COOL Britannia

In search of a totally tropical adventure, PETER RICKMAN set sail on P&O's flasgship for a voyage of discovery in the beautiful Caribbean

- 

CHESNEY Hawkes was reaching the climax of his entertaining show centred on him being, well, “the one and only”.

We were in the stylish Limelight Club on board P&O’S Britannia, as it sailed across the Caribbean - and Chesney's big hit was unwittingly summing up the whole cruise experience. With endless opportunities for entertainment, sun, great food and the chance to experience a different country almost every day for two weeks, a cruise really is the one and only holiday you'll ever need.

We joined the ship a few days earlier in Bridgetown, Barbados. It was November but the temperature was still in the low 30s. With just two main seasons, the cooler dry season from December to May and the wet season from June to late November, it is warm all year here. Even during our November cruise, however, there was very little rain.

Checking in was painless. We didn’t even have to worry about our luggage as that was collected from the airport and delivered direct to our cabin.

Britannia is P&O’s flagship and underwent a multi-million pound refit last year. It is huge with space for 3,647 passengers across 15 guest decks and the majority of cabins have a balcony.

On board there are more than 20 bars and restaurants, offering everything from a quick ice cream or pastry to fine dining.

The ship also has four swimming pools and more than enough sun loungers to go round.

My wife Alison and I stayed in a Superior Deluxe Balcony cabin. With its comfortable bed, settee and two large flatscreen TVs, it lived up to its name.

I also loved opening the curtains each morning to see our new port of call.

Before setting sail we took a bus excursion around Barbados, the most easterly of the Caribbean islands. It was colonised by Britain in 1627 and its economy is built on sugar, rum and tourism.