06/08/2016, Almost the final word on Britannia.

Having said good-bye to the last of my 9 visitors, having washed the last towel and the quilt-cover,fed the birds,watered the plants,swept the front and the back yards,cooked a meal [wholemeal pasta with tomato sauce and masses of freshly grated parmigiano reggiano] and having drunk the beer left in the fridge by the boys,I can finally sit down in total peace and quiet and consider the requiem for my last cruise. Would I sail on Britannia again? No. It is not suitable for people travelling alone. There is nothing on it to incite me to return. Britannia is a floating Costa del Sol. It is too big,too impersonal and offers very little to a discerning traveller. If you like decent food, the sun and the booze with some entertainment thrown in, you will be in your element. If you like glamour,refined company[at least the semblance of it],the total sense of luxury and well-being,you will be disappointed. At night the ship is very noisy. I believe 6 revellers who just wouldn't be told to keep it down,were off loaded in La Rochelle,or was it Bilbao? My nephew and his boys of 7 and 10,and in the next room another nephew with a toddler, were woken up at 2.30 one night with a loudspeaker announcement they didn't understand. The children were frightened,the teething baby they took hours to settle to sleep,was so startled he cried and cried until just after 5. Neither the parents nor the neighbours got any sleep that night. It was the night before the morning the 6 rowdy cruisers were thrown off the ship. But there were many instances of unpleasant behaviour. I myself had an ugly experience the very first night. On one side of may stateroom there was a couple I never heard,on the other side two boozers in their 60's woke me up at 3 and again at 6,they were smoking [strictly forbidden] on the balcony and talking loudly. Thankfully several guests complained and it did the trick. But when people drink they become omnipotent and omniscient. Apparently the six were warned once,they were warned the second time and when they still didn't listen, they were told to leave. I have absolutely no sympathy for these louts. Every ship must be quite merciless when dealing with conduct unbecoming. We sailed on Britannia out of necessity,we wanted a family holiday in the sun for the 10 of us for seven nights in the middle of July. Britannia was the only ship that offered this. I have no regrets,we all had a wonderful time but it would have been so much better had the management controlled the noise at night.