Western Europe Cruise - Spain & Portugal on P&O’s Ventura
We’ve obviously caught the cruise bug, because just nine months after our wonderful Norwegian Fjord cruise on P&O Cruises’ Iona, we set sail once again, this time bound for Western Europe.
Just like before, we really enjoyed the cruise experience. I prefer Iona to Ventura, but she’s still a lovely ship (just not quite as modern). The food was great (see my blog about the food on Iona here), the entertainment was really good (including a silent disco, the Headliners theatre performances, live music and more). We had a couples massage in the spa (just lush) and I went swimming several times in the (small but nice) adult-only pool. I also just enjoy walking around the ship, looking out at sea, and sitting on the balcony (I’m not sure I’d cruise without a balcony having had one on both cruises). We saw a whale, dolphins and jelly fish - awesome. AND I love the ‘Celebration’ nights, where everyone gets dressed up in black tie and evening gowns. We had three on this cruise.
This time we went with my dad and stepmum, and it was good fun to spend time with them.
Cruises really only offer you a short glimpse of the places you visit, as you don’t have tonnes of time to explore. However, this really suits me as I, while interested in visiting famous cities, am not a city person. I much prefer scenic locations and so just a glimpse, a few hours, is enough for me on this sort of trip.
Places we visited…
Santander
We had a nice walk to the cathedral, and got a bus to the Palacio del la Magdalena, which was beautiful with glorious views of the coastline. From there we walked to a nice cafe right on the beach for lunch.
Tip: My favourite spot was at the Palacio del la Magdalena, so if you’re not a big city person like me, head there.
Vigo
We saw very little of Vigo, apart from the port - I read it’s a little ‘boring’ and so booked us an excursion to The Cies Islands - aka The Atlantic Ocean National Park. Beautiful beaches, lots of wildlife, a couple of nice cafes. Really worthwhile and definitely recommend this if you go to Vigo.
Tip: Skip Vigo and take a boat trip out to the Cies Islands.
Lisbon
We had two days in Lisbon, but it was really hot and stifling. I got a bit overcome with heat and so we didn’t do that much, but it was nice to view the city from the comfort of our balcony. We did walk up to St George’s Castle, which had great panoramic views, and along the coastline to the square (Praça do Comércio), again really nice.
Tip: If you’re cruising with P&O, book a cabin on the Port side as then you’ll get great views across the city.
Porto
I preferred Porto to Lisbon (it helped that it wasn’t quite so hot!) It’s a very colourful place, and we walked around for a while looking at different buildings. We had a lovely lunch by the river - with a glass of port for me. We rode the cable car and walked across the Ponte de Dom Luis I - a bridge from one side of the river to the other.
Tip: Don’t forget to try some Port wine! I had some with lunch. Also, eat a Pastéis de nata (custard tart - yum)
Guernsey
Despite going to the perhaps more-exciting-to-some destinations above, Guernsey was actually one of my favourites and I’d love to go back and do some Channel Island-hopping. We visited Castle Cornet which had lots of interesting history, and good views both out to sea and back towards St Peter Port. We also strolled around the quaint streets and enjoyed the day.
Tip: You get on a tender (actually a lifeboat) to go from the ship into St Peter’s Port. The queues get long so wait around a little before you rush down there, and make sure you leave enough time to get the last tender back to the ship when you’re done!
Overall, a really enjoyable cruise - surely not our last!