Ventura

The 2008-built MS Ventura cruise ship is one of the Grand-class P&O UK liners, with sistership MS Azura.

The vessel (IMO number 9333175) is currently Bermuda-flagged (MMSI 310562000) and registered in Hamilton.

History - construction and ownership

P&O Cruises is a subsidiary company and two brands owned by Carnival Corporation - P&O UK and P&O Australia. In 2000, P&O Cruises became subsidiary of P&O Princess Cruises, which merged with Carnival Corporation in 2003. P and O is the world's oldest cruise company, starting passenger shipping operations in 1822 on the routes connecting England with Iberia.

The 3100-passenger ship Ventura was christened in Port Southampton on April 16, 2008, by the famous British actress Dame Helen Mirren (assisted by a team of Royal Marine Commandos). The liner is particularly larger - by 30 % than any other vessel in the P&O Cruises fleet. This means there's more room for contemporary facilities, like expanded children-related amenities, recreational opportunities (bungee jumping) and different restaurants. What is more, it is difficult to find any sign of traditional P&O Cruises in the hardware - no card room, nowhere to have a sit in the library, no art auctions (all the pictures are on sale, but showed with the price) and no monotonous teak-and-cream coloring (there are cheery decor and modern artwork instead). The travelers are also distinct; still quite a lot of the retired cruisers that P&O Cruises is known for attracting, but also lots of families with kids.

Decks and Cabins

P&O Ventura staterooms (1556 total, in 35 grades) include 26x Suites, 853x Balconies, 223x Oceanviews, 434x Inside, 2x Family Suites, 18x Studios (single-occupancy cabins). Most cabins are sized 165 ft2 / 15 m2. Most cabin balconies are sized 45 ft2 / 4 m2. The largest passenger accommodations are the Aft Penthouse Suites (410 ft2 / 38 m2, with terrace sized 180 ft2 / 17 m2).

The boat has 18 decks of which 15 are passenger-accessible and 9 with cabins.

Shipboard dining options - Food and Drinks

The quality of food aboard Ventura is of a high standard for such a big ship. The menus offered in the three main dining rooms change daily, and there is a Gala Menu on formal nights as well, put together by Marco Pierre White. Cinnamon and Saffron (two of the main dining rooms) offer 'Freedom Dining', meaning that guests can turn up anytime between 6:00 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. and dine where and with whom they like. Bay Tree is the third MDR and offers set-time dining called "Club Dining" by the line. There are 3 specialty restaurants, 2 formal ones - Epicurean, serving molecular gastronomy cuisine and Sindhu by Michelin-starred chef Atul Kochhar. The one informal restaurant, which proved popular on sister vessel Azura and replaced Las Ramblas, is The Glass House by wine expert Olly Smith (for-fee tapas-style restaurant).

Follows the complete list of Ventura restaurants and food bars.

• Cinnamon Restaurant (528-seat, aft Dining Room; features Your Time dining from 6:00 to 9:30 p.m.)
• Saffron Restaurant (528-seat, forward Dining Room; with fixed seating dining at 6:30 and 8:30 p.m.)
• Bay Tree Restaurant (596-seat aft Dining Room; with fixed seating dining at 6:30 and 8:30 p.m.; also hosts bridge tournaments, card games, etc)
• East (138-seat Asian specialty restaurant by celebrity chef Atul Kochhar)
• The Glass House (steakhouse/seafood specialty restaurant and wine bar)
• The Beach House (324-seat buffet restaurant; serves as NYC deli for dinner 6:30 - 9:30 p.m.)
• Waterside (332-seat buffet restaurant; offers full English breakfast, lunch, Afternoon Tea, Noddy’s Tea/kids, dinner, night snacks; serves premium wines by the glass)
• Frankie’s Grill (fast food bar, complimentary pizza/ice cream bar, hotdogs, burgers)
• The White Room (182-seat Italian specialty restaurant).

Shipboard entertainment options - Fun and Sport

P&O company doesn't go in for huge West End-style productions. Instead, expect revue-type shows with an emphasis on the singing talents of the performer; ventriloquists, magicians, and tribute acts; British comedy. In the Arena Theatre, there are two main shows nightly. Times vary in order to accommodate the set dining times. Elsewhere on the ship, the main venues for live entertainment are Havana, at the back of the ship, and The Tamarind Club - a walk-through venue on Deck 7. In both these venues, guests will find bands or singers on at various times throughout the whole evening. There is usually a guest band too, depending on where the vessel is based. Havana is also the nightclub onboard ms Ventura. Additional amenities include: Complimentary 24-hour Room-Service, Internet/WiFi access, supervised kids program, laundry/self-serve laundromats.

Follows the complete list of Ventura lounges, clubs and other entertainment venues for kids, teens, and adults.

• Ventura Atrium (3-decks central open floor area and social hub);
• Atrium Shops - Regalia (clothes, souvenirs, gifts), The Wardrobe (brand fashion, watches, bags, hats), Chic (fashion boutique), Emporium (candy store), Eternity (jewelry), Essence (perfumes). Following the ship's drydock refurbishment in 2018, the onboard shopping was upgraded by adding new retail brands selling premium watches, handbags, cosmetics and perfumes, travel essentials. New is the Dufry store (travel retailer). Among the added new brands are BRICS (luggage, bags, Selfridges), Longines (Swiss hand-made watches), Olivia Burton (watches, V), Liu Jo (women's clothes, bags, shoes), Radley (designer leather handbags, purses, accessories), Cath Kidston (fashion, bags, gifts), Kipling (designer bags, backpacks, luggage, wallets, travel accessories). A new collection of British gins is also available.
• Tazzine Bar (by Costa Coffee; at night transforms into a cocktail bar)
• Chapter One (book shop and library); Cyb@study (24-hour Internet computers room, Internet packages)
• The Exchange Pub (sports bar); Brodie’s Pub; Breakers Bar; The Tamarind Lounge and Club (live music, comedy shows, cooking demonstrations, films, themed party nights)
• Metropolis Lounge; Peninsular Room (multi-purpose lounge); The Red Bar
• Arena Theatre (785-seat, 2-decks, featuring grand scale productions, live performances, game shows)
• Havana Lounge and Nightclub (live entertainment venue and disco)
• “Fortunes” Casino; Ivory Suite (vow renewal and wedding services)
• Photo Gallery and Shop; Whitehall Art Gallery; The Library (with Internet computers)
• Terrace Pool (adults only area, served by Terrace Bar); Beachcomber Pool and Bar; Laguna Pool and Bar; Aqua Park with waterside; 6 jacuzzis
• The Retreat (adults only area); Oasis Spa and Health Club (Treatment Rooms, Thermal Suite, Beauty Salon); Oasis /endless pool & bar
• Gymnasium (complimentary equipment, Fitness classes; Yoga and Pilates at surcharge)
• Kids Venues (Toybox, Jumping Jacks, Tumblers Nursery, The Den); Decibels (teen disco)
• Shuffleboard; Quoits; Sports Court (basketball, volleyball, tennis); Table Tennis; Golf Nets.

Itineraries

P&O Ventura itinerary program is based mainly on roundtrips from homeport Southampton England. The ship also used to operated Caribbean fly-cruises from Bridgetown Barbados, with Transatlantic repositioning crossings UK-Caribbean. Ex-Southampton voyages in Europe visit ports in Iberia (Portugal and Spain), Mediterranean, Canary Islands, as well as mini-cruises to Holland, Belgium, Germany. Transatlantic crossings (UK roundtrip voyages) also visit the USA and Canada and the Caribbean, with longer itineraries (30-40-days in length).

Due to the Coronavirus crisis, the ship Ventura was paused through October 2021.

The Fincantieri Monfalcone-built MS Ventura is one of PO's biggest vessels and also one of the biggest UK-based passenger ships, with sistership Azura (both of the Grand-Class). The ship was christened by Helen Mirren (1945-born British actress) who also sailed on the Inaugural Cruise/maiden voyage on April 11, 2008.

P&O Ventura (Monfalcone shipyard/hull number 6132) is powered by Wartsila marine diesel engines (models 8ZAV40S and 8L46C) generating total power output 67,22 MW.

Besides being a huge vessel as size and passenger capacity, Ventura is also one of the most family-friendly UK ships. Family fun activities at dedicated facilities on board are: "The Reef" (with kids club programming), Noddy (character greetings), open-air kids playing areas, "Beachcomber" and "Laguna" (family pools), "The Beach House" (casual family restaurant for dinner) and Havana Lounge (evening family shows).

During the whole summer of 2014, for the first time, P&O operated Ventura with exclusively fly-cruises to the Mediterranean from the UK. During winter, the liner offers Caribbean cruises from homeport Bridgetown Barbados, also operated with fly-cruise deals from UK (Southampton England). P&O UK's "flight and cruise" deals to the Caribbean are additionally inclusive of discounted airfare to and from Barbados.

The ship's current Captain (Master) is Paul Brown.

MS Ventura refurbishments review

The ship's drydock in 2018 (March 13-27, done by Damen Shiprepairs in Brest France) resulted in the following changes:

The onboard retail shopping was upgraded by refurbishing all retail shops and adding new brands. The 2-tier Arena Theatre received a large, wall-mounted LED screen (similar to that on Azura), as well as a new sound and light equipment. Two bar lounges (Tamarind Club and Havana) were renovated and redesigned.

All passenger cabins and most public areas (the Atrium, Spa and Salon complex, all restaurants, lounges, and bars) were renovated with new carpeting. The main walkway area received new tiling, new carpet, new furniture.

New retail brands were added to the onboard shopping options selling premium watches, handbags, cosmetics and perfumes, travel essentials. New is the Dufry store (travel retailer). All the shops were completely renovated. Among the newly added brands are BRICS (luggage, bags, Selfridges), Longines (Swiss hand-made watches), Olivia Burton (watches, V), Liu Jo (women's clothes, bags, shoes), Radley (designer leather handbags, purses, accessories), Cath Kidston (fashion, bags, gifts), Kipling (designer bags, backpacks, luggage, wallets, travel accessories). A new collection of British gins was also added. To the shops on Deck 7 was added a large glass display window.

During the drydock refit were also refurbished the Waterside (24-hour buffet restaurant) and The Beach House (Select Dining restaurant).

Dixons Travel shop (deck 7) sells the latest technology gadgets and electronic equipment. During the refurbishment, the store's size was increased and new products were added, including by the brands Amazon, Apple, Bose, Canon, Fitbit, GoPro). The Photo Now (digital screen) was moved to the aft.

During drydock 2018, on the boat were installed 2 scrubbers (reducing fuel emissions and energy consumption). The hull was water blasted and painted with a new type of silicone paint (improving fuel efficiency). Also repainted was the liner's superstructure. Maintenance works included the vessel's propulsion, stabilizers, some repairs.

The list of deck plan changes after the ship's 2013 drydock (at Blohm+Voss shipyard in Hamburg Germany) includes:

• (Deck 5) - new Atrium entertainment programme – now with a dance floor (also for lessons) and live band music at night. Internet Cafe was transformed into the Library, while the old library was refitted into a perfume shop.
• (Deck 6) - 18 new single cruise cabins, of which 12 oceanview and 6 Interior), at no single supplement rates.
• (Deck 7) - The Glass House (wine bar) replacing the Ramblas (Latin specialty restaurant)
• (Deck 7) - East (Asian specialty restaurant by Atul Kochhar, with new Southeast Asia menu.
• (Deck 17) - The Retreat (outdoor adults-only spa terrace).
• Better (shipwide) Wi-Fi coverage.