P&O Ventura - A First Look
With the launch of the Ventura, P&O shakes off its stuffy image
On April 16th, HM the Queen - that's Oscar winner Dame Helen Mirren - launched the most important passenger ship Britain has seen for 40 years.
P&O's £300 million VENTURA marks the biggest leap forward in British cruising since the QE2.
For the first time, we have a ship that's in the same league as the whizz-bang American floating resorts - packed with new features and exciting attractions, but aimed squarely at British families.
Sky Travel was there - and here's STEVE READ'S exclusive preview of the superliner designed for Britain...
A Family Friendly Ship
WHEN I was three, I learned to read thanks to Enid Blyton's books about Noddy.
So when he walked into the Toy Box kids' club on Ventura I just had to shake his hand and say thank you.
Noddy is the star attraction for two- to four-year-olds on Ventura. He has a house in their Toy Box area, a model of his car ... and a cleverly thought-out play schemes which will mean children learn as they have fun.
Meeting my childhood hero wasn't so easy. My ID was checked twice before being allowed through security doors to enter the huge children's area on this new ship. Cameras discreetly record everything. It's safe.
The huge zone for kids, taking up half of Deck 16, can take up to 850 children, supervised by a team of qualified and vetted staff. There are even cots for children to sleep while their parents are out enjoying the rest of the ship.
Passengers without children will probably not even be aware that the kids' area exists. It has been cleverly designed so nobody needs to go there without a reason.
Steve Read meets his childhood hero
→ On the Next Page: What there is for the adults
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