Ventura A few Questions

[Javert1969]

Hi - we are going on a cruise on Ventura on 17th March from Southampton and had a question or two.

 

- Is there a logic to which nights would be gala nights of some kind?  We want to pre-book some speciality restaurants but we'd like to avoid any nights where there is a special event in the main restaurants.

 

- Is it worth pre-booking the ultimate drinks or will it be cheaper on board?

 

- What is the restaurant dress code?

[wowzz]

31 minutes ago, Javert1969 said:

Hi - we are going on a cruise on Ventura on 17th March from Southampton and had a question or two.

 

- Is there a logic to which nights would be gala nights of some kind?  We want to pre-book some speciality restaurants but we'd like to avoid any nights where there is a special event in the main restaurants.

 

- Is it worth pre-booking the ultimate drinks or will it be cheaper on board?

 

- What is the restaurant dress code?

Gala, or formal nights, are normally sea days, and will not be on the first or last nights (assuming you are not doing a mini cruise)

At present you cannot pre purchase a drinks package - it has to bought on board. 

Restaurant dress code is smart casual, except on formal nights, when many men will wear Dinner Jackets, and ladies get out the LBD or equivalent. The minimum dress requirement for a man would be a jacket and tie, although the boundaries are always being pushed,

As an aside,  no shorts anywhere in the ship after 18:00. 

[Javert1969]

43 minutes ago, wowzz said:

Gala, or formal nights, are normally sea days, and will not be on the first or last nights (assuming you are not doing a mini cruise)

At present you cannot pre purchase a drinks package - it has to bought on board. 

Restaurant dress code is smart casual, except on formal nights, when many men will wear Dinner Jackets, and ladies get out the LBD or equivalent. The minimum dress requirement for a man would be a jacket and tie, although the boundaries are always being pushed,

As an aside,  no shorts anywhere in the ship after 18:00. 

 

Ok thanks for your help.

 

So on the cruise booking site when I go in there with my cruise reference, there is an option to add drinks packages to my basket and it seems to work.  I didn't actually try to finalise it, but it lets me go to the point where I can add the ultimate drinks package to my shopping basket.  Are you saying this doesn't work, or maybe this is a newly available feature?

 

Also, regarding the gala nights, this cruise has sea days on days 2, 3, 5, 10, and 11.

 

Does this mean evenings 3, 5, and 10 would all be gala nights then?

[Josy1953]

21 minutes ago, Javert1969 said:

 

Ok thanks for your help.

 

So on the cruise booking site when I go in there with my cruise reference, there is an option to add drinks packages to my basket and it seems to work.  I didn't actually try to finalise it, but it lets me go to the point where I can add the ultimate drinks package to my shopping basket.  Are you saying this doesn't work, or maybe this is a newly available feature?

 

Also, regarding the gala nights, this cruise has sea days on days 2, 3, 5, 10, and 11.

 

Does this mean evenings 3, 5, and 10 would all be gala nights then?

Any of those days could be gala nights, the only ones guaranteed not to be gala nights are embarkation day and the evening before you disembark.

[AndyMichelle]

54 minutes ago, Javert1969 said:

 

Ok thanks for your help.

 

So on the cruise booking site when I go in there with my cruise reference, there is an option to add drinks packages to my basket and it seems to work.  I didn't actually try to finalise it, but it lets me go to the point where I can add the ultimate drinks package to my shopping basket.  Are you saying this doesn't work, or maybe this is a newly available feature?

 

Also, regarding the gala nights, this cruise has sea days on days 2, 3, 5, 10, and 11.

 

Does this mean evenings 3, 5, and 10 would all be gala nights then?

It may have changed very recently. 

There were passengers on our New Year cruise saying they had purchased the drinks package in advance. 

2,5&10 would be my guess for Gala nights but you never know. 

Andy 

 

[Rupert2251]

If

1 hour ago, Javert1969 said:

 

Ok thanks for your help.

 

So on the cruise booking site when I go in there with my cruise reference, there is an option to add drinks packages to my basket and it seems to work.  I didn't actually try to finalise it, but it lets me go to the point where I can add the ultimate drinks package to my shopping basket.  Are you saying this doesn't work, or maybe this is a newly available feature?

 

Also, regarding the gala nights, this cruise has sea days on days 2, 3, 5, 10, and 11.

 

Does this mean evenings 3, 5, and 10 would all be gala nights then?

If you login into My P&O Cruises and select your itinerary it will bring up your dates in circles. If you use the right arrow to scroll forward it will tell you the dress code for that evening. This does not work if you select the date by tapping the circle. Bear in mind that P&O can move formal nights around.

[Hampshire Steve]

We are on this cruise, Ventura is one of our favourites and will spend every night in either Epicurean, Sindhu, Glass House or the Beach House.

 

I wouldn't rush to book either Epicurean or Sindhu, if you fancy one of these on the first night there is usually plenty of space as most will be testing the MDR, from recent experience there will be deals onboard such as free house wine and/or repeat customer discount (third off I think). Once you know for sure which nights are dress nights these are normally busiest in the specialist restaurants but we have never had any trouble getting in if you phone ahead by a few hours. 

 

You can't pre book the glass house and often don't need to with the Beach House however you can book this one when onboard

 

Also take into account that the menus stay the same each night for four nights, change for four and then go back to the first, if that helps you plan something different for each visit.

[wowzz]

1 hour ago, AndyMichelle said:

It may have changed very recently. 

There were passengers on our New Year cruise saying they had purchased the drinks package in advance. 

2,5&10 would be my guess for Gala nights but you never know. 

Andy 

 

Thanks Andy - didn't realise that you could buy the package in advance now. From P&O's point of view, it makes sense to get people to buy in advance, as those who have not previously cruised with them may not have realised that drink prices are not unreasonable until they get on board.

[Javert1969]

1 hour ago, Rupert2251 said:

If

If you login into My P&O Cruises and select your itinerary it will bring up your dates in circles. If you use the right arrow to scroll forward it will tell you the dress code for that evening. This does not work if you select the date by tapping the circle. Bear in mind that P&O can move formal nights around.

 

Thanks this was really useful and actually it's even more bugged than that in that it only works the first time you click through the arrows- if you try to then go back and forward it stops working properly.  Looks like dress up nights are:

March 18

March 21

March 26

 

43 minutes ago, Hampshire Steve said:

We are on this cruise, Ventura is one of our favourites and will spend every night in either Epicurean, Sindhu, Glass House or the Beach House.

 

I wouldn't rush to book either Epicurean or Sindhu, if you fancy one of these on the first night there is usually plenty of space as most will be testing the MDR, from recent experience there will be deals onboard such as free house wine and/or repeat customer discount (third off I think). Once you know for sure which nights are dress nights these are normally busiest in the specialist restaurants but we have never had any trouble getting in if you phone ahead by a few hours. 

 

You can't pre book the glass house and often don't need to with the Beach House however you can book this one when onboard

 

Also take into account that the menus stay the same each night for four nights, change for four and then go back to the first, if that helps you plan something different for each visit.

 

This is helpful advice thank you.

 

Hope to meet you on board and let me know if you would like to meet up one night during the cruise.  Always nice to meet new people 🙂

 

[AndyMichelle]

58 minutes ago, wowzz said:

Thanks Andy - didn't realise that you could buy the package in advance now. From P&O's point of view, it makes sense to get people to buy in advance, as those who have not previously cruised with them may not have realised that drink prices are not unreasonable until they get on board.

I only found this out because there was a bit of a palaver at reception when we boarded as passengers were being told wrongly that the drinks package was not available on this cruise, even if you had booked in advance... 

It was like they had been told there was no booze for New Year... It was quickly resolved and then the very long queue started to form... 

Andy 

[Tom Baker]

7 hours ago, Hampshire Steve said:

We are on this cruise, Ventura is one of our favourites and will spend every night in either Epicurean, Sindhu, Glass House or the Beach House.

Just out of curiosity, why do you avoid the MDR?

[Hampshire Steve]

5 hours ago, Tom Baker said:

Just out of curiosity, why do you avoid the MDR?

I guess it's become a habit.

 

Our first cruise was on the Oriana in 2015, we were accosted on boarding to try the grille restaurant and we enjoyed that very much, the balance of that short cruise was in the MDR and whilst no complaints over service or food quality we thought it was, in comparison, a rushed service. I am sure some people see dining as something to get out of the way and then off to a show so I understand a need for a quick turnaround. We have seen most of the P&O shows and would prefer to have a cocktail or two then have a couple of hours over dinner then off to the Crows Nest (or Metropolis in this case) and listen to whoever is entertaining there that night. Its a bit like our desire to have lunch ashore and soak up the local atmosphere rather than join the rush back to the ship for the inclusive lunch service before it's too late.

 

Perhaps we might change, it's just our choice for now and uses up the OBC.

 

[AndyMichelle]

3 hours ago, Hampshire Steve said:

I guess it's become a habit.

 

Our first cruise was on the Oriana in 2015, we were accosted on boarding to try the grille restaurant and we enjoyed that very much, the balance of that short cruise was in the MDR and whilst no complaints over service or food quality we thought it was, in comparison, a rushed service. I am sure some people see dining as something to get out of the way and then off to a show so I understand a need for a quick turnaround. We have seen most of the P&O shows and would prefer to have a cocktail or two then have a couple of hours over dinner then off to the Crows Nest (or Metropolis in this case) and listen to whoever is entertaining there that night. Its a bit like our desire to have lunch ashore and soak up the local atmosphere rather than join the rush back to the ship for the inclusive lunch service before it's too late.

 

Perhaps we might change, it's just our choice for now and uses up the OBC.

 

Excellent Steve, that is exactly what I keep saying, we all have to enjoy our cruises in the way that we want to. 

We enjoy the mdr, late sitting on a table for 8... Other people's nightmare but it is how we have had our best cruises so far. 

I dare say our opinion will change in time, but, like you, we do what suits us. 

Andy 

[davemorton]

Would I be right in saying that if you buy it before getting on-board, it will not come out of your OBC?

[ozzysdad]

13 minutes ago, davemorton said:

Would I be right in saying that if you buy it before getting on-board, it will not come out of your OBC?

Correct, on our recent cruise it showed up immediately and took care of the bit of OBC we had, leaving the outstanding on the statement. 

[tartanexile81]

39 minutes ago, ozzysdad said:

Correct, on our recent cruise it showed up immediately and took care of the bit of OBC we had, leaving the outstanding on the statement. 

 

Sorry I'm confused by this answer. The question was - if you buy it before you get onboard, it won't come come out of your OBC but you seemed to say it came out of yours. I thought nothing you bought in advance came out of your OBC.  I've had a busy day so it may be me being a bit thick 

[John Castle]

We go for a table for 6. Tables for 8 are oval which makes inclusive conversation sometimes difficult. We have met some really nice and interesting people so this suits us personally. We also do first sitting because it gives us more dancing time and a little flexibility if we fancy some other entertainment before the dancing. It can be a problem that the Headliner shows seem to get handed around the fleet and we have seen most but at least they exchange the other acts at some ports of call.

As you say so long as we can choose to do what suits us it's fine.

[Vampiress88]

On 1/10/2020 at 4:33 PM, Rupert2251 said:

If

If you login into My P&O Cruises and select your itinerary it will bring up your dates in circles. If you use the right arrow to scroll forward it will tell you the dress code for that evening. This does not work if you select the date by tapping the circle. Bear in mind that P&O can move formal nights around.

I can’t seem to do this on phone or iPad a d I don’t have a pc 😫

[Rupert2251]

1 hour ago, Vampiress88 said:

I can’t seem to do this on phone or iPad a d I don’t have a pc 😫

Can you login to Mypocruises.com?

[Vampiress88]

3 minutes ago, Rupert2251 said:

Can you login to Mypocruises.com?

yes I can log in to my.pocruises.com. 
Asks for ref,name and dob 

it’s on my mobile tho. Gives me my itinerary soon as I log in

[Vampiress88]

On 1/10/2020 at 4:33 PM, Rupert2251 said:

If

If you login into My P&O Cruises and select your itinerary it will bring up your dates in circles. If you use the right arrow to scroll forward it will tell you the dress code for that evening. This does not work if you select the date by tapping the circle. Bear in mind that P&O can move formal nights around.

trued this using the arrow not tapping on circle and my dress codes blank 

 

[Rupert2251]

23 minutes ago, Vampiress88 said:

trued this using the arrow not tapping on circle and my dress codes blank 

 

Yes, just tried mine again and it has disappeared, it was working yesterday. Leave it a day or two, clear your history and cookies and try again later I'm sure it will come back.