P&O UK Britannia - Aussies on a British Ship

In July the Itchy Feet Family took a seven night cruise departing Southampton, UK, through the Fjords of Norway.  As an Australian family - there were a few noticeable differences to travelling on a British based ship as opposed to an Australian.  

Here were our top eight stand out observations: - good, bad and indifferent.
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1. No Lanyards​
On Australian ships we love wearing our room keys on lanyards in a kaleidoscope of colours proudly around our neck.  On the Britannia there was barely a lanyard to be seen.  No fire sale on day 1 to get your blinged out lanyard - the Brits just put them in their pocket!

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2. Women Love a Lager

I have never in my life seen so many women drinking pints.  It is the beverage of choice for men and women alike.  I will never lose the picture of a 70 year old lady necking a lager like I drink a bottle of water after a work out! And with so many options of craft beers and beers on tap - why not enjoy a lager! The bars offer sampler paddles of beer so you can try a range of craft brews from varying regions across the UK.  And if you simply can’t find a waiter - there is a self-serve beer tap in the buffet just swipe and pour!

3. Long Life Milk

Brits don’t mind a bit of long life milk - Aussies prefer it fresh.  The advantage is that there was a kettle in the room with mountainous supplies of tea/coffee and long life milk. At any time - day or night - a cup of tea was available in your cabin. In the buffet restaurant long life milk in sachets is kept on the tables so tea could be poured at the table and you did not have to get up for milk. For me, I prefer milk from a jug rather than a sachet.

4. No Baristas

Australians are coffee snobs and we love a good coffee made by a Barista. Although there was Costa coffee on board - the machines were automated.  The coffee waiter simply pressed a button and the machine did the work. 

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5. Kids Can Not Roam

When the kids are put into kids club, they are secured.  In Australia generally children can sign themselves in and out of kids club from age 10.  On the Britannia, kids have to be 13 years old to gain that privilege.

The kids club was also open quite late - until 11pm at night.  The Brits like to party so the kids are well looked after so the parents can enjoy the onboard evening activities.

6. No Leaving Kids On The Ship

If parents go ashore - the kids go with them.  In Australia and the US kids clubs operate on port days and parents are able to leave the ship without the kids.  This is not allowed on the Britannia.  

Not that we have regularly done this - however there have been a few occasions when we have taken the kids off the ship in the morning and then enjoyed an afternoon exploring further without them when they were too tired to continue. 

On this particular cruise our first port day was met with cold, wind and rain.  Whilst we put ponchos on the kids and headed out into the awful weather, they were not impressed.  We did not get to explore much - there was only so far we could force them to walk in the rain.  The adults however would have soldiered through - but back to the ship it was. The kids enjoyed their afternoon in kids club whilst the adults had to sit on deck and wonder what could have been explored at a port stop they would probably never return to.

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7.  Best of British

Best of British sail away party, Best of British quiz, Best of British party night, Best of British stage show - I did not realise the British were so patriotic. It was actually great to see - even if it meant at Trivia time we got the so called “easy questions” wrong.  We simply had no chance when the theme of the quiz was British TV show songs. 

8. Formal is Formal

Wow can the British bring out a frock!  Where did all these women get such formal gowns from.  I have never seen so many long flowing ball gowns and men in tuxedos.  Even on smart casual evenings the British glam it up! Maybe they don’t get out much - maybe they are just more proper than us Aussies.  Even on the last night of the cruise passengers were suited and booted with high heels, frocks and ties on display. 

Cruising is a great family travel option, if you are considering a cruise outside of Australian waters you may want to consider a few of the cultural differences you will encounter. Have you cruised abroad?  What differences did you notice?

Penny
Itchy Feet Family

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