P&O cruise to Northern Spain and France
We were delayed boarding due to the ship needing a deep clean after a break out of Norovirus on the previous sailing, but that worked well for us as it meant we could watch the FA Cup final in a Southampton pub. To avoid a further spread of the virus there were some key changes such as no self-service in the buffet and hand sanitiser on entry into the restaurants; thankfully there were no cases of sickness reported.
We sailed on the Ventura and despite being an old ship she had been recently renovated with new carpets throughout. She holds around 3000 guests so is a fairly big ship and she did feel crowded at times such as in the buffet restaurant and around the main pools. However there were 4 pools and 2 other complimentary restaurants to choose from so we did find space elsewhere.
We booked into one speciality restaurant, Sindhu, whilst onboard and the food was amazing. We used our onboard credit to pay for it and by the end of the week we had gone over our credit amount so the remainder got charged to the credit card we had on file.
The first port of call was La Coruna after sailing across the Bay of Biscay. There was a lovely beach and a picturesque cemetery, but not much else to see. The stops got better as we went along. Second port was Gijon which again had beautiful beaches but also some pretty squares and we enjoyed some beers in a sunny courtyard while listening to some local Spanish music.
Santander came third and the beaches were even better here. We walked to the Magdalena Palace which is perched at the top of the peninsula and then returned to the ship for lunch.
Our fourth and final port of call was the medieval city of La Rochelle and it really was the highlight of the cruise. With brilliant shopping, a magnificent harbour and squares a plenty, we spent the whole day off the ship and will definitely be returning.
The entertainment on board the ship was outstanding. From the brilliant theatre productions to the local busker playing acoustic guitar, we never had a dull moment. The sail away parties were always a giggle with the entertainment team leading the dances. And for those who like to extend the day, a dance in the nightclub was always an option.
In summary, we enjoyed this cruise and think it was good value for money. It’s definitely family friendly and there is something onboard to suit all kinds of holiday maker.
