P&O VENTURA
Review of P&O Cruises Ventura by SLUFFM (17 Apr 08)
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Overall Rating
As a firm P&O customer I was very pleased to be able to see the Ventura on an overnight function recently. I have to say that it was a little bit of trepidation that I accepted as I was not sure that the “Big ship” culture was going to suit P&O, but how wrong can a person be! From the moment I stepped aboard the P&O’nesss of this new vessel absolutely shone through! I was shown to my cabin, a balcony on C deck and again was very impressed by the furnishings, dressing/wardrobe area and very nice shower room, but I have to say the biggest surprise as the size of the balcony! It was enormous! Admittedly overlooked but only at the far edge, the initial part is underneath the balconies above so is completely private! If you don’t mind being overlooked a little I would certainly urge you to seriously think about a balcony on this deck! The sheer size k=makes up for what I consider to be a very small downside!
So off I went with my cabin mate to tour the ship and I have to say it was a very enjoyable time! The ship is very easy to navigate, if a little confusing around the main restaurants, and there are plenty of lifts to get you between the floors with ease! I particularly like the atrium, which changes colour throughout the day, and is very striking indeed! It’s especially good when it turns a purple/violet colour! We saw many different grades of cabin and I would have been very happy to use one of the inside cabins as they really quite spacious and with all the mirrors it gives a real sense of light! We also looked at the mini-suite which I was a little disappointed with. They seemed very narrow although slightly longer than the average balcony cabin I could see not real benefit in having one! We also looked at one of the family suites which was a real surprise. It has a separate inside cabin actually within the main cabin that can sleep up to 4 guests and has a separate entrance and bathroom, perfect for a family of 5 or 6! It also had a rather well positioned balcony that looked towards the bow of the ship and then if you turned around you could look along the whole length of the ship – Wonderful!
The public areas are really very nice and there are plenty of them! I particularly liked Havana with its funky lighting and the very sumptuous Tamarind Club! There was a casino, as one would expect, and also a very good Tapas bar, which I can see being a very well used place! The art work dotted around the ship is very nice and matches the contemporary feel of the ship! I particularly liked photo mosaic work of Vanessa Ballard! There a plenty of places to eat onboard with 3 main restaurants, more relaxed buffets and other speciality restaurants including the Marco Pierre White eatery “The White Room”. Don’t be fooled by the name it’s not a minimalistic white room but a dark, brooding, chic, comfortable and wholly fantastic restaurant – I would be very pleased to eat here. It has an amazing menu! I was also very taken with the restaurant “East” with its oriental inspired food, not to mention furnishings and fittings! It was absolutely lovely! The theatre is marvellous, not like some of the 4/5 tier theatres on some ships today but still very large with fantastic sight lines! There were no pillars anywhere, so wherever you sit you get a good view! They also have interactive keypads that they will be using on cruises to do game shows with the audience – A brilliant idea! The pool areas where also very nice and I particularly liked the area at the back of the ship, however it may be a bit small to accommodate everyone and could possibly end up being a bit overcrowded! The open air poll was really nice and also the pool under the retractable roof was a nice area, so if the weather is inclement you can still swim! I also think that the pool by the Spa with the swim against jets in is a really good idea and in a place that is quite sheltered!
All in all I was really, really impressed with the Ventura and I am very glad that I was able to see it as now it has made my mind up to book something for 2009 as soon as the cruises go on sale, so that I can get one of those balconies on C deck!
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