Please tell me Ive booked the right ship!!

[cuzzie]

Hi all, I have been reading alot of reviews and Im now wondering if Ive done the right thing? :confused: We are booked on Ventura in January 2012 and I have read that the service is awfull on freedom dining, the food is terrible and often cold? No fresh eggs - cooked to order for breakfast :eek: I could go on....This will be our 4th cruise 2 with Fred Olsen and last year with RCCL... Its our wedding anniversary on board too!!!

[littlesteelo]

Reading reviews is the worst thing to do in my opinion. A cruise is what you make it, not what some moaner in a review makes it out to be. I highly doubt the food is served cold, and from what I have heard, freedom dining is fine. You get two types of reviewer, one who goes open minded and enjoys their cruise to the full, not being bothered by tiny little things, and one who nit picks for every little slip up, and only writes about those bits. With any cruise line there are going to be little mistakes here and there. If they were as bad as the reviews make it out to be, P&O would be out of business! I'm on Ventura in 10 days, and can't wait. :)

[NSWP]

Reading reviews is the worst thing to do in my opinion. A cruise is what you make it, not what some moaner in a review makes it out to be. I highly doubt the food is served cold, and from what I have heard, freedom dining is fine. You get two types of reviewer, one who goes open minded and enjoys their cruise to the full, not being bothered by tiny little things, and one who nit picks for every little slip up, and only writes about those bits. With any cruise line there are going to be little mistakes here and there. If they were as bad as the reviews make it out to be, P&O would be out of business! I'm on Ventura in 10 days, and can't wait. :)

I concur, I do not read cruise reviews any more, too many whingers, whingeing about the most insignificant issues. Nothing in life is perfect, likewise on a cruise ship, irrespective of the brand.

 

Just go on with the right attitude and remember you are at sea! Luckier than many folk who cannot afford to cruise.

[Elaine0138]

We had good service when we did Freedom dining on Ventura as for the food,l that is down to personal taste, must admit I am not a fan of the food choices on P&O in the MDR. The eggs at breakfast are constanly being replaced as they are used, so you don't have to queue as you do in the Windjammer.

You will have a great holiday on Ventura we are off on her again in a couple of months.

[Host Sharon]

As the others have said, read the reviews if you must, but do not be swayed by them. You can read two reviews from two people on the same cruise and they will be completely different from each other. Some of my most memorable and fun cruises have been on ships which, had I taken notice of reviews, I would never have sailed on.

 

Go and enjoy and come back and post a review of your own afterwards.

[daiB]

As the others have said, read the reviews if you must, but do not be swayed by them. You can read two reviews from two people on the same cruise and they will be completely different from each other. Some of my most memorable and fun cruises have been on ships which, had I taken notice of reviews, I would never have sailed on.

 

Go and enjoy and come back and post a review of your own afterwards.

 

Clearly reading the wrong reviews.

 

Gan canny

 

 

Dai

[caber]

We were on Ventura in June and I would go back on again tomorrow if I could.

 

Every ship has an odd waiter or two who is not up to scratch but on the whole everything was good.

 

We ate mostly in the dining room at breakfast. I can`t be bothered with the scrum of the buffet. The food was good, and as many fresh eggs as you want.

 

Also, the entertainment was really good, the best we have had in a while.

 

Go and enjoy it with an open mind.

[cruiseluvva]

We have only been on Ventura on a couple of weekends, but even then, we thought she had a lot to offer and didn't find any particular faults.

 

I'm sure you'll have a lovely time.

[kevinyork]

Been on Ventura twice and love her. Both times on Freedom Dining. Have to admit service is not as personable as on club dining, more functional than exceptional but I would choose that option again for the flexibility it offers. Never had cold food nd have really enjoyed the MDR choices and quality.

 

There is an egg station in the buffet. You can ask for eggs anyway you like them but the fried eggs are always replenished frequently anyway.

 

Ventura is top of the review charts for ships sailing from the UK on this website so she cannot be doing too much wrong.

 

Its so easy to focus in on a few bad reviews and there are some really awful ones which in my opinion tend to be from people who have allowed some small issue to blow out of proportion and ruin their holiday.

[annieuk]

I haven't been on Ventura but have been on her sister ship, Azura, and enjoyed it immensely. May I suggest you go to the P&O website and register on their Community section. You will find a whole section devoted to Ventura plus lots of reviews. You should find any questions you have answered there.

 

I have read reviews of cruises I have been on - we had a fantastic time but according to another cruiser it was dreadful! I am sure you will have a fantastic time.

[jeanlyon]

I've just been reading an awful review of Arcadia. Food cold, bad service, etc. etc. Can't wait to board in 6 weeks and put up with this dreadful food and service :-) LOL

[cuzzie]

Thankyou to every one for your replies. I dont know why I'm getting so worked up over this - never have before. :confused: I will stop reading reviews and concentrate on our shore trips! :D x

[jeanlyon]

Ha ha - best thing to do. I've just read a review of Arcadia which is brilliant and another one which is awful. Who cares?

[ovccruiser]

Cold food? Salad is usually served cold:D I am sure that if all cruise lines were as bad as some people say, they would quickly go out of business.

[silver service]

just one more to agree with the majority. the whole cruising industry works to a satisfactory standard. they have to for their survival

i have read reviews of ships i dont believe i have personel experience of!

the bad mouthers, have an axe to grind. whats the point? if they have had a less than perfect trip, no point in writing bad reviews.:)

[tom_uk]

There will be things on your cruise that aren't right. For example, on our last cruise (on Ventura, as it happens) there was a problem with the availability of wine. The ship had started the cruise before the full delivery of wine had been loaded and as the cruise continued, more and more wines became unavailable. The key to a happy cruise is how you let these issues affect you. We did our best to keep smiling and be flexible - after all, in the grand scheme of things, not getting our #1 choice bottle of wine while eating an excellent meal in a good restaurant while cruising down the Adriatic, is not what you'd really call a disaster. (It even added to the fun, in some senses: we could play the "I wonder what wines will be off the list today?" game...)

 

So don't expect everything to be perfect. Just go with the flow, enjoy the things that are good (which will be the great majority of things) and be philosophical about the rest.

[SPACASTAN]

We had our first cruise ever on Ventura and we took our parents as a treat and we absolutely loved it. There were a few moaners on board but hey that's their choice. We could not fault Ventura one bit apart from having to leave. Have been on a few cruises now and each one is different and enjoyed all of them, its what you make of it. I say just go and enjoy yourself its what you make of it.

 

Enjoy

[avonmill]

Just back from 2 week cruise of med on Ventura and I agree with the others.

Apart from MDR you have other choices of eating places. My favourite was Beach House American Diner where you also get waiter service at no extra cost. Yes we had to wait some nights on a table but we went to Metropolis Bar and had a pre dinner drink.

I have to say the bar staff where fantastic and remembered our names and what we liked to drink. I also witnessed in Cinnamon Freedom Dinning a waiter offering a choice of starters to a lady at our table and my husband wasn't to keen on the seared tuna and was offered an alternative to which he declined, however he had enjoyed the soup so much he had another plate of it instead.

I also got hung up on the negative comments but can honestly say I enjoyed every minute of it, especially the afternoon tea with scones with jam and cream.

[Meg1962]

Also just got back off Ventura and wish I were going back on! Poached eggs and omelettes were available at the buffet to order as well as plenty of fried eggs and scramble egg. You will have a great time:D

[blitznbobs]

Another Positive for Ventura. There is better food on other ships but I loved my holiday so much because of the staff and the ship I had to book another trip on her the second I got home... Off to the Caribean with her in January so she can't be all bad...

[cuzzie]

I don't know why I'm getting so worked up about it!! Really looking forward to the American diner place - just right for me as I'm on a low carb diet!! Looking forward to all the islands even the ones we have done before and planning to see some more of them instead of just the bars we love!! Lol look out Caribbean we are coming back!! :D

[LibraLass41]

If you look hard enough you will find bad reviews on EVERY ship at sea, including the 5* ones...and including the ships you have already been on and most likely enjoyed....enough said!;)

[Host Sharon]

Clearly reading the wrong reviews.

 

Gan canny

 

 

Dai

 

 

Me?? Why??? Surely you mean the original poster!

[daiB]

Me?? Why??? Surely you mean the original poster!

 

Sorry Sharon a slip of the thumb.

 

I have had a look back at a few reviews and it appears to me that most poor reviews have a trigger. Snobbery, finding out you have paid 1000 pounds more than others for the same cabin, having to wait for 30 mins on freedom dining on the first day.

 

As LL says every ship gets some poor reviews but as it happens Ventura gets more good ones than most.

 

Gan canny

 

Dai

[jocap]

Lots of people in the buffet don't look at the notices at breakfast.

One is about freshly cooked eggs, to order.

The other is which speciality is being served that day.

We have the kedgeree, and the smoked salmon and scrambled eggs.

OH has the black pudding.

The scrum seems to be because people are dashing through in a hurry; going back to add beans; missing the mushrooms and doing a 3 point turn;finding that they have marmalade but no butter.

Go for your cereal, porridge, fruit.

Keep your eyes open for today's special.

Go back and choose your hot dish.

Enjoy....we're just plotting our 4th time on V.

Jo.