Ventura without kids?

Thinking of doing Ventura in 2009. When would be the best time to ensure there were little or no kids on board? Love to sit by the pool, but hate when there are loads of kids shouting and screaming and splashing.

Thinking of doing Ventura in 2009. When would be the best time to ensure there were little or no kids on board? Love to sit by the pool, but hate when there are loads of kids shouting and screaming and splashing.

I can't be totally certain but of you avoid July and August and the School Holidays it should minimise the the number of kids on board. Those with school age kids should be able to give you better idea as when the holidays are, as I have lost touch. With Ventura being so family friendly you won't ever get it kid free. It's obvious, but the only way to guarantee "no-kids" it is to book the adults only ships, Arcadia and Artemis.

My wife and I are booked on N818A Caribbean repositioning cruise departing on 24/10/2008 and anticipate that there will be a minimal number of kids on board. If this is the case it will mean we can have more goes on Scalextric and Cirque Ventura. :D

Eddie

Well, we'll know more about the passengers Ventura is actually attracting by this time next year, of course. However I would expect that families with children are high on their target list, what with Noddy and all.

That said, I would have thought that cruises outside the school holidays, and longer cruises, would be more likely to have fewer children. Most likely to have lots of kids would be a mid-August 7 nighter to the Iberian coast; least likely might be a 14-nighter to North Cape in May/June, or a 16-nighter to the Eastern Med in October.

Have you thought about child-free Arcadia? - lots of balconies, still a fairly new ship, and looking at the 2008 brochure there seems to be a lot of commonality between Ventura & Arcadia cruises.

To tell you the truth, I thought Arcadia looked so ugly! LOL But yes it's a good idea. Have you been on Arcadia and did youlike her? Not cruised with P&o before, but doing Artemis this September.

 

My wife and I are booked on N818A Caribbean repositioning cruise departing on 24/10/2008 and anticipate that there will be a minimal number of kids on board. If this is the case it will mean we can have more goes on Scalextric and Cirque Ventura. :D

 

Eddie

Only if you can get Paul of the Scalextric first!!! :rolleyes:

To tell you the truth, I thought Arcadia looked so ugly! LOL But yes it's a good idea. Have you been on Arcadia and did youlike her? Not cruised with P&o before, but doing Artemis this September.

I did a two nighter on the Arcadia. Never again. Dreadful ship - depressing decor, and abysmal food. Total waste of money.

For those who make the (reasonable) point that a two nighter isn't the way to judge a ship, I'd point out I have done exactly the same itinerary on QE2 and it was excellent.

Matthew

To tell you the truth, I thought Arcadia looked so ugly! LOL But yes it's a good idea. Have you been on Arcadia and did youlike her? Not cruised with P&o before, but doing Artemis this September.

No I haven't - in fact, right now I haven't been on any P&O ship (but you'll see from my sig that we've got two P&O cruises booked).

Arcadia seems to polarise opinion sharply. Some people really don't like her, other really love her. I think I would like Arcadia, and I have her in mind for 2009.

Jean

Totally disagree with Matthew. Arcadia is not dreary - she's contemporary, and modern - ok sh'es not glizy and over the top like other ships, but she has lovely modern clean cabins, a wonderful hydropool and spa, a good sized theatre and NO KIDS, so quiet relaxing times around the pool with a cocktail and dining in the restaurant - food is fab!,and in Arcadian Rhodes or the thai Orchid.

see photos here:

http://picasaweb.google.com/AuroraPartyCruiseSueV/AllAboutArcadia

Can't compare to the very elderly soon to be retired QE2, but I've done two 14n cruises on her with a 16n cruise in a couple of months and love her.

Ventura - well, she is being marketed as a family ship, so there will be children.... I will be on her on 12th Sept for a 2nighter to look around but doubt if i would do a longer cruise on her, as love adult only.

Sue

echat if you want: Libralass41@aol.com

On a recent Oceana cruise in the West Indies there were only 43 children on board 0-17 Our experience is that there are never many children on these cruises apart from Christmas & New Year, and possibly half term weeks.

I can't see Noddy or Scalectrix making any great difference when Ventura does her winter season in the West Indies.

Cruisebore

Hi Sue, that's good to know. Ventura seems very pointed at children, so think I will give it a miss. I've read an awful lot of reviews of Arcadia saying the food is tepid which is not a good point. However, if my food was brought to me tepid, I'm afraid I would send it back politely and ask for it tobe hot. You only need to do that twice and I guess it doesn't happen again.

Thanks for the info

Well, I've never had a tepid meal on Arcadia, the meals are wonderful and hot, I've never had to send one back. There is a site called www.cruisereview.co.uk where people post their reviews, go to pando /arcadia for mostly fab reports.

here is a menu from a gala night: One of the formal nights,

CAPTAINS GALA DINNER

Scottish smoked salmon with new potato and caper berry salad

Hot asparagus mousse with asparagus spears in a butter sauce

Goats cheese and spring onion parfait with oat cakes

***********************************************************

Cream of pumpkin soup with cream and ciabatta croutons

chicken and sweetcorn soup

**************************************************************

Champagne sorbet

**********************************************************

Glazed lobster thermidor with saffron rice

Fillet of beef with red onion marmalade with porcini mash and pink peppercorn sauce

Duck with a grand marnier and orange sauce

Roast venison with juniper berry sauce and fondant potato

mushroom leek and pine nut pancakes with a glazed watercress and gruyere cheese sauce

All served with cauliflower cheese, spinach, delmonico potaotes

********************************************************

And if you aren't full

Hot chocolate fondant with white chocolate sauce served with fudge ice cream

Selection of lemon miniture desserts

Selection of ice cream with sauces

Comport of apricot in a sangria syrup

********************************************************

Cheese and biscuits

*****************************************************

Coffee and assorted chocolate truffles

**************************************************

A LAY DOWN

*********************************************************

Sue

Travel during term time and during the exam season to really be sure to avoid the teens.

Another good time is the first week of term early Sept... as few parents want their darlings to miss first week in a new class etc. The tinys seem to spend all their day in the kids club in fact some parents have trouble getting them our of there.

:)

Hi Sue, that's good to know. Ventura seems very pointed at children, so think I will give it a miss. I've read an awful lot of reviews of Arcadia saying the food is tepid which is not a good point. However, if my food was brought to me tepid, I'm afraid I would send it back politely and ask for it tobe hot. You only need to do that twice and I guess it doesn't happen again.

 

Thanks for the info

Hi Jean,

I vote for Arcadia as well, never had lukewarm food and going on her in July, again.

However Ventura looks fantastic. I think you have to look beyond the hype regarding children because if the kids clubs are that good as they are on Aurora and Oriana you will never see the little blighters.

We are giving her a go in Jan of next year on N902, we are on 'Geordie One' from Newcastle. I doubt if there will be that many children on that cruise.

I must admit however that I am not bothered one way or the other regarding children. So we book Arcadia because we like Arcadia and not because there are no children.

:):)Happy Cruising:):)

:cool:

Dai

Well, I've never had a tepid meal on Arcadia, the meals are wonderful and hot, I've never had to send one back. There is a site called www.cruisereview.co.uk where people post their reviews, go to pando /arcadia for mostly fab reports.

SORRY, this link is the wrong one, should be www.cruise.co.uk

Sue

Very few dishes should be served "Hot".

Very fine shoreside restaurants do not state this as a rule (although the Wateride Inn, in Bray, does/used to) as gourmonds readily understand this. Not tepid, not hot, but warm (except for cold dishes obviously!)

Avoid school holidays (remember the Scots and Northern Irish start the summer holidays earlier).

Longer durations have less children.

Bear in mind that away from the school holidays the few children on board have the run of the childrens areas and are very well catered for and occupied (as indeed are the 350+ young of the species you will find on board during the summer holidays).

Taking the above into consideration I think you limit your choce unnecessarily by pluming only for an adult ship, althugh I can understand if you can only cruise in August or Christmas)

Avoid the weekenders too, be they family or adult only ships - these can be pretty dreadfull.

Sorry duplicate post

Hi - thanks for all your comments. I have read quite a few reviews of Arcadia and about 5 of them said the food was awful, served tepid and the entertainment was grim. LOL

Hey ho, I will keep reading.

Well I've read another 10 reviews on the site given above, but it's still 50/50 with some thinking the food is great and others saying it's terrible! LOL Also comments regarding racism between the white staff and the Asian staff. Not nice.

The commissioning Purser on the Arcadia, in 2005, said that you would love her or hate her. Some would adore the contemporary design and others would regret the loss of a classical decor.

50-50 would seem about right.

As for kids, well, on our Arcadia cruise we didn't miss 'em. :)

On an August cruise, different line, we missed them with difficulty.

On one occasion as I was moving back off the coffee machine I had to move sharply forward again as mother, in the food line, backed into me. I lifted the coffee cups up and away. This was just as well as her 5 year old son backed between me and the coffee machine. Situational awareness NIL:mad:

On another, mother on pool lounger but adjacent to the fore and aft pathway, son, about 3-4, backs up to other side of pathway. At the instant that I start through the gap - yes drinks (cold) again - son launches forward right under my tray.:eek:

Next time I think I shall just throw the tray in the safest direction and roll the other way to avoid the ankle traps. When mother gets soaked :D

And so on. No young children in Jaccuzzi? Admiring grannie allows charming youngster to go snorkelling in it!

Hmmm, yes. I'm on holiday. I don't have kids and I don't want to holiday with them either. Wouldn't mind if they were well-behaved but most of them aren't. I think I;ll give Arcadia a go. A holiday is what you make it. I'm sure we will enjoy it. Trying Artemis first in September.

I have just had lunch with a cruising friend who spent 3 weeks on the new Cunard Queen Mary and hated it and said the food was better on p&o..!!

You will read replies good and bad on ALL ships not just Arcadia.

The food was well prepared and at the right temperature. I can assure you.

Sue

(Who has eaten at lots of good restaurants including Rick Stein, Rhodes , and John Burton -Race)

Jean

Did you see my photos on the link i gave on the earlier post on this thread?

I have left my email address too if you want some more info on Arcadia.

Know a good TA too if you want some cheap quotes,

Sue:cool:

I can't be totally certain but of you avoid July and August and the School Holidays it should minimise the the number of kids on board. Those with school age kids should be able to give you better idea as when the holidays are, as I have lost touch. With Ventura being so family friendly you won't ever get it kid free. It's obvious, but the only way to guarantee "no-kids" it is to book the adults only ships, Arcadia and Artemis.

 

My wife and I are booked on N818A Caribbean repositioning cruise departing on 24/10/2008 and anticipate that there will be a minimal number of kids on board. If this is the case it will mean we can have more goes on Scalextric and Cirque Ventura. :D

 

Eddie

We have also booked on this transatlantice cruise and I found out yesterday that the first week is half term! I personally would not take a child on a ship with so many sea days so maybe it will be okay. We have booked late sitting club dining so hopefully most children are either on freedom dining or early club.

Its okay to say book on a child free ship, but that normally costs a lot more?

Sue, have e-mailed you and thanks a lot. The pics look great. I think it's a definite!