This was our first cruise with P&O but our second cruise overall. We booked on this due to availability and the fact we though a bigger newer ship would be better.

embarkation took around 30 minutes which in fairness to get 3400 people on board to wait 30 mins is quite good. We had a disabled passenger with us and the ship was set out fantasically for the disabled with the exception of tender ports. You can even take full sized mobility scooters on board but allocation is limited. There are no facilities to hire anything electric but i do believe they do have standard wheelchairs available.

We also took 2 children with us aged 6 and 1. we were given free baby milk, jars of baby food and bottle steralisers and bottle warmers and the kids club staff were fantastic our 6 year old never wanted to leave. although activities for younger children are limited and unstaffed again till the last day when it comes to filling out reviews.

The cabin we booked was an outside family room which considered of a twin room with 2 drop down beds. This was no where big enough to accomodate 2 adults and 2 children let alone 4 adults.

The steward that looked after the rooms was fantastic and did an amazing job.

Prices on board were £2.80 for a pint of bitter or lager £3.50 plus for a cocktail or £2.50 for the cokctail of the day.

As the gentleman below stated we did run into some moderate sea swell on our return in the alantic alongside portugal and the ship wasnt fantastic at handling the 11 foot waves. We sailed on thompson a year previous and on a 20 year old ship in a force 9 was roughly the same experience. I have to disagree with my fellow passenger on the smoking if you have 3400 passengers on a boat and half smoke there is only 3 smoking areas on the entire ship this is the right side of deck 7 and outside on deck 15 and the rear on deck 15 thats it the none smokers have the rest of the ship so to complain about smoke is basically entirely selfish. Also if you do smoke cigarettes are £2.50 a pack on board if your lucky to call at barcelona they are 15 euro for 200 and at gibraltar there £11 for 200 also be advised to use sterling in gibraltar its far easier. However in rough seas and on certain occasions deck 7 is closed off for safety

The main thing that this ship lacked is any form of friendliness except for the asian waiters who are fantastic the officers very rarely notice you let alone speak to you until the last day and whilst in the beachfront restaurant which is probably the best place to eat i had the unfortunate experience to witness how bad the officers treat the lower fellow crew members.

The onboard entertainment was quite well presented but for 4 long days at sea pretty spread out as P&O are the masters of the cover charge. 2 restaurantes on board have a cover charge if you wish to take part in any lessons ie photography, computer lessons you will have to pay. On the other hand shopping is poor there is basic shops but thats it basically use you money in the ports you visit for any luxury items. Also spa and salon prices are high and by appointment only. FOr the size of the ship and the amount of people it carries the main night club/variety wasnt big enough if you wasnt in early normally before 10pm there were no seats till around 11.30. also there is no dedicated cinema they have a 750 seat theatre but chose to show half the films in other areas on 42" plasmas whilst the arena was unused.

I had learnt on our previous cruise to avoid the buffet restaurant (waterside) as this is basically a free for all, any form of manners ie politeness and courtesy are left at the door it is a jumble sale for food if you dont wish to fight for your food probably the best time to go is if theres an event or show on.

If you can check out the Bar behind the beachfront restaurant as the staff there are probably the best on the ship Rex, Romeo and Pilar only took them a few days to learn your name and out of 3400 people that is brilliant there also some of the nicest people you can meet.

also the night creche is a brilliant idea as you can put your baby to sleep there and go enjoy yourself upto 2am and the staff will give you a pager and notify via it if theres any problems or your babys awake. Alternatively and which we preferred was the baby listening service within the room once your baby's asleep press this button on your phone and while you away you can pick any phone up on the ship dial your room and listen to your room and where ever you go your never more than 10 feet from a phone.

You can use the rooms interactive tv to do anything from checking your onboard account ordering various items from shops or food and they have an array of programs and films to choose from.

As we also have a business to take care of we found that the internet charges were pretty high and be warned if you connect your mobile to the marine time network on board you will be paying expensive phone charges of around £2 a minute

Also the ship boasts 5 swimming pools however 1 is for staff only and 2 are adult only and there is 2 where children are allowed and a small pool outside the kids club on deck 16.

If any passengers are practising religions there is a small chapel on board which gives a sunday prayer service held by the captain or staff captain. This doesnt cover any form of mass service or any other religion.

Overall we found the ship disappointing but still enjoyable we will cruise again but we wouldnt travel with P&O again as we found it wasnt the ship but rather the company where this experience failed. If anyone has done an overnight P&O minicruise to rotterdam bilbao or Belgium this is just a bigger version of that. Its definately nothing special. Also speaking to people who have vast more experience in cruising they advise Royal Caribbean or Cunard the ships are more stable the entertainment is better and not as many cover charges if any for the same price but dont take it as gospel its just what we were advised. The only thing i can say that if its your 1st cruise you'll love it untill you try someone else. But i reccommend look else where.

Before enbarking on this transatlantic crossing I read up on all the complaints leveled against Ventura, during my 14 nighta aboard most of the complaints were unfounded, or had been sorted out by the time I went on board.
The ship is large, no wrong word the ship is huge, but you know, because its huge you get so much more.
The ship was clean ,I mean really squeaky clean, gleamingly so.I went freedom dining somthing I hadnt tried before. I never had to wait for an evening meal I went into which ever venue I wanted and was seated.I had a fantastic steak at the beach hut. I hand some of the finest indian cooking I have ever had in my entire life at East, and the service was perfect.I had several evening meals in the Cinnamon,all excellent,and you know I asked other diners their opinion and 99% agreed with me. Whites was a really nice meal, but I thought that the cover charge of £20 was much to steep. The Waterside self service venue his huge, and finding a vacant seat is really hard, so I had one excellent meal in there and never returned.
The Staff I thought the cruise director a bit naff, but then he's probably not a fan of mine.I dont think anyone saw the captain around the decks, shame really it kind of makes the trip. Some of the bar staff wwere a little aloof, I found the Red Bar ok but with no smiling service.
Entertainment was good, the P&O Company were as ever outstanding, but I did think the contortionist was a little too much for my taste but that is only me being petty.
Brian Connolly was great even the lads in the lighting box were laughing outloud at his act.
Those of you waiting to join Ventura just go and have a fabulous holiday.
My cabin was fantastic my steward Savio was a gem, go enjoy and have a great time

We have just returned from a cruise on the Ventura and could not fault it!!! I was a bit worried before travelling as I had read some bad reviews but it exceeded expectation. We had previously travelled on the QE2 and this did not fall far behind.
Embarkation was simple and quick - the ship was beautiful and immaculate - we especially loved the Tazzine coffee bar in the Atrium.
We found all the staff friendly and incredibly helpful - our cabin steward in particular. The food was great - we never had to wait for a table in the formal restaurant. We used the Beachouse Bistro a lot as we were travelling with children (and it was an excellent "half way" between formal and buffet) and if they were full they gave you a buzzer so you could go and have a drink while waiting for your table. The waterside buffet could get busy for breakfast but we never struggled for a table and the food was always excellent.
We enjoyed the evening entertainment - some was better than others - but it was all fun. Would have liked more choice of films during the day and I would agree with a previous comment in that films should have been shown in the Theatre not other bars where the seating was awkward for film viewing.
My only gripe (if any) was that it was difficult to get a sun bed on deck once the sun came out!!! I think our fellow passengers must have been up at the crack of dawn with their towells!!!
We also had problems with immigration on St. Thomas - but this was the fault of the immigration officers not the ship - and I believe that the Ventura is not visiting the island again this season.
Our favourite place - the Metropolis bar - fantastic with 20 foot plasma screens showing city landmarks and a resident pianist! Went every night!!!
Also found the drinks prices very reasonable - especially compared to places we go at home - and it was useful having everything listed in sterling rather than american dollars.
We cant wait to go again and will definately be choosing the Ventura for our next cruise!!!

We have just returned from our first cruise on 'The Ventura. It was far better than we expected. The ship was immaculately clean in all areas and the food was really excellent.
We were club dining, first sitting in the Saffron restaurant and we had two excellent waiters--Saffee and Nitin who looked after us really well.
We enjoyed the majority of the on board entertainment---especially Brian Conley and also thought the Ventura theatre company were excellent. The only irritating entertainers were the duo-'Sophistication' who weren't too bad when they sang but were very cheesy when they talked in between songs.
Our cabin was excellent as we were lucky enough to have been in a luxury balcony cabin on deck D with the only disappointment being that all the balconies on this level were overlooked by all the decks above.
Our cabin steward, Menino, was excellent and it was lovely to have the bed turned down in the evening and a chocolate beside the bed.
My husband used his mobile a lot on board as he has his own business and I dread to think what his bill will be like but at least the reception was good.
The bars on board were all good although the 'Red Bar' was a little snooty. We really liked 'The Exchange' (when Sophistication weren't playing) and were impressed by the reasonable drinks prices.
All in all we were very impressed and will definitely be cruising again--probably on the Ventura---but next time I won't eat for at least two weeks before we go so I make room for all the fantastic food.
One warning to future cruiser's---don't buy the 'Cruise DVD' at the end of your holiday. It was the one thing that we really thought wasn't worth the money and didn't show nearly enough of the areas on the ship that we were hoping to show friends and family. Next time we'll do our own video.

Sailed 23rd October, our first cruise and certainly not our last. We were very aprehensive having heard so many things about cruising and when you are in the middle of the Atlantic it's a bit late to decide you have made the wrong decision!!! We loved everything about Ventura and will go on her again. We were upgraded 2 days before as there was a problem with overbooking on the flight back so we had a balcony cabin on deck A and an extra night in Barbados, Cabin was lovely and spotlessly clean, would have loved to bring Jerry our steward back with us just for the chocolates on the pillow!! We had freedom dining which was great and ate in Cinnamon, the Waterside was rather crowded at times but once you you had been through the buffet there was always a seat somewhere even if it was by the pool. I must agree with another report that some of the Officers were not so nice to the staff especially in front of guests.Food was beautiful and presentation excellent. Entertainment was good Brian Conolly fantastic, Saturday Night Fever was good as well.Loved Tazzine in the atrium, sitting there people watching and wondering if you would ever see the people you saw the day you embarked, we met some people from Poole the first day and never saw them again until we were at the airport coming home!Immigration at St Thomas had a few people angry, but once again the crew did everything they could to help things go smoothly, once we had a few more Immigration Officers on board it was plain sailing!! Same thing in Barbados but that was'st so bad. It certainly was a trip of a lifetime for us, we booked another cruise whilst we were on Ventura and and are off to the Med next Septmeber.

the ventura was my 1st cruise however it wasnt my partners 1st, i wasnt sure what to expect didnt know weather too look forward to it or not. as we arrived at southampton i saw the ventura in all her glory i couldnt believe i was going to sail on such a glorious ship.from the moment we checked in untill the day we checked out i`d never experienced anything like it. the hospitality was great our cabin steward delivered our luggagestrait to our room and greeted us their. he couldnt do enough for us and helped a lot through the cruise as we had our 9 month old daughter with us.we oved being waited on hand and foot, fresh orange juice and breakfast delivered to our room every morning.

on board we sampled fine foods and wine in all the resturaunt and bars and entertainment was great.

the pools and sun decks were fantastic along with the poolside service.

we had some great sailaway parties with our compare leon and his entertainment team.

the ventura is very much a family ship as their is so much to do for the kids in their own clubs to suit their age.

before our cruise ended we decided to book our next cruise aboard the Azura for our honeymoon which we are really looking forward too !

any family thinking about taking their 1st cruise aboard the ventura will love every minute

This was our 12th cruise and 4th with P&O. We found the Ventura to be very unstable in heavy seas through the Bay of Biscay both ways and crossing the Med on the way back, in fact my wife was seasick for the very first time. Apparently this ship has a shallow draught which causes it to bob about like a cork. Have been through the Bay of Biscay on the Black Watch in gale force nine without this type of problem.
What a farce the theatre is, a ship with 3000 passengers and a theatre that only holds 800!!! Several nights we could not get in and that was turning up before 8.30pm. I know there is another performance at 11pm but that is a bit late for some people. I know it is a family designed ship but as we went in September when there were only a handful of children on board i would have thought P&O would have takern this into consideration and been a bit more traditional. The service has certainly gone downhill, not as much selection at lunch time in the self service restraunts and some of the dishes recycled from the previous day and given another name.
This ship, although fairly well laid out does not compare with Royal Caribeans Navigator of the Seas for food and entertainment My advice is not to travel on this ship if you want traditionsl P&O service

Our 2nd time on Ventura and we noticed a few changes. Far too many casual nights, for most people cruises mean enjoying dressing for formal and semi formal nights. Out of 17 nights only 4 were formal and the rest smart casual. A few people took the casual to literally and walked round looking like chavs. Entertainment not a patch on last trip with very few performances from the Theatre Company, who were excellant last year. Bay of Biscay very choppy both ways, which must be expected when sailing to Med from Southampton, however the ship did not handle it well. Alot of people we spoke to who were 'seasoned cuisers' had never experienced a ship being so unstable. All in all a great holiday but come on P&O you need to keep your regulars happy! Plenty of other Companies now sailing from Southampton for us 'non-flyers'.

We have just returned from our first cruise,seven nights Iberian penisular.Embarkation very efficient arrived at Ocean terminal greeted by our car park rep after 5 min wait cases unloaded for us short walk to check in,issued with boarding pass twenty minutes later in our cabin bags waiting outside.Cabin number A 309 deck A,cabin steward Pascoal very nice chap,ship setting sail on time,small mix up occured we had gone for freedom dining but was given set dining soon sorted with no fuss back to our choice,with this choice of eating we were only held up for a seat for about ten mins no more on a couple of nights.Food very nice better steak knives would be good,breakfast good selection English & continental ,afternoon tea very nice we were a bit surprised how greedy some passengers were, acting as if food was in short supply when in fact it was opposite & plentifull!Waiters very polite & courteous hygiene was very good passengers using hand gel prior to entering self service areas and kitchen staff wearing protective gloves when handling food stuff dirty trays & crocks cleared straight away from seating area & tables wiped clean.Barr staff very good drinks stewards very quick and cheerfull especialy Kumar & Ericson in Exchange bar .Entertainment sorry very amateur ,we didnt enjoy at all very poor standard.Now to ports of call 1st Vigo Spain lots of shops closed in port area Sunday,2nd port Lisbon decided to book excursion land & river £88 per couple not impressed coach trip stuck in rush hour traffic boat trip 15 mins eachway commentry inaudible, lunch, week old sandwiches, weak flavoured orange juice,total waste of money. 3rd port of call Le Verdon should have been La Rochelle but due to french fishermen possibly blocking the port moved to verdon ( I believe thats the case),we decided to organise our own excursions after dissapointing Lisbon ,we caught shuttle bus to Soulec se mer well worth a visit nice village & nice beach few cafe & bars.Final port of call Brest,mmm dont bother getting of ship, dust bin of France we made our way by shuttle bus to centre wondering why there was long queue waiting to get back on coach back to ship ? most fellow passengers agreed P&O made wrong choice in this stop off port,still we all make mistakes dont we.Would we sail on Ventura again, yes but we would choose better itinary/ports of call.

First cruise so didn't know what to expect.

Ship is huge. After three days we were still finding new areas to explore.

Weather was fine so no expereince of any heavy seas.

Ship was spotless - even areas of the hull was washed at every port! I pitied the poor bloke with a jet wash who had to carry out this task!

Food - freedom dining excellent idea if like us you have children. Food offered in Cinnamon restaurant of excellent quality and our steak was cooked perfectly. Waterside buffet restaurant was a little BHS cafe style, but the food was OK and perfect for our daughter who could pick and chose what she wanted. Ramblas tapas is a nice idea, but very badly executed.

Staff were friendly and cabin steward provided excellent service all week.

On board entertainment - with a three year old in tow we didn't see much. We could only stand 15 minutes of the theatre show!

Ports of call.

Vigo - shut on Sundays, drug taking around the fort area.

Lisbon - the highlight

Le Verdon - Ignore P&O slating it to get you on trips. The bus takes you to Surmac sur mer which is a lovely seaside town.

Brest - not somewhere I'll be rushing back to.