My two weeks on Ventura are over, and I am now back in a decidedly chilly UK.
So what’s the verdict on P&O’s superliner for the 21st Century?
Well it was much better than I would have expected if I had believed all the critical reports from the first few months of operation.
I was also aware before I boarded the ship that P&O already had plans to deal with some of the issues that had come up – such as increasing the number of sun loungers, and improving the freedom dining option which had been a bit of a problem early on.
Turning the Cirque Ventura deck over to sunbathing space certainly seems like a sensible move, because space is in demand on the sundecks on sea days.
Freedom dining worked well for us in that we rarely had to wait for a table to be available, and never for longer than it took to order a cocktail. We were always able to have a table for two.
Where it did fall down was that, in order to meet the demand, tables were turned over quickly and we rarely had time to relax between courses. It might be the price that has to be paid for avoiding the tyranny of set times for dining, but it did not help the digestion.
I can’t quite work out what’s happened with the buffet restaurants. The Beachcomber, which was billed as the family-oriented venue with “menus inspired by Marco Pierre White
I was really glad to read your review of the ventura, I have read alot of negative views aswell concerning this ship on other websites and i must say it was off putting. I have sailed before with P&O as well as Princess and Royal Caribbean, and although I have found all 3 cruise lines exceptionally good I have always thought of P&O as having the edge. Therefore I was quite surprised to see the negative feedback from other cruise passengers. I am currently planning a cruise in the early summer of this year and have been undecided between two similair itineries, 1 on Ventura and 1 on Grand Princess, and I must say I was leaning towards the Princess offering until I read your article, which has renewed my faith in the Ventura and given me food for thought. Unfortunatley it now means I am back to square one in making my decision because the Grand princess equally gets good revews. Ce La Vie!!