Disappointing Ventura

[9stilton]

My wife & I have just returned from a Ventura cruise & we both feel compelled to let fellow cruisers know of our experience & feelings.

 

We were both very surprised to find that the cruise was more like an Ocean Village cruise than a P&O cruise. I would at the outset say that nether of us have sailed (or indeed would sail) with Ocean Village but have in the past sailed extensively with Princess, Celebrity, RC & P&O.

 

We were very surprised at the clientele on board with so many people (& kids) who simply did not have any manners & behaved inappropriately. I realise that everyones money is as good as each others but the tone on the ship was simply dragged right down. Furthermore the sunbeds, which are already crammed in far more than most other ships, were monopolised with towels from the crack of dawn & P&O refused to manage the situation at all -- save the odd note in the ships programme to respect fellow passengers, which was totally ignored. Finally whilst everyone is entitled to a drink it should not be to the detriment of fellow passengers & needless to say some of the conduct after heavy drinking sessions left a lot to be desired.

 

The food & entertainment was generally what we had come to expect, but all of the good points were far outweighed by the above issues.

 

There is a saying "let the buyer beware"!! However if you are thinking of going on Ventura & expecting the P&O experience from a few years ago then you are likely to be very disappointed, just like we were. I certainly believe that the P&O brand is being damaged in its quest to attain profit irrespective & sadly the experience is now becoming more comparable with Thomsons and no where near that offered by Princess & RC.

[cruisebore]

Which cruise were you on?

 

Cb

[Somerset Cruiser]

We were both very surprised to find that the cruise was more like an Ocean Village cruise than a P&O cruise. I would at the outset say that nether of us have sailed (or indeed would sail) with Ocean Village but have in the past sailed extensively with Princess, Celebrity, RC & P&O.

 

 

????

[jodanuke]

How can you say that it was Like an OV cruise if you aint been on one...

[Capnahab]

Hi, had the same experience earlier this year and feel Ventura is indeed being used to fill the slot left by Ocean Village. I just wish P&O would come out and say so, then we would know what to expect instead of going the ship to find out.

[dreamweaver767]

Why is it that certain folk just like to down Ventura, it as if they already feel negative before they even get on board, been on her 3 times and quite frankly I can not even think on any negatives, what I think is that she was the newest and largest ship in the fleet and the old seasoned p&os hated it, heard them whilst on her in the Caribbean last year" oh its too big,oh to many people.

 

You read about her before you book and know it holds 3000+ just don't bloody book and take yourself onto another upmarket line. Parents have down well over 20 cruises mostly on Aurora and Oriana, they just come back of the the Arcadia and I wont write about the clientèle on board. And where do you get all this Ocean Village stuff from, the market is now seeing a increase in younger people wanting to cruise things are changing, for the better I might had get over it!

 

Rant over

[blitznbobs]

Cruising has got cheaper... so more people can afford it. The solution, if you don't want 'those types' on cruises is to put the price up, and P&O of course have excellent facilities for children (when I was booking next years cruise, I said it had to be P&O or nothing as my child is 2 and no other line caters for them) So maybe they have cornered this market which is why there are so many children on board... the older clientelle will sail with anyone so that may be a wise thing to do as far as marketing goes for P &O...

 

Perhaps you should sail on one of the adult only ships.

 

Bx

[angiebabes]

We sailed on Ventura this year on our first cruise. Just me and my hubby, both in our early 40s. Kids stayed at home, We had a fantastic holiday in the Caribbean. And have so far booked to further cruises, Oceana in January 2011 and Azura next Christmas! There were no drunks or bad behaviour, hardly any children and those that we did see were well behaved. We did over hear older customers complaining the ship was too big etc, but surely they new that before booking?? It had a great age range of people and we could not fault a thing, bearing in mind we have stayed at some fantastic 5 star holidays all over the world? Just hope we enjoy our next two cruises as much as the lovely Ventura!!!:rolleyes:

[jamiedog11]

I have just come back from Ventura, and yes there was a little trouble but with over 2000 people what do you expect, p and o delt with the problem there and then and that was the end of it.

 

I had a great cruise thanks to P and o and the people who was on there, get range of ages which was great for me as travelling with my mum.

 

All i say is roll on my next p and o cruise.

[butterflytiger]

My wife & I have just returned from a Ventura cruise & we both feel compelled to let fellow cruisers know of our experience & feelings.

 

We were both very surprised to find that the cruise was more like an Ocean Village cruise than a P&O cruise. I would at the outset say that nether of us have sailed (or indeed would sail) with Ocean Village but have in the past sailed extensively with Princess, Celebrity, RC & P&O.

 

We were very surprised at the clientele on board with so many people (& kids) who simply did not have any manners & behaved inappropriately. I realise that everyones money is as good as each others but the tone on the ship was simply dragged right down. Furthermore the sunbeds, which are already crammed in far more than most other ships, were monopolised with towels from the crack of dawn & P&O refused to manage the situation at all -- save the odd note in the ships programme to respect fellow passengers, which was totally ignored. Finally whilst everyone is entitled to a drink it should not be to the detriment of fellow passengers & needless to say some of the conduct after heavy drinking sessions left a lot to be desired.

 

The food & entertainment was generally what we had come to expect, but all of the good points were far outweighed by the above issues.

 

There is a saying "let the buyer beware"!! However if you are thinking of going on Ventura & expecting the P&O experience from a few years ago then you are likely to be very disappointed, just like we were. I certainly believe that the P&O brand is being damaged in its quest to attain profit irrespective & sadly the experience is now becoming more comparable with Thomsons and no where near that offered by Princess & RC.

It really makes me laugh that people who have never cruised with OV decide that any behaviour they disagree with is from OV cruisers.

I have been on more than 10 cruises with OV and all the passengers I ever met or saw were polite well mannered people.

Oh and I am a 56 year old professional lady not a chav as many seem to think OV passenger are.

Get with the times and live and let live.

[themommy]

My wife & I have just returned from a Ventura cruise & we both feel compelled to let fellow cruisers know of our experience & feelings.

 

We were both very surprised to find that the cruise was more like an Ocean Village cruise than a P&O cruise. I would at the outset say that nether of us have sailed (or indeed would sail) with Ocean Village but have in the past sailed extensively with Princess, Celebrity, RC & P&O.

 

We were very surprised at the clientele on board with so many people (& kids) who simply did not have any manners & behaved inappropriately. I realise that everyones money is as good as each others but the tone on the ship was simply dragged right down. Furthermore the sunbeds, which are already crammed in far more than most other ships, were monopolised with towels from the crack of dawn & P&O refused to manage the situation at all -- save the odd note in the ships programme to respect fellow passengers, which was totally ignored. Finally whilst everyone is entitled to a drink it should not be to the detriment of fellow passengers & needless to say some of the conduct after heavy drinking sessions left a lot to be desired.

 

The food & entertainment was generally what we had come to expect, but all of the good points were far outweighed by the above issues.

 

There is a saying "let the buyer beware"!! However if you are thinking of going on Ventura & expecting the P&O experience from a few years ago then you are likely to be very disappointed, just like we were. I certainly believe that the P&O brand is being damaged in its quest to attain profit irrespective & sadly the experience is now becoming more comparable with Thomsons and no where near that offered by Princess & RC.

 

We too found Ventura to have attracted an element that we otherwise have not encountered whilst cruising but there have also been many good reviews - it is so very personal. We have booked Azura and hope that this will be a better experience otherwise its back to American cruise lines as the standards overall have been higher in our experience to date. Fortunately there is a cruise line to suit all.

[cruisebore]

The atmosphere on board and clientèle will vary with season and itinerary.

There are bound to be more young families with children on board during holiday periods. Caribbean cruises in deepest winter tends to attract an older crowd with fewer children, so tend to be a little quieter. So maybe a few less chavs but more who appear to have wasp sandwiches for breakfast

 

;)

 

Cb

[jocap]

Oh dear, what a shame you've not enjoyed Ventura, OV or Thomson's cruises, 9 Stilton. So many of us have, although unfortunately we missed sailing on OV. What specifically was it in your Thomson cruise which made you think of similarities with Ventura?...as we've used them both in the last few months, and perceived them as very different from each other, although the entertainment on V does almost come up to T's very high levels.

We have recently booked our 3rd V. cruise, and doubtless will be looking for another Thomson to see us through a bitter winter. Good luck with your next choice-I'm sure there's a ship out there for you! ;)

Jo.

[Hal 500]

We were on the same cruise on Ventura and whereas I agree that the cheaper prices have attracted a "new era of cruisers" - 16 wedding groups on this particular voyage - we both thought that the ship, facilities, staff, accomodation and particularly the food were superb.

 

For those people who picked up a late bargain ( and there were many ) - it resulted in what would normally be regarded as a luxury holiday becoming very affordable.

 

The sunbed issue certainly needs to be addressed by P&O. Their official line was that although they did not monitor the reservation of the beds, they encouraged the passengers to "self police" the situation by removing towels etc which had been placed on beds which were unoccupied after 30 minutes. Passing the buck in this way would no doubt lead to a confrontational situation which we feel is unfair. It definitely caused ill feeling amongst the cruisers who clearly missed out on finding a lounger despite being up fairly early.

[tom_uk]

 

The sunbed issue certainly needs to be addressed by P&O. Their official line was that although they did not monitor the reservation of the beds, they encouraged the passengers to "self police" the situation by removing towels etc which had been placed on beds which were unoccupied after 30 minutes. Passing the buck in this way would no doubt lead to a confrontational situation which we feel is unfair. It definitely caused ill feeling amongst the cruisers who clearly missed out on finding a lounger despite being up fairly early.

 

I can honestly say that I have heard this very point expressed to the very highest levels of P&O management. On our Ventura cruise in May we were joined at dinner by Carol Marlowe, and this point was put to her as a major problem. Here's a link to the blog entry I made at the time.

[geecee1]

Hi, had the same experience earlier this year and feel Ventura is indeed being used to fill the slot left by Ocean Village. I just wish P&O would come out and say so, then we would know what to expect instead of going the ship to find out.

 

If only they would!!

It may come as a surprise but you can enjoy cruising without the formal evenings.

Most OV pax we have met on 3 Caribbean cruises, have been well-behaved, well dressed people who like having FUN on holiday.

I feel that most of us would pay a premium for the experience. Indeed, we are on Ventura in December, having paid less for a balcony cabin than we paid for outside cabin on OV.

[geecee1]

We too found Ventura to have attracted an element that we otherwise have not encountered whilst cruising but there have also been many good reviews - it is so very personal. We have booked Azura and hope that this will be a better experience otherwise its back to American cruise lines as the standards overall have been higher in our experience to date. Fortunately there is a cruise line to suit all.

 

Well, in my 68 years, I have been called many things but not an "element" as I have been persuaded to try Ventura on the recommendation of some posters, many of whom I would regard as professional people from all sectors of business.

Unfortunately, since the demise of the OV ships, there is not" a cruise line to suit all".

My wife and prefer fly cruises to the Caribbean on British ships, from local airports, with few sea days, hence our switch to Ventura as the only alternative to the OV ships.

[geecee1]

My wife & I have just returned from a Ventura cruise & we both feel compelled to let fellow cruisers know of our experience & feelings.

 

We were both very surprised to find that the cruise was more like an Ocean Village cruise than a P&O cruise. I would at the outset say that nether of us have sailed (or indeed would sail) with Ocean Village but have in the past sailed extensively with Princess, Celebrity, RC & P&O.

 

We were very surprised at the clientele on board with so many people (& kids) who simply did not have any manners & behaved inappropriately. I realise that everyones money is as good as each others but the tone on the ship was simply dragged right down. Furthermore the sunbeds, which are already crammed in far more than most other ships, were monopolised with towels from the crack of dawn & P&O refused to manage the situation at all -- save the odd note in the ships programme to respect fellow passengers, which was totally ignored. Finally whilst everyone is entitled to a drink it should not be to the detriment of fellow passengers & needless to say some of the conduct after heavy drinking sessions left a lot to be desired.

 

The food & entertainment was generally what we had come to expect, but all of the good points were far outweighed by the above issues.

 

There is a saying "let the buyer beware"!! However if you are thinking of going on Ventura & expecting the P&O experience from a few years ago then you are likely to be very disappointed, just like we were. I certainly believe that the P&O brand is being damaged in its quest to attain profit irrespective & sadly the experience is now becoming more comparable with Thomsons and no where near that offered by Princess & RC.

 

As an OV veteran, let me say that I have yet to witness seriously bad behaviour on any of our Caribbean cruises( including one in 2007 over the Feb half -term). Yes, some people had one or two too many(including yours truly) and children will be children. But the OV ships were famous for the relaxing, laidback approach to cruising which attracted a new breed of passenger.

It is interesting that you refer to Princess Cruises as superior to Ventura in terms of behaviour.

Whilst in Barbados in 2008, alongside Sea Princess, stories of drunken behaviour and "sunbed wars" were the talk of our crew who had friends working on her.

The captain had to put two families ashore during the cruise.

Inappropriate behaviour can manifest itself anywhere, I know, I have played Golf for 50 years and witnessed behaviour that would certainly offend some the sensitive souls that wax lyrical about the P&O experience.

[angelosbambino]

My wife & I have just returned from a Ventura cruise & we both feel compelled to let fellow cruisers know of our experience & feelings.

 

We were both very surprised to find that the cruise was more like an Ocean Village cruise than a P&O cruise. I would at the outset say that nether of us have sailed (or indeed would sail) with Ocean Village but have in the past sailed extensively with Princess, Celebrity, RC & P&O.

 

We were very surprised at the clientele on board with so many people (& kids) who simply did not have any manners & behaved inappropriately. I realise that everyones money is as good as each others but the tone on the ship was simply dragged right down. Furthermore the sunbeds, which are already crammed in far more than most other ships, were monopolised with towels from the crack of dawn & P&O refused to manage the situation at all -- save the odd note in the ships programme to respect fellow passengers, which was totally ignored. Finally whilst everyone is entitled to a drink it should not be to the detriment of fellow passengers & needless to say some of the conduct after heavy drinking sessions left a lot to be desired.

 

The food & entertainment was generally what we had come to expect, but all of the good points were far outweighed by the above issues.

 

There is a saying "let the buyer beware"!! However if you are thinking of going on Ventura & expecting the P&O experience from a few years ago then you are likely to be very disappointed, just like we were. I certainly believe that the P&O brand is being damaged in its quest to attain profit irrespective & sadly the experience is now becoming more comparable with Thomsons and no where near that offered by Princess & RC.

 

Actually, what qualifies you to comment and offend the many of us who have cruised on many cruise lines around the world, but thoroughly enjoyed coming home to Ocean Village, as it was like putting on a pair of comfy slippers after a hard days work.As you say, you were not fortunate enough to experience OV , so please do not rubbish the brand or people who have enjoyed her many times.

On the many occasions we have sailed on ov and ov2, we have never seen or heard any bad behaviour. Yes, some people enjoy a drink,as they would on any other ship,because they are ON HOLIDAY !!!

We would all love the brand to continue so we could all be spared the "pompous&0bnoxious" bores.

For the record we had dinner with P&O,S HOTEL DIRECTOR, and the situation was ov was designed to intrduce peole to cruising and then move up to other ships.in reality, p&o pax regularly moved on to ov.Thats why it had the most repeat pax of any cruise line.

We are shortly to enjoy ventura and will try not to compare with ov because both are offering something different.May try princess again next so let us know which floating "library" you are likely to be sailing on and we will all tiptoe round you in case you are not happy hearing pax enjoy their holidays ....sssshhhhh

[MattyBarlow]

The worst person i have ever met on an OV cruise was an upper class tosspot that claimed to be a regular on Aurora.

 

With prices for the rest of the year starting at £800 for two weeks including flights to Barbados, you are going to get a whole new deomgraphic of cruiser. And so what, its a free country!

[GixxerGal]

I too have been FORCED to book Ventura for our Jan holiday --Its not by choice as a happy OV-er I would have stayed loyal to the brand-- Never had a problem in 9 cruises. The Informal friendliness she offered along with only 1 sea day a week .. and long port times was excellent value for money --.

We have never sailed Carribeean soo cheap as the price we have paid for Ventura..... I dont know if the prices have been reduced, or they have allways been low :confused: . I just hope we enjoy as much as the terrific times we had on OV ships

 

To the original poster - seeing as you have sailed with other brands - did it not occur to do homework for Ventura ?

 

 

And as for bed towels - It happens not just on cruisees but the world over ....

(must add OV deck boys tagged beds with towels and books on and returned after half hr. if the **owner** was not on it .. then their items were removed and taken to Lost property or wherever- and the beds were given to those waiting with towels for a bed.

 

I dont relish the thought of having to remove someones belongings and then be in a possible confrontation position-- :eek: -

[cruisebore]

Hi

We are due to cruise on Ventura in the next week or three. In order that I don't inadvertently criticise ex OV passengers for any social misdemeanour's or possible loutish behaviour I could witness, would they please wear a badge signifying their cruising provenance. Thanks in anticipation ;):D

 

Cb

[themommy]

The atmosphere on board and clientèle will vary with season and itinerary.

There are bound to be more young families with children on board during holiday periods. Caribbean cruises in deepest winter tends to attract an older crowd with fewer children, so tend to be a little quieter. So maybe a few less chavs but more who appear to have wasp sandwiches for breakfast

 

;)

 

Cb

 

I so agree, we love to have fun and enjoy our cruise to the full but draw a line at bad behaviour. I have spent my life in rugby circles and can party with the best and I want my cruise to be great fun. We sailed on Oceana in the winter during term time and the wasp sandwiches were definitely in season, the behaviour of those was equally disgraceful!

[daiB]

HELP

 

Whatever can we do? will we have to cancel? Undesirables on Ventura and what is worse children!!!

 

No one told us! and we have booked in what turned out to be the Easter holidays. A total disaster.

 

They must give us our money back. Our cruise is ruined already.

 

 

 

A very unhappy

 

 

Dai

[angelosbambino]

The atmosphere on board and clientèle will vary with season and itinerary.

There are bound to be more young families with children on board during holiday periods. Caribbean cruises in deepest winter tends to attract an older crowd with fewer children, so tend to be a little quieter. So maybe a few less chavs but more who appear to have wasp sandwiches for breakfast

 

;)

 

Cb

 

dont think this is a fair generalisation of cruise pax....we dont fit in either category.......do you !!