A cruise for R&R with plenty of sunshine and a good variety of ports.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Check in was quick and easy.. Onboard ship within 10 minutes.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
3 out of 5
Saffron Restaurant
4 out of 5
Extremely repetitive menu with very small portion sizes. Order extra veg to bulk up the meal as you'll need it despite being 3 or 4 courses.
Waterside
4 out of 5
Food more varied than the MDRs but extremely poor vegetarian options. The heat plates for the food containers need to be turned up to a higher setting as the food was often lukewarm.Chicken and pork meals on offer most of the time. Desserts were disappointing and didn't seem to change throughout the cruise; coffee éclairs, chocolate cake, lemon posset and fruit salad. Indian themed buffet on the penultimate evening was excellent. Plenty of choice and authentic tasting.
Poolside pizzeria and grill
4 out of 5
Had a burger and hotdog from here. On both occasions it was cooked to order so nice and fresh.
The Exchange
4 out of 5
Always busy in this venue making it difficult to find a seat at times. The movie quiz night was entertaining.
Bay Tree Restaurant
5 out of 5
Dined here for our peninsular club meal. A very cosy atmosphere and the food was by far the best of the cruise.
Metropolis
5 out of 5
A quiet bar which was never too busy but the drinks menu is more limited than in other venues.
The Beach House
5 out of 5
A nice meal in here with decent sized portions. Heuvas Rancheros is excellent as a main.
Onboard Activities
3 out of 5
The usual stuff.
Entertainment
3 out of 5
Slightly better than when we last sailed on Ventura. Still a lack of live on deck music which would have been nice especially as the weather was so good.
Service and Staff
4 out of 5
The crew on Ventura seems to have changed. They're more friendly and seem to enjoybtheir jobs from the smiles and laughter coming from them. However, there are still some who are very rude to both peers and passengers. At the muster station drill, one with a South African accent was extremely rude to my husband when he politely asked if he could scan our cruise cards because his colleagues hadn't been able to when we'd entered as they had no devices.
Ship Quality
4 out of 5
The ship was being given a makeover when we were onboard with the handrails being varnished and metal work painted. It's only cosmetic but made the ship look fresh and cared for.
It's very easy to navigate without the need for a map. Public areas and the decks were constantly being cleaned and swept.
The only negative comment is the public toilets never seem to be working fully especially on lido deck.
Cabin / Stateroom
2 out of 5
Our cabin L255 was very tired and gloomy in appearance. The plastic decking on the balcony was lifting badly and gunge accumulating under it. There were also large metal shavings on it where safety inspections on the metal integrity had recently been completed. We just picked them up and disposed of them in the waste bin. The mattress and pillows were very hard so it was like sleeping on a brick. I overcame this by sleeping on top of the duvet and using a rolled up pool towel for my head. The location was ideal, in the centre of lido deck making it easy to access all the ship's facilities. The plumbing system of the thermal spa above very noisy at times. The sliding door didn't close properly either and in the strong winds we experienced, it caused a awful loud whistling noise at night.
We've visited Vigo many times on cruises and never been that keen on the port. We didn't go on an excursion this time but decided to go into town for a proper walk around. It seems to be still recovering from Covid lockdown though with many stores derelict. The main street though was thriving with lots of different shopping opportunities from food to handbags. Prices were reasonable too. Architecturally, there are some stunning historical buildings and statues.
We've always gone to Porto whilst in this port but decided to stay local on this occasion. Leixeos is a hidden gem. If you turn left once out of the port gates and walk through the park, you enter the industrial area which is full of fish stalls, bars and restaurants with beer and wine only costing €1.20 each. By going right at the gates, a 5 minute walk takes you to a lovely sandy beach with more touristy eateries etc if you continue to walk along the esplanade.
A lovely port whose city centre is a 5 minute walk from the terminal. Plenty of historical sights to see and shopping opportunities to suit all tastes and budgets. The cathedral is simplistic in design but beautiful and worth visiting. Easy for those with mobility needs to access too.
We've visited Cherbourg many times so stayed onboard ship.
Cite de la Mer admission fee has doubled in price post Covid. Worth visiting to while away an hour or two though.
It was very chaotic for those self disembarking and passengers were sent to the restaurant to wait as huge queues had formed in the atrium. The pilot had boarded late so the ship was behind schedule. It would have been beneficial on this occasion to have advised passengers using this option to remain in their cabins until an accouncement was made to confirm it was convenient to disembark.
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