The 3,078-passenger vessel has in recent weeks been placed in the media spotlight after passengers, including a travel agent who contacted TTG, reported suffering from gastrointestinal symptoms.
On Tuesday (28 May), Southampton City Council confirmed to TTG P&O Cruises was working with Southampton Port Health Authority (SPHA) and the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) to “manage the elevated figures of acute gastroenteritis”.
It has been agreed that for the duration of Ventura’s current seven-day Spain and France sailing, and its 10-day Spain and Portugal voyage that will follow, certain measures will be enacted.
The line delayed embarkation for the current cruise for an up to seven-hour “fire-break” following disembarkation. This is double the amount of time the ship normally spends without guests onboard in port, the line confirmed.
Other measures include increasing the onboard isolation period for passengers suffering gastrointestinal issues, closing the ship’s launderette and library, and enhancing cleaning and disinfection measures.
Carnival UK – P&O Cruises’ parent – contacted new passengers displaying symptoms prior to the cruise to tell them not to embark the ship. The SPHA port health officer boarded Ventura on Saturday (25 May) to ensure the vessel was undertaking all of the required safety measures.
Just over week ago, TTG reported a number of passengers onboard Ventura were isolating following reports of gastrointestinal illness, which were confirmed by the line.
A city council spokesperson told TTG: “Carnival UK is cooperating fully with the investigation and all recommended measures from SPHA and UKHSA have been implemented in line with national guidance."
A P&O Cruises spokesperson added: "These methods are in addition to our already approved, recognised and proven protocols that happen throughout every cruise sailing to uphold the wellbeing of all guests and crew onboard."
Sally Anne Jones, a Manchester-based homeworking agent of more than 24 years, said because of her experience onboard Ventura, she will no longer sail with P&O Cruises and will not be recommending them to her clients.
Jones and her husband Chris joined Ventura’s seven-day cruise that departed Southampton on 4 May. “After sailing multiple times with P&O Cruises, I was so disappointed when I boarded Ventura a few weeks ago,” she told TTG.
“On boarding, I had to clean the bathroom as our shower was full of mould, the toilet seat was dirty and the surfaces were sticky or dusty. Luckily, as we’d been made aware of norovirus [cases] before we boarded, I’d taken extra cleaning supplies.”
Jones added both her and her husband witnessed passengers vomiting in the public areas during their cruise. "We spent most of the cruise in our cabin because we were so worried about falling ill," she said. "In the end, we still caught Covid and some sort of stomach bug.
“Overall, a very sad state of affairs. and I sadly won’t be sailing with P&O Cruises again – and I will not be recommending them to my clients."
TTG has put Jones’s experience to P&O Cruises for further comment.
