My First Time Guide to the P&O Ventura

I recently found out with only a week’s notice that I would be escaping Scotland’s refreshing, sub-zero temperatures to embark on a 2 week Eastern Caribbean adventure on-board the P&O Ventura.

As a Ventura virgin, who generally adopts a more ‘backpacker’ approach to travel, I found myself frantically pestering my good friend Google on all the necessary need-to-knows about P&O’s style of cruising. I was on a mini-mission to ensure that myself, my purse and my suitcase were suitably prepped for my journey aboard this unfamiliar vessel.

That said, one often learns in the school of travel that there is only so much which can be ascertained prior to the experience itself; much of what you need to know will be revealed along the way. Unless, that is, amidst the multiple online sources and infinitely long forum posts, lies a one-stop-info-shop straight from a former first timer… like me!

So I give you – the insider’s info, the desirable details, my top tips for holidaying on the Ventura.

What to Pack

Clothes for the daytime are easy peasy – pack exactly as you would for a normal beach holiday. For my 2 week trip I packed a few sundresses, 2 bikinis, plus shorts and t-shirts for the days we ventured into the rainforest. Most of your daytimes will be spent exploring the destinations so duplicated outfits are not a worry, you’ll be lucky if the same people see you twice!

In the evenings, which are spent on-board, the dress code is ‘smart casual’. This applies to both the waited and buffet restaurants. While this has to be slightly more formal than your beachy daywear, it is by no means pretentious. Men are asked however, to wear trousers as opposed to shorts.

During our sail, there were 4 optional black tie evenings (these coincided with the days we spent ‘At Sea’). A suit and shirt for men, and cocktail dresses or ball gowns for women.

Now ladies, this doesn’t mean you have to rush out to invest in an expensive dress (unless you want to of course!) – I saw women in catsuits, maxi dresses and dresses which had most likely been worn previously to a wedding or special occasion.

I’m not overly glamorous by any means so didn’t purchase anything new, and I never felt underdressed.

Also, if you don’t feel like indulging in the black tie festivities at all, just head to the buffet restaurant where you can abide by the standard evening dress code.

You DON’T need to pack a hairdryer or a beach towel if you don’t want to, you’ll find both waiting for you in your cabin. For anything you’ve forgotten or need to replenish, there are a selection of shops on-board which sell toiletries, various essential items, clothes, make-up, you name it! Also, the plug sockets in the cabin are for British adaptors, HOORAY! (I always forget travel adaptors).

What’s Included

Budgeting is naturally at the forefront of people’s minds before setting off on holiday. The beauty of cruising is that all food is included and in abundance! Food is available almost 24 hours a day; Breakfast, Lunch, Afternoon Tea, Dinner and Late Snacks from 9.30pm – 6am.

Pizzas can be made to order from the Frankie’s Grill & Pizza during the day by the poolside. The same applies to fast food items such as burgers, hot dogs and fish goutons from the Poolside Grill on the deck.

Complimentary tea and coffee is available all day from the Waterside buffet restaurant, or from the comfort of your own cabin.

Glasses of water are available at no extra charge all day from the buffet restaurant and poolside bars, and also during meal times. Bottled water incurs a charge.

Optional Extras

Should your inner-consumer be craving some spending therapy, there are multiple means of treating yourself.

• Dine in a choice of 3 specialist restaurants which offer celebrity-chef-inspired set menus and multiple course taster menus from £30pp.
• Opt for an extra special dish on one of the standard meal menus for a supplementary charge. The ‘Cook your own Beef Fillet on a Lava plate’ for an extra £6.50 was money well spent!

• Swap machine coffee for a barista coffee courtesy of Costa (prices similar to at home).
• Indulge in a relaxing spa treatment. I found the single treatment prices pretty exorbitant, however there are specials and spa packages advertised in your daily Horizon cruise-paper which feature far more attractive prices.
• Book a shore excursion for your next destination (I did this by myself when I arrived at the port or online to save money however. You pay for the convenience and agent advice on-board).
• Cut your calorie count with a fitness class at the gym, priced at £5.80 (there are some free classes too though!).
• Purchase a photograph as a souvenir. The on-board photographers are always around, paparazzi-style to document your trip. I’m rather camera shy unless I’m under the influence so frequently fled the scene! ha ha.

Drink Prices and Tabs

I found the drink prices to be surprisingly reasonable considering the captive position you’re in, being out at sea and all!

Sample drinks menus can be viewed here and are not dissimilar to pub prices in the UK.

There are also multiple purchase specials available for stocking up the fridge in your cabin, plus daily ‘Sail Away Cocktail Specials’ for £3.95 and bottled beers for £3 in the dinner buffet restaurant.

Absolutely everything purchasable on-board is paid for through your cruise card and accumulated on a tab. Tabs usually strike me as a potentially dangerous system, one which often results in the kind of surprise you don’t want. Luckily, your bill can be viewed at any time through the television in your cabin so that you can monitor your expenditure as you go. Simples! The final balance will be automatically deducted from the card which you registered before embarking the ship.

Tipping

An automatic tip of £3.50 per passenger per day is added to your on-board tab, and can be viewed on your bill as a total amount for the trip from the moment you arrive on the ship (again this prevents any surprises or expectations at the end of your trip). This is distributed between all the front-line staff who serve you personally and also for people behind the scenes who you don’t see. This can be removed or reduced by Reception upon request but I certainly didn’t grudge it. You can also tip service staff directly if you wish, but this is not compulsory. We left a nice tip at the end for our lovely Cabin Steward called Nevis for doing such a good job and for his ever friendly demeanour.

WiFi

WiFi is available throughout the ship, but being satellite operated it’s certainly not free! It is charged at 50p per minute or for more excessive users (like myself) there are packages – £35 for 110 minutes or £62.50 for 250 minutes. You are warned that the internet speed is temperamental but I found it perfectly reasonable considering we were out at sea. To save your minutes I would recommend writing any emails or Facebook posts etc. before you log on, then just copying and pasting.

If you can live without WiFi until you’re on dry land, there is every chance you will find it nearby for free. On the itinerary I travelled on there was free wifi in the majority of the ports. The trick is to use it first thing in the morning when you arrive – EVERYONE uses it before they board the ship again in the evening and it slows down the connection speed. Mornings also suited the time difference between the Caribbean and UK, maximising the number of jealousy induced, freezing Facebookers I exposed my holiday snaps too. Mwuhahahaha!

Anything Else?

• To keep you in the loop and to allow you to plan your time, ‘The Horizon’ cruise-paper is delivered to your cabin in the evening for the following day. It’s your guide to all the ship’s entertainment, nightly dress code, buffet dinner theme and will also provide you with port information, general cruise tips and any important announcements. Try to carry it in your bag so that you always have the entertainment schedule to hand and don’t miss any events which tickle your pickle.
• I’m the Queen of Croissants and after observing the breakfast situation throughout the trip I realised that these wee pastry delights are hot in demand and snapped up very quickly! If you’re opting for a lie-in you’ll likely have to settle for a roll. TRAGEDY!
• Cruises traditionally targeted and attracted an exclusively older audience, and although the majority of passengers on the Ventura did fall in to this category, there were a number of young families on-board. Nearly all evenings are spent on-board the ship, so if you’re looking for hip hop happening night life and lots of current music then this likely isn’t the holiday for you. I did thoroughly enjoy the shows in the Arena Theatre which featured some super talented singers and dancers, and there were various live music acts and comedians too to keep you entertained. There wasn’t really a late night drinking establishment which I considered worthy of staying up for, so more than anything I saw this cruise as an opportunity to recharge my batteries, get some extra beauty sleep and to relax in my cabin or on my balcony.

Have you been on a cruise before? What are your top tips?

I travelled on the P&O Ventura courtesy of London based cruise gurus – Iglu Cruise

The Ventura spends the summer months in Europe and the winter months in the Caribbean

For more details about the ship plus the itineraries and prices, click here

All of my opinions and random ramblings, as always, are completely my own