Tuesday 1 September

Helen and Charlie dropped us off at the Port of Southampton and we quickly got on board and met our cabin steward Menish. We have a mini suite with all of the usual luxuries. Ventura is a large ship with around 3500 passengers which is quite a contrast to our last ship which held less than 600.

Soon it was 5pm and the ship gently slipped away from the quayside for the start of our cruise to much warmer places than we have in the UK. Unfortunately we hadn’t sailed very far when a passenger became seriously unwell and the ship returned to port where an ambulance was waiting. After a few beers it was time for dinner. On this ship everyone has a choice of either “club” dining where you have regular mealtimes and maybe share a table with other guests or “freedom dining” where you can eat whatever you like, whenever you like. We have opted for the “freedom” choice so that we can maximise our dining experiences. We entered the Cinnamon Restaurant and were immediately greeted by Melissa who we first met on Aurora nearly two years ago when she worked behind the bar. Melissa is now a wine steward and she immediately recognised us. There were lots of hugs and kisses so it looks like the wine service is going to be good on this trip.