We have just returned from cruising to Madeira, the Canary Islands and Lisbon on Ventura. After reading many negative reviews in recent months relating to all ships across the fleet I began to think that we wouldn’t enjoy the cruise even though we had a five week cruise on Ventura last year and had a great time. I needn’t have worried, we had a wonderful cruise. Embarkation was quick and the ‘Welcome On Board’ lunch was lovely.
Our cabin steward made himself known to us shortly after we arrived in our cabin and kept it spotless throughout the cruise. It was a deluxe cabin on D deck, mid-ship, and was in good condition. We had a problem with the hot water having a brown tinge to it but I mentioned it at Reception and it was quickly sorted by a plumber.
We have always chosen Freedom Dining and prefer a table for two, but don’t like to eat too early. By going along to the Saffron Restaurant about 6.30pm we had a pager and were usually seated at the table we asked for between 7.15 and 7.45. We always received a warm welcome when we entered the MDR but our waiters, Sherwyn and Jai deserve a special mention. They were always smiling and efficient, nothing was too much trouble and the service excellent. There was a good choice, the portions were plentiful and the food was hot. I had read that other passengers had to wait ages for drinks in the MDR on other cruises but in the Saffron orders were quickly taken and drinks promptly delivered.
This also applied to all the bars we went to - The Red Bar, The Glass House, The Tamarind and The Metropolis. We saw no signs of any staff shortages and all of the crew that we came into contact with had a smile and were happy to chat.
We had read bad reports about the buffets on the ships but, although we only used it at lunchtime or in the afternoon, we were quite happy with it. In fact it was much improved on last year. There was usually a good choice of rolls, the prawn ones were really nice.
Leon, the Entertainment Manager, is very good at his job and it was lovely to be able to enjoy proper sail-aways again.
We decided to self disembark which went very smoothly and we had picked the car up from CPS by 8am.
The one thing I do miss are the ‘Port Talks’ and the port leaflets. I found these to be both interesting and informative and really looked forward to them on sea days. Hints and tips were given on getting the best from the port and slides provided a better idea of what a particular shore excursion would be like.