Ventura Reviews

a great week onboard Ventura travelling to Spain & France. Weather superb so cruise took on a type of summer holiday.
despite being a large ship there was plenty of room in all parts of the ship. Balcony cabins on C deck are great with a slightly larger balcony part under cover for shelter if needed.
A pleasant surprise not to have to pay 15% service on drinks which were reasonably priced, Metropolis on Level 18 was a great pre-dinner meeting place.
Food was slightly boring & the White Room was rather a disappointing experience & not worth the extra cover charge.
Entertainment from the Headliners was first rate & costumes were best we have seen on a cruise ship well done.

My husband and I chose the 7 day cruise from Southampton to Norway on P & O's Ventura. We had cruised four times before, always with NCL ships.
Driving to Southampton from South Wales was an improvement on going to Heathrow although being a Saturday in August the traffic was bad. Southampton wasn't easy to negotiate due to heavy traffic and poor signposting. However once at the port it was a breeze with the car being parked on the quayside. We were signed in and on the ship in less than an hour. Our cabin P211 on the 5th deck was excellent. Very spacious with a beautiful picture window. Our steward was top quality. I explained to him at the beginning that my husband would need to rest in the cabin for long periods as he is living with cancer. The steward made up the cabin as soon as we left it each morning and the same at night time. He deserved a good tip at the end of the voyage, and he got one. The theatre had an excellent show on each night although you did need to go to the theatre a good 30 minutes before the start to make sure of a seat.
That’s the good now for the bad.
We had requested freedom dining on a table for two. Due to my husband’s illness he needs to be able to eat when he feels up to it and also not spend energy trying to make conversation with strangers. As I am his main carer I do not wish to spend all of my time queuing for food in a buffet (it’s my holiday as well) Unfortunately we were allocated Club Dining at 8.30pm on a table of 10. Our nightmare!!! After queuing for an hour I was able to persuade the Restaurant Manager to change us to a table for two at 6.30pm from the third evening. Everybody else in the queue appeared to have the same problem. Everybody wanted freedom dining!!!
The food served on this cruise was atrocious, a Caesar Salad with no dressing or parmesan cheese, roast beef and roast lamb so tough I couldn’t cut it, porridge made from instant (ReadyBrek) oats, custard made from water based mixes, artificial cream and the very cheapest of orange juice to name just a few of the complaints. At no time were we offered an alternative spread to butter or offered wholemeal toast at breakfast. There was no sign of sweetners instead of sugar and no de caffeinated coffee. It would appear that the cheapest food was used at all times.
I’ve always resented the accusation that Britain produced poor food and that the British don’t appreciate good food but I’m afraid P & O’s Ventura proved me wrong. What I can’t understand is why don’t more people complain? Good food can be served on a large cruise ship – I’ve eaten it on NCL ships.

A great ship overall, very popular with families in the summer holidays due to its vast facilities, some of which include 3 swimming pools; one of which has a retractable roof & a circus skills school on the top deck.
There are some stunning public rooms & lounges on this ship, my favourite being the Metropolis lounge at the very top of the ship. All of the lounges have afternoon & evening entertainment to suit all ages.
Before or after your evening meal, you can catch one of the theatre productions put on by a fantastically dedicated production team, or even a comedy show, that include tribute acts or comedians with their own unique show.
The Havana bar at the back of the ship on Prom Deck is also a great place to have a drink and relax after dinner, with music & varying entertainment until late.


The dining experience is where Ventura particularly excels herself. A beautiful two-tier main dining room is the perfect venue to enjoy a typically P&O four to five course meal, depending on how hungry you are of course!
Some very well blended dishes all of an excellent quality, particular attention should be paid to the Lobster Thermidor when it arrives on the menu during your cruise. This is a must have!
The ship also has a large two-sided buffet restaurant with a great selection of buffet food available for breakfast, lunch, dinner & late night snacks. Both indoor & outdoor seating are provided here.
One of the main attractions on the ship is the White Room; this is the speciality restaurant on board, endorsed by the famous Michelin Star Chef, Marco Pierre White. There is a cover charge of £25pp, but I can assure you this is money well spent, the beef medallions was one of the best dishes I have ever eaten, certainly the best at sea.

One thing I did notice was the prices on board the ship for drinks, they are excellent as far as ship bar prices go, and no 15% gratuity is added without you knowing!

We stayed in an obstructed oceanview cabin, which was ideal for the duration of the cruise. The rooms have a bathroom, vanity area, twin/double beds & a good size wardrobe area. Even though the cabin was partially obstructed, there was still plenty of light coming into the room as the window itself is quite large.
We did have a look at a couple of the balcony cabins, which are higher up on the ship & have the extra space of the walk out balcony.
The cabins are tastefully decorated with a spacious feeling, they are very well sound proofed as well.

Overall I really liked the Ventura, for couples looking for the quieter time on this ship, I would advise them to go out of the summer holidays, perhaps June or late September, but for families looking for a great summer holiday for themselves & their children this ship is a great choice.

We were a very large party consisting of family, friends and i even managed my childminder to come along with her family, she was very worried as get seasick looking in a puddle.. Saying this said the Bay takes no prisoners, once the ship doctor had given her an injection with the instructions to sleep for a few hours, then the fun began. It was its first season so bound to be new and shiny, but i found this lacking sometimes in the buffet restaurant, tables were often left with dirty plates not cleared and the juice machine was oftem empty. It was difficult to find a table all the time. The outside deck area was great with lots of things going on, the evening shows were the best I have ever seen. The main restaurant for dinner was fantastic and the staff were brilliant... the younger children were encouraged to try all sorts of food they had nt had before.
Childrens club was really good and the staff were excellent with the children. Varous lounges with lots going on in the evening with the nightclub, casino and all the bars there was a lot of choice, the cost of drinks on board is very good in comparison to some other cruise lines as well. We all had a good time on the Ventura.