S.S. BRITANIS at Tampa, Florida: 17 January 1998
My tour of the public rooms began on forward Promenade Deck where the
intimate Gallery Bar was bathed in light from thick windows leading to the
promenade just outside. Looking ready for customers, its inboard service
counter and paneling were amongst the ship's few discernible wooden areas. I
then recalled how piped in music once blared the theme to "Hawaii 5-0" in
this same space during my 1992 cruise. Was it just a
coincidence? Photo and copyright Peter Knego, 1998.
Just aft, the two-level Casino (facing forward in this image) awaited,
having served as the Main Lounge during the Matson era. In recent years, the
original plaster Matson tiki decor was moved to the lobbies adjacent to her
two dining rooms when it was supplanted by harsh, mirrored "zig zag" bulkhead
coverings and giant, spoked wheel-like lighting fixtures. Instead of tables
and slots, the room was now filled with seats and was used to screen
satellite TV broadcasts during the ship's last active days in Guantanamo Bay.
Photo and copyright Peter Knego, 1998.
Past a spartan lobby just aft, we entered the H-shaped Fantasy Lounge
(facing aft from the forward port section). The inboard bulkhead on the
port side contained an assortment of Matson tiki art and brass-framed
zodiac prints that once were displayed aboard the PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT (When
the other ship was stripped by Chandris in 1971 to become their ATLANTIS,
these fittings were stored, eventually finding their way aboard BRITANIS).
Photo and copyright Peter Knego, 1998.
The center portion of the Fantasy Lounge contains a small wooden dance
floor, its forward portion supporitng a baby grand piano and the after
portion presided over by a folding screen with Polynesian-style inlays
depicting dances and rhythmic instruments. The omnipresent velour seating is
an 80's addition, having come from Home Line's most recent HOMERIC, but the
round cocktail tables and wonderfully strange lamps are from the ship's
Hawaiian period. Photo and copyright Peter Knego, 1998.
In the aft port portion of the Fantasy Lounge, we found the Smoke Bar
in immaculate condition. Along its inboard length a stylized undersea mosaic
has presided over decades' worth of watering hole banter. Throughout our
visit, Gerald was kind enough to turn on all available lights, bringing
BRITANIS back to life. Photo and copyright Peter Knego, 1998.
Rounding up Promenade Deck, the Ballroom spans the full width of the ship,
its forward portion dating to the MATSONA era. In the conversion to
BRITANIS, it was extended aft several feet, allowing access for more
passengers as the ship's capacity increased. An arched curve of
floor-to-ceiling windows provides a wonderful view over the pool area and the
ship's wake. Some of the tile-topped cocktail tables and heavy chairs are
from the Matson era, but the glitzy metallic decor dates to one of the ship's
1980's refurbishments. This view is facing starboard. Photo and copyright Peter Knego, 1998.
The Marine Bar is accessed via a stairwell just forward of the Ballroom and
occupies the aft enclosed portion of Upper Deck. In the Matson era, it was
the setting for gala poolside buffets, or perhaps cocktails and a rousing
game of cards. In Chandris times, it became a festive discotheque at night.
Today, it is a hodgepodge of Matson and Chandris styles, combining
Hawaiian-themed mosaics and original 1950's brass tile-topped cocktail
tables with 1980's black Murano glass panels and velour seating.
Photo and copyright Peter Knego, 1998.
In prewar times, what is now the Waikiki Dining Room (shown in a
forward-facing view) had an ornate dome above its inboard length. It was
removed in the MATSONIA refit (expanding the Main Lobby just above) and the
decor was vastly modernized with sturdy, fireproof fixtures. The tiki
figures in the center and several mosaics throughout survive from the Matson
era. A second restaurant, the Coral Dining Room, is located aft of the
galley which adjoins this room. Photo and copyright Peter Knego, 1998.
The Hawaiian (and later Caribbean) vistas once enjoyed through the full
length windows of the two wonderful lanai suites have given way to a view of
Canadian National's forgotten ferry BLUENOSE on the port side and an
overgrown Tampa jetty on the starboard side. Today, cabins 164 and 167
survive with their original layout and fittings largely undisturbed.