P&O Ventura Reviews

We boarded the Ventura on the 17th December 2011 and was totally pleased with our choice. It was our first cruise and we believe we have been spoilt with such a high standard. Not too overcrowded, the staff are professional, the food lots of choices, entertainment exceptional, the spa fantastic, pools, bars and restaurants just fab. All we had to think about was what to wear, drink and see. We really recommend it and will be travelling with this cruise ship again.

What a fabulous time we had on this ship. I travelled with my mother and found there was plenty to do to occupy both of our age groups. Cabins were large, well furnished, very clean and well equipt. The entertainment was first class in all the bars. All the crew made us feel special and nothing was too much for them. Food in the restaurant was excellent, well cooked and well presented. I couldn't fault anything at all. We sailed out and flew back, but you could have flown out and sailed back. I would recommend this ship to anyone who wants to go on a cruise and will definitely do it again soon!

The Ventura has all the ingredients for a good holiday. The cabins are pleasant, the food is good and there is a wide variety of entertainment and facilities. This is topped off by the traditional good value offered by P&O who understand the needs of its mainly British customers. Destinations are interesting and a major plus is having departures from Southampton. This saves all of the hassles associated with airports meaning you are relaxed from the outset of your holiday. The only slight criticism of Ventura is the layout of the Havana show lounge which suffers from poor visibility and a lack of capacity for its audience during cabaret acts.

This was our first cruise and we were not disappointed! The Ventura staff were very helpful, hard working and happy. The facilities onboard far exceeded our expectations and the food was amazing. In addition to the meals in your allocated restaurant you can also visit the self service buffet open 24 hours! Although we did spend money onboard, you could have managed the entire cruise without any additional expenditure as there was plenty to eat and do included. Everywhere was spotlessly clean - with the possible exception of our cabin (this was quite acceptable but not kept as clean as the rest of the ship, but probably just down to who happens to be allocated to clean your cabin as others we spoke to were very happy with the standard of cabin cleaning.) Overall this was a fantastic holiday - excellent value for money (made even better by the fact that we got a last minute deal) and we can't wait to go back on the Ventura.

Preferring smaller ships I had concerns about the size of the Ventura, but there are so many places to explore onboard that there never too many people sharing our space. The staff are polite and helpful and everyone is so friendly especially the entertainment team and Leon! As we sailed off on our adventures everyone shared the same aim to experience as much as possible and to make new friends. The excitement is buzzing. My first experience was in the Caribbean last year (and I have to say I am anticipating booking this again next year) but also our recent voyage visiting Venice and Dubrovnik was equally amazing. You would be spoilt for choice and it is very hard to choose which holiday to go for. But I cant wait to board her again and have my cocktail as we sail into the horizon. How marvellous is that!

Just returned from a cruise across the Atlantic to the Caribbean (Oct - Nov 2011). Most enjoyable. Very efficient boarding on this enormous ship. Cabins were luxurious with champagne and chocolates waiting for us, they were large and included up-market toiletries, tea/coffee/biscuits, bathrobes and slippers, they were kept spotlessly clean. The food was of a high standard and the waiters professional and remembered our preferences. The entertainment was outstanding - really superb, whether it be vocalists, dancers or comedians. Lots to do from attending lectures, line-dancing, art, bridge, and dancing classes, swimming. Many keep-fit facilities. The alcohol was very reasonably priced and we bought great bargains in the 'duty free' shop. The whole ship was well run and the staff friendly and efficient. The cost of the cruise was incredibly good value.

My first ever cruise was September on the Ventura, I can say it was a great experience, two large fifty something men just about managed in our inside twin cabin (will have a balcony next time for the extra space) cabin kept spotless by Victor our Stuart. The food was very good we ate in the Saffron dining room evenings and the waterside buffet lunchtimes both were excellent we also tried the East which I can recommend though you have to pay a supplement of 15 pounds per person. entertainment was pretty average but really nice to have as we went from venue to venue, we enjoyed Amigo the Guitar player he didn't say a lot but he could play your socks off. Service and cleanliness was excellent throughout the ship. Excursions were brill and good value for money. cant wait to go again.

As a youngish couple - early to mid 30's - we were a little sceptical given the stereotypes of the older age groups associated with cruising. However the promise of multiple glamorous locations and our willingness to try new things led us to give it a go. We were not disappointed. We arrived at Southampton and were efficiently checked on to the ship where we found ourselves enjoying one of the many all you can eat buffets. Immediately after we were informed our room was ready so we made our way to the cabin. We were impressed with the design, layout, cleanliness and the ample storage space. The Ventura itself is awash with facilities and entertainment. The many places to eat are great and there are plenty of options for drinking establishments too. The dining option could be seen as a risk but the people we were sat with of an evening were of a mixed age group and were each a delight. We cruised the West Mediterranean, stopping at Valencia, Barcelona, Toulon, Florence/Pisa, Rome, Corsica and Gibraltar. Each destination had its own charm and plenty to see, which we had a good go at, though of course it would be impossible to see the likes of Rome in a day! Each night we were presented with choices for post diner entertainment and always found something to suit our mood. The only downside was the disembarkment process at the end of the trip, but really it was a minimal inconvenience given the overall experience, which we would thoroughly recommend.

My wife and I sailed on P&O Ventura to the Canaries. This was our third time on Ventura, so we started by disregarding the boarding time of 14:30 shown on our tickets and arrived at Southampton’s Ocean Cruise Terminal just before Noon. At 12:30 we were embarked and eating a delicious lunch in the Waterside buffet. We had booked on a guaranteed balcony basis and ended up in the very comfortable large balcony, and being right at the front of C Deck was not overlooked. The major disadvantage with this cabin was the long walk to the lifts to get to the Waterside and Bay Tree Restaurants. Bay Tree was used for evening meals as we had selected club dining. The service was excellent and we were fortunate enough to get the table for two that we’d requested. My wife has some special dietary requirements and these were attended to by the excellent Head Waiter Catherine. On this cruise we decided to work our way through the cocktail list in the Metropolis bar situated high in the ship on 18 deck, this is a wonderful spot to sit and watch the world go by. The ports of call on this cruise were Vigo, Lisbon, Cadiz, Gran Canaria, Tenerife and Madeira. All of the ports were interesting but our favourites were Madeira and Cadiz. We don’t bother with organised tours anymore as we consider them to be poor value for money. All of the ports visited had local tour buses or were close enough to walk. All in all this was a thoroughly enjoyable cruise on a fantastic ship, and we will be sailing on her to the Mediterranean next spring.

Went on Ventura on the 20th of August 2011 for my husband's 60th Birthday. I was a litle apprehensive following reading some of the reivews of this ship but actually realised when on the ship that people's expectations are somewhat "too high". Embarkation was very good. Booked a balancy cabin and quite pleasantly was upgraded to the lido deck which was on the same deck as the 24 hour restaurants. Cabin although a little on the small side was quite adequate. We only ate in club dining which was very good. We did book 5 trips with the Ventura and overall we felt only 2 were good value for money, in fact we managed to cancel one of them following a trip in Toulon which was a total waste of money, however this is personal taste. We did feel that there needs to be more to do in the daytime when days at sea. The ship is kept very clean and the crew overall were quite pleasant. We were expecting better entertainment on this ship but again this is personal choice. We would recommend the Ventura and would possibly sail with her again.