Britannia v Ventura

[paphoslady]

We are new to P& O (but not cruising) having sailed just once on Britannia to the Fjords last month. We had a great time and are now considering another cruise with P & O. My question is how does Ventura compare to Britannia. We loved the Glass House on Britannia and despite being a large ship we found lots of quieter places to sit. We liked the modern feel of Britannia too. Any insight from experienced P & O cruisers would be much appreciated.

[majortom10]

It is only my personal opinion but Britannia every time for me far better than Ventura.

[yorkshirephil]

We have cruised on both and find them very similar in most respects. The only way to find out is to book and enjoy.

[brillo]

Look at which itinerary you prefer the ships are both good.

[Rupert2251]

Sailed on both ships. Britannia is our personal favourite but we also liked Ventura. Go with the flow and book it, it's nice to experience different ships. Enjoy!

[DamianG]

There was a recent discussion on this same subject:

 

[Cristaltips]

Personally,  Ventura every time

[wowzz]

Not keen on the small balconies and lack of prom deck on Brittania.  Plus, too many pax! 

[smj777]

C Deck balcony our favourite on Ventura.

 

Edited July 4, 2019 by smj777
Missed a bit!

[davecttr]

Ventura has the Glass house which is the best bar on the ship. The one on Britannia is IMO rubbish. Ventura also has a prom deck

[Denarius]

Ventura is imo much better overall than Britannia. But Azura is better than Ventura.

Ventura/Azura feel like real ships and are just about on a human scale. They have promenade decks and you feel a real connection with the sea, which is often visible from inside the ship. Briannia feels like a hotel with a rooftop swimming pool and a shopping mall. Not like a real ship at all!

[tartanexile81]

17 minutes ago, davecttr said:

Ventura has the Glass house which is the best bar on the ship. The one on Britannia is IMO rubbish. Ventura also has a prom deck

I feel exactly the opposite. The Glass House on Britannia lives up to its name and is a beautiful modern bar. We ate there 4 times in 14 days.  On Ventura it was designed as Las Ramblas Bodega and it still looks and feels like that. Shouldn't be called a Glass House.

 

I think if you really like the modern feel you should choose Britannia paphoslady, as Ventura is a slightly older ship. However if I preferred the itinerary on Ventura, I would go with it

[Presto2]

We really didn't like Ventura but having had a wonderful cruise on her sister ship Azura we decided to give her another go and stay in the same cabin on Ventura we had in Azura. If that makes sense.

Love Britannia and would prefer her to Ventura

Would say I would be happy to go on her to Azura,

If that makes any sense at all.

I am rambling - ha ha

[Britboys]

I love this sort of thread because they really show how we all like - and feel very differently about - individual ships.  I've not been on Britannia or Ventura but have been on Azura twice and hate her.  Unlike Denarius, I don't feel Azura is like a real ship at all and on both occasions thought she was hideously overcrowded.  I have always thought from photos that Britannia's interiors look lovely but I'm afraid I don't want to chance being on a ship with up to around 4000 other pax thanks.

[davecttr]

6 hours ago, tartanexile81 said:

I feel exactly the opposite. The Glass House on Britannia lives up to its name and is a beautiful modern bar. We ate there 4 times in 14 days.  On Ventura it was designed as Las Ramblas Bodega and it still looks and feels like that. Shouldn't be called a Glass House.

 

I think if you really like the modern feel you should choose Britannia paphoslady, as Ventura is a slightly older ship. However if I preferred the itinerary on Ventura, I would go with it

The reason I don't like the Glasshouse on Britannia is P&O have turned it into a restaurant with a smallish bar. On Ventura and Azura the original concept remains which is a relaxed  informal bar that also sells food. They even remain informal on formal nights, despite what is written on the P&O site.

[terrierjohn]

6 hours ago, tartanexile81 said:

I feel exactly the opposite. The Glass House on Britannia lives up to its name and is a beautiful modern bar. We ate there 4 times in 14 days.  On Ventura it was designed as Las Ramblas Bodega and it still looks and feels like that. Shouldn't be called a Glass House.

 

I think if you really like the modern feel you should choose Britannia paphoslady, as Ventura is a slightly older ship. However if I preferred the itinerary on Ventura, I would go with it

Ventura's Spanish outdoor style Glass House is one of the reasons we consider her to be our favourite P&O ship, but I agree with you they should never have bothered changing the name, Las Ramblas was perfectly acceptable, and it would be nice if they changed it back. 

[Rupert2251]

7 hours ago, wowzz said:

Not keen on the small balconies and lack of prom deck on Brittania.  Plus, too many pax! 

How can you say this when you have not sailed on her? Ok it is just your opinion but if you have not tried how do you know.

[ann141]

WE like both Britannia and Ventura but Britannia is our favourite P and O ship particularly because of the modern feel to her which you mention you liked.Ventura is lovely but rather tired .If you like to sit out on your balcony you may prefer Ventura as the balconies are larger(particularly those on C deck)We like the choice of entertainment on Britannia but tend to choose a cruise based  on the Itinerary so our next couple of cruises are on Aurora and Arcadia

[tom_uk]

If you’re comfortable with bigger ships then either of these will suit you. There are however differences between them. In my view the atrium on Britannia is better. Also there’s a wider range of onboard activities on Britannia than on Ventura, eg the Limelight Club. And like others I preferred the Glasshouse on Britannia (and Azura) to that on Ventura, which still looks like the original Ramblas bar. (Mind you, I quite like the tree...) And of course Britannia has its Crows Nest.

 

 You’ll note that pretty much all of those listed above are internal things. Ventura’s advantages are more to do with the external features. First, balconies are generally a bit bigger, and in the case of C and D deck cabins, considerably so. Secondly, there’s the Promenade. if you’re prepared to go up the steps at the forward end of the deck you can do a full circuit of the ship, via the best place on the deck - the Clamshell at the bow. On Ventura (but not Azura) one of the main pools has a retractable roof for use during colder weather. And i’ve always enjoyed the aft Terrace area.

[wowzz]

36 minutes ago, Rupert2251 said:

How can you say this when you have not sailed on her? Ok it is just your opinion but if you have not tried how do you know.

Its one of the advantages of Cruise Critic. You can see from the reviews that the balconies are considered small. The lack of a prom deck and the number of pax are just factual and indisputable truths.

Edited July 4, 2019 by wowzz

[Eglesbrech]

Both have their good points and their drawbacks and some of them will have more impact depending on where you are planning to cruise to and what you like to do.

 

The lack of a proper promenade on Brittania for example would be a drawback (for me at least) on a cruise with lots of sea days. You can’t get a decent walk on Brittania while Ventura has a nice prom.

 

The tiny balconies on Brittania have no space to spread out if you want to sunbathe, to get decent space you need a suite. Ventura deluxe cabins have large balconies and even the standard cabins are a reasonable size balcony.

 

Both have issues with lifts. Brittania because of the lack of mid ship stairs and Ventura as one of the restaurants is effectively land locked so you need to go up and over which is not an issue if you can use stairs but means a wait for those who need lifts eg after dinner.

 

Personally I think Ventura feels more crowded at times as people are herded along a main corridor which is like Sauchihall St on a bad day when shows or dinner finishes.

 

Ventura is older and not as fresh as Brittania and Brittania has some extra facilities like the cook school, Limelight etc.

 

Brittania balcony prices are usually more competitive (less space) than Ventura as she has no outside cabins.

 

I would happily sail on either ship taking the above into consideration.

 

 

[majortom10]

In my opinion people should only give an opinion and advice if they have been on both ships. It is not right or fair to give an opinion when you have never set foot on of the ships and you are only giving out second hand information or hearsay which can often be wrong.

[majortom10]

14 hours ago, wowzz said:

Its one of the advantages of Cruise Critic. You can see from the reviews that the balconies are considered small. The lack of a prom deck and the number of pax are just factual and indisputable truths.

Perhaps so but you should only pass on your own experiences and not others that you do not have any idea if they are accurate. If you think that Britannia is not for you that is fair enough but to pass on your opinion when you have never set foot on Britannia is totally wrong.

[amfc_lenny]

I've not sailed on Ventura, but have sailed on Azura and Britannia.

 

I think you'd enjoy them both, but personally I preferred the bigger balcony, promenade deck and the tiered aft of the Azura/ Ventura class. It somehow does feel more of a ship, perhaps the prom deck and also the hidden clam prom deck at the front of the ship.

[Eglesbrech]

5 hours ago, majortom10 said:

In my opinion people should only give an opinion and advice if they have been on both ships. It is not right or fair to give an opinion when you have never set foot on of the ships and you are only giving out second hand information or hearsay which can often be wrong.

I presume that this post was not headed in my direction as I have been on Ventura numerous times and on Brittania twice?