New Years Eve on Ventura

Many years ago new years eve used to be really exciting and we always had somewhere really nice to go with friends and family but over the years this has changed and to be honest has been a bit boring. So this is why we decided to book the short break cruise that P&O do every year from Southampton. We asked our family who also booked and in the end there were 14 of us going on the Ventura for a 4 night cruise on the 29th December last year.

Some of us had cruised before and for some this was their first time so I was a little bit nervous as to whether they would enjoy it. I did not need to have worried because we all had an amazing time and I can honestly say it was the best new year I have had in a long time.
The itinerary was the usual call at Bruges and Amsterdam but unfortunately the ship was unable to dock in Amsterdam due to bad weather so we had an extra day at sea instead. We were obviously disappointed but understand this can happen with a cruise. Luckily we had a really nice day on board and the kids had a great time in the pool all day.


I have been to Bruges lots of times before but this was the first time with my children. They loved all of the chocolate shops and soon managed to spend their pocket money. They also went ice skating in the beautiful market square. We watched them for a while before moving over to one of the many Christmas markets to enjoy a prosecco or two.




Because there was a group of us it worked out just as cheap to have a taxi instead of taking the train. It was 50 euro each way and we had 7 in each minibus so well worth doing as only took 20 minutes. Our driver arranged to pick us back up at 4pm. We were starting to get worried when he didn’t arrive as there were no taxis available and we had to be back on board ship by 5.30pm at the latest. Luckily he did turn up and we were back in plenty of time but in future I would book it a little earlier to give us time to make alternative arrangements if necessary.
The Ventura looked beautiful with all of the Christmas decorations particularly in the atrium.

I found our cabin to be spacious with lots of storage and wardrobe space. The evenings were a little bit cramped in a 4 berth cabin and trying to manoeuvre around the ladders was a bit tricky but we hardly spent any time in our cabin so this wasn’t a problem.

I would say that I was a little disappointed with the food. It seem to be very hit and miss with some peoples meals cooked beautifully and others being over cooked. There was also a limited choice.
I have to say our waiter was excellent but when we ate in the Baytree restaurant for breakfast I found the waiters to be rude and unfriendly. The breakfast was also over cooked and had to be sent back.
However the bar service was very good and the staff were more friendly. They had really good tribute singers in the lounges which we enjoyed more than the theatre. New Years Eve was really good fun with lots of venues on board celebrating the new year. There were hats and party poppers etc in the dining room and the food was excellent on this occasion.

The disco was really good and the whole ship had a brilliant atmosphere wherever you chose to be.

For me this is what made my cruise special as there are not many places in the UK where I could take my children and enjoy the night we had on board. Children are allowed in the public bars and lounges so nobody had to go to bed early with the kids.

The Ventura is an excellent choice for families cruising in Europe during the winter months. We had 3 days at sea and the kids never got bored. They were either enjoying the indoor pool , watching a movie somewhere or joining in the pub quizzes etc with the rest of us.
All they want to know now is when will their next cruise be !!