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Baltic Splendours on the Ventura |
| Reviewed By: Ferris, Orpington, Kent on 26th Aug 2008 |
| Cruise Line: P&O Cruises |
Times cruised before: 6-10 |
| Cruise Ship: Ventura |
Sailed:
June,
2008 |
| Destination: Baltic |
Age: 56-65 |
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This was our 5th cruise with P&O and Ventura the largest ship. With so many people to get on board it took a little longer than usual but our cabin with balcony on ‘A’ deck was most comfortable and it was nice to find it had a walk in wardrobe with plenty of hanging space for clothes.
We tried freedom dining for the first time and found we had to book our table for each evening in the Cinnamon Restaurant the day before in order to get the time required. The food was excellent in all the restaurants and the staff friendly and helpful. We missed the Chocoholics Buffet and Galley walk through this year – this was always very popular on other cruises and a chance to see behind the scenes.
The facilities on board were good but to make it even better it would be nice to have a much larger dance floor, a dedicated cinema and seating in the library area. The theatre was really too small for the number of people on board and had 3 shows a night but it was difficult to get a seat sometimes unless you arrived half an hour early, especially to see the 8.45 show. The shows were quite good but the Cirque du Soleil type acts seemed to appear too often and there was not enough variety in the shows. There were comedians in the Tamarind Club on several nights - they were not funny at all and gave a very disappointing performance. The only exception was Gary T. Thompson in the Arena Theatre who gave an excellent performance.
Due to windy weather conditions we were unable to dock at Copenhagen and again at Stockholm although, at the latter, we were able to anchor off shore at Nynashamn and get a coach into the City Centre which took an extra 40 minutes. All the ports we docked at were very interesting but the highlight of the cruise had to be St. Petersburg, Russia. The first day we visited Peterhof Palace which was a fantastic gold domed building with beautiful gardens and fountains. The second day we had a guided tour round the city centre and on the way saw a number of Russian couples in their wedding attire parading around the streets – a local custom we were told. At Warnemunde, Germany, a pretty seaside resort, we had a fantastic send off from everyone ashore as the Ventura prepared to sail away. Apparently we were the largest ship to visit that port so we were the centre of attention. It was the best send off we had ever had and really made the day.
We had a very enjoyable cruise on Ventura but having over 3000 people on board does create a few extra problems. So all in all we think we prefer one of the smaller ships like Oceana and Oriana. We are now looking forward to another cruise next year – it is certainly the best way to go on holiday.
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| Quality of Food |  |
| We had Freedom Dining in the Cinnamon Restaurant – the food and service was very good. | | Entertainment |  |
| In the Arena Theatre the show we enjoyed most was ‘Masquerade’ and least enjoyable was ‘Explosion’ which was very loud and noisy. Gary T. Thompson, singer and comedian was also excellent. Comedians in the Tamarind Club were poor. | | Shore Excursions |  |
| Highlight was St. Petersburg. One tour to Peterhof Palace was fantastic and another to the City Centre was really interesting. | | Staff | |
| All the staff were helpful and friendly – our cabin steward, Sabby, was excellent. There was a very nice barman in the Tamarind Club called ‘Sid Real’ who gave excellent service, remembered your name and was always smiling. | | Children's Facilities | n/a |
| not applicable | | Onboard Activities | |
| Good selection of activities – we enjoyed the very large, well equipped gym, table tennis and horse racing game. Excellent selection of travel books in the library. We also enjoyed the Casino and learning how to play Roulette. | | Cabins | |
| Our cabin with balcony (A deck, portside, midship) was very comfortable with a large walk-in wardrobe and good tea/coffee facilities. | | Overall Rating | |
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