Quick Ventura review

[MattyBarlow]

OV points got me through Ruby and i am now on the next level (gold or platinum, can never remember). I now get 7.5% off my onboard account. Geecee1, you need to read the information properly. It's true that some benefits are only available at Southampton but most are available on every cruise.

 

14 night OV cruise = 70 points

14 night P&O cruise = 140 points.

[Johnthed0g]

Sapphire

[MattyBarlow]

Sapphire

 

 

Thats the one. 28 and already Sapphire. Get in there:D

[lancashire_cruisers]

Thats the one. 28 and already Sapphire. Get in there:D

 

Sorry to burst your bubble Matty but DD will be a goldie at only 11 years old:D.

 

Seriously though that is good going on your part if you only get 50% credit for OV cruises.

 

Debbie:)

[Ilovecake]

Sorry to burst your bubble Matty but DD will be a goldie at only 11 years old:D.

 

Seriously though that is good going on your part if you only get 50% credit for OV cruises.

 

Debbie:)

 

Well bully for her! You obviously have one very lucky daughter being able to go on so many cruises. When's the next one?

[lancashire_cruisers]

February thanks for asking;).

 

Debbie:)

[MattyBarlow]

Sorry to burst your bubble Matty but DD will be a goldie at only 11 years old:D.

 

 

Do they actually get a Portunas card/membership number? I was under the impression that you dont get that until your 16?

[lancashire_cruisers]

Hi Matty

 

Yes she did have a card for Ruby (Sapphire ones got lost during our house move) and she does have a Portunus membership number.

 

As far as I can remember she also gets an invite to the Portunus Party as well, although we've never been to one yet as its not really our kind of thing but will take her to the Gold lunch if only to upset some of the old dears who think kids shouldn't be on cruise ships:D.

 

Glad you enjoyed your Ventura adventure.

 

Debbie:)

[Ilovecake]

Hi Matty

 

Yes she did have a card for Ruby (Sapphire ones got lost during our house move) and she does have a Portunus membership number.

 

As far as I can remember she also gets an invite to the Portunus Party as well, although we've never been to one yet as its not really our kind of thing but will take her to the Gold lunch if only to upset some of the old dears who think kids shouldn't be on cruise ships:D.

 

Glad you enjoyed your Ventura adventure.

 

Debbie:)

 

I like your style re the lunches and I hope you are taking her out of school holidays too which will incense them even more.:D

[lancashire_cruisers]

I like your style re the lunches and I hope you are taking her out of school holidays too which will incense them even more.:D

 

Errmmm.... yes we are but shhh don't tell anyone! Our next cruise in Feb is 5 weeks long and she is missing 4 weeks of school:eek:.

 

The Head and her teacher are OK with it and coincidentally the geography topic for this term is the Caribbean so we've arranged for her to do a blog, hopefully along the lines of Cap'n Pugwash, to provide on the scene reports for the class.

 

We've decided that this will be the last cruise in school term time as she will be in year 6 from September so we're going out with a bang as it were!

 

Debbie:)

[Johnthed0g]

We took ours on holidays during school time too, just how it is sometimes. At least ours wan't off sick for weeks on end with sniffles & other minor ailments.

[Ilovecake]

Errmmm.... yes we are but shhh don't tell anyone! Our next cruise in Feb is 5 weeks long and she is missing 4 weeks of school:eek:.

 

The Head and her teacher are OK with it and coincidentally the geography topic for this term is the Caribbean so we've arranged for her to do a blog, hopefully along the lines of Cap'n Pugwash, to provide on the scene reports for the class.

 

We've decided that this will be the last cruise in school term time as she will be in year 6 from September so we're going out with a bang as it were!

 

Debbie:)

 

As long as she remembers the trip forever, and catches up with her work then no prob with that at all. I had several holidays away out of term time when I was at primary school and my parents were teachers!! Reason being that we had different summer holidays because I went to school in a different area than where they taught! But I bet the P&O golden oldies club won't see it like that!!! Good luck;) Which trip by the way?

[lancashire_cruisers]

We're going on Oriana on 13th February to the Caribbean, Mexico, and USA - can't wait.

 

Without wishing to sound like I'm boasting about DD, she'll have no problem in catching up on her school work as she's well above average in all her subjects and has taken part in the gifted kids program for Maths. If DH and I thought that her education would suffer as a result of missing school then we wouldn't be going, but you're right some of the old 'dears' won't see it like that.

 

Debbie:)

[Balconyandwine]

We're going on Oriana on 13th February to the Caribbean, Mexico, and USA - can't wait.

 

Without wishing to sound like I'm boasting about DD, she'll have no problem in catching up on her school work as she's well above average in all her subjects and has taken part in the gifted kids program for Maths. If DH and I thought that her education would suffer as a result of missing school then we wouldn't be going, but you're right some of the old 'dears' won't see it like that.

 

Debbie:)

 

 

Oh lucky you - it sounds great. I have to say I cannot be persuaded to go on P&O after the demise of Ocean Village. You sound like decent and nice people, not to mention that you come from my original part of the world but now Midlands. But some P&O people would get up my goat and sorry but I don't do formal anything. I am quite jealous of you though. Not because you are going on Oriana or P&O but because I think you will have one of mine and other OV girlies favourite Captains with you! ;)

[Ilovecake]

Oh lucky you - it sounds great. I have to say I cannot be persuaded to go on P&O after the demise of Ocean Village. You sound like decent and nice people, not to mention that you come from my original part of the world but now Midlands. But some P&O people would get up my goat and sorry but I don't do formal anything. I am quite jealous of you though. Not because you are going on Oriana or P&O but because I think you will have one of mine and other OV girlies favourite Captains with you! ;)

 

 

Balcony and wine, would that be Mr Hutley by any chance? Lancashire Cruisers, as B&W says you sound like nice people, how do you think normal Ocean Village people would be welcomed on P&O? Would we be a tarnished name if we said we had done and enjoyed Ocean Village? I'm with Balcony and Wine so far in that I just cannot be persuaded.:(

[Johnthed0g]

To be honest, & I don't know if it is because it was our first cruise, but actually we thought OV 1 (old Arcadia) was about our favourite ship, lots of bars, things going on, two good alternative restaurants. Huge cabin but not enough balconies for these days. I find that P&O people, as you call them, are just the same as people on any cruise, 95% are really nice but the other 5% are truly dreadful, if you really want to meet some of the 5% try the P&O cruise forum!!

[Johnthed0g]

Balcony and wine, would that be Mr Hutley by any chance? Lancashire Cruisers, as B&W says you sound like nice people, how do you think normal Ocean Village people would be welcomed on P&O? Would we be a tarnished name if we said we had done and enjoyed Ocean Village? I'm with Balcony and Wine so far in that I just cannot be persuaded.:(

Maybe that's why they didn't like me much!! we enjoyed our OV cruise very much & would have done others if it did not involve flying, couldn't care less about the dress code, did get va bit fed up with the buffet but as said the alternatives were excellent.

[lancashire_cruisers]

Balcony and wine, would that be Mr Hutley by any chance? Lancashire Cruisers, as B&W says you sound like nice people, how do you think normal Ocean Village people would be welcomed on P&O? Would we be a tarnished name if we said we had done and enjoyed Ocean Village? I'm with Balcony and Wine so far in that I just cannot be persuaded.:(

 

Ah Capt. Hutley - yes he is rumoured to be joining us at some point in the cruise. He was Capt on our last Caribbean cruise 2 years ago - a very personable chap as I remember;).

 

OK the low down on P&O according to me:D! I don't think anyone who has cruised with OV would be looked down on or considered to be a lesser human being because of it. As JTD has said 95% or so of people on board P&O are just normal people on holiday the same as you and I.

 

What about the other 5% I hear you ask - well, it's extremely easy to avoid these people and to be honest they're good comedy fodder if nothing else. Also, the other 95% of passengers will also be laughing at them and regaling you with tales of what they said to them.

 

OMG what about formal, I don't do formal?? Very simple really - eat in the buffet on formal evenings as you don't have to follow the dress code in there. We've done this on several different cruises/ships with no problem when we just haven't felt like getting togged up on a particular evening (no cheap shots about Asda please:p).

 

We've been on Ventura once, Oceana twice, Oriana twice, and Aurora twice but none of the adult only ships so I can't comment on whether they have a different atmosphere/outlook.

 

As for the P&O Community forum JTD is right in some respects as there are some 'interesting' characters but also some really nice people as well, including me under the same screen name:D.

 

BTW, I nearly forgot DH has a tattoo and a shaved head (due to impending baldness rather than any right wing tendencies).

 

Any other questions or concerns about P&O, fire away and I'll do my best to answer.

 

Debbie:)

[Balconyandwine]

Ah Capt. Hutley - yes he is rumoured to be joining us at some point in the cruise. He was Capt on our last Caribbean cruise 2 years ago - a very personable chap as I remember;).

 

OK the low down on P&O according to me! I don't think anyone who has cruised with OV would be looked down on or considered to be a lesser human being because of it. As JTD has said 95% or so of people on board P&O are just normal people on holiday the same as you and I.

 

What about the other 5% I hear you ask - well, it's extremely easy to avoid these people and to be honest they're good comedy fodder if nothing else. Also, the other 95% of passengers will also be laughing at them and regaling you with tales of what they said to them.

 

OMG what about formal, I don't do formal?? Very simple really - eat in the buffet on formal evenings as you don't have to follow the dress code in there. We've done this on several different cruises/ships with no problem when we just haven't felt like getting togged up on a particular evening (no cheap shots about Asda please:p).

 

We've been on Ventura once, Oceana twice, Oriana twice, and Aurora twice but none of the adult only ships so I can't comment on whether they have a different atmosphere/outlook.

 

As for the P&O Community forum JTD is right in some respects as there are some 'interesting' characters but also some really nice people as well, including me under the same screen name:D.

 

BTW, I nearly forgot DH has a tattoo and a shaved head (due to impending baldness rather than any right wing tendencies).

 

Any other questions or concerns about P&O, fire away and I'll do my best to answer.

 

Debbie:)

 

 

Oh how did you guess Ilovecake? Yes Captain Swoon Hutley you lucky, lucky people LancashireCruisers. Still I have my photo of me and him taken after we got off the ship and a lot of happy memories ;)

Thankyou LancashireCruisers and JTD for being such nice P&O people, I'm glad you exist. It's not nice having insults thrown at you that you are some kind of inferior citizen because you don't like formal cruising. We won't be cruising next year, lot of family issues and the year after we are planning a big, big holiday for my DH important birthday to Australia. So maybe 2012 for another cruise.

[lancashire_cruisers]

Oh how did you guess Ilovecake? Yes Captain Swoon Hutley you lucky, lucky people LancashireCruisers. Still I have my photo of me and him taken after we got off the ship and a lot of happy memories ;)

Thankyou LancashireCruisers and JTD for being such nice P&O people, I'm glad you exist. It's not nice having insults thrown at you that you are some kind of inferior citizen because you don't like formal cruising. We won't be cruising next year, lot of family issues and the year after we are planning a big, big holiday for my DH important birthday to Australia. So maybe 2012 for another cruise.

 

I'll pass on your regards to Capt. Hutley when I see him:D. Don't worry about some of the keyboard warriors on here there's a LOT of nice P&Oers on board - you never know we may get to cruise together one day.

 

Have a FAB time in Australia

 

Debbie:)

[Balconyandwine]

I'll pass on your regards to Capt. Hutley when I see him:D. Don't worry about some of the keyboard warriors on here there's a LOT of nice P&Oers on board - you never know we may get to cruise together one day.

 

Have a FAB time in Australia

 

Debbie:)

 

 

Oh yes please do, he'll remember me - tell him we were on the Transatlantic then the last Med cruise and he walked off the ship with me. I held him up (not literally - lol) so my DH could take a pic of us. :D

Looking forward to Oz very much, although DH is saying he thinks he would prefer New Zealand - still same neck of the woods. Like you say, we may well cruise together. I'll keep my eye on where you get up to.

Have a super dooper time on Oriana. Not long to go.... Send me a review when you get back.

:)

[lancashire_cruisers]

Will do. I may even attempt a 'Cap'n Pugwash' if internet access allows.

 

Debbie:)

[geecee1]

To be honest, & I don't know if it is because it was our first cruise, but actually we thought OV 1 (old Arcadia) was about our favourite ship, lots of bars, things going on, two good alternative restaurants. Huge cabin but not enough balconies for these days. I find that P&O people, as you call them, are just the same as people on any cruise, 95% are really nice but the other 5% are truly dreadful, if you really want to meet some of the 5% try the P&O cruise forum!!

 

John, another sensible contribution to this discussion. As I said in another note we are looking at Ventura 2010/2011 in the Caribbean and will go with the 95%/5% split. I think, by then, the 5% will have deserted Ventura as they wiil not want to join "our club" as one lady contributor to an earlier thread called the P&O regulars.

[tom_uk]

...Celebrity for us probably if we carry on cruising...

 

It will be interesting to see whether the passenger mix on Eclipse is typical Celebrity, or if it will be more biased to UK passengers.

[Johnthed0g]

It will be interesting to see whether the passenger mix on Eclipse is typical Celebrity, or if it will be more biased to UK passengers.

When we went ex-Southampton before, on Constellation, it seemed to be all UK....