First cruise possibly Ventura

[Sophiedog91]

Partner and I thinking of going cruise on Ventura however I have a few reservations and wonder if these could be answered.

First, does it take an AWFULLY long time to get off the board once it is on port? I am the type of person who likes to get 'up and exploring' once I am somewhere new. I think I would hate the thought of being somewhere new and being unable to get off the boat for 2 hrs or whatever (please don't tell me it could be longer!!!!). I know you could be passing the time having breakfast etc but then when I'm ready I'd like to be able to get off pretty soon!!!

Re children - there seems to be a feeling that Ventura is a bit like Butlins - with LOTS of children around (even outwith school hols). If that is the case what other boat would anyone recommend which is a good size but not overrun with children.

Do you get enough time to have a good look at the various cities and sights or is it a case of everyone being herded on and off for a very short visit?

Hope all you experienced cruisers can give me some advice. Thanks

[Marmaduke]

I did a Caribbean cruise on Ventura last winter and it doesn't take long to get off the ship, in most cases we were able to just walk off when we were ready, even if a short queue does form at the gangway it is usually only a matter of minutes. Even the one tender port we had I spent only about five minutes queuing for the tender ticket and then I was told to go straight down to the embarkation point. I was most impressed as this was probably the speediest tender embarkation I have ever experienced at 9.30 in the morning.

 

As we were cruising outside of school holidays there were probably less than 100 children on board, if that. If you need to cruise during school holidays and wish to avoid children I can recommend Arcadia as she is totally child free.

[cottonbuddas]

First, does it take an AWFULLY long time to get off the board once it is on port? I am the type of person who likes to get 'up and exploring' once I am somewhere new. I think I would hate the thought of being somewhere new and being unable to get off the boat for 2 hrs or whatever (please don't tell me it could be longer!!!!). I know you could be passing the time having breakfast etc but then when I'm ready I'd like to be able to get off pretty soon!!!

 

You should be able to get off quite quickly once the ship has docked/moored

which might not be until 10am or even after lunch, it all depends on the itinerary.

Don't plan on being up and away at the crack of dawn if the ship is still at sea :D

[balf]

Do you get enough time to have a good look at the various cities and sights or is it a case of everyone being herded on and off for a very short visit?

 

The answer is no, you really do not get enough time to see every port/city/area you are docked in. You are certainly not herded off, but you do need to be back by "all aboard"

 

Some, where you are docked right in the city, like Monaco or Gibraltar for instance are great because you can see a lot in a day, but Rome etc. etc. between docking at say 0800 and all aboard at 1700 not including travel time??

 

Of course if you are on a tour you will see what that tour shows you. On your own it is often a good idea to look into the open top city tour busses if you want to get a general overview of a place.

 

And never ever book a Baltic cruise that only gives you one night in St Petersburg!!

 

David.

[LibraLass41]

At most ports the ship is docked by 9am, its quite rare to get a afternoon only port except for Gibraltar - but check the cruise schedule in the brochure if it says 'all day 'you will be able to get off around 9-10am... ONLY a tender port can have a delay in disembarking because you are waiting for a tender to take you to land, even then you get a tender ticket and shouldn't have to wait too long.

 

If you are worried about kids, avoid school holidays, or try Arcadia...she is child free and a lovely modern ship, I've been on her 3 times and love her.

[BrianI]

As this is your first proposed cruise, you may be thinking that a ship is like a plane or car, a means to get to your destination and then off you go. Forget that, a ship is a destination in itself and most facilities on the ship are available when in port, i.e retaurants, bars, pools, gym, spa, library, and the ship is a lot quieter when in port as many people are off the ship. However, there are still a considerable number who stay on board.

Most port days are from 8am-6pm and you can generally disembark as soon as the gangways are down, which should be at the advertised time. There will be slight variations in the docking and departure times depending on the distances to the next port and on the odd ocassion, the ship may stay in port overnight. When sailing from Southampton you generally get at least one day at sea.

Brian

[Noblemount]

No problems disembarking once the docking procedures have been completed.Even transfers by tender are dealt with very smoothly.As for it being a bit like Butlins you could be right.We were on in Jan 09 and there were a number of Children on board but to be fair they were no Problem at all.I think the problem with Ventura is that many would be Passengers are looking for an Informal Cruise .Which is not really the Case with any P&O Cruise.P&O themselves are partly to blame describing Evenings as Relaxed and Informal.When on a 14/15 day Cruise 4 Formal Nights are the norm.To my mind Ventura is perfect for the inexperienced cruiser,the first timer etc.The food is Good .Service OK. Cabins well appointed.Entertainment Mixed.I think that some of the P&O Staff / Crew find that Ventura attracts a different type of Passenger to those not normally associated with P&O.I have tried to put that as delicately as possible.As a Traditionalist Ventura is not for me but I am sure there are many people will find it to be quite enjoyable in very comfortable surroundings.:confused:

[bobarnie]

No problems disembarking once the docking procedures have been completed.Even transfers by tender are dealt with very smoothly.As for it being a bit like Butlins you could be right.We were on in Jan 09 and there were a number of Children on board but to be fair they were no Problem at all.I think the problem with Ventura is that many would be Passengers are looking for an Informal Cruise .Which is not really the Case with any P&O Cruise.P&O themselves are partly to blame describing Evenings as Relaxed and Informal.When on a 14/15 day Cruise 4 Formal Nights are the norm.To my mind Ventura is perfect for the inexperienced cruiser,the first timer etc.The food is Good .Service OK. Cabins well appointed.Entertainment Mixed.I think that some of the P&O Staff / Crew find that Ventura attracts a different type of Passenger to those not normally associated with P&O.I have tried to put that as delicately as possible.As a Traditionalist Ventura is not for me but I am sure there are many people will find it to be quite enjoyable in very comfortable surroundings.:confused:

 

 

Very well said ! Your posts about Ventura sounded like you had an axe to grind. This one is actually ballanced and informative which is what new cruisers are really needing.:)

[PianoManNYC]

Very well said ! Your posts about Ventura sounded like you had an axe to grind. This one is actually ballanced and informative which is what new cruisers are really needing.:)

 

OK, as I believe Sir Martin is on holiday, I shall have to do the honors lest people get the idea that this board is only about balance and information...

 

To the OP:

 

I've heard the quickest way off the ship is to be sitting in a sun lounger about to be thrown overboard by the Chavs!:eek: