Ventura Review

Surprisingly good for new to cruisers

Review for the British Isles & Western Europe Cruise on Ventura
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Stuzer
First Time Cruiser • Age 40s

Rating by category

Cabin
Family
Value for Money
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Additional details

Sail Date: Oct 2022
Cabin: Outside Twin with Balcony and Shower
Traveled with children
Atrium during a dance class
Chutneys at Sindhu
Room service breakfast on the balcony
The wake and Terrace Pool
"Always available" Sirloin Steak from Cinnamon MDR
Typical buffet menu, on show from breakfast onwards. Some of the veggie options at lunch, dinner and late night snacks never appeared though...
View from the Sports Deck towards Lisbon and Tagus River
The ship at night on a Sea Day
Burger at the Beach House speciality restaurant
Main dish at Sindhu
Cooked breakfast in Cinnamon MDR

We had always thought about going on a cruise but had been put off by the price and also by some of the issues that I think put others off - hidden charges such as tips, excursions and the like, the perceived "stuffiness" of the clientele and possible seasickness. When we had our son however and were looking for a holiday to enjoy after the COVID-19 lockdowns, we decided to book this cruise rather than an all-inclusive in Spain or Greece. This was mainly to avoid flying (although our son had flown, it was only down to London) and because it was a 10 day cruise rather than a 7 night holiday. I think it's fair to say I'm glad we did and we are now cruise converts.

Embarkation was fairly smooth - we had chosen the Select Fare and had picked the free parking at the port so dropping off the car and checking in was a breeze. Unfortunately we had been given an upgrade on our cabin so our check in time had changed from 1.45 to 2.45 so we had an extra hour to kill but we had a late lunch in Southampton city centre first. We had our son in a buggy (even though he could have walked, it was easier we felt to do that and meant we didn't have to fold it up and add it to the luggage being taken on board) and I don't know if that meant we had slightly preferential treatment or not but it was a very quick and painless experience.

The first issue we had when we went to our cabin was that the key cards didn't work. Not a huge issue as we were told just to go and get lunch or wander around then go to reception to get them recoded, but it became one later. When they recoded the keycard it still didn't work when we returned to our cabin after dinner; apparently because we had had an upgrade the old cabin number was still attached to the booking, but it wasn't as if the upgrade was last minute, it had been done a week or so before the cruise. A second member of staff had to come over and rectify it and then came up with me to the cabin but by this time we were trying to calm down our toddler to get him ready for bed and this just made him go a bit wild running about the corridors waiting to get into the room. The other slight issue with the cabin was that we had requested a bed guard, baby bath and a few other things by email before the cruise but they weren't there. Our cabin steward brought them along (as well as a few things that we didn't ask for!) but it wasn't an excellent first impression.

Cabin Review

Outside Twin with Balcony and Shower

We were a little concerned about the cabins (on any cruise ship, really) as the photographs make them look quite small. Having a toddler who wants to run about and play, not to mention a buggy and several large suitcases just with his clothes, toys, nappies, toiletries etc. we thought things would be a bit cramped. Not in the slightest. All the suitcases fitted in the storage area, there was plenty room for the buggy to be stored without collapsing it down next to the chair and vanity area, and the bathroom was big enough without being large. It would have been nice to have a bath as really our boy is too big for a baby bath but realise that these are only really seen in suites. The balcony was a good size and there was enough room for the three of us to sit (the adults in a lounger and our son on the wee table) and the room itself was quiet - we never heard our neighbours talking, coming back from the bar, etc. It was close enough to the lifts but not too close and being high up we had great views when coming into port and sailing close to land. Having a kettle etc. was handy and we also called up room service each night to get fresh whole milk delivered (free of charge) to give our son his milk to get to sleep. We did have some very rough seas on occasion and perhaps being a bit further down would have helped with the seasickness we experienced but if offered this room or similar again I'd be happy to return.

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