The coffee was lovely,the trifle not so much

at the Market Cafe,Britannia.Erik Lanlard's creations are not quite to my taste.Too creamy,too sweet and the base of the trifle made with amaretti biscuits,absolutely not my favourite.And no jam! Sacrilege.The Cafe is situated in the atrium of the ship,the display most enticing.One cannot pass by without wishing to try the red velvet cake, the blueberry cheesecake or the blacker than black forest gateaux.When I was aboard with my family for a week last July 16-23,we were tempted to try the concoctions,,but never quite got round to it, what with my lovely god-children spending days by the pool and in the pool and their parents along with the grand-parents and myself joining in the fun.So today was my first time to indulge. And the last.I am a plain croissant girl at heart,the kind of a croissant I get from Marks & Spencer in Notting Hill or from Paul's patisserie. Or the tiny ones not much to look at but packed with flavour I found on one of the Canary Islands,then completely forgot where,but I firmly intend to find the little treasure trove of a cafe again. But of course none of the croissants would beat the little crackers I was served at the hotel Bauer,Venice. But I digress.The seating area in the atrium of Britannia is second to none.Now, I am not taking back anything I have already said about Britannia.The ship lacks the wow factor in everything but the size.It is too functional,stark in parts, plain and uninspiring and altogether the designers had missed the trick.It could have been quite spectacular.But the seating area in the atrium cannot be faulted.Large and small tables,chairs I wouldn't say no to having in my own sitting room.But the sofas are the best.You plonk yourself on one and just do not want to get up. I said last year that with the ship chock a block you would never have thought so when walking up and down the mammoth construction.The same today. There are many empty seats everywhere.Where is everybody? This is a sea day,every passenger is on board.Judging by my past experiences, every single seat should be occupied as is always the case on every other vessel I have sailed on.I am getting to like this elephant of a ship,warts and all.