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P&O Cruises - Ventura Ship Cruises Reviews are written by REAL cruise passengers & we DO NOT moderate or change any of the review. You can agree or disagree by posting up your own comment. If you write your own review we will send you a Fodor's Guide to Cruising for FREE, Visit Some Fantastic Places On P&O's Ventura Cruises 2012
Normally travel to Spain/Portugal/Tenerife five or six times a year but my good lady of 45 years fancied a cruise for a change. Spent months on this and other forums before deciding on the Ventura. It seemed to be all things to all people and I felt I would not be out of place. Unusually, for once, I was right. It turned out to be a wonderful experience and my group had a fantastic time. Will not bore you with a review as there are many of them in the archives which are much more interesting than anything I could produce. I will, however, make a few pointers which may help future travellers.
Got \'lost\' at Gatwick trying to transfer between South and North. As a result we were not particularly early at check out and were not able to sit together. ( no ones fault but ours) You are allocated the same seats on the flight back so get to check out early to avoid this.
The central overhead lockers on the First Choice flight are small so if your on board luggage is bulky ( they do have restricted size cases) use the window lockers. You can upgrade your choice of viewing material with a £5 supplement ( greater choice of films) Ear-pieces are free but your ipod lead probably gives better quality.
The ship is large but there are always signs to help you find your way around. There are three sets of lifts ( fore/mid/stern). Whenever you come out of a lift (except for the atrium lifts) you are always facing forward and each area is carpetted in a different colour. For the main restaurants you need the central lifts. The aft lift is the only one that goes up to the Metropolis Bar.
There is a laundry service on board at a reasonable price. There is also a laundry room on each deck It has 4 washing machines, four dryers and four ironing boards as well as rinsing sinks. You need to supply your own washing powder, which you can purchase on board ( or take with you)
Following advice, I packed a four plug extension lead which I did not need to use. There are two sockets, easily accessible near the writing desk, so unless you need to charge up many items at one time you don\'t need one. My wife says that the hair dryer was very good but she did take curling tongs.
The daily magazine lists all entertainment for the day. Everyone has different tastes but the 4 shows put on by the Ventura Theatre Company were ( in my opinion) good and not to be missed.
Drinks on board are a very good price, with a pint of Stella costing less than £3. The cocktail of the day was always good value at less than £3 and normal cocktails at less than £4. Sorry, don\'t know anything about the wine prices. Did see people bring drink on board and it was not confiscated ( despite a sign saying it would be) Tapas at Ramblas are very small but ok for a snack at £2.50 for three small ramekin type dishes. Didn\'t use East but did go to MPW\'s. It was good but the food in Cinammon (freedom dining)was also good and I\'m not certain if it was worth the £20 extra pp but it was a pleasant experience.
Pleased to say that I didnt put my towel out once ( there were people doing this to get a place next to the pool). Yes it does get a little crowded but whilst you might not always get the spot you want there are always beds available.
If you don\'t like crowds, get to breakfast early ( Waterside). Even at rush hour we never failed to find seats . Some people didn\'t realise that Waterside has two areas and filters round into Beaches. Didn\'t see anyone not using the hand gel.
Taxis are cheaper than P&O excursions, so be brave and try DIY. Negotiate a price before leaving and don\'t pay until your trip is ended. Taxis outside the port compound are even cheaper as they do not rely on a \'runner\' to get them fares. Be warned that some trips ( Dominica rain forest especially) involve driving on very scary roads. The average price for two sunbeds and a brolly on the beaches could range from $10 to $20.
You don\'t need beach towels. You are permitted to take them ashore. Upon reboarding there is always a bin to deposit used towels and your cabin steward will always replace them if none are to be seen in the usual place.
Tea/coffee making facilities are excellent and topped up twice daily. If the cups are too small for your liking you can always \'borrow\' two mugs from one of the drinks station.
Seems to be about all. Just to reiterate that there are a lot of people on the boat but I never came across anyone who was not polite and friendly and I find it hard to believe that, unless you are a dedicated formal cruiser, you could not do other than have a wonderful time on the Ventura.
This site is very addictive and now that my cruise is done I must get back to normality. Before signing off, I would like to say a great big thank you to all those regulars who spend hours posting valuable information and answering questions that enable us all to enjoy, more fully, cruising ( Wilba,Neil,Chris, Derek et all)
Thank you and goodbye.
Mal
Quality of Food
Ate in Waterside and freedom dining in Cinnamon
Could not fault the food in any way and the service was always good.
Entertainment
Did all four shows and found them most entertaining.
Enjoyed the quiet music of Sophistication for early evening cocktails.
Shore Excursions
Did the St. Kitts railway which was very enjoyable despite a breakdown half a mile from destination.
River tubing in Dominica was cancelled due to lack of water.
Staff
Our cabin steward- Rosdi- was a gem.
All service personel were lovely - especially if you took a little time to talk to them
Children's Facilities
n/a
Onboard Activities
Didn\'t partake of too many activities but there was a great choice on offer.
Cabins
Lovely balcony cabin. The walk in wardrobe was super and there was enough storage area to enable one to keep the cabin tidy. There have been comments about the shower size but I am a \'bulky\' person and found it fine ( as long as I didn\'t drop the soap!!!)
Opinion: AgreeComment
by McWatt, Bloxwich (18 Mar 10 14:46)
about
this REVIEW
We also had a wonderful time on the Ventura. I thought it would be full of stuffy people however I was pleasantly surprised. I had the most amazing time and was pampered for two whole weeks, the hardest thing I had to do was decide what to wear and what to eat. This was my first cruise and I am now deciding where I am going next year.
Cruising is the only way to travel!
A big thank you to all the staff from the Ventura, you made a little lady very happy.
Ann McWatt
.JPG_thumb.jpg "Atrium Adonia")
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