Cool Britannia

Want to keep a teenager happy and entertained for a week? Take them on a cruise.

- Rosie Shelley

From our vantage point 400 metres above sea level, as the morning mist started to lift, the Moroccan coastline began to reveal itself. In front of us the northernmost tip of the Rock of Gibraltar, to our left the Spanish resort of Costa del Sol, and just below our cruise ship Britannia is docked at our first port of call. After two days at sea we had been rewarded with the most spectacular panoramic view.

Except it was Gibraltar International Airport that caught my daughter Hannah’s attention. Her eyes lit up as our guide mentioned it had been voted the fifth most extreme airport in the world, largely due to strong crosswinds that blow around the Rock. There’s also the not insignificant matter of a road going through the middle of the runway. A relief then, that we had arrived by sea and not air.

Gibraltar was the first port of call on a 14-night cruise sailing from Southampton and calling at ports in Barcelona and Rome, where we’d leave the ship, and it would sail on to Naples, Sardinia and Cádiz.

Hannah is an internet-obsessed nearly 14 year old who is glued to her smartphone most of the time, so I was interested to see how she’d cope with life on board Britannia where she’d be digital-free for a whole seven days.

With capacity for 3,600 passengers and the flagship of P&O Cruises, Britannia is stylish and elegant with a soothing cream, green and pale blue colour scheme. A stunning chandelier greets you as you step into the Atrium, and for Hannah it was like entering a different world. She adored it, particularly the Crystal Room with its plush cream chairs, glass chandeliers and wooden dance floor.

We quickly settled in to a daily routine of watching ballroom dancing classes, attending talks on everything from travel to movie making, playing pool and enjoying the restaurants.