brought us our daily canapes, and we were able to thank him for everything that he had done for use. We then got ready for our last dinner of the cruise, which were ate in the Epicurean Restaurant. Before going to eat, we bade farewell to our cabin steward – Sachin – and then had one last drink in the Sunset Bar. This gave us the opportunity to have a breath of fresh air before we ate dinner.

Whilst we were on deck, we saw the Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carrier, HMS Prince of Wales, in the distance.

By 8.45pm we were in the restaurant waiting to order our meal, which was – as usual – excellent. The service was not rushed, and we did not leave until 10.45pm. We then returned to our suite via the open deck area near the Java Café, packed the second of our travel bags so that it could be collected for offloading in Southampton, and went to bed. A last check of the online chart of the ship's progress showed that she was to the south-east of Portland and well on her way back to Southampton.

Thursday 1st July: Southampton

Britannia as moored alongside the Ocean Terminal by the time we woke up at 6.30am, ...

... and the luggage was being unloaded as we made our way up to breakfast in the Epicurean Restaurant.

Breakfast was over by 8.00am, and we picked up our hand luggage from our suite and went to our muster station to await disembarkation. This happened only a few minutes after we had arrived at the Headliners Theatre (Deck 7 Forward), and by 8.30am we had disembarked, collected our luggage, reclaimed our car, loaded it, and we were driving home!

We stopped at Winchester Service to restore our comforts and to buy some milk and other essentials we would need when we got home, and by midday we had got home and were unloading the car. Our short cruise was over ... and it proved to have been one of the most relaxing we have ever been on!