I have been to ... Madeira, the Canary Islands, and Portugal

Some years ago, Sue and I began to regularly go away for a Christmas holiday. These began as short breaks in hotels in various parts of the country, including Deveon and Norfolk, but once we took up cruising, we started to go a Christmas cruises – always with P&O – to places such as Norway and the Canary Islands. This year we chose the latter option and booked a cruise that should take us to Madeira, Tenerife, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote, and Lisbon.

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17th December: Southampton

We awoke at 6.30am, and after getting washed, dressed, and eating breakfast, we did the final bits of packing before we loaded the car, and set off towards Southampton at 8.45am.

Sue and I reached the Dartford interchange of the A2 and M25 within twenty minutes, and although there were a few places along the southern stretch on the motorway that were affected by fog and where the speed limited was restricted, the traffic seemed to be quite light and we reached the M3 turnoff just before 10.00am.

There were no major holdups on the M3, and we were able to take a short comfort break at Winchester Services and still get to the entrance to the docks by 11.15am. We parked in the valet parking area, and after handing our car over to them, we followed the porter who was assisting us with our luggage towards the Ocean Cruise Terminal.

Because we had booked a suite and I was having assisted boarding due to my mobility problems, we did not have to queue to enter the terminal. Sue and I went up to the main floor in the lift and were directed to the assistance desk. We were immediately booked in, I was allocated a wheelchair and pusher, and within ten minutes we had been through the check in process and had passed through the security checks.

Once all the pre-boarding procedures had been completed, I was taken aboard P&O’s MV Ventura, our boarding passes were scanned, and then we visited our muster station – the Havana Bar (Deck 7 Aft) – to be registered. The final part of the embarkation process was to go to the Cinnamon Restaurant (Deck 5 Midships) for lunch. Having been seated at a table for eight, the wheelchair pusher departed (suitably rewarded for his excellent service) and Sue and I then spent a very pleasant time eating an excellent lunch and chatting to our table companions.

The menu included:

Starters

Oak-smoked Duck Breasts with Pickled Carrots, Coriander, and Sour Cherries (Both of us)

Main Course

Pan-roasted Barramundi Fillet with Tarragon Crushed New Potatoes, Fine Beans, and a Sauce Vierge (Sue)

Carved Sirloin of Beef with Tomato and Bacon Jam, Sweet Potato Fondant, Tobacco Onions, and a Béarnaise Sauce (Me)

Desserts

Selection of British and International Cheeses with Banana Bread, Black Grapes, Mulled Apple Jelly, with Fine Cheese Biscuits (Sue)

Vanilla Ice Cream (Me)

At 1.00pm, a public announcement was made to the effect that all cabins and suites were now available for occupation. Sue and I chose to make our way slowly up to our suite on Deck 8 Aft, going via the Promenade Deck (Deck 7) so that we could have a breath of fresh air.

It was probably a good thing that we decided not to rush up to our suite as several of the lifts were not working and there was a large number of passengers trying to use those that were working. The crowd had begun to thin out by the time we managed to get a lift up to our deck, and when we arrived at our suite, we found all our luggage piled up outside waiting for us.

Sue and I then spent the next couple of hours unpacking, meeting our cabin steward (Jordan) and our butler (Allwyn), and getting used to the layout of our suite. It had a toilet and washing area, ...

... and bath and shower, ...

... as well as a walk-in cupboard, a sleeping area, ...

... and a seating area that included a butler’s sink.

By the time Ventura set sail at just after 4.00pm, it was already dark outside, and Sue and I decided to stay in our suite and have a cup of tea and a rest before getting ready for dinner. During this period of relaxation, the ship’s captain – Captain James Brown – made a public announcement about the weather we could expect to encounter over the first few days of our cruise. Basically, the Ventura was going to be sailing towards a storm front, and although he would try to avoid the worst, passengers should expect seas of up to seven metres and winds of 70mph at times. It looked as if we were going to experience ‘interesting times’ over the next few days!

Sue and I set out at about 7.45pm to find somewhere to have a pre-dinner drink and were lucky to find two seats in the Red Bar (Deck 7 Midships) that were not already occupied.

Within a couple of minutes we had given our drink orders to the bar steward and they arrived less than five minutes later.

Suitably refreshed, Sue and I made our way to the Bay Tree Restaurant (Deck 6 Aft) and arrived as the doors were opening. We were shown to our table by one of the waiters and almost as soon as we had sat down, our two waiters – Santosh and Nicole – had arrived and introduced themselves.

As usual the service and food were excellent, and by 9.45pm we had finished dinner and had made our way up to the Promenade Deck for a breath of fresh air, only to discover that the doors had been closed due to the increasingly bad weather. We therefore returned to our suite and watched the end of an Australian KFC Big Bash League cricket match on the TV before getting ready for bed. We were both feeling very tired, and we were asleep long before midnight.

18th December: At sea

As the captain had predicted, the weather got worse overnight, and both Sue and I were woken up several times because of loud noises and the ship’s violent motion. (As our suite was at the aft end of the ship, this was undoubtably worse that in the middle where things are usually relatively calm.)

When we finally woke up at 7.45am, Ventura was already past Ushant and on her way into the northern part of the Bay of Biscay.

By 9.00am we were seated in the Epicurean Restaurant (Deck 17 Aft) eating breakfast. Once that was over, we went down to the Glasshouse Bar (Deck 7 midships) to have our boarding passes scanned for a second time as they had not apparently registered our visit to the muster station on the previous afternoon.

We had planned to go to the theatre to listen to the guest speaker, but as the ship was moving rather violently at times, we decided not to and went for a walk along the inside part of the Promenade Deck instead.

By 11.00am we had returned to our suite, and after a quick glance at the Navigation Channel on the TV it was apparent that the weather was not getting any better. At one point the windspeed on deck was 74mph and the ship was only managing a speed of 12 knots into it.

Sue and I amused ourselves doing the daily crossword and reading until the captain made the usual midday announcement. The crux of this was that the bad weather would probably reach a climax during the middle of the afternoon, after which things would slowly improve. He did, however, warn everyone to be careful when moving about the ship and to take special care on stairs.

By 2.00pm, Sue and I were beginning to feel hungry, and after debating where best to go, we decided to try the Glasshouse Bar.

The bar serves food during the day and early evening, and this ranges from tapas to full-blown meals. Furthermore, the food is served to you ... and you don’t have to try to carry a plateful of food about whilst looking for somewhere to eat as one would in the buffet or at one of the poolside eateries, something that is well worth considering when the ship is passing through bad weather!

We both chose fish and chips ...

... and it was a very good choice. The fish was cooked in a crisp batter, the chips were crisp on the outside and fluffy on the inside, and the accompaniments – tartare sauce, bread and butter, crushed peas, and pickles – made it just that little bit better than normal.

Sue and I then returned to our suite and spent the rest of the afternoon reading, writing our respective records of the cruise, and making up for our previous night’s disrupted sleep.

Sue and I had booked a table in the Epicurean Restaurant for dinner, and after a pre-dinner drink in the Red Bar, we were seated in the restaurant by just after 8.00pm.

The menu was one that we have enjoyed several times before, and we both knew exactly what we were going to order almost as soon as we were seated. In the end, we ate the following:

Rye Bread, Beetroot Bread, and Wholemeal Bread with unsalted and Marmite butter

Starters

Crab, Langoustine and Salmon Caviar Cocktail with Pea and Chervil Custard, Parchment Bread, and a Cucumber Mojito (Sue)

Hand-carved Jamón Pata Negra Ibérico with Manchego Cheese, Fine Spanish Olives, Country Bread, and Marcona Almond Oil (Me)

Main Course

Hand-carved 14oz Beef Rib-Eye Steak with Madeira and Béarnaise Sauce, Deef-fried Onion Rings, Sauteed Mushrooms, Grilled Vine Tomatoes, Tripled-cooked Chips, and Wilted Spinach Leaf (Both of us)

Desserts

Flambéed Crêpes Suzette with Vanilla Pod Ice Cream (Both of us)

The meal was wonderful and the service exemplary. Sue and I finally left the restaurant just before 10.30pm, and after a short spell on the Promenade Deck, we returned to our suite. We then read and watched TV until just before midnight, at which point we got ready for bed.

19th December: At sea

Overnight, the weather began to improve, and when we woke up at 7.45am, Ventura was off the coast of northwest Spain ...

... and the waves were far less pronounced.

After breakfast in the Epicurean restaurant, Sue and I were able to spend some time in the open air on the Promenade Deck.

By 10.15am, Sue and I had made our way to the Arena Theatre (Deck 6 and 7 Forward) so that we could find seats well before the talk that began at 10.30am. It was given by Martin Carlin ...

... and dealt with certain aspects of Marilyn Munroe’s life and death. (This was the second of three talks about this subject. Luckily, although we had not heard the first talk, it was easy to pick up what the speaker had covered in the one that we had missed.)

The talk ended at 11.15am, and after a fruitless search for somewhere to sit in the Tazzine Café on Deck 5 Midships, Sue and I returned to our suite. We stayed there until after the regular midday announcement by the Officer-of-the-Watch, and then went up to the Metropolis Bar (Deck 18 Aft) ...

... to get a drink and to read our Kindles.

By 2.30pm, Sue and I were beginning to feel peckish and went down to the Waterside Self-Service Restaurant (Deck 15) to eat a snack lunch.

Sue and I then returned to the Promenade Deck for some fresh air before returning to our suite to read and work on our respective cruise logs. We were visited by our butler during the later afternoon when – because it was a formal dinner that evening – he delivered a plate of canapes.

At 7.30pm, Sue and I made our way to the ship’s atrium (Decks 5, 6, and 7 midships) as the Captain’s Welcome Aboard event was taking place there. We managed to find some seats in the Red Bar ...

... which gave us an excellent view of the atrium balcony on Deck 6 when the Cruise Director...

... introduced Captain James Brown, the Master of Ventura.

The latter gave a short speech of welcome before introducing the ship’s main officers and department heads to the passengers who filled the three decks around the atrium.

Once that was over, we made our way to the Bay Tree Restaurant for the first formal dinner of the cruise. This ended at 10.00pm, after which Sue and I had a short time in the fresh air on the Promenade Deck before returning to our suite to get ready for bed.

20th December: At sea

Sue and I awoke at 7.30am after a much better night’s sleep. The weather had improved considerably, and although the sun wasn’t shining, the horizon was very clear, and the sky was not overcast.

After breakfast in the Epicurean Restaurant, we went down to the Promenade Deck for a walk along the starboard side of the ship. This fresh air and exercise gave us the sort of morale boost that we needed, and helped prepare us for the forthcoming Peninsular Club Lunch at midday.

Rather than return to our suite to read and rest, Sue and I made our way to the Arena Theatre to listen to the guest speaker’s third and final talk about Marilyn Munroe’s demise. (His theory – based on his own experience as a crime scene investigator and the evidence of files released by various US government agencies – is that she was murdered by a person or persons unknown who were associated with the Mafia and/or the Kennedy family.)

The talk ended at 11.15am, and Sue and I returned to our suite via the open-air part of the starboard side of the Promenade Deck.

As it was the Peninsular Club lunch at midday in the Bay Tree Restaurant, Sue and I got ourselves ready well in time to get to the restaurant well before midday. This was just as well as it took us ten minutes to find a lift with enough room to take us down to Deck 6.

Once in the restaurant, we were shown to our table. It was laid for five guests, but only one other person turned up, a lady who was travelling on her own ... and who proved to be a very enjoyable person to eat a meal with.

The menu included:

Starters

Crispy Haddock and Leek Fishcakes with Pickled Cucumber Salsa, Mature Cheddar Cream, and a Wholegrain Mustard Viniagrette (Sue)

Oak-smoked Duck Breast with Toasted Hazelnuts with a Chicory and Orange Salad, Dried Cranberries, and a Toasted Hazelnut Crumb (Me)

Sorbet

Lemon Sorbet (Both of us)

Main Course

Pan-roasted Salmon Fillet with Brown Butter Potatoes, Broccoli Purée, Roasted Cauliflower, and a Tomato and Kalamata Olive Sauce (Sue)

Lamb Rump Roasted Harissa with Moroccan-spiced Potato Press, Cumin-roasted Carrot, Date Purée, and a Chermoula Dressing (Me)

Desserts

Saffron-infused Rice Pudding with Lychee and Galangal Jelly topped with a Praline made with Pumpkin Seeds (Sue)

Pecan Pie with rich Salted-caramel Sauce finished with Pecan Clotted Cream Praline (Me)

We had finished eating by 1.45pm, and after saying farewell to our lunch companion and thanking the staff who had served us, Sue and I went up to the open deck area on the Promenade Deck for a breath of fresh air. We then returned to our suite to sit and recover ... and to complete the daily crossword!

When we went for our pre-dinner drink, we found that all the seats were taken in the Red Bar. Luckily, we were able to find a couple of places to sit in the Glasshouse Bar, and we stayed there until it was time to go to the Bay Tree Restaurant for dinner.

After dinner, Sue and I went out onto the Promenade Deck for some fresh air before returning to our suite to read before it was time to get ready to sleep.

21st December: Funchal, Madeira

We both awoke at just after 7.00am, just in time to feel the vibration caused by Ventura coming alongside the dock in Funchal.

By the time we were ready to go for breakfast in the Epicurean Restaurant, it was light and we were able to see Cunard’s Queen Victoria moored just behind Ventura.

After breakfast, we decided not to rush ashore as it was Sunday and we did not expect that many of the shops and bars would be open much before 11.00am. Instead, we went out onto the port side of the Promenade Deck so that we could enjoy the view of Funchal.

We were easily able to see the two ‘sailing’ vessel used for tourist trips, a reproduction of a carrack and a small schooner.

(Although both carry sails, they are mainly for show, and the vessels rely on diesel motors to move!)

Sue and I disembarked at 11.00am, and by 11.30am the shuttlebus had deposited us near the main bus terminal and lower cable car station.

From there, Sue and I walked towards the main market, stopping for a refreshing drink in a local bar/restaurant named Almirante.

We had visited this establishment on our previous cruise to Madeira, and knew that the food and drink were good and not overpriced.

From there we walked the short distance to the main market, the Mercardo dos Lavradores.

The entrance is decorated with two large ceramic plaques ...

... and either side of the way into the central courtyard is flanked by flower and plant shops.

The central courtyard had an open roof ...

... which makes it very light and airy. We walked through it towards the fish market, which was closed and was being used as the location of a Christmas market.

After leaving the market, Sue and I crosse the main road leading towards the main shopping area, but as most of the shops we passed were closed, we decided to buy some pastel da nata and return to the ship.

The shuttlebus took less than ten minutes to get us back to the cruise terminal, and we had just reached the gangway for those with mobility problems when we stopped from boarding the ship by the Head of Security. Apparently, the angle of the gangway was just hovering around 20° and it had been decided that this was too dangerous for passengers to use. We were therefore asked to move to one side and await the arrival of a longer gangway that would not be as steep to climb.

In the end, this replacement took forty-five minutes to arrive and be fitted into place, and it was not until 1.50pm that we were finally able to go aboard Ventura.

By this time both of us needed a comfort break, and after taking one, we went to the Tazzine Café and bought a café latte to take back to our suite to drink whilst we ate our pastel da nata.

Once we had cooled off after our enforce stay ashore in the sun, Sue and I did the daily crossword before getting ready to go up the Scenic Sail Away that we had booked. Along with about fifty other people, we assembled in the Metropolis Bar for a ‘welcome’ glass of champagne before being taken up to the open deck area on Deck 19. There we were served cocktails and canapes whilst the ship sailed out of Funchal harbour ...

... and toward our next port-of-call, Santa Cruz de Tenerife.

By 6.30pm, Ventura was well out to sea and it was beginning to get dark and chilly. Sue and I decided that we would return to our suite and have a short rest before getting ready for our dinner.

Unlike the previous evening, the Red Bar was almost empty, and we had no difficulty finding a vacant couple of seats and a table. We stayed there until 8.25pm, at which point we went out onto the Promenade Deck and walked aft to take the lift down to the Bay Tree Restaurant. We returned to the Promenade Deck after dinner for some fresh air before going back to our suite on Deck 8 ... where we watched the end of another KFC Big Bash cricket match on TV before getting ready for bed.

22nd December: Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Tenerife

Because there were so many ships due to be in Santa Cruz harbour, the captain had announced on the previous evening that Ventura would be picking up her pilot an hour later than expected, and that as a result, she would be an hour late arriving alongside. To compensate for this, she would be staying longer in port and would not be departing until 8.30pm.

The upshot of this slight change to the ship’s itinerary was that when we woke up at 7.00am, the ship was still some way from Santa Cruz ...

... and sailing through very calm seas.

The start of days in port can be rather hurried at times, but on this occasion, we were able to take our time getting washed and dressed before eating breakfast in the Epicurean Restaurant. The Ventura was secured alongside by just after 9.00am, and instead of joining the initial rush to go ashore, Sue and I spent some time on the open part of the Promenade Deck looking at the hustle and bustle taking place ashore.

This proved to be a wise decision as it began to rain quite heavily, and whilst quite a few passengers got wet waiting for the shuttlebus to take them towards the city centre, we were able to take a stroll along the deck in the dry!

This also gave us the opportunity to look at the dock area of Santa Cruz harbour ...

... and to see the various ships that were either moored alongside or moving about. These included TUI’s Mein Schiff 3, ...

... Costa Cruise’s Costa Fortuna, ...

... the bunker vessel Karpathos (which was on its way to refuel Ventura), ...

... and an ocean-going salvage tug.

By 11.00am the rain had stopped, and Sue and I went ashore. The shuttlebus took us to the local ferry terminal – which gave us an excellent place to view Mein Schiff 3, Ventura, and Cunard’s Queen Victoria moored alongside.

It took us about fifteen minutes to walk through the small seafront park ...

... and the local Christmas market.

At the Plaza de España, which is dominated by a huge monument to the fallen of the Spanish Civil War, ...

... we turned inland and began to climb up the sloping Plaza de Candelaria.

At this point it began to rain again, and Sue and I decided to look for somewhere to sit under cover ... and so – seemingly – did everyone else! In the end we found a small café/restaurant that had some empty tables and decided to have lunch there as the rain showed little sign of easing up.

It turned out that the ... Con limón y sal specialised in Mexican food ...

... which was something that Sue had never tried before. In the end – and after some debate about how spicey the food would be – we ordered a couple of chicken burritos and something to drink. The food took some time to come as it was cooked to order, but the wait was worth it ... and it turned out that Sue actually enjoyed her first burrito!

By the time we had finished our lunch, the rain had stopped and the sun was shining. We walked back to the ferry terminal and caught the shuttlebus back to Ventura, and by 3.30pm we were back in our suite enjoying a café latte from the Tazzine Café.

We spent the rest of the afternoon and early evening resting, reading, watching TV, and writing up our respective cruise logs before getting ready for our second dinner of the cruise in the Epicurean Restaurant.

Sue and I had pre-dinner drink in the Red Bar and despite experiencing problems getting a lift from Deck 7 to Deck 17, we were seated in the Epicurean Restaurant by 8.30pm.

This second menu was also one that we have enjoyed before, and we knew what we were going to order as soon as we sat down.

In the end, we ordered and ate the following dishes:

Rye Bread, Mustard Bread, and Wholemeal Bread with unsalted and Marmite butter

Starters

Hand-carve Duo of Cured Smoked Salmon with Classic Accompaniments and Garnish (Both of us)

Main Course

Whole Dover Sole á la Meunière with Maître D’hôtel sauce (Sue)

Beef Fillet and Ox Cheek with Smoked Potato Croquettes, Cabernet Sauvignon Glazed Shallots, and Salt-Baked Heirloom Carrots (Me)

Desserts

Elements of Summer Trifle with Blackberry Jelly, Tarragon Meringue, Raspberry Roulade, and Deep-Fried Custard (Sue)

Crème Broûlée and White Chocolate Sphere with Raspberry Pearls, Candy Floss, and Caramelised Popcorn (Me)

As usual, the food and service was excellent, and Sue and I did not finally leave the restaurant until just after 10.30pm. We then spent a short time on the Promenade Deck before returning to our suite and watching TV until it was time to get ready for bed.

23rd December: Las Palmas, Gran Canaria

The sound of Ventura turning so that she could moor alongside the dock in Las Palmas woke Sue and I at 7.00am.

After breakfast, Sue and I spent time on the open deck looking around the very busy harbour.

Ventura was moored very close to the Spanish navy’s main naval base in the Canary Islands, and we could see four of the six Meteoro-class patrol vessels that are based there.

At 10.00am the ship’s crew undertook one of the regular crew drills, and this involved the testing and eventual launching of several of the lifeboats and tenders.

The drills were still taking place when Sue and I went ashore at 11.00am. On our walk from the ship to the cruise terminal via a recently installed airbridge, we saw the Queen Victoria, which was moored behind Ventura.

We also saw the rear of Ventura as we made our way from the cruise terminal to the centre of Las Palmas.

It took us nearly forty minutes to slowly walk from the ship to the small park that is just inland from the docks.

It contains a famous statue of Lolita Pluma, who fed all the local feral cats and was known as ‘the cat lady’.

In fact, her story is so well known that one of the large cafés next to the park bears her name ...

... and it is where Sue and I had a much-needed drink.

Our walk back to the ship seemed to be somewhat quicker than the walk into town had been. We also had the opportunity to see all three of the cruise ships that were in Las Palmas ...

... Mein Schiff 3, Ventura, and Queen Victoria.

By 2.00pm we were back aboard Ventura. After having a short rest in our suite, we went up to the Waterside Self-Service Restaurant for a snack lunch. We then returned to our suite and spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing and reading.

At 6.00pm our butler came to see us ... and he brought with him a large plate of Christmas cakes that the ship’s confectioners had produced.

Although we were very tempted to try them, we resisted and agreed to put them to one side ... until Christmas Eve!

At 7.30pm, Sue and I went to the red Bar for a pre-dinner drink, but because the ship’s theatre company – the Headliners – were performing carols on Deck 5 of the ship’s atrium, ever seat was taken and we ended up in the Glasshouse Bar instead.

The Bay Tree Restaurant was very empty, and we had finished dinner by 9.30pm. After leaving the restaurant, Sue and I went up to the open deck on the Promenade Deck for some fresh air, but it was rather windy and we only stayed there for about ten minutes before returning to our suite. We then read and watched TV for about an hour before going to bed.

24th December: Arrecife, Lanzarote

The sound and vibration caused by Ventura’s thrusters as she manoeuvred alongside in Arrecife’s harbour woke Sue and I up well before our alarm clock did.

As a result, we were in the Epicurean Restaurant eating breakfast by just before 8.30am, and by 9.00am we were on the starboard side of the open part of the Promenade Deck enjoying the early morning sun ... and watching TUI’s Marella Explorer as she moored across the harbour from Ventura ...

... and just in front of our regular companion, Cunard’s Queen Victoria.

Before going back to our suite to get ready to go ashore, Sue and I went over the port side of the ship to look at the landward view. As the following photos show, it is a somewhat barren and bleak place, mainly due to the volcanic nature of the island’s geology.

We went ashore at 10.30am, and because I was using a hired rollator, Sue and I were directed towards a special shuttlebus service for those with mobility problems. This took us to the local marina and yacht club ...

... from which it was a relatively short walk along the seafront to the centre of the town.

Along the way, we passed a large model of a skiing squirrel that was covered in lights and no doubt looked very impressive at night ...

... and a local coastal defence fort that is currently used to house a small museum.

When we reached the seafront children’s playground ...

... we crossed the road and went inland.

Sue and I walked up the town’s main pedestrianised shopping street ...

... but the further it went, the more crowded it became, and in the end we turned around and retraced our steps towards the seafront.

We had noticed that there were several small bars and restaurants down one of the side streets, and as we were both feeling thirsty, we stopped at one and had a glass of local vino blanco (Sue) and a Café latte (Me).

Both we very good and very refreshing.

(The café was the Café Gernika ...

... and over half the clients were local people, something that always bodes well.)

Sue and I decided to walk back to the marina and yacht club by a slightly different route that took us past an openair venue where a local rock band was tuning up prior to starting their concert.

The concert was going to take place next to a very quaint-looking seventeenth century church, the Iglesia de San Gines.

The narrow lane that ran alongside the church led us down to a large lagoon where the locals moor their small boats.

From there it was a short walk back to the marina and yacht club, and we only had to wait a few minutes before the special shuttlebus arrived and whisked us back to the ship. We were back aboard by 2.00pm, having walked over three and a half miles during the course of our visit to Arrecife.

Sue and I decided to have a snack in our suite instead of going to one of the restaurants. We then spent what remained of the afternoon in our suite reading, resting, watching TV, and writing our respective records of the cruise.

We had hoped to go to the Red Bar for our usual pre-dinner drink, but because the ship’s officers were singing carols in the atrium, it was packed. We then tried to find seats in the Glasshouse Bar, but the only available tables and chairs were set for dinner ... so we ended up sitting on seats lining the main route from the centre of the ship to the theatre.

After dinner in the Bay Tree Restaurant, Sue and I intended to go out onto the open deck area on the Promenade Deck, but our stay there was brief as the weather was beginning to change for the worse and it seemed to prudent to return to our suite and get ready for bed.

25th December: At sea

Overnight Ventura sailed towards her next port-of-call, Lisbon. The weather was not too bad, but Force 6 winds caused the ship to pitch more than normal and made sleeping somewhat difficult at times.

Sue and I were awake by 7.00am, and by 8.30am we were in the Epicurean Restaurant eating breakfast.

We finished by just after 9.10am, and after going out onto the open deck area on the Promenade Deck, we made our way to the Arena Theatre to attend the Festival of Lessons and Carols. This was conducted by the ship’s captain, and the readings were delivered by members of the ship’s crew.

The Festival ended at 10.45am and we decided to walk along Deck 6 as far as the midship lifts. We then went up to Deck 7 and walked aft towards the bank of lifts that took us up to Deck 8 and our suite.

The decks were very crowded, and the ship was still pitching considerably, and in the end, we decided to stay in our suite until it was time for lunch.

At midday the officer-of-the-watch made the usual announcement about the ship’s position and how far it still had to sail to reach Lisbon. He also informed everyone that the P&O’s Iona would be passing on the starboard side Ventura in fifteen minutes on a reciprocal course.

At 2.00pm, Sue and I went up to the Waterside Self-Service Restaurant for lunch. As we were going to eat a large Christmas dinner later, we ate just a snack.

We were back in our suite in time to listen to the King’s Speech on the BBC World News channel on our TV, after which we spent some time watching a number of old Christmas ‘specials’ as well as reading and resting. We then began getting ready for the second formal dinner of the cruise.

By 7.30pm we were both looking forward to eating our Christmas dinner in the Epicurean Restaurant. Because every passenger who had not booked select dining (i.e. the Epicurean restaurant) had been allocated a restaurant table for their evening meal and the sittings were at 5.30pm and 8.30pm, the Red Bar was only half full when we went there for our pre-dinner drink ... and by 8.45pm – when we went up to the Epicurean Restaurant to eat – it was almost empty.

Sue and I had booked a table for 9.00pm, but when we arrived at 8.50pm, it was already laid up for us, and we were able to sit down straight away and to begin to peruse the menu. In the end, we ate the following:

Rye Bread, Mustard Bread, and Wholemeal Bread with unsalted and Marmite butter

Starters

Gin-Cured Salmon Fillet with Wasabi Bavarois, Pickled Ginger Jelly, and Seaweed Tapioca Cracker (Both of us)

Soup

Roasted Carrot and Carraway Soup with Toasted Carrot Crisps and Wholemeal Seeded Croûtons (Both of us)

Main Course

Fillet of Wild Seabass with Pan-Seared King Scallops, Parsley Mousseline, Tenderstem Sprouting Broccoli, and Fino Sherry and Saffron Golden Raisins (Sue)

Turkey and Pheasant Ballotine with Maple-Glazed Chestnuts, Château Potatoes, Poached Kumquats, Stir-fried Brussel Sprouts, and a Cranberry and Apple Port Relish (Me)

Desserts

Traditional Christmas Pudding steeped in Giner Wine with Maarula Ice Cream, Clotted Cream, and Cognac Sauce (Both of us)

Petit Fours

Warm Miniature Buttery Mince Pies and Hand-Rolled Dark Chocolate and Mulled Wine Jelly Truffles (Both of us)

This was a magnificent meal ... and other than the meals I ate with my family when I was younger, it was probably the best Christmas dinner I have ever eaten!

Sue and I were so impressed by the menu (there were several other dishes on it that we would have loved to have eaten) that we immediately booked a table for Boxing Day.

We needed a breath of fresh air by the time we left the restaurant at just before 11.00pm ... but when we got outside on the open deck area on the Promenade Deck, it was cold and windy with rain-like spray blowing along the deck. As a result we stayed out there for only a few minutes before returning to our suite to reast before getting ready for bed.

26th December: Lisbon, Portugal

Overnight the weather did not improve, and several time Sue and I were woken up by the ship’s somewhat violent movement. It made walking around the suite difficult at times and neither of us slept very well.

We woke up at 7.30am as Ventura began to manoeuvre alongside the Tobacco Dock in Lisbon. The sun was shining and the ship was no longer experiencing any noticeable movement by the time she was moored.

After breakfast in the Epicurean Restaurant, Sue and I went down to the Promenade deck to see what it was like in the open air. As the starboard side was in the sun, it felt reasonably warm ...

... but when we went over to the port side to look at the city of Lisbon, we realised just how cold it actually was.

After a short discussion, we decided that unless it warmed up as the day progressed, we would not bother to go ashore. We have visited Lisbon many times and had the local Military Museum been more accessible, we might have gone there, but as that was not an option, we were left with the choice of taking the shuttlebus to Praça dos Restauradores and the main shopping area or walking to ‘Black Horse Square’ (aka Praça de Comércio) and having a café latte and a Pastel da Nata. As we did not want to do any shopping and we could get a drink and a pastry onboard, we decided to rest and recuperate after our disrupted night’s sleep.

At midday I went down to the Tazzine Café and bought us bot a café latte which we drank in our suite. We then watched a KFC Big Bash cricket game on the TV and wrote up our respective cruise log/blog.

By 3.00pm we were both feeling bit peckish and set off to the Waterside Self-Service Restaurant to have a snack. Once we had eaten, we returned to our suite via to open deck area of the Promenade Deck ... and discovered that even though there was no wind, it was getting colder as the day progressed.

Ventura set sail for Southampton not long after 5.45pm ...

... and on her way down the River Tagus towards the sea she passed the stature of Christ the Redeemer and underneath the 25 de Abril bridge! (It always looks as if a cruise ship isn’t going to make it but there are – in fact – several metres clearance.)

By the time Sue and I went to the Peninsular Club Party in the Havana Bar, the ship had reached the open sea.

Although the event was not planned to start until 8.00pm, the doors opened early and Sue and I were seated by 7.50pm in the Havana Bar.

We were given drinks and at 8.10pm the ship’s Staff Captain (i.e. her second-in-command) – Captain Fergal Sargent – gave a short speech of welcome and thanked everyone for their continued loyalty to P&O.

He also presented a bottle of champagne to the passengers who had sailed more nights with P&O than any others on the cruise as well as two more to lucky passengers who won the Club Party raffle.

The event was winding down by 8.30pm, and Sue and I made our way up to the Epicurean Restaurant for our second dinner there in two days.

The menu was the same as the one we had eaten on Christmas Day, but Sue and I decided to eat some different dishes this time, as can be seen for the following choices that we made:

Rye Bread, Mustard Bread, and Wholemeal Bread with unsalted and Marmite butter

Starters

Gin-Cured Salmon Fillet with Wasabi Bavarois, Pickled Ginger Jelly, and Seaweed Tapioca Cracker (Sue)

Chicken Liver Parfait with Confit Chicken Bonbon, Pedro Ximénez Pickled Blackberries, and Blackberry Gel (Me)

Soup

Roasted Carrot and Carraway Soup with Toasted Carrot Crisps and Wholemeal Seeded Croûtons (Both of us)

Main Course

Dry-Aged Beef Tenderloin with a Mixed Peppercorn Crust with Black Forest Ham-Wrapped Asparagus, Fondant Potatoes, Baked Heirloom Carrots, Onion and Thyme Cream, and Madeira Jus (Both of us)

Desserts

Tuscan Chestnut Panettone Bread and Butter Pudding with Homemade Toffee Vodka Ice Cream and Butterscotch Sauce (Sue)

Baked Apple Spiced ‘Lasagna’ with Cox Apple and Vanilla Purée and Quince Sorbet (Me)

Petit Fours

Warm Miniature Buttery Mince Pies and Hand-Rolled Dark Chocolate and Mulled Wine Jelly Truffles (Both of us)

This was yet another superb meal ... and we both felt very full by the time we left the restaurant at 10.30pm. Sue decided to have some fresh air but I went straight back to the suite. She joined me there some ten minutes later ... and then we just sat and read until we both felt a bit less full and were ready to go to sleep.

27th December: At sea

During the night Ventura continued to sail northward, and when we awoke at 7.30am she was well on her way towards Cap Finisterre and the Bay of Biscay.

After breakfast, Sue and I made our way to the Arena Theatre to listen to a talk by the new guest speaker ... Wayne Sleep!

We arrived at the theatre thirty minutes before the start of Wayne’s talk ... and found that it was already half full! By the time that it was scheduled to start, almost every seat was taken, but a technical problem delayed the start until 10.45am.

The Cruise Director ...

... came onto the stage to introduce Wayne Sleep ...

... who had barely started when the ship’s captain made an announcement calling the ship’s crew to ‘flying stations’ as a helicopter evacuation was about to take place!

Wayne soldiered on, and was interrupted twice more, firstly when the helicopter arrived over the ship and then when the evacuation was completed and things began to return to normal.

(During a helicopter evacuation, the entire top deck of the ship has to be evacuated and anything moveable has to be secured. In addition, any cabins immediately under the top deck have to be cleared of passengers, connecting corridors are closed off by fire doors, and any cabins with balconies on the side the helicopter was approaching from have to be cleared and any access doors secured shut.)

Wayne Sleep’s talk finally ended at 11.50pm – some 35 minutes later than expected – and Sue and decided to go up to the open deck area on the Promenade Deck. This took longer than expected as numerous people were still trying to return to their cabins after the helicopter evacuation and three of the six lifts in the centre of the ship were out of operation.

We finally returned to our suite by 12.20pm, and after having a drink and doing the daily crossword, we decided to stay there relaxing before going for lunch at 3.00pm.

We ate a couple of sandwiches and cakes in the Waterside Self-Service Restaurant and then returned to our suite via the open area of the Promenade Deck.

Our butler arrived at 5.45pm with two plates of canapes, one savoury and one sweet. Sue and I were able to have a quick chat with him before he had to leave and asked if the faulty lifts would be fixed by disembarkation day. He informed us that the relevant engineering staff were working on it but that it was likely that two – one aft and one amidships – would probably not be fixed until the ship went into refit in February.

As it was the third and last formal dinner of the cruise, Sue and I went to the Red Bar for a pre-dinner drink, not knowing that members of the ship’s entertainment staff were going to put on a rather loud music event on Deck 5 of the ship’s atrium, directly below the Red Bar! This was still going on when we left to go to dinner in the Bay Tree Restaurant.

After dinner, we had thought about going out to get some fresh air, but the wind was more than 50 knots and the doors to the open deck area of the Promenade Deck were closed. Sue and I therefore returned to our suite and after watching TV and reading for a time, we went to bed.

28th December: At sea

Overnight, the Ventura continued to sail across the Bay of Biscay and by 7.30am she was approaching the westernmost tip of Brittany.

After breakfast in the Epicurean Restaurant, Sue and I made our way

to the Arena Theatre to attend to the second of Wayne Sleep’s sessions. This took the form of a Q&A session with the ship’s Cruise Director and included several short video segments.

This was supposed to start at 10.00am and end forty-five minutes later but it overran by fifteen minutes ... and no one complained as it was a truly memorable event!

Once it had ended, Sue and returned to our suite and had a drink before beginning the process of packing our bags. This took some time, and by the regular midday announcement by the officer-of-the-watch was made, the ship had reached Ushant and was sailing up the English Channel towards Southampton.

As we had booked afternoon tea in the Epicurean Restaurant, Sue and I did not eat lunch.

We went up to Deck 17 at 2.45pm, and we had time to look at the Christmas scene that had been created by the ship’s chefs, and which was on display by the entrance to the restaurant.

The door opened at 3.00pm and Sue and I were seated by the windows. Our tea order was then taken, and then our food was delivered.

It included:

Herb Lobster Rolls with Celery, Chives and Dill in a Brown Butter Brioche

Corn-fed Paprika Chicken with Heirloom Tomatoes

Beetroot and Vanilla Smoked Salmon Shortcrust Pastry Tart with Dill and Caper Cream and Beetroot Water

Pistachio Financiers with Rose-scented Cream Cheese Frosting and Persian Rose Petals

Blueberry Yoghurt Cheesecake with Blackcurrant Jam Centre and a Graham Cracker Base

Verine Mont Blanc with Crunch Meringue, Blackcurrant Conserve, Dark Rum, and Sweet Crème de Marron

Golden Chocolate Sphere with Dark Chocolate Mousse, Framboise Raspberries, and Chocolate Genoese.

Raspberry & Raw Cacao and Traditional Scones with Clotted Cream and Jam

We ate our fill – and probably a bit more than we should have! – and left the restaurant just before 4.00pm to return to our suite. We had already packed our three suitcases and one of our holdalls before going to tea, and on our return, we packed the second of the holdalls. These were then placed outside our suite door to be collected. (The third holdall was held back for packing and collection after dinner.)

At 7.45pm, Sue and I went to the Red Bar for the last pre-dinner drink of the cruise, and at 8.30pm we took the lift down to the Bay Tree Restaurant for dinner. Once that was over, we said our goodbyes and gave our thanks to the two waiters who had served us during our cruise. We then returned to our suite, packed our third holdall, put it outside our door for collection, and then went to bed.

29th December: Southampton

At approximately 3.00am, Ventura reached the Nab Tower and picked up the Southampton pilot, and by 6.00am she was moored alongside the Ocean Cruise Terminal.

Sue and I awoke just as the ship moved alongside the dock, and by 7.30am we were dressed and sitting in the Epicurean Restaurant eating breakfast. Once we had finished, we thanked all the staff for their excellent and friendly service before returning to our suite to collect our hand luggage.

As I was registered for assisted disembarkation, Sue and I had to go to the Exchange Bar (Deck 6 Forward) to wait for our turn to get off the ship. We arrived in the bar at 8.20am ... but it was not until over ninety minutes later that we finally went ashore!

(The assisted disembarkation process works in accordance with several priorities. Firstly, passengers who are travelling home by coach are disembarked first, then those who have booked taxis and private hire cars, and finally those who are driving themselves. As most of the passengers who had opted for assisted disembarkation fell into the first two categories and we were in the third, we were almost the last passengers to get off the ship.)

By the time we reached to baggage reclaim hall at 10.10am it was almost empty ... and there was no sign of any porters as they went for their morning break at 10.00am! The staff in the reclaim hall were very helpful and found an off-duty porter who was willing to help, and by 10.30am we had reclaimed our car from the valet parking service and had loaded our luggage into our car.

The drive home was reasonably uneventful, although there was a minor holdup at the junction of the M3 and M25. We did stop for a much-needed comfort break and a café latte at Winchester Services, and this also delayed our journey home. We finally drove onto our house’s hard-standing at 1.40pm ... just over three hours after leaving Southampton Docks.