I have cruised many times but this was my first with P and O. For various reasons, we had cancelled a trip away the week before and booked a 2-night trip on Ventura to Guernsey as a last-minute getaway.
Embarkation was well organised and smooth. We arrived well ahead of our 'given' time, but only waited for around half an hour before we were boarded. We headed for the buffet for lunch, which soon filled to the point of being overcrowded and unpleasant.
It was a beautiful day so many passengers were out on deck. However, there were nowhere near enough chairs or tables set out, leaving many people standing. Not particularly relaxing.
We did our own thing in Guernsey. Bit of shopping in St Peter Port then round to Cobo Bay for lunch at the Cobo Bay hotel - fab food, thoroughly recommend.