Live from Ventura

[Presto2]

2 minutes ago, SarahHben said:

Britannia for May next year

We had an email saying book now. Logged in from that link and pressed book now. For about 2 seconds it said enquire on board and then suddenly went to the page where we could click our names and book. We did but it won't move from there. All odd. Oh well time will tell we suppose 

[SarahHben]

12 minutes ago, Presto2 said:

We had an email saying book now. Logged in from that link and pressed book now. For about 2 seconds it said enquire on board and then suddenly went to the page where we could click our names and book. We did but it won't move from there. All odd. Oh well time will tell we suppose 

Strange! Have you tried logging into your cruise details from the P&O webpage?

[Presto2]

5 minutes ago, SarahHben said:

Strange! Have you tried logging into your cruise details from the P&O webpage?

Yes we've tried all different ways. Very odd.

Hubby phoning tomorrow and will ask about freedom dining as well as that says coming soon .......... 

[Presto2]

Well got through and this is the result of the conversation to cut it short.  I think most people interested will read it on here

 

The Retreat - IT issues being resolved so keep checking as they are working on pre booking

 

At the moment only one cruise they have been allowed to book select dining before they go on Britannia. No plans at the moment, but it is being reviewed and will be released 14 days before IF things change.

 

Basically, though it says coming soon it probably isn't like in May when it changed from coming soon to enquire onboard. Couldn't answer when I said they had sold me a holiday saying I can book select and the phone message I have listened to for 60 minutes says I can. 

 

She thought it was all working well on Arvia and Iona and no one is complaining on the other ships. Told her it wasn't a fact. Just kept mentioning Arvia and Iona and I said I didn't care about them at the moment as we were booked on Britannia.

 

Feel very let down by P&O to be honest. Felt sorry for the young lady fending off my questions.

 

Molechip, keep asking what is going on with the freedom dining, but you may not be able to say.

 

 

[Scots Couple]

20 hours ago, Presto2 said:

On which ship?

We can get to the booking part and then can't go any further as if the IT isn't working ...

Could it be that it is already fully booked

[purplesea]

I tried earlier today to book an excursion for our Britannia cruise in less than four weeks and had problems. It kept changing the time from what I was trying to book to the other available option. I managed finally to get the booking I wanted.

Talking to other members of our party, who booked last night, they were having the same problems. 🙄

 

[Presto2]

52 minutes ago, Scots Couple said:

Could it be that it is already fully booked

Have phoned today and they said it is an IT problem that lots of people ate having so they are looking into and we are to keep checking it. 

 

[DamianG]

Thanks for a great cruise blog @SarahHben

 

Wonderful photos as always from you!

[Presto2]

3 hours ago, Presto2 said:

Have phoned today and they said it is an IT problem that lots of people ate having so they are looking into and we are to keep checking it. 

 

It now says 'Please enquire onboard' ----- I need to lie down in a darkened room ......

 

 

[Sarah1974]

@SarahHben thank you for a great cruise blog

[SarahHben]

Hello

 

Sorry, I was going to do a summary at the start of the week but's it's been a bit of a busy week.

After me coughing for the whole cruise but testing negative for covid multiple times, my husband has caught Covid and isn't coughing at all 😏 He's not well though, he's hoping to sleep it off.

 

Anyway....

Before going away my main expectations were that Ventura would feel tired, old fashioned and dark especially after sailing on Iona last year. We weren't expecting to particularly like the dated cabin & bathroom but chose the cruise for it's price and itinerary. We expected that the ship would be busy as it was the summer holidays which is why we booked the Retreat. We expected to use the promenade every day for walking and thought it be easier to walk around than Iona's prom deck which has loungers on it and we expected to use the buffet more on Ventura as there would be no Quays eating area.

 

The reality of those expectations...

Ventura did feel much darker than the light and airy Iona, but that wasn't a bad thing at all, just different.

The cabin was dated but it was very comfortable and clean and actually felt more spacious than the standard cabins on Iona due to the shape of the room. We didn't even notice the dated furniture and art work after the first look. There was plenty of storage, the mirror was in a light enough part of the cabin for doing makeup and hair. We liked the walk in wardrobe compared to Iona's cupboards, although if one person is coming out of the bathroom it's worth calling out a warning in case the other person is getting changed by the door, we had a few near misses and I had a bruise on my arm from the door opening and hitting my arm 😂 

The bathroom is small but fine for purpose. Mr B is 6 foot tall and had to bend down a little to get his head under the shower properly.

The ship was very busy on the top open decks, the Retreat was a must for us, we were so glad that we paid for that. The inside areas didn't ever feel too busy unless we were in a queue for a restaurant which wasn't too often.

We ended up not being able to do laps of the promenade very often because of the smoking area. I had a cough and the smell of the cigarette smoke irritated it too much. It was the same with the on board perfume shop actually. I'm glad to say the handbag shop had no detrimental effect on my cough but we wont mention the effect it had on my bank balance 😁  Also on the promenade people moved the chairs around to sit in the sun so it was pretty much the same space wise as Iona with the sun loungers.

We did use the buffet much more often than we had on Iona and the buffet seating  area was nicer, the tables were not all in straight lines.

 

We talked a lot about which ship we preferred, Ventura and Iona and we decided that we couldn't chose between them. There were plus points to both, we obviously had a hot weather trip on Ventura in the school summer holidays, whereas on Iona it was to a cooler, more chance of wet weather destination and less busy because it was during term time.

If the two ships were doing the same itinerary, on the same dates, for the same price, we would be torn as to which one to pick.

 

A couple of 'issues' that we came across were a few brusque waiters, one bordering on rude the first night. Having to wait 30-45 minutes for a dinner table a couple of times, not that we minded the wait personally, and probably the biggest issue for me was that many people were not using hand sanitiser going into eating areas.

 

I took so many photos that I have had to buy an external hard drive for my laptop before I can sort them all out.

 

Would we do it all again? Absolutely! 

40 weeks tomorrow until we go to Norway on Britannia 🥰

 

Thank you all for reading!

 

 

 

Edited August 24, 2023 by SarahHben

[July morning]

Thanks Sarah, I enjoyed reading all your reviews 🙂

[Son of Anarchy]

Another great read.  Thank you Sarah.  Glad that you both had a good cruise.

[purplesea]

1 hour ago, SarahHben said:

Hello

 

Sorry, I was going to do a summary at the start of the week but's it's been a bit of a busy week.

After me coughing for the whole cruise but testing negative for covid multiple times, my husband has caught Covid and isn't coughing at all 😏 He's not well though, he's hoping to sleep it off.

 

Anyway....

Before going away my main expectations were that Ventura would feel tired, old fashioned and dark especially after sailing on Iona last year. We weren't expecting to particularly like the dated cabin & bathroom but chose the cruise for it's price and itinerary. We expected that the ship would be busy as it was the summer holidays which is why we booked the Retreat. We expected to use the promenade every day for walking and thought it be easier to walk around than Iona's prom deck which has loungers on it and we expected to use the buffet more on Ventura as there would be no Quays eating area.

 

The reality of those expectations...

Ventura did feel much darker than the light and airy Iona, but that wasn't a bad thing at all, just different.

The cabin was dated but it was very comfortable and clean and actually felt more spacious than the standard cabins on Iona due to the shape of the room. We didn't even notice the dated furniture and art work after the first look. There was plenty of storage, the mirror was in a light enough part of the cabin for doing makeup and hair. We liked the walk in wardrobe compared to Iona's cupboards, although if one person is coming out of the bathroom it's worth calling out a warning in case the other person is getting changed by the door, we had a few near misses and I had a bruise on my arm from the door opening and hitting my arm 😂 

The bathroom is small but fine for purpose. Mr B is 6 foot tall and had to bend down a little to get his head under the shower properly.

The ship was very busy on the top open decks, the Retreat was a must for us, we were so glad that we paid for that. The inside areas didn't ever feel too busy unless we were in a queue for a restaurant which wasn't too often.

We ended up not being able to do laps of the promenade very often because of the smoking area. I had a cough and the smell of the cigarette smoke irritated it too much. It was the same with the on board perfume shop actually. I'm glad to say the handbag shop had no detrimental effect on my cough but we wont mention the effect it had on my bank balance 😁  Also on the promenade people moved the chairs around to sit in the sun so it was pretty much the same space wise as Iona with the sun loungers.

We did use the buffet much more often than we had on Iona and the buffet seating  area was nicer, the tables were not all in straight lines.

 

We talked a lot about which ship we preferred, Ventura and Iona and we decided that we couldn't chose between them. There were plus points to both, we obviously had a hot weather trip on Ventura in the school summer holidays, whereas on Iona it was to a cooler, more chance of wet weather destination and less busy because it was during term time.

If the two ships were doing the same itinerary, on the same dates, for the same price, we would be torn as to which one to pick.

 

A couple of 'issues' that we came across were a few brusque waiters, one bordering on rude the first night. Having to wait 30-45 minutes for a dinner table a couple of times, not that we minded the wait personally, and probably the biggest issue for me was that many people were not using hand sanitiser going into eating areas.

 

I took so many photos that I have had to buy an external hard drive for my laptop before I can sort them all out.

 

Would we do it all again? Absolutely! 

40 weeks tomorrow until we go to Norway on Britannia 🥰

 

Thank you all for reading!

 

 

 

Glad to hear you had a good cruise, and thank you for taking the time to report and give a review on your trip.

 

I have been on Iona,Ventura and Britannia before, and sailing on Britannia again in three weeks to Norway.

[Dermotsgirl]

Glad to hear that you had a good time., although sorry to hear that your husband caught Covid. My husband and I bough caught Covid on our Saga cruise.  Both of us are surprised at the lack of coughing, it’s a lot more about sleeping off the fatigue. 

[Ilovemygarden]

4 hours ago, purplesea said:

Glad to hear you had a good cruise, and thank you for taking the time to report and give a review on your trip.

 

I have been on Iona,Ventura and Britannia before, and sailing on Britannia again in three weeks to Norway.

Sarah - thanks from me too.  Enjoyed sailing along with you.

Purplesea - looking forward to hearing how you get on on Britannia.   I am on the cruise after you going to the Canaries.  I’ve  been on her before but in 2018 in the Caribbean, so different times.

[purplesea]

3 minutes ago, Ilovemygarden said:

Sarah - thanks from me too.  Enjoyed sailing along with you.

Purplesea - looking forward to hearing how you get on on Britannia.   I am on the cruise after you going to the Canaries.  I’ve  been on her before but in 2018 in the Caribbean, so different times.

I've been on her several times, Caribbean x2, The Baltic and the Med all pre-covid.  There are 7 of us (4 generations) and Mum is a wheelchair user, so we will see how it all goes. We do have fixed dining so that is one thing we don't have to worry about!

[P&O SUE]

Thankyou again from me, just caught up with your last posts. I’m pleased you enjoyed Ventura. The first time we cruised on her was ironically to the ports you’re going to on Britannia next time. How I wished we could have afforded a balcony then as it was so cold everyone sat by the windows and we couldn’t get a window seat anywhere leaving the ports! We would be up on deck to watch us leave port but then go inside quite quickly but obviously everyone else had bagged their seat at least half hour before! Our best sail out was a window seat at the Beach House sailing out of Olden.

 

Sorry you got ill, it’s strange I hadn’t heard anyone had it for ages and suddenly I’m hearing it quite a lot.

[SarahHben]

22 minutes ago, P&O SUE said:

Thankyou again from me, just caught up with your last posts. I’m pleased you enjoyed Ventura. The first time we cruised on her was ironically to the ports you’re going to on Britannia next time. How I wished we could have afforded a balcony then as it was so cold everyone sat by the windows and we couldn’t get a window seat anywhere leaving the ports! We would be up on deck to watch us leave port but then go inside quite quickly but obviously everyone else had bagged their seat at least half hour before! Our best sail out was a window seat at the Beach House sailing out of Olden.

 

Sorry you got ill, it’s strange I hadn’t heard anyone had it for ages and suddenly I’m hearing it quite a lot.

Thank you. Sorry you’ve been having a rough time lately.

 

It is nice having a balcony especially for the fjord views! I loved the Canaries cruise but am looking forward to seeing the beautiful scenery of Norway again. 

Mr B has been quite unwell, daughter only feels like she’s got a heavily cold, she’s feeling bright enough to give me “constructive criticism” on the breakfast I delivered to her room yesterday 😂

I’ve escaped it so far but wonder if the congestion & cough I had all cruise, and still have, is protecting me from it 🤷‍♀️

 

[P&O SUE]

1 hour ago, SarahHben said:

Thank you. Sorry you’ve been having a rough time lately.

 

It is nice having a balcony especially for the fjord views! I loved the Canaries cruise but am looking forward to seeing the beautiful scenery of Norway again. 

Mr B has been quite unwell, daughter only feels like she’s got a heavily cold, she’s feeling bright enough to give me “constructive criticism” on the breakfast I delivered to her room yesterday 😂

I’ve escaped it so far but wonder if the congestion & cough I had all cruise, and still have, is protecting me from it 🤷‍♀️

 

It’s all very odd this illness. Perhaps you did have it but for some reason it didn’t show up! 🤷‍♀️ My son’s partner had it two weeks ago but she knew no one else who had it including my son and grandson! She wondered if she got it from the cinema but again no one else had it, all very strange. Hope you all recover soon.

Edited August 27, 2023 by P&O SUE

[SarahHben]

1 hour ago, P&O SUE said:

Perhaps you did have it but for some reason it didn’t show up! 🤷‍♀️ 

Maybe, but I tested several times onboard and every day since hubby got it, so that would be 7 or 8 test failures.  I am very prone to coughs and congestion.

 

On the plus side, which I'd completely forgotten about, I've had no motion sickness after arriving home this time 👍

[P&O SUE]

59 minutes ago, SarahHben said:

Maybe, but I tested several times onboard and every day since hubby got it, so that would be 7 or 8 test failures.  I am very prone to coughs and congestion.

 

On the plus side, which I'd completely forgotten about, I've had no motion sickness after arriving home this time 👍

Yay, you’ve got your sea legs 😊😊

[lincslady]

Maybe it takes several cruises - I can remember years ago feeling a bit wobbly on getting back on dry land; soon went after a few more cruises.  Just got to keep cruising.

[lindyloo22]

Hi Sarah I was on Ventura last year and you could not walk round the ship on the promenade deck do you know if it’s still the same as I am going on her next year.

[SarahHben]

4 minutes ago, lindyloo22 said:

Hi Sarah I was on Ventura last year and you could not walk round the ship on the promenade deck do you know if it’s still the same as I am going on her next year.

You can walk all the way round the promenade deck now.