The search for a coffee after dark on Britannia

Many of us when we go to a bar/pub whether its on dry land or at sea will purchase alcoholic drinks, and enjoy a glass or two or maybe more of our favourite tipple, but there those who don’t for either personal choice, or health reasons such as diabetes and often get bored of drinking fruit juice and soda drinks, so would just prefer to sit with a nice coffee such as a latte and still be part of the evening.

So you would think on the beautiful, new, modern Britannia getting a coffee in the evening would be no problem for those not wanting a drink, and also not ready to hang up their dancing shoes for the evening. Well you would be mistaken unfortunately – if you want to sit in the more livelier bars you can not get one, and seems you would be condemned to a more serene atmosphere – as me and my mum found out on our recent two night cruise.

On the first night after dinner, we went to the show, and then thought we would take part in the first ever pub quiz in Brodies, after waiting an age to be served we were advised my mum couldn’t have a specialty coffee although he would do her a filter coffee but would have to be black as had no milk (no milk on the size of that ship – what were people going to have with their cornflakes in the morning?). By the time he brought my drink over the quiz had finished (took over 40 mins to order and receive my drink) so we decided to move on and so we went up to deck 7 to go to Java (the coffee bar) and get one from there –  no luck it was shut. So we then went on to the Crystal Room where the waiter proceeded to laugh in our faces and walked off as we had asked for a coffee.  We exited from there quickly and walked down to the live lounge as that seemed the liveliest spot to be, but again got told no couldn’t have one there either, so walking back past Sindhu we asked the barman there who said yes he would get one for us – admittedly it was the smallest cappuccino ever however we had finally got a coffee.

The next night I decided to ask one of the head office staff who was in the Live Lounge and who was on born ironing out any issues (however from where I was sitting was more of a hindrance and annoying the staff) and was advised if my mum wanted a coffee she could go to the market place (however this was shut) the Glass House or the Crow’s nest – where there was a pianist on. But there were no coffee machines in any of the more livelier lounges where we wanted to be and neither did we want to have to carry a drink down from deck 16 to deck 7. So my mum had to sit in the Live Lounge listening to the resident band Pulse with no drink.

Come on P&O, not everyone drinks alcohol, not all coffee drinkers want to sit round listening to a pianist, and nor do people want to carry hot drinks through a busy ship. My mum is back on Britannia at the end of April so hopefully will have better luck.