Venturing on board P&O Cruises’ flagship Ventura may seem less of an attractive proposition following press claims that its Christmas sailing in the Caribbean saw cruise etiquette go overboard.
The company has gone to great lengths to calm the waters and insists that any complaints will be fully investigated.
At the heart of the issue appears to be the suggestion that last-minute discounting following a small level of cancellations had let an undesirable element of so-called ‘chavs’ on board.
Given the high profile and largely negative publicity, it seems only right to get a sense of proportion about the ship and cruising in general.
The reality is that, as a senior figure from P&O Cruises’ sales division has been quoted as saying, cruising is no longer the preserve of the wealthy or middle classes.
“We are seeing the democratisation of money,” the executive reportedly said.
What this means in plain English is that cruising is now affordable to all and is very much in the mainstream holiday arena alongside packages to Florida, the Mediterranean and Canary Islands.
As I have said before in previous blogs, cruise holidays represent exceptional value for money, so much so that around 1.5 million Brits will have enjoyed one of the many different types of voyages available last year alone.
The lesson to be learnt from the Ventura incident is the importance of research before booking a cruise to ensure the ship and itinerary are the best suited to your particular needs.
Cruise ships comes in all shapes and sizes, from small adventure vessels carrying only around 100 passengers to vast resorts at sea such as Royal Caribbean International’s Independence of the Seas and the even larger Oasis of the Seas which will carry 5,400 passengers when launched at the end of the year.
Ideally, speak to the experts at Virgin Holidays Cruises as they are trained to advise you on all the different cruises, ships and what to expect on board.
Ships like 3,000-plus passenger Ventura, the biggest in the P&O Cruises’ fleet, are designed to appeal to a broad range of people, while at the same time being specifically family-orientated.
The ship carried 57,000 passengers in its introductory summer season, a mix of newcomers to cruising and repeat passengers anxious to try out the latest vessel in the fleet.
Having cruised on Ventura last July, I can categorically say that the ship does what it sets out to do – provide a superb family cruise experience.
My two children – aged three and six at the time – loved Ventura and can’t wait to go again.
They were enthralled by the facilities dedicated to them and the fabulous food available in the casual dining restaurants.
We travelled as a multi-generational family, with their grandmother as well as myself and my wife.
And I have to say my mother-in-law loved the ship as much as, if not more than, the little ones.
The ability to be as informal or formal as you wish, relax in the vast spa area, eat and drink in a variety of restaurants and bars as well as taking in shows, films and other entertainment, appealed to her as much as it did to us.
Knowing that the children were being looked after by experienced ‘youth crew’ while we went out to dinner in Marco Pierre White’s White Room restaurant after cocktails in the Metropolis bar high on deck 18, helped sooth the stresses of everyday life.
P&O Cruises pledged to iron out minor glitches, to be expected in the first season at sea of any new ship, and further improvements will be evident this summer when Ventura sails from a new terminal at its home port of Southampton.
I would not hesitate to recommend Ventura as a fabulous big ship holiday. And given the outstanding offers available at the moment by Virgin Holidays Cruises, Ventura is even better value.
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