Standards Slipping – but still good value!

Our January Caribbean cruise on Venture was our first P&O cruise for six years and standards have certainly slipped. With only two dress codes and three formal nights on a 15-day cruise is not good enough. To allow people into the restaurant with “smart” jeans and casual shirts (one guy even went in wearing a pork pie hat) was disappointing. No jeans are “smart.” Dressing well for dinner is part of the cruise experience. What happened to semi-formal? Those who don’t wish to do so should not be allowed in the dining rooms or they should use the buffets. The entertainment was really disappointing and trips still far too expensive, which is a shame as many more would be booked if the price was reasonable. We found our double-bed outside cabin a bit of a health hazard. As an “older” couple we found we had only a couple of feet at the most to negotiate the journey from our bedside to the bathroom because of the bunks hanging on the walls. It was a terrible squeeze and we inadvertently knocked against them on a number of occasions. However, Ventura is a nice ship and the food was good in the main restaurants. Having been to he Caribbean three times before we knew what to expect from the ports. Tortola was a first and we really liked it. Also, the shops there didn’t rip off he tourists like they do in the superb cruise terminal at Grand Cayman. Yes, a few gripes and although standards have slipped it was still value for money.