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Final ThoughtsFriday, November 10. 2017This cruise was never about the itinerary but was just a required break and rest from what has been happening this year. As I said at the start we had some apprehensions about Ventura but are pleased to say that they were unfounded – in fact Ventura is probably one of our favourite ships and for some inexplicable reason we prefer her to Azura. There were quite a few children on board and there was no problems with them (or at least none that we were aware of) but I am not sure that I would want to sail on Ventura in the middle of the school holidays – having said that I doubt that I would sail on any of the family friendly ships during the main school holidays. The entertainment has been amongst the best that we have seen on P&O in many a year with many new shows and acts, but unfortunately the same cannot be said of the food. Whilst I fully accept that not all dishes on all menus are going to be to everyone’s liking the quality of the food, in my opinion, has deteriorated over the last couple of years. The most disappointing thing about this cruise was that the weather was not as good as we had hoped for despite the last few days. Would we sail on Ventura again? Without hesitation. Friday 10th NovemberFriday, November 10. 2017Disembarkation day – and probably one of, if not the, best disembarkations ever. We were off the ship about 08:15, in the car around 08:30 and back home by 13:00. Thursday 9th NovemberFriday, November 10. 2017The sea swell was not as bad during the night (in fact it has not really been bad at all!) and once we entered the BoB it became almost calm. We had an added bonus in that the sun came out in the late morning and we were able to sit out on the balcony for an hour or so. Being the last day it was the inevitable packing operation to be carried out. One slight change in the luggage instructions was that “most” of your luggage was to be out by 20:30 with the remainder before you retire for the night – I could not believe how many misread that and had all their luggage out by 20:30 and were going around all night in their “going home” clothes. There were quite a few empty places in the dining room tonight – presumably the “tight wads” found alternative dining venues. Another old show that had had a makeover tonight was the Headliners “Reel to Reel” – have seen this before but this was somewhat different to what I can remember – it was OK but the backing was drowning out the singing. Wednesday 8th NovemberFriday, November 10. 2017Another sea day returning to Southampton. Again it was a bit “lumpy” overnight and during the day – the main difference to yesterday was that it was not as warm, nor sunny and the wind was a lot stronger. Didn’t really do very much today, basically because there was nothing going on around the ship that appealed to us. Tonight was the last Black Tie night and once again the standard of adherence was very high – in fact even on casual nights the standard of dress has been good. It was also good to see that those who tried to enter Metropolis incorrectly attired were very quickly evicted. Tuesday 7th NovemberWednesday, November 8. 2017Another “lumpy” sea during the night which lasted for the duration of the day. The day got off to a somewhat bad start as there had been a power failure which knocked out all of the galleys resulting in there being no hot food, or drinks, for breakfast! This is the second power cut that we have had – the first being at around 18:00 the other evening which knocked the whole ship out for about five minutes before the emergency generators kicked in. We were in port at the time so there were the comments that “it must just be local because the rest of the town is still lit up”!!! Due to the weather conditions there was not much going on outside which resulted in everyone milling around inside which was not helped by “Paddy’s Market” being in full swing and the grand “End of Season Sale”. It is time that they stopped all the tat stalls around the Atrium – it does nothing for the flow of passengers. An added bonus was that this afternoon there was sun on the balcony and it was warm enough to be able to sit out and/or sleep for a couple of hours. The meal tonight was mediocre (at best). I cannot recall being on a table on a cruise where so many plates have been sent back due to poor quality or incorrect order (well done steak when medium was requested). There was another new show tonight from the Headliners (there are 14 in this troupe) called “Paradise City” which was a rock show. The problem was that whilst the show itself had potential there was something lacking – probably the fact that the cast were not rock singers. OK moan time. Why do they have to serve drinks in the theatre during the first 10 minutes or so of the show. You are sat there and there are waiters bobbing about trying to serve drinks to those who have ordered them and then getting the signatures for them. Surely someone could use a bit of common sense and say that they don’t take any orders 15 minutes before the start of the show – I don’t see why people cannot last 45 minutes without a drink. Monday 6th NovemberTuesday, November 7. 2017Today is our last port before heading back to Southampton and is Funchal in Madeira. Last night, for the first time this cruise, the sea was a bit on the choppy side but nothing too serious even being at the back of the ship. Since our last visit here there seems to have been a lot of work done to the port area – the terminal is now finished and the whole area has been tidied up somewhat, even the old “galleon” that has been at the entrance to the post has been moved. I also noticed that there is a massive new hotel (or possibly apartment) complex being built just overlooking the port entrance. I don’t know if P&O have come into some money but our berth was right at the end of the port – almost in the little tunnel! Our master plan for today was to walk to the Cable Car lift and go up to the top and then go round the Botanical Gardens. So off we set with an early start to try and avoid the inevitable crowds that would be at the cable car once the excursions got there. All went according to plan, we got to the cable car, bought our tickets, got to the top and duly marched off to what we both thought were the Botanical Gardens only to find that they are the Tropical Gardens. Anyway we were directed as to where to go for the Botanical Gardens which involves another cable car journey and eventually arriving at the Botanical Gardens. I have to say that this really is a “hidden gem” and although we probably did not see them at their best the gardens are quite spectacular. A word of warning – these gardens are not suitable for those with walking disabilities as there are a lot of steep slopes/steps involved in getting from one level to another. After an hour or so around the Botanical Gardens we made our way back to the small cable car that takes us to the big cable car and then the half an hour’s walk back to the ship. By this time the sun was “cracking the flags” and by the time we were back there was sun on our balcony. This is without doubt the best day’s weather we have had this cruise. Tonight we once again ate in the Epicurean and were pleased to see that there were far more passengers using it that last week – and the meal and service, as always, was excellent. One advantage of eating in the Epicurean tonight was that we missed the show in the theatre – it was Roy Walker (I thought he had retired years ago!) Sunday 5th NovemberTuesday, November 7. 2017Another day – another Canaries Island – this time La Palma. Today we had booked to go on the Trolley Train and Walking Tour excursion. Being Sunday and having an early start (08:30) much of the town was deserted for the first hour or so. We did, of course, have to have the obligatory stop at a local restaurant but as there was “free” wine on offer (at 09:30) it would have seemed somewhat churlish to have declined. Overall this was an excellent tour with a very informative guide whose English was also excellent – it is a pleasure to see that P&O excursions have moved into the 21st Century and are now using the little radio receivers that other tour groups have been using for years. The weather today was fairly mush like the other recent days in that it started off quite bright and then part way into the excursion the heavens opened to the be followed by some bright warm sunshine and then to have the usual afternoon cloud. The big disappointment today was that there was no bonfire up on deck, nor any fireworks!! Tonight’s show by the Headliners was “Destination Dance” – not a totally new show but did have a few new parts to it. Saturday 4th NovemberTuesday, November 7. 2017Today was a bit of a washout – literally. We awoke to find ourselves docking in Las Palmas in Gran Canaria and with quite a bright and sunny day. We had not made any definite plans as to what to do today but had tentatively thought about the HoHo again, but after yesterday’s disappointment were having second thoughts and eventually decided against it – others who went on the HoHo said it was OK and there were a couple of places to get off but they did not think that it was worth the €20 cost. So we looked at the map and decided that we would walk to the other side of the island (all of about a mile) and then walk along by the beach. This was all going according to plan with a pleasant walk through the main street with Saturday market stalls displaying their wares until it started to rain, and by rain I mean real, proper wet rain. Fortunately we were able to find some shelter but after about 20 minutes when the rain eased off slightly we made our way back to the ship. The rest of the day was very cloudy with the occasional shower and not really conducive to walking around. What bit we did see we thought was more attractive that where we were yesterday (but having said that it would not be difficult!) The food, so far, has been OK – the menus are still very similar to those of last year and the quality is reasonably good, bearing in mind the numbers that they are catering for. Tonight’s show was Roy Locke (another new act) with “Magic of the Musicals” – somehow he just did not “click” with either of us even though there was no denying that he has a good voice. Friday 3rd NovemberSaturday, November 4. 2017Today was our first port of call in the Canaries being Santa Cruz in Tenerife. Our plan here was to use the HoHo to see the town. The day started out quite warm, bordering on hot, so off we go to find the HoHo. It was about a 20 minute walk from the ship to the town centre where we were told that you could not miss the HoHo ticket booth. It was not so much as missing the ticket booth as not being able to find it. Anyway after a bit of marching up and down we eventually came across it and off we went. We hopped on and that was it – no hopping off until we arrived back as there really was not that much to hop off for. Overall it was something of an expensive disappointment. By now the predictable Tenerife cloud was starting to appear and there not being much of interest we headed back to the ship. I have to say that whilst Santa Cruz was a pleasant little place it cannot be counted as one of the better places that I have visited. Now we come to P&O at its best. Tonight was Tropical night – what? There is no Tropical night on this cruise. There is a 60’s/70’s night – no there isn’t. In the pre cruise brochure we were supposed to have a 60’s/70’s night which I suspect should have been one of the nights when The Revolvers were performing but due to excellent organisation somebody arranged for them to perform on Halloween and on a Black Tie night! So what do we get in place – a Tropical night in Tenerife! Thursday 2nd NovemberSaturday, November 4. 2017Another sea day before we reach the Canaries. The weather was not conducive to siting out much – too windy so as usual everyone is milling around inside. When you look in the Horizon there appears to be a lot going on until you realise that half of the “activities” are ploys to get you to part with some more money. Tonight was the second Black Tie night and once again the dress code was well observed. It is also good to see that in venues where the dress code is required and not observed that passengers are asked to leave. The entertainment tonight was the second show by The Revolvers – although it was good the general consensus was that it was not as good as the first show (which I find is often the case). On the point of entertainment, so far on this cruise all of the entertainers and shows are new – well at least new to us, so perhaps the message is getting through to P&O that there need to be some “new blood” Wednesday 1st NovemberThursday, November 2. 2017We awoke this morning to grey and misty day just going under the bridge into Lisbon port. It was going to be a busy day with five ships in the port and we were next to last to arrive – with Fred’s Balmoral just behind us, but she was parking up at the old berth just under the bridge. We were at the “new” terminal which has had a lot of work done to but in all honesty I cannot remember what it was like before. There was also Aorora docking just before us – the interesting thing being that both of the P&O ships were the last to dock and the first to leave at night! I think that this is the first time that we have visited Lisbon when it has not been raining, but not wishing to disappoint us the Captain did promise us some showers later in the afternoon – but they never arrived! Now why is it that P&O arrange their itineraries so that you end up calling at ports either on a Sunday or, as in our case today, a public holiday where everything is closed? As we have been to Lisbon several times and there is only so much you can see from the HoHo and we have done several tours (mostly in the rain) we booked to go on the Palace of Queluz and Cascais tour as we have never been to these places. One change with meeting for excursions is that there is a brief note in the Horizon to say meet by the coached 10 minutes before your tour time but not any earlier otherwise there will be congestion and don’t be late because we will not wait for you! We got there at the requested time and got straight onto the coach which, unusually, had a lady driver. The palace was moderately interesting but nothing more, and somewhat less, spectacular than many other palaces built around that time. It was the usual being “herded” through the place to keep to the time schedule. I will admit though that the guide spoke excellent English, even though she did drone on a bit at times. Next we went off to the Estoril coast which, surprisingly, neither of us had even been to despite how popular it was at one time as a holiday destination. As we got nearer the coast the weather changed (obviously why it was a popular holiday destination) with the sun coming out and the temperature going up a tad. Cascais is a very pleasant place but with only just over half an hour to wander around did not really give us much time to really explore much other than the main couple of streets – although wandering down a narrow side street I did manage to find a well stocked port shop that had some very serious, and expensive, bottles of port! Now as we all know when on excursions there is always one couple who are always late, well guess what? This excursion was the exception – everyone was on time. There were, however, several “tight wads” on the excursion who chose to leave the coach by the read exit when we arrived back at the port in order to avoid giving the guide and driver a tip – in my opinion if you can afford a cruise them you can afford a tip when you have a good guide. This afternoon we just had a rest prior to having our meal at the Epicurean. Never having been on Ventura before we had not been here but had visited it several times when on Azura so assumed that it would be the same and we were not disappointed to find that it was just as good. What was surprising though was how few diners were in there (seven tables) – whether this was just the night of whether there are other factors I don’t know but certainly when we have been on Azura the place has been a lot busier than that. Anyway we are going again next week so we shall see what it is like then. Tuesday 31st OctoberWednesday, November 1. 2017As today was another sea day we had a relaxing day doing nothing. The weather was not really conducive to sitting out for very long! A couple of things to report – the new Dixons at Sea has opened on Ventura which, if Ventura was the same as Azura, has replaced the camera sales area and whilst there is not much that I would be wanting to buy it does look a well stocked area with the likes of travel accessories, various cables, accessories for cameras along with larger bits of kit such as cameras, iPads, Bluetooth accessories etc. All in all it looks a useful addition. The other point that I have noticed is the “Grand Opening of …”. If seems a bit odd that shops, or areas of shops, have a grand opening when it is obvious that they have been open for some time – the cynic in me says that this is a marketing ploy to encourage some passengers to part with their hard earned cash. Today being 31st October it is of course Halloween so much of the ship is adorned with ghosts, ghouls, webs and all other trappings of the event. At night there were quite a few dressed for the occasion, and not just children – it certainly gave the ship some atmosphere – and amusment! OK let’s have a moan. There is clearly a design/usage fault with the restaurants (and from memory the same problem exists on Azura) and that is that the Bay Tree restaurant is on deck six and is only accessible via one staircase so consequently there are many passengers waiting to go to dinner in the small area outside the restaurant which then overspills onto the stairs and even at the top of the stairs on deck seven. It would have made more sense to have had this as a Freedon Dining restaurant than a Club restaurant. Moan over! Tonight in the theatre was one of the best acts that I think I have ever seen on a P&O ship – they were so good that I never closed my eyes for a second and the theatre was packed out with not a seat to be had. The group was The Revolvers who were doing The Sounds of the Sixties. This is a traditional “pop” group of that era consisting of three lads on guitars and a drummer – no synthetic music anywhere. It is a group I have not seen before but will certainly be one that I will be looking out for in the future (if I can get in to see them!!) Monday 30th OctoberTuesday, October 31. 2017I would not say that I was back to 100% fitness but fairly close so it was very much just having a look around the ship and resting. We both agree that for a ship that is due a refit in the next few months she is in remarkably good condition, is well maintained and does not look tired – in fact as a ship we prefer Ventura to Azura – although whether that will apply to the whole cruise experience is something that the jury is still out on. Tonight was the first “Black Tie” night and I have to say that in the areas we were in that the dress code was extremely well adhered to and later in the theatre there were not many who were “casual”. The meal was Marco “Gala” dinner with Beef Wellington which was OK – nothing exceptional, but there was some Stilton with port available (if you asked!). The show in the theatre was the Headliners with, what for us was, a new show “Back Stage”. The Headliners troupe appeared to be larger than on other ships but the one thing that I was pleased about was that they had the sound balance right, we were not deafened – oh, and they were not screeching. I am pleased to say that I have recovered from my malaise and “normal service” has resumed. Sunday 29th OctoberTuesday, October 31. 2017The journey down to Southampton was plain sailing (pun intended) with no problems whatsoever – however I found a “new” route. Instead of going using A34/M3/M27/M271 (I hate the M3 at the best of times) I went part way down the A34 then branched off on the A30 and, with the help of the satnav, takes you straight to the M271 which you are only on for one junction and then off and into the docks at gate 20 – we were sailing from Mayflower so I am not sure if this would work for Ocean/QEll. Embarkation was smooth and efficient and we were on board at 12:15 heading for the “curly sandwiches”. This is where we encountered the first issue and that was with the staff in the restaurant who were sending out the vibes that they did not want to be there doing that job – which may be true but tough you are there and you are doing it! This was not helped by the fact that we were given what, to us and several others, was the most revolting glass of fizzy stuff that I have ever tasted, then it took 10 minutes to get a glass of water and another 10 minutes to get one of the two glasses of “proper” wine that I asked for. There seems to be an overall problem throughout the ship with trying to get orders correct. Anyway cabins ready for 13:00 so off we go (sans glass of wine) to find that all our cases were ready and waiting outside the cabin. Unpacking was soon done and then disaster struck – I became unwell, I just wanted to sleep, I was so tired. I was able to go to the muster drill which was really the same as all the previous ones, nothing new – only criticism was that the woman in charge was tell people to turn their mobiles to silent during the drill – no turn them OFF!! So muster drill over and back to the cabin where all I wanted was to sleep – in fact I so bad that I was unable to go down for dinner (compo claim already in!), I have never felt like that before but fortunately I was pretty much back to normal the next day. Saturday 28th OctoberSaturday, October 28. 2017
We had a reasonably good drive down to our now preferred hotel, The Regency Park at Thatcham, with only minor delays on the M6. The reason why we like this hotel is that it breaks the four and a half drive to Southampton leaving only about an hour the next day and it is a reasonably priced hotel which does not suffer the vagaries of Southampton hotels.
Anyway we arrived in our room, everything OK and had a meal. This is where things started to go slightly awry as there was a function on tonight in the Function Suite the restaurant was somewhat chaotic – why cannot hotels cope with functions and keep the rest of the hotel working as normal – after all this is their main core business. Right then off to get an extra hour’s sleep before we set off in the morning down to Southampton.
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