Jump to content

What has happened to the electronics on Ventura?


The Wolfman
 Share

Recommended Posts

Just returned with the family from our 4th cruise on the Ventura in the past 18 months. Had a super time and interested to see the on-board launch of the Iona. One of the features we all love about the Ventura is the city scapes video-wall in the Metropolis Bar, it is a super bar; well run and very intimate in a lovely part of the ship given its size. My moan is that the 'wall' has been out of action now for 18 months, as has the lovely revolving art-part piece at the entrance to the bar, oh and also the onboard billing can no longer be seen on the interactive television. Every time we ask what is happening to all these electronic devices we are told it is 'in progress' mmmmm. In the meantime though they have seen fit to install a state-of-the-art games room in The Peninsular Room, that in 4 cruises we have only ever seen 2 people use. I can't help but feel that the ship is being run-down, despite its recent refit ..... and to be honest we couldn't see much evidence of that either. Hate to grumble but think we will move away from Ventura to a ship that P&O values better.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

From hanging around here reading posts it seems to be the least popular of all the ships.

 

Personally have only done a short Bruges (read booze) cruise on her, so not long enough to form much of an opinion about the ship, just the "Different" clientele, that we encountered.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yes the clientele is always a challenge (oh dear all the PC brigade will have a go now), but that is one of the reasons why The Metroplolis Bar is so different as ‘they’ don’t usually discover it and it really is rather special when the the video wall is working etc. Ah well - another nice place ‘bites the dust’ eh.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm on the Ventura in December only my second time. Both times had to change from Azura due to family things. First time in the Caribbean in 2013 I liked it but it seemed "old" and not quite right. I always enjoy a cruise but am feeling a bit deflated before I go. Already its going to be a maths cruise keeping track of onboard spend as they have removed the ability to see it on the TV. Drinks package may help that. Metropolis screens out so just a quiet bar. Hmnn excitement level falling.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm on the Ventura in December only my second time. Both times had to change from Azura due to family things. First time in the Caribbean in 2013 I liked it but it seemed "old" and not quite right. I always enjoy a cruise but am feeling a bit deflated before I go. Already its going to be a maths cruise keeping track of onboard spend as they have removed the ability to see it on the TV. Drinks package may help that. Metropolis screens out so just a quiet bar. Hmnn excitement level falling.

 

Easy enough keep track on onboard spend just ask for a statement as often as you want from reception.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Mmmmm you are certainly correct that one can keep track of on onboard spend by asking for a statement from reception, however the problem is that the other 3,500 guests are all asking for the same thing. The end result is massive question at reception at all times of the day and evening that clog-up the desk. I also forgot to add in my opening thread that two of the four stern lifts were out of order for the entire 14 days ......

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Interesting thoughts on Ventura. I don't think it's specific to that ship though. Despite her recent reift, the Arcadia's theatre lights and sound system could do with a massive upgrade. The projections are not crisp any more - it's like watching 280p when you expect 1080p.

 

 

 

I also noticed that the ring lighting rig (used during Killer Queen) was not used. There were calm seas at the time, so I'm assuming it's no longer working.

 

 

OK, I get it, it's a pricey thing to do, but surely P&O aren't that tight. And another caveat, the crew that work on the systems whilst onboard do a fantastic job of keeping it all running, but their job would be better if the equipement didn't seem like it was from the last century.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Mmmmm you are certainly correct that one can keep track of on onboard spend by asking for a statement from reception, however the problem is that the other 3,500 guests are all asking for the same thing. The end result is massive question at reception at all times of the day and evening that clog-up the desk. I also forgot to add in my opening thread that two of the four stern lifts were out of order for the entire 14 days ......

we went on ventura earlier this year and felt it was too big for us. However I have never been on a ship where you could check the spend on the tele (except a Fred Olsen ) so do not miss it at all. I usually swing by reception when I come back on board a few days in, end of week 1 and couple of days before the end. I have never joined a queue. maybe 1 person in front of me..but thats it. No massive queues of people clogging up reception. Being slightly nerdy I also run a spreadsheet on my tablet..takes a couple of minutes to complete it..so I know what our spend is through out the cruise.

Ref the poster who say people never discover some of the bars...among our favourites are always crows nest at the front high up. Will always remember being on a 2 week cruise..possibly longer and was heading into the crows nest and 2 ladies also heading in said ooh I never know this was here. maybe some people never explore the whole ship..I usually do, but only because I am constantly getting lost when I leave the cabin.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Mmmmm you are certainly correct that one can keep track of on onboard spend by asking for a statement from reception, however the problem is that the other 3,500 guests are all asking for the same thing. The end result is massive question at reception at all times of the day and evening that clog-up the desk. I also forgot to add in my opening thread that two of the four stern lifts were out of order for the entire 14 days ......

 

Reception open 24 hrs a day and you can ask for a statement at any time and very often many parts of the day in quieter times there is no queue at all as long as you miss the after breakfast rush.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I also find it slightly annoying the TVs on Ventura don’t show the bill anymore but in June we didn’t really queue much at all when we asked for print outs. If it looked busy on reception I’d go back later!

 

Re the bar at the top of the ship - we were there the first night and the lady singing said she was pleased there was a good turn out as people often didn’t find that bar til the end of the week! I couldn’t believe it but I suppose a lot happens on deck 7 in the evenings...

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

Link to comment
Share on other sites

After 2 cruises this year on Ventura I am more concerned with its stability, in wind and rough seas she lists badly to port, as though the stabilisers are not working properly.

Having just returned from Azura her stability was far superior, however the weather was perhaps less testing.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

After 2 cruises this year on Ventura I am more concerned with its stability, in wind and rough seas she lists badly to port, as though the stabilisers are not working properly.

Having just returned from Azura her stability was far superior, however the weather was perhaps less testing.

 

I was on Ventura in May this year and at that time it was also pitching and rolling quite badly. As this was our first cruise, we didn't know whether this was normal. However, since we got back, I showed lots of people the video footage that I had taken of the calm sea and the swimming pool sloshing from one end to the other and every person said this was very unusual on a ship that size. All of them had been on many cruises before. It completely put my girlfriend off ever cruising again because she felt quite sick. having said that, we have now booked on Azura for next May and while I was on the phone to P&O customer service, I asked about the movement that we had experienced and I was told that there had been an issue with one of the stabilisers. The lady said that this was one of the resons that we ended up missing out on one of the ports of call. We were told within two hours of setting sail on that cruise, that the ship had encountered a technical issue and we would not be visiting Vigo. that didn't bother us too much because we were on there to experience cruising. We absolutely loved all the entertainment, the food and the service but it was slightly marred by the excessive movement. I can only assume that the Ventura is still having stabiliser problems. Perhaps they can only fix it if it went into dry dock and that clearly can't happen if it has a full cruising schedule for the foreseeable future.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sorry to read about your experience but this is not a dry-dock fix. I was on the same cruise as you and the Captain did make several announcements as to what the problems were. He also went into detail about what was needed to fix the issue as it was a software problem and not a hardware problem. The shop sails perfectly now so don’t be put off in future.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sorry to read about your experience but this is not a dry-dock fix. I was on the same cruise as you and the Captain did make several announcements as to what the problems were. He also went into detail about what was needed to fix the issue as it was a software problem and not a hardware problem. The shop sails perfectly now so don’t be put off in future.

Maybe that was a Freudian slip rather than just a spelling mistake, what with all the Tat stalls they regularly set up around the atrium.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm on Ventura now, and the video screen in Metropolis is working. But every clock on the decks is telling a different time!

Sorry, but the screens are not working properly. There are 5 screens which are completely DEAD and the remaining screens are on half power so that while you can see some activity, the vibrancy of the colour is completely diminished. It's a bit like looking down a dark street and if you stare hard enough you can make out some movement.

Bal

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The list of maintenance required on a ship must be very large and ranked in importance with safety issues always getting priority. All these irritating things we spot are well down the list. however this may not be true.

 

A few years ago on Oceana I nearly tripped over a loose and frayed carpet seam in the aft show lounge, a trip hazard. I duly reported it to reception but nothing was done about it. I suppose they did not have any hazard tape to hold down the seam while awaiting a better repair,. Or preferred to wait until someone fell over and broke their head!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sorry to read about your experience but this is not a dry-dock fix. I was on the same cruise as you and the Captain did make several announcements as to what the problems were. He also went into detail about what was needed to fix the issue as it was a software problem and not a hardware problem. The shop sails perfectly now so don’t be put off in future.

 

I stand corrected!!

I assumed it was a mechanical fault rather than a software issue. I didn't hear any announcements from the captain regarding what the faults were. Mind you, we were having huge problems with the TV in our cabin, so perhaps when he was making those announcements, we just couldn't hear them through the TV. We did eventually get our TV fixed, but it was probably after all the announcements had been made.

Can you remember what the captain said the faults were and if so, was it to do with the stabilisers?

It certainly hasn't put me off cruising and we have now booked another for May next year on the sister ship Azura. Having said that, my other half took some convincing to ever go on another cruise. Hopefully our next one will be perfect, or as perfect as they can be.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I stand corrected!!

I assumed it was a mechanical fault rather than a software issue. I didn't hear any announcements from the captain regarding what the faults were. Mind you, we were having huge problems with the TV in our cabin, so perhaps when he was making those announcements, we just couldn't hear them through the TV. We did eventually get our TV fixed, but it was probably after all the announcements had been made.

Can you remember what the captain said the faults were and if so, was it to do with the stabilisers?

It certainly hasn't put me off cruising and we have now booked another for May next year on the sister ship Azura. Having said that, my other half took some convincing to ever go on another cruise. Hopefully our next one will be perfect, or as perfect as they can be.

 

I'm sorry your OH's first experience of cruising was not pleasant. Seasickness is horrible! However, there are lots of things available that can help - from acupressure bands, through aromatherapy mixtures to potent prescription medication. Please encourage her to give something a try and, hopefully, she will have a much better experience next time.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sorry to read about your experience but this is not a dry-dock fix. I was on the same cruise as you and the Captain did make several announcements as to what the problems were. He also went into detail about what was needed to fix the issue as it was a software problem and not a hardware problem. The shop sails perfectly now so don’t be put off in future.

 

I stand corrected!!

I assumed it was a mechanical fault rather than a software issue. I didn't hear any announcements from the captain regarding what the faults were. Mind you, we were having huge problems with the TV in our cabin, so perhaps when he was making those announcements, we just couldn't hear them through the TV. We did eventually get our TV fixed, but it was probably after all the announcements had been made.

Can you remember what the captain said the faults were and if so, was it to do with the stabilisers?

It certainly hasn't put me off cruising and we have now booked another for May next year on the sister ship Azura. Having said that, my other half took some convincing to ever go on another cruise. Hopefully our next one will be perfect, or as perfect as they can be.

We were last on Ventura in June and the stability issue was still noticeable, not as severe as we experienced in Feb/March but the weather in the Med wasn't as bad as the Atlantic crossing in March.

However we were on Azura to the Canaries last month and it was far more stable, no sign of the prevalent list to port that we still kept feeling on Ventura in June. So maybe the software is still faulty, we will find out in January when we are next on Ventura.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We were last on Ventura in June and the stability issue was still noticeable, not as severe as we experienced in Feb/March but the weather in the Med wasn't as bad as the Atlantic crossing in March.

However we were on Azura to the Canaries last month and it was far more stable, no sign of the prevalent list to port that we still kept feeling on Ventura in June. So maybe the software is still faulty, we will find out in January when we are next on Ventura.

 

I am really looking forward to our trip on Azura because lots of people have said that it seems to be much more stable than Ventura. Considering the ships are virtually identical it can only mean that the stabilisers are not functioning properly. Hope they get this software issue sorted out before your trip in Jan. I assume that when you were on Ventura in June the sea was relatively calm?

It was calm for us in May and I know that people have said you can always get quite a bit of swell, which you can't really see, but even so, It's not pleasant laying in bed at night feeling as though your feet are going above your head and the vice versa. Also, listening to the walls creaking is quite off putting. I would also assume that during a 7 night cruise, at least a few of those days would see less movement. I think there was only about two nights that we didn't feel the motion. Also, the swimming pools seemed to be closed for most days during our cruise.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now
 Share

  • Forum Jump
    • Categories
      • Welcome to Cruise Critic
      • New Cruisers
      • Cruise Lines “A – O”
      • Cruise Lines “P – Z”
      • River Cruising
      • ROLL CALLS
      • Digital Photography & Cruise Technology
      • Special Interest Cruising
      • Cruise Discussion Topics
      • UK Cruising
      • Australia & New Zealand Cruisers
      • Canadian Cruisers
      • North American Homeports
      • Ports of Call
      • Cruise Conversations
×
×
  • Create New...