Ventura Cruise N023

[DorsetMandM]

We are going on our first (taster) cruise in September on Ventura (N023) to Portugal, Spain and France to see if this is for us. We would appreciate any views people have on taking a cruise like this to test the water (so to speak). Also what is the ratio of formal nights to semi formal/semi casual on a 7-day cruise. Thanks.

[Thejuggler]

This cruise was our first one last year. We chose it as a cruise which was more about the ship rather than the destinations - we were only interested in Lisbon.

 

Vigo looked nice, but as we arrived on a Sunday and Spain still believes it's a day of rest most of it was shut, La Rochelle was changed to Le Verdon which is a bit on a limb, but the seaside town they bus you to was pleasant and we should have stayed on the ship in Brest.

 

You will have two formal nights and 5 casual, the first formal was the second night and this is preceeded by the Captain's address, IIRC the second was evening 5. Ventura doesn't have semi formal nights.

 

Bay of Biscay was like a mill pond both ways, roughest stretch was leaving Lisbon, but that was only force 4.

 

We must have enjoyed it as we are going on Ventura again in a couple of weeks.

[Brayman]

 

Vigo looked nice, but as we arrived on a Sunday and Spain still believes it's a day of rest most of it was shut,

 

Ha Ha, we arrived in Vigo on a Saturday morning a couple of weeks ago and I expected it to be heaving BUT everything was closed except for the shopping mall next to the port.

 

Looks to me like Vigo is definitely a port where an excursion is needed!