THE SHIP IS BEAUTIFULL IT IS VERY VERY LARGE, FOOD LOVELY BUT THE SERVICE ISNT BRILLIANT THE STAFF THEY HAVE ONBOARD WORK REALLY HARD BUT THEY HAVE NOT GOT ENOUGH ESPECIALLY WHEN THEY ARE FULL TO CAPACITY WE ALL KNOW IT IS A FAMILY SHIP BUT SOME OF THE CHILDREN RUN ROUND OUT OF CONTROL NEARLY RUNNING INTO WAITERS HOLDING TRAYS OF DRINKS, ITS NOT FAIR ON THEM, I DONT THINK IT WILL BE AS BAD OUT OF SCHOOL HOLIDAYS THOUGH. BEING SMOKERS OURSELVES WE DID GO IN THE EXCHANGE BAR AND THE VENTILATION IS AWFULL WHY DONT THEY JUST HAVE A BAR FOR SMOKERS THAT IS NOT A WALKTHROUGH FOR OTHER PASSENGERS ITS SILLY THAT THEY MADE IT HALF SMOKING AND HALF NONE SMOKING SURELY OUT OF THE TEN BARS ON SHIP ONE COULD HAVE BEEN MADE A SMOKING BAR OUT OF THE WAY SO IT DIDNT BOTHER OTHER PASSENGERS AFTER ALL IT IS OUR HOME FOR TWO WEEKS AS WELL . WE DIDNT GET SUNBEDS ONCE DUE TO PEOPLE SERVING THEM, THE SHIP NEEDS ONE ADULT POOL, THE CHILDREN HAVE ALL THE REST SO ITS NOT TOO MUCH TO ASK. FREEDOM DINING DIDNT WORK WELL AS YOU HAD TO BOOK THE DAY BEFORE USUALLY BEFORE 5.00 FOR THE NEXT DAY SO QUITE OFTEN WE JUST ATE IN THE BUFFET. THERE WERE A GROUP OF US SO WE DID HAVE A FANTASTIC TIME AND THIS IS OUR FIRST TIME WITH P&O WE WILL TRY THIS SHIP AGAIN BUT NOT BEFORE TRYING DIFFERENT ONES IN THE FLEET AS EVERYBODY THOUGHT THE OTHER SHIPS A LOT BETTER.

Our rooms were kept clean and tidy - well as tidy as you could get with two children. The rooms were quite tight with twin beds and two pull downs with ladders I still have the bruises. But the pull downs/ladders are put away during the day and we did not spend much time in room anyway. Francis our cabin steward was excellent and very pleasant. The restaurants were kept very clean apart from the carpets in the buffet restaurants they are very dirty and stained already and the ship is not that old.
The food (which we were told all comes from one kitchen) is excellent - we never had a poor meal and there was plenty of choice. The service in the restaurants is excellent and you did not have to use the buffet restaurants if you wanted to be served and not self served. Most of the staff were excellent and very helpful. The only staff who I thought were not like this were the drinks waiters - some were great but a lot were not very pleasant but that was a minor thing. The Havana is more of a family bar with a lot of children. It was nice to see the children doing their talent shows and getting involved with games etc - the childrens clubs were excellent, we never saw the children much - which at first we felt guilty about but then you value your quiet time together. The entertainment on the whole was excellent. There was always something in one of the rooms to watch. The sunbed situation was a big problem and does need sorting. P&O think it is up to us to sort it out if someone had not used a sunbed for an hour - I disagree with this I think it is them who sorts it out and at the end of the day if people start reserving sunbeds others will follow suit just so they can get one. I did hear that a family were asked to get off the ship at Barcelona because of a row over sunbeds - this may have just been rumours but they did cause a lot of bad feeling. We all loved the ships and apart from the sunbed situation we did not find much fault. Even though we have learnt that once we are near retirement we have to pay a lot of money to go on a cruise ship then spend the 14 days complaining to anyone who will listen that we have had a horrible time and it is the worst ship we have been on - I am not saying everyone in that age rage was like this but there were a lot. Mainly complaining about there being too many children on board - they must have found it quite odd to book a cruise that clearly stated it was a family choice and was in the school holidays and then come on to find lots of children on board enjoying themselves.

Just got back off the ventura(magical mediterranean 18th july - 1st aug)what can i say, this was our first cruise.The ship itself is amazing,really clean and nicely decorated.We was on freedom dining which was a bit misleading as we were lead to believe that we had choice of 11 restaurants when in fact we could only go in the cinnamon restaurant which was very nice and the staff were very friendly and helpful,couldnt do enough fot you in fact if there wasnt anything on the menu that you liked you could just ask them for what you wanted and they would get it for you,the only problem we had with this was that you would go down and every night they would ask if you had a reservation if not you would get put on a table of 10,so we decided to go as soon as it opened at 6 just so we could get a table for two.The food was first class and it was presented really nice.We tried to get booked in the white room but they were fullybooked from day 1,got talking to someone who managed to get booked in twice though they said the food was ok but same type of class as in the cinnamon and wasnt really worth paying an extra £20 per person.Couldnt get booked in east as they said they were fully booked yet walked past a few times and was only about 6 people in.Went to frankies a couple of times during the day but wasnt really impressed as they only had about 3 choices of pizza and didnt do ham and pineapple.The breakfast buffet in the waterside was really nice and had a large selection of choice from a full english down to fresh fruit.The evening entertainment was good most nights but then was rubbish for 3 nights in a row.The arena was packed with unsuppervised children who would sit there dripping wet as went straight from swimming pools and then would shout at the waiters which we saw a few nights,there was also alot of underage drinking going on.Went to the adults only pool but that was a joke as it was full of kids!there was 3,500 on board and we get told that 800 were kids,glad were not on the next one as there is going to be 900.The main problem with this ship is that the children are unsuppervised on a night as there parents let them do there own thing,plus they are given the free run of the ship,there wasnt one bar where there werent allowed to go in.Waiting for a lift was another problem as the kids would press the buttons on them and run up the stairs!I nearly got knocked down because of the kids running around.The organised trips were really good and worth every penny especially the marineland in cannes.We were on b deck and got to no our cabin steward canute who was really nice and very helpfull,we got clean towels everyday and the cabin was spotless.The other problem with this ship is that if you wanted a sunbed you had to be up before 8 as they were all saved even though it tells you not to do this,this could be solved by someone coming round and taking everything off.The reason for not sailing on here again is because of the amount of children who were so disrespctable for others and the ship,yes i no this a family ship but that didnt bother me it was the minority of kids whos parents let them do there own thing and had no control over them,we were told by staff that some kids were still up till 4am running around!

We sailed on Ventura on 18th July to 1st August, 2008 first time we have sailed with p&0. Thought the ship was too big and too many badly behaved children teenagers in particular running wild at night parents just seem to leave them to their own devices! Some parents had to put out an announcement for their 15 year old at 3am.! Our cabin was good size and comfy kingsize bed steward Zavier was excellent. Sun beds was an issue mainly due to inconsiderate passengers heard of one woman reserving 5 on one side of the ship and another 5 on other for when sun moved round! Dissapointed that classes for pilates and Yoga were £21 for 3 classes. Yoya didnt happen both times not enough interest.
Afternoon tea was lovely fresh scones, tea cakes cakes, sandwiches in Saffron restaurant. Food on the whole was very good. Highly recommend East was brilliant went twice small menu but well worth it presentation lovely and good service! Went to whites no atmosphere food ok but not worth the supplement!!Tried balcony dining was very poor order was wrong both maincourse and starter said we could eat both by the time my husbands main was delivered vegetables were stone cold canapes were not served and photography dept didnt know about free photo need to get there act together head of catering phoned and apologised next day no reduction in £100 price though! Chaos when got back to Southampton trying to get car stupidly thought as they parked your car they would return it to you got soaking wet jobs worth woman shouting at us to get out of the way as passengers were queing in the road not a nice end to the holiday. Ship was too noisy for us may try an adult only cruise and smaller ship. Was full too capacity not enough seats in public areas. Agree with comments regarding exchange bar cigarette smoke is horrible avoid walking through there at all costs. Personally would like to see a non smoking ship butts were left all over the decks every evening not pleasant !

THIS SHIP IS MASSIVE,ITS A FAMILY SHIP SO MOST COUPLES WOULD NOT GO ON IT AGAIN.WE THOUGHT THE CAPTAIN WASN,T VERY SOCIABLE AT ALL YOU NEVER SEE ANYTHING OF HIM,HE DOESNT TELL YOU MUCH UNLIKE OTHER CAPTAINS.WE ARE GOING ON THE AURORA LATER THIS YEAR WHICH WE HAVENT HEARD A BAD WORD AGAINST.THE SHOWS WERE VERY GOOD,3 A NIGHT THEY WILL BE TIRED OUT IN NO TIME.ENJOYED OURSELVES BUT WOULD NOT GO ON STIS SHIP AGAIN

the main problems were to do with organisation of the new Free roaming dining system it does not work. The competition for tables was immense, the volume of people trying to grab a meal was quite something to behold - butlins - we were astonished with the pushy and rude behaviour of some of the people. Children were allowed to roam the ship monopalising every pool. The Ventura was obviously built for maximum profitt and not for comfort or enjoyment. I do believe P&O can see the end to high standards as most people can afford to cruise, and they can`t filter out those that have little regard for standards. P&O never never again - it will make you profits, however at what a cost.! It will be common to cruise in a few years, who wants common.?

The ship was very clean and fresh but then "Ventura" is very new. Our cabin was pleasant, well planned, comfortable and kept very well serviced by our steward. Sadly, we never got to know him as the cabin was mysteriously always tidied even if we only left for half an hour. The balcony was fine but the chairs were disappointing so upright and not for relaxing. Silly, as this would have allowed people to sunbathe there and relieve the dreadful congestion on the decks by the very small pools.

My dream of a cruise was to sit by a pool in the shade looking out to sea with a cocktail and good book. Not on this ship we only managed to get a sunbed twice in two weeks and that was after 3 o'clock. At 7.30am beds were being bagged with towels. At Reception I was told pool attendants would not touch peoples personal items but as the towels belonged to the ship this was an untruthful and ludicrous answer especially when on the television it stated that there were NO pool attendants. Even the tiny 'adult' pool was invaded by children. No thought has been given to the danger of sunburn as no shade whatsoever has been provided for on the sun decks you either fry or get off the deck.

We enjoyed the entertainment in the Arena Theatre the group was excellent but again you had to get a seat very early or not get in at all. Many could not be bothered to sit and wait. There was a good variety of talks with guest speakers. The problem with the design of this ship is that everywhere is walked through and when you are listening to a talk or a piano recital passengers are wandering through chatting and laughing. Not their fault they are just enjoying their day the design is at fault. Same with "The Exchange" this is the smoking area and walking through there was revolting especially now we can now breathe easily in pubs it was more offensive to have to use this area. It is in this atmosphere that bingo, racing and daily quizes are carried out so non smokers have nowhere else to join in these activities. Even smokers we met said it was a terrible area to be in. The "Havana" was used mostly for children activities but it was not an area we went to much as it was restrictive viewing for the stage with high barriers in front of you,most peculiar.

The food and service was in general very good in the dining room there was some excellent meals but then with some poorly cooked meals. Fish was often overcooked and therefore dry. Service was very good every evening. Up in the self-service restaurant it became a bit boring and repetitive and very difficult at times to get a table. Wonderful salad bar and with plenty of fresh fruit.

We intended to enjoy this cruise no matter what and overall we did but we would not return to this ship as it is too large, has too many people on board with too little facilities for the amount of passengers it has to cater for. We would like to try P & O again as while talking to fellow passengers they had many good things to say about other ships. So we will try another cruise

this was our first cruise on po we picked the ventura for the canarys delight,we found it easy getting on board at southampton,my husband has a electric mobility scooter\small car boot type.the cabin was on p deck 224 inside it was very clean with two towel change's each day the cabin steward was very nice and helpfull,we were seated at a table for ten luckily they were all very nice people and we all got on well,six of us even went to show's and a drink together the food was not as good ,nicely pesented but a bit bland they received quite a few complaint's we beleive,it got better the second week,the soup was like oxo,the show's were quite good,but you had to go early to get a seat we went to the 8 .45pm .we found the food in self service a bit boring,except the breakfast's their was a good selection,all the pools were full of children ,teenagers'even the one for adult's and were very noisey,we were told by people who had done quite a few cruises some had done up to ten and twenty cruises they hated it the food was of poor quality there were no nice lounge's etc,to sit in if you have children then this is the ship for you they are well looked after their is every thing for them,if you run out of cigarettes just go to the exchange bar a smoker's paradise,we were told that the ship was built for family's,and if you did not like children on board then this one is not for you, but it would be a poor do if we all the same .

For a ship advertised as a family ship we found it lacking with regards to evening entertainment for families with small children (2yrs). The daytime activities for children were excellent however with very friendly staff, perhaps a regular (more than once a week) family disco would have done the trick but most of teatime activities took place just as my son was waking from his afternoon nap and in no mood to go play! There were too many passengers crammed in and when we attempted to see a show in the theatre it was packed full. We were told by others that to get a seat we had to be there 45 minutes before the start-no good! Unfortunately we will not be going on ventura again, general organisation was clearly lacking!

Just returned from a fantastic holiday aboard Ventura to the Baltics. This was our 3rd P & O cruise and we loved it just as much as the previous cruises. When we arrived at Southampton and had our first glimps of Ventra we just couldn't believe her size, she is enormous. Our Room was on the 12th Deck, spotlessly clean and we really liked the new layout, with the bunks sunk into the ceiling, our Cabin Steward (Joseph) was lovely. We thought the food in the buffet restaurants was really good, some mornings it was a bit crowded, (probably worse on port days as most people were leaving the ship on trips), but with a bit of patience we always found a seat. Our main dining room was the Saffron, which we really enjoyed, but due to the fantastic facilities the Den had to offer we rarely were accompanied by our children. We managed to have a meal in East and I must say both the service and the food was fantastic. Our waitress (Lisa) was lovely, so cheerful and nothing was any bother to her. It was well worth the cover charge. The White Room was equally as nice. The entertainment most nights was great, a few of the comedians were a bit flat, but the main comedian Gary was fantastic, I believed that he filled the Theatre every time and the mind reader had people baffled for days. The trips were fantastic, although we were a bit disappointed not to get into Copenhagen, due to the weather ??? Not to sure what they meant because it didn't look that bad, but who am I to say. St.
Petersburg was wonderful I think it must be one of the most beautiful cities I have ever seen, and the sail away from here and also Warnemunde left a tear in your eye. Frankis Pizzaria was a favorite with the kids, staff really friendly. The kids club on board was, in the words of my children, "absolutly minted" they had a ball and hated the thought of having to go ashore incase they missed anything. The only down side was that we were on second dining and liked going to the late shows but the kids club closed at 11 the shows didn't finish until 11.30, which left them in limbo till we got back. We loved Ventura and will certainly cruise on her again. The only criticism we would have was of the rudeness of some of the older passangers and way that they spoke to the waiters in the Waterside/Beach House had me cringing and most of the time it was because there were no clean teaspoons (use the other end of your fork if you have too). The way they treated the children also was a bit sad, they only have to check the brochure and where it states FREE CHILDREN they should avoid it like the plague if they are going to complain that "the children are making too much noise in the pool" or the classic that our neighbour pulled our 10 year old son up for was to stop letting the cabin door bang closed. Another we heard was a passenger complained that there was no Molton and Brown in the bathroom (bring you own)!! Or the lady that complained that there was a gap on the floor as you stepped out of the lift (approx 0.5 of a Cm) because someone might see up her skirt - I had a good laugh at that one. All-in-all we loved the Ventura and like any other new ship there will be a learning curve, but a year down the line i'm sure it will all be plain sailing.