This was our first cruise with P&O though we have done eight transatlantic crossings, seven on the QM2 and one on the Victoria, so we were somewhat intrigued as to what lay ahead of us. Our embarkation was smooth and without issue, no mean feat considering the numbers of passengers boarding. Unlike Cunard we were left to find our own way to our cabin and found our luggage waiting in the passageway, not on our beds as we have been used to.

Our cabin was clean and tidy, we were fortunate to have an extremely attentive cabin steward who, when called upon, carried out our requests promptly and well. The cabin was spacious and well appointed.

After the usual emergency drill we made our way up to Deck 15 to the 'comunal' eating area. On getting there we were surprised by both the numbers of people and the volume of noise present - of course Ventura carries some 1200 more passengers that we had previously experienced. Overall we were not too impressed by either the content and choice of the buffets. There was a predominance of curried foods, unimaginative salad choice and feeling that had we pondered more over our choice we would have heard someone call out "Move along please..". On nearly every visit to the buffet we were met with a rather confusing presentation of food. Cold plates for salads were stacked alongside hot plates for hot food, soup was tucked away in a corner and was difficult to get at and the menu notices above the food listed the foods but didn't give a clear indication as to what was what. Read more