Great Time on Ventura

[idparky]

I thought I would post this message to try to put people's minds as rest if they are going on Ventura. Do not listen to all the moaning, instead read our very long and honest diary of our cruise on Ventura here :-

 

http://www.cruisecritic.co.uk/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=45629

 

You can also see some great photos and video here :-

 

http://web.mac.com/idparkinson/Adriatic/Welcome.html

 

Have a great holiday and try not to listen to the moaning people onboard, I think it is their only pleasure!

 

Ian

[stopgo]

I don't think anybody takes any notice of " moaning " by other posters, I would be seriously concerned if anybody did.

[idparky]

I don't think anybody takes any notice of " moaning " by other posters, I would be seriously concerned if anybody did.

 

It is more the moaning onboard that is the problem.

Especially when you have to sit with them!

We were very lucky with our table in the evening, a great bunch of people.

A few lunches were not so great, it seemed the only enjoyment some people can get is to be critical about others. What is worse is when it is just plain factually incorrect!

[milky-bar-man]

What a great review ! Thanks very much, its taken most of the day to read - but really informative and entertaining too. Shame about those T.B's who stole the cocktail glasses !!

[Gerrym]

I thought I would post this message to try to put people's minds as rest if they are going on Ventura. Do not listen to all the moaning, instead read our very long and honest diary of our cruise on Ventura here :-

 

http://www.cruisecritic.co.uk/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=45629

 

You can also see some great photos and video here :-

 

http://web.mac.com/idparkinson/Adriatic/Welcome.html

 

Have a great holiday and try not to listen to the moaning people onboard, I think it is their only pleasure!

 

Ian

 

 

Ian, great review, thank you.

 

So are you suggesting that we ignore anyone that moans or gives negative feedback and only listen to positive feedback?

 

 

Cheers

 

Gerry

[tom_uk]

So are you suggesting that we ignore anyone that moans or gives negative feedback and only listen to positive feedback?

 

I personally wouldn't ignore it, but I'd think about it and decide whether it was relevant to me or not.

 

There's a world of difference between saying "This ship is too big" on the one hand, and "I can see her good points, but having tried her I find her too big, and I'm back to Oriana next time" on the other. The latter comment recognises that there might be some redeeming features in a larger ship - more space for facilities, for example - but that on balance the speaker is happy to give up those advantages for the smaller size. That's fair enough. But the first comment draws a general conclusion from a personal preference, and presents is as an unavoidable fact.

 

Here's another thing: in most cases, the moaners we came across were definitely 'glass-half-empty' people; we never heard them say anything good abut Ventura, just the bad things. As it happens, there were things we didn't like on her, e,g, Exchange - too smoky, we're not karaoke participants nor do we watch sport TV programmes - but we didn't let that bother us, we simply found another place to go (Metropolis and Ramblas, mainly). And when we were asked 'what do you think about Ventura?' we talked about our positive experiences. If pressed we might mention the things we didn't much like, but always in the context that we were having a good cruise, and these 'bad' things weren't affecting our enjoyment.

[idparky]

Ian, great review, thank you.

 

So are you suggesting that we ignore anyone that moans or gives negative feedback and only listen to positive feedback?

 

 

Cheers

 

Gerry

 

No I'm not suggesting you ignore it, but just try to temper what is being said.

 

I have read many reviews which complain but give no positive comments at all. They are not reviews the are moans. A review discusses the good and the bad, as my review did.

 

My biggest issue has been with people onboard who seem to enjoy moaning about absolutely nothing, sometimes simply because the ship is not like another.

 

I can't remember the number of time I heard "It is not as good as Oriana".

Well I went on Oriana the year before and to be perfectly honest I preferred Ventura. One complaint from the same people was about The Bay Tree restaurant only being accessible via stairs and lifts at the stern of the ship. These people who 'preferred' Oriana must have missed the fact that The Oriental restaurant on Oriana is accessed in the exact same way. Uneducated moans are the worst.

 

Queues did exist but they were most often caused by people not arriving at the time specified or just queuing for the hell of it, even when not required. Why for instance queue outside your designated Club Dining room at 18:15, when you have a guaranteed table and it opens at 18:30, then moan about queueing. This happened every day!

 

People queued to get off, because they got in the queue BEFORE the designated time on their ticket, causing a queue that need not exist.

 

Many of the so called issues on Ventura were caused by the passengers.

Take for instance the reserving of Sun Bed (which we never use), you would see them sat empty for hours a day with books and towels on them. While other people struggled to find empty ones. It is selfish and typical.

 

P&O delivered a superb holiday for us, in spite of many other passengers being selfish and thoughtless. e.g. Smoking in non smoking areas, not using waste bins, litter, feet on furniture, stealing glasses and generally anti-social behaviour. And typically these are the people who will be doing the complaining.

 

We sat next to one family and overheard them complaining that the bar staff would not serve alcohol to their 15 year old son. So they bought him the drinks and when they went to bed and left the son up, they then complained when staff asked the son to return to the cabin at 4am in the morning. They actually said "I think they expect us to look after our kids 24 hours a day"!

 

Ian

[AbbyCruise]

They actually said "I think they expect us to look after our kids 24 hours a day"!

 

That 'thud' you just heard - that was the sound of my jaw hitting the floor.

[idparky]

That 'thud' you just heard - that was the sound of my jaw hitting the floor.

 

Exactly!

[AbbyCruise]

I shall be onboard Ventura in May (my first cruise in over a year so I am already gettng exvcited about it). I do appreciate balanced reviews such as yours, Ian, but I also take the view that the worst day sailing is better than most days on shore. (And I say that having sailed across the dreaded Bay in a force 11 storm with gusts of force 12 - I have to say it really didn't seem that bad).

[LibraLass41]

idparky

 

'New ship to the fleet' bashing seems to be a preferred past-time of experienced cruisers..

When we were on Arcadia in 2006 a year after she set sail, the ship had lots of moaners like you encountered 'its not like Oriannnnnna. or Auroraaaaaa' at breakfast which really dragged you down after a while... I suppose these passengers went back to their favourite ships after 'trying her out', and now exactly the same is happening on Ventura, and no doubt will occur again on Azura.

A lot of moaning was moaning for the sake of it...like your good example of queueing 1/4 hr before doors open at the dinner restaurant and moaning about queueing!

 

P.S. I quite liked Ventura too.

[stopgo]

I don't think its moaning, more a way of starting a conversation with a complete stranger. The British are hopeless at this aspect of engageing fellow passengers, its easier to start a conversation with a negative than a positive.

[LibraLass41]

Just read your review - we did the same cruise on Arcadia this year, a few different ports (had Alicante instead of Malaga)

 

Dubrovnik was very very crowded too for us when trying to get a shuttle bus back to the ship, with even a fisty-cuff fight of elderly men trying to squeeze into a shuttle bus, there was no queueing system inplace, no one to help direct people, so when a shuttle bus came along people surged forward and the queue collapsed. We lost our place 3 times and missed buses... scarey.

 

We enjoyed similar menus as well at dinner - no complaints really.

 

 

We have never shown our passports at Southampton customs, so not unusual for that to happen.

 

great review,

thanks

Sue

[LibraLass41]

I don't think its moaning, more a way of starting a conversation with a complete stranger. The British are hopeless at this aspect of engageing fellow passengers, its easier to start a conversation with a negative than a positive.

 

 

good point!

[LibraLass41]

Fantastic photos - each one worthy of a postcard, here are mine:

My photos of cruise on this link:

 

http://picasaweb.google.com/AuroraPartyCruiseSueV/VeniceCruiseMay2008#

 

Cephalonia and Venice were the highlights for me, especially the gondolier men lol!!!

[Vampire Parrot]

On our first Arcadia cruise, we were on a table with a guy whose favourite expression was "Well, she's not the Oriana". I was so tempted to say "Yes, I know, the clue was seeing 'Arcadia' on her bow as I boarded." I didn't... but in the future, I will.

 

He also complained one evening that the boar and apple sausages were "Just like the ones from Morrisons". So I turned to his wife and said "These are delicious! Exactly which ones do you buy from Morrisons?" His wife broke into a grin... he gave me a stare that had my wife trying to stifle a fit of the giggles :cool:

 

My wife and myself enjoy baiting folks who complain all the time....

 

VP

[Gerrym]

On our first Arcadia cruise, we were on a table with a guy whose favourite expression was "Well, she's not the Oriana". I was so tempted to say "Yes, I know, the clue was seeing 'Arcadia' on her bow as I boarded." I didn't... but in the future, I will.

 

He also complained one evening that the boar and apple sausages were "Just like the ones from Morrisons". So I turned to his wife and said "These are delicious! Exactly which ones do you buy from Morrisons?" His wife broke into a grin... he gave me a stare that had my wife trying to stifle a fit of the giggles :cool:

 

My wife and myself enjoy baiting folks who complain all the time....

 

VP

 

How sad!

[idparky]

How sad!

 

Sounds like a great idea to me, we will have to give it a try on our next cruise.

 

It is just as easy to start a conversation by saying "We are having a great time on this cruise, especially because of ......". How hard is that? Much better than being negative.

[Vampire Parrot]

One of the best things about baiting moaners is that within a few days, they realise that we aren't agreeing with them and so stop moaning - and in most cases, actually start talking about the things they are enjoying.

 

We've been lucky, in that we've been on a few cruises and only twice had a real moaner on the table. (Did I really just say that??!!) :eek: :rolleyes:

 

VP

[Gerrym]

One of the best things about baiting moaners is that within a few days, they realise that we aren't agreeing with them and so stop moaning - and in most cases, actually start talking about the things they are enjoying.

 

We've been lucky, in that we've been on a few cruises and only twice had a real moaner on the table. (Did I really just say that??!!) :eek: :rolleyes:

 

VP

 

 

I cannot people really go through life like this. I am gobsmacked that people spend all that money for a cruise and instead of just chilling they go seeking 'moaners'.

 

Bloody hell, give me the moaning table any day.

[stopgo]

Its impossible to moan about anything on the Ventura its just too good an experience.

[Gerrym]

Its impossible to moan about anything on the Ventura its just too good an experience.

 

 

Are you OK, has a troll taken over your account? You seem to be very busy last night?

[Gerrym]

Its impossible to moan about anything on the Ventura its just too good an experience.

 

 

Agreed the music on the Ventura is way too loud, its impossible to talk at poolside for it.

 

 

 

I see !

 

:D

[stopgo]

I stand by the first statement, the music just needed turning down which they did when I asked.

[Gerrym]

Stopgo, were you bored yesterday evening?