Ventura Cruise Review
 Have you always thought that cruising is for the older generation? Think again. On Sunday the 13th of April I was introduced to the new P&O Ship, Ventura. Let me tell you more about “The Superliner designed for Britain”.
Myself and 17 other Cruise Centre staff flew on an early flight from Prestwick to Bournemouth before being transferred by coach to Southampton docks, which took us around 1 hour.
On arrival at the docks I could not believe the size of Ventura and how impressive she looked. My eyes were drawn to the never ending rows of balcony cabins. Her length is the equivalent of 35 London buses!
When we arrived at the P&O departures terminal where we were greeted by a P&O Cruises staff member who directed us to the check in desks. The check in process went smoothly and it wasn't long before we embarked the ship.
On embarkation I was overwhelmed by how grand Atrium of the ship was, everything was new and gleaming. It featured two glass elevators with two impressive staircases which met at the bottom and led to a seating area. The fresh flowers and the art work on the walls added to magnificence of the ship.
 We made our way to our outside twin cabin with balcony. The cabin had a modern design with fresh white linen, and turquoise bedding. The mirror behind the bed and sliding patio doors made the cabin feel light and airy. There was plenty of storage with a dressing area and chest of drawers. The bathroom consisted of a shower, toilet and vanity unit, which I also found very spacious.
Afternoon tea was served in the Waterside Restaurant on deck 15 - Ventura’s main informal food court serving sandwiches, fries, salad, quiche, steak pie and an endless choice of miniature cakes. This made a perfect lunch setting with views over the sea.
The ship has 11 fantastic restaurants catering for all. Offering a range of different flavours such as Italian, Spanish Tapas, Chinese and good old British fare. Each restaurant has its own theme. Ventura's flagship restaurant, The White Room serves Italian cuisine and the tempting menu has been created by the famous Marco Pierre White.
East Restaurant (my favourite restaurant) offers a unique and personal dinning experience in a modern and contemporary setting. The evening we had soon arrived and as it was a formal evening we dined in the Cinnamon Restaurant.
 This is one of Ventura’s main dinning rooms. The menu consisted of five courses, each achieving excellent taste and standard.
Ventura has many leisure facilities including 5 swimming pools, kids clubs, spa, gym, circus school, scalextric, Tate Modern art gallery, casino and of course the impressive theatre. My favourite area was the spa, which gave the sense of complete relaxation. Having several treatment rooms, it’s own pool, sauna, steam room and a hair salon Ventura's spa has everything you need to be pampered.
Ventura offers a wealth of entertainment ranging from West End shows, comedy acts, live music, cabaret and tribute bands. The casino “Fortunes” provides a great place to socialise and have a flutter. I really enjoyed the Havana bar, which is inspired by Latin America. We saw a Kylie, Robbie Williams and Elton John tributes, which were all excellent. A disco followed this where the DJ played a mixture of party tunes. After this we enjoyed a midnight buffet in the Beach House restaurant.
 Overall I believe that Ventura provided me with an excellent insight to life onboard a P&O cruise. The facilities were second to none and the food was delicious. The UK cruise market is expanding so rapidly and attracting younger clients who are looking for more than the traditional beach holiday in Spain. Ventura offers so much more! Singles, couples, groups of friends and families will all love this ship as she caters for everyone. I had an unforgettable experience onboard Ventura and definitely hope to cruise onboard her and other P&O ships again soon.
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