Britannia Cruise 2018
Monday April 30th 2018
Mum and I arrived in plenty of time to embark and get a wheelchair ride for Mum. This time our suite was
ready for occupation and we were in the suite in no time at all. Mum was amazed we were already there, and not waiting in a lounge or
restaurant. We sailed on time, and had to go through the usual emergency drills - lecture on the ship signals and putting on the life-jackets.
The difference this time was that we did it in the cinema. That's the first and last time we went in there.
The Horizon newsletter welcomed us on board Britannia saying "This sophisticated lady of the seas is our flagship and your home from home
for the duration of your holiday.Put your feet up and enter the state of bliss that is Britania. It also has an introduction to the Captain,
Wesley Dunlop. Bor in Glasgow, his parents ran a bar in Magaluf, Mallorca and he toyed with the idea of being an airline pilot before his
Dad suggested a career on the ocean wave.
Dinner was as per last time, freedom dining in the Peninsula restaurant. Our choices were:
- Starters: Crispy Pulled Pork; Seared Sesame Seed Tuna; Duck Rilette; Savoury Sun-dried Tomato Cheesecake; Atlantic Prawn Cocktail;
Shrimp Chowder; Chicken Caesar Salad.
- Mains: Plaice filled with a Salmon and Crayfish mousse; Atlantic Pollock Fillet in a Parmesan Crumb; Slow Cooked Ham Hock; Spiced
Cauliflower and Lentil Pie; Grilled Salmon Fillet; Pan-fried Chicken Breast; Sirloin Steak; Beef Lasagna; Thym Roast Turkey Breast
- Desserts: Roasted Fruits with Orange Miso Sauce; Choclate Textures, Crisp Profiteroles and Hazelnut Praline; Baked Blueberry
Chesecake; Layered Molten Choclate Cake; Fresh Seasonal Fruit Salad; Cheeseboard
The main difference with this trip was the ban on bringing alcohol on board that had been bought on shore. Well, a ban on drinking it on
board without incurring an exhorbitant corkage fee that made it just as expensive as buying a bottle of wine on board. Having had prior
warning, Mum and I had brought on board in Southampton, as allowed, a litre of Bombay Sapphire gin each. We ordered a bottle of wine with
dinner each night from our Captain's collection vouchers, bought with our on-board spending allowance, and then had gin and tonic with ice
and lemon back in our suite. We bought the tonic on board, and got our butler to bring us the ice and lemon each evening, when he brought
the canapes.
Tuesday May 1st 2018
A day at sea heading down into and through the Bay of Biscay and the sea was nothing like as lumpy as last
time. The newsletter had a number of things to take up your time. Britannia uncovered in the Atruium was a opportunity to discover the inner
workings of the ship and discuss it all with the ship's experts, and meet the Officers. Guest speaker Eileen Goulding was in the Headliners
Theatre talking about Anicient Artefacts: 3,000 of Treasures, and Jack, the Loyalty and Cruise Sales Manager was giving a talk on a future
cruise to Dubai and the Arabian Gulf.
Our evening meal was the first black tie do and the menu was a Marco Pierre White Special Menu or a smaller selection of regular dishes.
Marco's Menu was:
- Poached Hampshire Chalk Stream Trout with Caper Mayonnaise
- Cream of Cauliflower Soup
- Pasion Fruit Sorbet
- Marco's Classic Beef Wellington with a Wild Mushroom and Madeira Duxelle
- Biscuit Glace
Mum and I arrived in plenty of time to embark and get a wheelchair ride for Mum. This time our suite was
ready for occupation and we were in the suite in no time at all. Mum was amazed we were already there, and not waiting in a lounge or
restaurant. We sailed on time, and had to go through the usual emergency drills - lecture on the ship signals and putting on the life-jackets.
The difference this time was that we did it in the cinema. That's the first and last time we went in there.