Lacking
Ventura Cruise Review
Contributor Level:
First Mate
Cruises: 7+ cruises
Reviews: 22
Helpful Votes: 224
Review summary
Relaxing cruise which we went on purely for the sunny destinations.Embarkation
Only used for embarkation, had priority boarding so straight to check in then security and onboard within 10 minutes.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
Food in the buffet was more varied than in the MDRs which seemed to have the same options daily.
Pizza bar was excellent and burger bar mediocre.
Beach House, portion sizes have shrank and dessert choices ok if sweet toothed.
Food was cold though and the salad frozen at times.
Good vegetarian dishes but soya/lactose free products like milk, cheese, and yogurts weren't on display and had to be asked for.
Juice machines weren't refilled promptly so water repeatedly appeared instead.
Trays no longer available which meant had to go to & fro. Guess it stops passengers overloading plates etc with food. Cutlery on the counters where the self-service wine cabinets were housed and on tables in the evening for dinner.
Onboard Activities
The usual quiots, table tennis, gym which we didn't use so can't comment.
Entertainment
The usual theatre performances recyled from a decade ago, resident band & busker, cocktail pianist etc but minimal live music on deck which was a shame as the weather was great.
Service and Staff
Difficult to get a drink from the bars at times and passengers queued instead. Lack of staff very apparent.
Staff seemed over worked and some were quite rude especially in the buffet.
I have a citrus allergy so asked the chef standing behind the salmon tray if it had lemon squeezed on it. He looked at me like I was an alien, said what and walked off so I asked another chef who went to find out and never returned.
Ship Quality
Ventura is looking extremely dated despite its recent refurb. Communal areas were always clean and tidy but we noticed lazy passengers rather than leave empty glasses or plates on tables or in their cabins to be collected, chose to repeatedly place them in the lifts.
It's very easy to navigate the ship but several lifts were out order for the duration of the cruise.
Cabin / Stateroom
Our cabin L222 was very clean but extremely dated. The carpet was well worn and the shower curtain too short so every time, the shower was used, the floor flooded despite the bath mat being put down. It's a wet room but it could have been avoided as it made it slippery. The chairs on the balcony and the balcony green matting were covered in white paint spolodges to the extent it looked like seagulls had poohed on it.
Upon arrival, there were still cans of lager from the previous occupants in the fridge.
Ports of call
Had a walk around and found lots of individually owned stores selling lovely sandals and handbags, all of which were affordable.
Thumbs Up
1
Disembarkation
Self disembarked at 06.45 am which was quick and easy.