If you enjoy dancing to live music on a decent floor view the publicity for Ventura with caution. The reality is dirty floors in the two entertainment lounges,largely covered in furniture.

The Atrium has become the main venue for Ballroom, Latin and Sequence dancing. This is linked to the Costa coffee bar and most seating is provided for bar users. Space is limited and the floor is an oval with fairly constant traffic across it. While we were on the cruise no live music was provided despite the fact that space was taken up by an organ and drum kit. The Dance co-ordinators did a brilliant job despite the difficulties but they were not helped by the venues or by the Entertainment team , who were noticeable by their absence from the dancefloor which was very different from our previous experience on Oriana.

It is a pity this element of our cruise was poor because our balcony cabin was very comfortable and generally well maintained, with sink drainage issues dealt with promptly. The cabin steward was friendly and efficient as were the waiting staff. We found freedom dining suited our needs well and provided an opportunity to meet a wide range of people . The buffet was often overcrowded but was useful in the early morning when wanting to see the sail into port. We did three organised shore excursions - The Fire Mountain trip on Lanzarote was particularly enjoyable but the visit to the Botanical gardens and market on Madeira was spoilt by a very voluble guide who at one point insisted on telling us we were looking at palm tree. Generally we found it easy to organise our own visits in most ports, although I would recommend plenty of research in advance because the onboard talks are mainly aimed at encouraging you to purchase tours. Read more