This was our second cruise previously we had travelled with Carnival which was also a fun cruise. We did not want a "stuffy cruise" and we were not disappointed.
Prior to going we booked all our trips but this wasn't necessary as it was easy to book on board. As it was 8 trips was probably too much and at some of the destinations it was easy to do your own thing.
Barcelona would have been very easy to do alone as a bus picks you up at the ship and takes you into the city. We also booked for the Portofino trip was the most expensive and the worst value for money. Portofino is beautiful and you can easily get the launch yourself at a much cheaper cost and with lots more time to explore and chill.
I would recommend the trips to Rome and Florence but do it yourself when you get there rather than being herded together around the city.
We did the two Med cruises back to back and learnt from the first full day at sea that you must be up early if you want a sun bed, the Tunisa day is also busy because not many people disembark there (we did but were back within the hour)
The food is good but don't be put off by dining in the Plantation as the Waterfront is so much better.
We dined four times at the Bistro, after the first time we got a card to pay at £9.50 rather than £12.50 it was well worth it. You would easily pay £50 per head for similar service and food in a restaurant in our country. The menu is changed on a Friday so it is possible to dine twice on a one week cruise and see two different menus.
The drink is reasonably priced and the "cocktail of the day" is good value.
The entertainent in the Marquee was fine and Connextions has a good selection of Comedians but if you want a seat you will have to forgo the Marquee.
We had a suite although this doubled the price of the cruise for us it was luxurious having a balcony and it was great watching the nightly sail away.
We would definitely go again, and maybe try another destination next time.
We also splashed out on the Celebration package (booked prior to going to get flowers in the room) we appreciated the Champagne and chocolates and breakfast in bed and definitely would do this again.

i just got back from my hol and wish i was back there now! i loved it-i'm 15 and i think probably its the best hol i have ever had.
we only did a week whih just wasnt enough we did a week in mallorca which was good but didnt compare to the cruise.
we arrived on the cruise it all went very smoothly from the hotel to the cruise, our bags were taken from us and were left outside our cabins which was good so we didnt have 2 worry about them.
The ship was very impressive as it was my first cruise i was really impressed it was huge and i thought i would almost certainly get lost but the maps were good and i managed very well. The ships cleanliness was good the maid was great at dealing with the mess (made by me) in the room, thanks Faia!!
The ships food was all buffets which was good and 24 hours in plantation which i made the most of!!!!
the ship satff were friendly and we were made welcomed which is sometimes not the case being a teenager.
the bar staff were particually friendly espechally in connexions our favourite bar.
The entertainment i didnt really see an awful lot of it to be honest as i spent most of my nights in bayside which was great to meet people in espechally for people around my age. the only negative part about bayside was that it didnt really get started until around 12 although this wasnt a big problem as we were up most of the night most nights!!!
The moviedrome was really good the latest releases in there were all good and the cinema was very comfortable.
Overall the entertainment was good although preety much everything but bayside shut at 12.
my parents enjoyed the shows in the marquee and the moon show i did cacth and it was very impressive.
as u may have already guessed i would definitlely reccomend it, now all i have to do is persuade my dad to take me again!! not a hard task cause he loved it too.
great for the whole family-its true what u say u do one cruise your hooked!!

The best way to visit many cities.
We were on a 2 week back to back cruise and we had 2 really bad days at sea (1 each week ) which we couldn't get into the ports and had to stay on the ship. One of them being when the captain announced man over board at 7.00am not telling us it was another vessel which we had been a search in for the past 2 hours! and then for the safety of his crew and passangers we would just stay at sea!
It's the sick bags they put everywhere!!!!!!
Love to do it again but I can't too scared, but my husband and son would without any hesitations.
Entertainment was fab.
Food could of been better.
The people we met were brill!
The best part they sold White Zinfandel wine and Woodpecker cider!

i have cruised on many cruise ships before ocean village, including the biggest most expensive and how anybody can say anything other than excellent about this ship is beyond me. the food, the staff, the cabins i did have a suite, and most of all the entertainment was out of this world. i have never been on any other cruise ship where the show people worked so hard and sucseeded to give fabulous shows. as this is a cruise supposadly for the 35 - 55's then maybe the people that are making these comments about terrible entertainment exceed these. well it is advertised that it is foe that age range. would they consider 18-30's holidays. you were told. my mum who travelled with me is 55 and agree tottaly with my comments, she also had a fabulous time. we had only been back home 2 days and returned to the travel agents to book for this christmas. have a brilliant christmas all you to old for it moaners, because i know we will
seasons greetings

Had a great time on a one week cruise of the Med with Ocean Village. It was our first time on a cruise and we didnt really know what to expect, However it was an excellent week. The food in all of the restaurants was to a high standard and with no fixed dress codes there appeared to be a more relaxed atmosphere. If I have one complaint it would be that I came home at least half a stone heavier.

Our party of two adults and two boys aged 13yrs and 15 yrs, the boys cruising for the first time. My wife and I have cruised previously, although not on the Ocean Village. We have always crusied on budget ships and have always been pleased with the holiday. Ocean Village was in our opinion by far the best in every department.
It is true that if the children are happy so to are the adults and the kids loved every minute of the cruise. There was so much for them to do and plent of their type of food, when they wanted it. The weather was not kind and we missed some of the ports we should have visited but that is the risk you take. One critisism here that not enough information was given regarding travel to the origanl port, they were only interested in the ship's excursions.

Cabin large and spotless, the food was first class with hygiene a priority, an alcohol gell was placed on your hands everytime you visited any of the four eating places.

The entertainment was varied and so was the quality but none of it bad and some, Rod Stewart brilliant.

We are targetting our next cruise on this ship which is this clearest message of our views on the Ocean Village

Cruise holiday

Cruise Line/Ship - Ocean Village

Holiday Type - 2 Week Cruise

Holiday Name - Pizzas and Pasta, Palaces and Paella

Area - Mediterranean

Date of Departure - 22nd June 2004

Choice - I picked this holiday for my self and my parents and spent ages planning to go and looking forward to it and I was certainly not let down.

Flight - We flew from Gatwick on the second flight of the day which was delayed and then delayed further due to Euro 2004. However this was no one's fault and the air-line was very good about the delay.

Getting on Board - Having got on the coach we were told what to do when we got there checking into the boat is very quick and with our rather late arrival we received our bags quickly and then set sail. The whole process was quick and efficient, and the same with getting off.

Deck - The two Wednesdays (at sea all day) it could be hard to get a sun bed and it was very busy on 12 and 14. However the rest of the time getting a Sun lounger was not a problem. The two swimming pools were very good and although I did not make use of them many seem very happy in them. The Jacuzzi's were very good there are four and they have different temperatures. Which is helpful when it is very hot!!

Cabins - My Parents had DD grade cabins and I had a HH grade cabin. I had an obstructed view but this did not bother me. The cabins did not seem to vary so if you're not bothered about a view but you would like a bit of light I suggest a partial view. The cabins are kept very clean and everything is left tidy. On occasions I felt rather guilty as I left my cabin looking a mess and came back to it looking very tidy. The cleaning staff were very good and worked hard and despite their long hours they always seemed friendly. Your cabin is cleaned when it is convenient to you. The phone systems meant it did not matter that we were on different decks as we could always get hold of each other very easily. Good systems a run with bottled water and towels.

The Daily Newsletter - this was very useful and very informative. It was nice as it helped you to have a better idea of what was going on.

Gym - Personally this was the last thing I wanted to do. However my father made use of it a few times and I did manage a look round. There was plenty of equipment that was all in good working order.

Karma Spa - This was not something that any of us made use of so the only comment I can make is that it looked nice.

The Waterfront - This is one of the two big self service restaurants on board. It serves breakfast and dinner. Now personally I like a morning lie in and don't bother much with breakfast however the selection always looked good. We ate dinner here most nights. There is a wide selection of food and always plenty of it. Hygiene is a very high priority. The tables are always clean and staff are very friendly. Good food and even me (who's a very fussy eater) managed to find something to eat every night. The menu varies which is also nice.

Plantations - This was the second of the two self service restaurants. It served food 24 hours a day. Again hygiene is brilliant and staff are friendly. Because its higher up and has better views its a lovely place to have breakfast (which is served till half 11) and lunch. The afternoon cakes are lovely. We didn't eat in here much for dinner because it serves mainly Chinese, Indian, Thai, Oriental, etc. and I'm not one for being adventurous with food. However when we did eat there the food was very good.

Eating Self Service - There is always a great selection and its nice to be able to try a bit of everything. Self service makes eating a lot more relaxed.

La Luna - This is a waiter service restaurant it is free at lunch. You pay a little extra to eat for dinner. The little extra is worth it!! It is on deck 12 and is a very nice setting. The food is superb! I had the steak and it was absolutely wonderful. Lunch was also brilliant.

The Bistro - We did not eat in here so I cannot comment.

Laundrette - We found the laundrette very easy to use and reasonably priced. As we did a two week cruise we found it very useful.

Reception - The staff here are very helpful and they have the answer to nearly all queries.

Charlie's Bar - Nice place to go for a tea or coffee in the afternoon before you go to dinner. Very nice atmosphere and friendly staff as ever.

Action Ashore - The staff are very helpful you just have to check when the desk is open but this is in your daily newsletter. The talk on the tour was informative but a little bit long.

Cyber Cafe - This is rather expensive at £15 an hour. However at the end of the day there is plenty to do on board and a quick email home is really all that's necessary.

Movie Drome - We didn't use this but there looked to be a good selection.

The Village Square Entertainment - This is not brilliant but nice if you just want to chat with some music on in the background. We did find that the extracts from the Diva Experience (more later) sort of ruined the shows.

Shops - The shops hold all the essential plus some extra.

The Blue Bar - This is a nice bar to relax. Although there is not a lot going on in there it has a nice atmosphere and is a very calming place. A good place to go if you fancy a chat.

Photographers - The photographers on board are very good. They are very friendly. You do not have to buy any of the photos if you do not want which is a great policy.

The Marquee - The entertainment in here is tribute bands and the Diva experience shows. Some of the tribute bands are very good although it would be nice if the entertainment went on slightly longer (most acts are only half an hour).

The Diva Experience Shows - We found that the Diva experience was good but over used. The moon show (deck show) was very good although there was a lot going on it was well worth seeing.

Connexions - This has to be my favourite bar. There is music playing all the time and the main entertainment is singers followed by comedians and quizzes.

Quizzes - These were good and varied. They were well run and made into a fun event- nothing to serious. However the prizes did seem good.

Comedians - Well we had a mixture. Two (that I did not personally see) were said to be very funny but very blue. One that I did see only did one slot and thank god. All he talked about was the war and within about 5 minutes the number of people in connexions had halfed. Another was funny really because he wasn't funny. One guy managed to do some good comedy without being too blue.

Visiting Singers - We had three over our two week period Brett Cave who was good and rather funny. Claire Kegan (I think) she was good but I think she only appeared for one night. Elliot Frisby a really good singer on the final night he had connexions packed out and he really pleased the whole crowd.

Resident Band - These were very good and the lead singer Lisa Murphy had (surprisingly due to her size) a very powerful voice. They warmed the crowd up for other acts well. They also performed a request for my parents one night as they had been a couple for 20 years to the day which was very kind of them.

Events Staff - They are very good at their job. All the staff are helpful chatty and friendly (especially Lisa and Claire). The events are well run.

The Oval - This is a real pub bar and I have to say not a fav of mine. It is very dark wood. At this point it is worth pointing out that all bars have one side smoking and one side non smoking which is very good and shows consideration for all.

The Casino - I obviously did not use this however parents did and said it was good for fun.

Sunweaver - Nice quiet bar to relax in and good for an Ice cream.

Splash Bar - An absolute God send on hot days!!

Bayside Night Club - We did not use this after 12 it is over 18s only. There seem to be mainly karaoke and new years parties there.

Bar Prices - Roughly the same as at home.

Bar Staff - All extremely friendly and very willing to please. Many remember not only names but cabins numbers which amazes me they have brilliant memories.

Ashore - We did not get off at Tunis (la goulette) but those who did said they got hassled.

From Naples Parents did the trip to Pompeii and had an amazing guide who told your really interesting things. He did not give "the tourists tour". They would highly recommended if you're interested in that sort of thing.

We did not go to Florence and Pisa but we did get off at the port Livorno. It was a nice town plenty of shops and restaurants and a beautiful canal.

From Villefrance we went on an excursion to the Marineland. It was a very hot day but the guide was helpful and the shows were brilliant. The drawbacks were the queues for food and the shows are in French which makes them a bit hard to understand.

We went ashore by ourselves in Ciudadela, Menorca. It gave us a great day out with back street shops and cafes. It was a lovely town that suits a day out (I think I could be bored if we were there longer).

We caught the ocean village run bus from the port to the town in Palma. The bus service was very good. The town itself is big and busy. There is a Cathedral to look round. There was a lot of shops and plenty of places to eat.

Rome I chose not to go- History is not my thing. However most people went. Parents did the essence of Rome tour and were amazed at what they saw. Enjoyed lunch and would recommend anyone to go to Rome as there is a lot to see. The only problem they had was the heat.

We could not go to Santa Margherita as it was too rough so we went to Genoa. Not a lot to say as I didn't get of and parents weren't madly keen.

St. Raphael is a nice looking town. The only trouble was it was Sunday so all shops were closed. Still nice to wander around.

Dad did the Barcelona trip but was disappointed as there was no guide. Me and mum walked up Las Ramblas and enjoyed it but a little rain meant we turned round would like to see more of Barcelona.

Staff Overall - I have to say I have never been on a Holiday with as many friendly staff. They all seem to work very long hours but are always happy and helpful.

Well I think I've covered everything(hope I have). Little more to say. It was the best Hol I've ever had and I'd definitely go back!!

we did a stay and cruise staying in cala d`or in majorca, then the cruise in the med with ocean village our first time cruising we had an excellent time the ship was excellent and the crew second to none they could not do enough for you, all escorted trips were fine but pricey we hope to do this cruise again but will do our own trips next time. food was excellent could not fault with the chefs.the ease of the tranfers from country to country was well organised by the ships personel.

This review is from what I posted on another website and was cruising round the Caribbean on Calypso & Coconuts, links to photos as follows:

<a href="http://uk.f2.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/sam_gidley/album?.dir=/4ffb"><font color=blue>Click Here</font></a>

My friend and I, 2 girls (strictly platonic) aged 28 and 27 went on Ocean Village on 30th March for one week Calypso & Coconuts and had a great time, really didn’t want to come back. I have cruised before last April (2003) on the Sundream and my friend was a first-timer who is now hooked! We paid £670 each inclusive of insurance etc and were really pleased with the value for money.

I will start the review from the beginning:

THE FLIGHT & ARRIVAL – 9.30am from Manchester – we are less than a half hour drive away so did not have too much of an early start however when we arrived about 7.15am we found that the majority of the passengers had already checked in and to be able to be seated together we had to sit right at the very back of the plane – never mind, at least we were near to the WC’s. The flight itself was okay and the food quite nice. We had a bottle of champagne straight away (start as we mean to go on!) and slept the second part of the journey. We had no problem checking in for the ship and were on board within 5 minutes of arriving. We cleverly took a bikini and some skimpy clothes in our hand luggage so were on the top deck sunbathing by about 3.30pm.

The Gatwick flight was quite badly delayed and I felt so sorry for the passengers who did not arrive on board until about 3.30am early hours in the morning (although I must admit I was glad it did not happen to our flight!). Apparently they were treated really well and were all put up at the Hilton Hotel where they had lunch and dinner and then received a number of free drinks once they did arrive on the ship. The Manchester passengers returning on this flight were then kept on board for the remainder of the day.

CABINS & SHIP – Compared to the Sundream the ship is quite large and I did not experience any feeling of sickness whatsoever (unlike last year) although my friend Kim was a bit queasy for the first day – I told her she just needed to find her sea legs! The seasickness jab did not come cheap at £60 so she was glad she did not need to resort to this, the £60 is much better spent in St. Maarten! The ship itself was generally quite nice and our cabin was more than acceptable. We were on Deck 10, B164 inside cabin and our maid was a young girl called Let Let who was very nice. The shower was VERY powerful which was heaven after a long days shopping or sunbathing. A good tip is to take an extension lead (as we did) as we only had the one single plug under the dressing table. We tipped Let Let at the end of the week and also left her our unwanted toiletries.

FOOD – Being a fussy eater (very fussy for that matter) I did not rate the food very highly. Breakfast we usually ate in the Waterfront and I considered this the best meal of the day – the sausages and eggs were both really nice – the toast though was always well done and really hard. A couple of mornings we came across English muffins, which were nice. For lunch we generally ate off the ship however there was always salad stuff and barm cakes and cooked meats and then hotdogs and burgers etc although I did not rate them very highly, in fact I tried one of each and didn’t bother getting another. For our evening meal I usually ate some salad with cheese and crackers or something along those lines (and I can’t afford to lose any weight either – am skinny enough) and Kim usually ate in the Plantations. She did not rate the Chinese / Thai type food however she said the curry was usually very nice. We ate once in La Luna of an evening and sat outside under the stars which was nice and made a change. The food was just okay though and not really worth paying for again. Luckily for me all the bars on board served Walkers Crisps (oooh being a crisp addict I was in my element) although on a daily basis or very nearly so we were served them out of date so check the packets. It also didn’t matter how many times we returned them and said they were out of date we were still served them again the day after!

BARS / NIGHTLIFE – In the evening there is very little to do really for 2 youngish girls on their own however we did not go away for the nightlife so were aware of that already. THE OVAL has absolutely no atmosphere at all and was usually quite empty. There was never any music in there either. THE CONNEXIONS BAR generally had something going on every night and usually got very busy. Davey Nicholls was on a couple of nights singing and I found him to be just okay, certainly not the best singer in the world. The quizzes were okay, usually involved music of some sort. The comedian was to me not one bit funny really although I suppose it depends on your sense of humour. In general though Connexions was probably the best place for drinks earlier on in the evening. THE MARQUEE was where all the shows took place although to be honest we really only caught bits of these. Jacki Graham has a good voice and she was singing here and she is actually a very nice person – we got talking to her around the ship a number of times. The George Michael tribute act was quite reasonable also. We managed to miss both the Moon Show and the Diva Experience however having met one of the acrobats Leo over the last few nights and becoming very friendly with him he provided us with a CD of such shows and having watched it at home we were sorry we did not make more of an effort to see it in person. If anyone one was watching Leo and Fabian doing acrobatics on stilts in the Village Square on the last evening I was the girl they pulled up dancing (how embarrassing) and threw to the ceiling, thank god I was wearing trousers for once (well pedal pushers at least!). THE BAYSIDE CLUB was really good the last couple of nights once everybody had got to know everybody and people were mixing and dancing together etc. There ended up quite a group of us and it was the most fun we had all week. Before that everybody tended to sit in their own little groups. I was only sorry we were all not on board for another week and we could have partied there. They also did the best Strawberry Daiquiris on board, I came home addicted to this drink!

CYBER CAFÉ – We did not use this due to the cost this and after speaking to some of the staff on board they did not either. I was going to use an internet café in St. Maarten but unfortunately for our credit and debit cards we never managed to get there!

OTHER PEOPLE ON BOARD – I found the majority to be of the older generation (to say the least) and at least 85% of the people on board to be extremely unfriendly to 2 younger girls on their own, I found that even some of the girls on the staff were like this (Gemma and Jo not included). Most people looked at me with disgust because I chose not to dress in long flowery dresses every evening and the looks I received were plain disgusting – good job I am not easily offended so to any of those people, you just made me laugh and I took great pleasure in doing it all the more! Sorry if I am not overweight and old, it will happen one day - well the age bit certainly! Anyway I made more effort that some people I witnessed, ladies wondering round in the evening in football shirts and some in clothes I wouldn’t even decorate in! Besides these small minded people we met a small number of older couples and groups who were very friendly and with whom it was a pleasure to speak to although like I said these people were in the minority.

TRIPS – We booked all our trips via OV and were pleased with every single one of them. In TORTOLA we did a land and sea tour which was a catamaran tour in the morning (no snorkelling stops) with a trip to some botanical gardens afterwards which was okay especially if you like that sort of thing then on to Sky World for pictures. On our return about 1.15pm we made our way (with a very friendly older couple) to Cane Garden Bay Beach, which was quite a nice beach and was not too overcrowded. In ST. MAARTEN we didn’t book any excursions as we had planned to shop and boy did we shop! We bought diamond rings and watches, cigarettes, make-up, Clinique stuff, perfume, bags, alcohol – believe me the list is endless. We were especially pleased with our diamonds!!! Beware though of what you get told the exchange rate is, in general it usually works out about 1.75 however shops will tell you today its 1.84 (a blatant lie) so when you then try and work out the price of something it appears to be much cheaper – we quickly learnt this! In ST. KITTS we did a full days catamaran sail to ST. NEVIS and having looked around the port area and spoken to people who did other trips or made their own way about I believe we made a good choice. We had a snorkelling stop then a barbecue on the beach at Nevis. Kim and I had a good walk down the beach here, climbed over some rocks and arrived at the exclusive Four Seasons Hotel where apparently Justin Timberlake had stayed only 2 weeks earlier – good job we did not bump into Justin as we may not have returned!! On the way home it was really good fun – all the oldies had consumed more rum punch than is possible to imagine and were up dancing and singing etc, a great laugh. In ANTIGUA we had a walk round the town in the morning and managed to fit in yet more shopping can you believe then at 12.30pm we had the helicopter tour which was fantastic, we were in a 4-seater and I had the front seat next to the pilot as they noticed I was carrying a camcorder so sat me there – it really was value for money and I am only sorry we could not stay and see more of Antigua. On the downside the taxi drivers, hair braiders etc around the terminal constantly pester you. We did see the Jolly Roger party cruise returning and a lot of the same Nevis people going wild once again on the rum punch – its potent! In MAYREAU we took the sail to TOBAGO CAYS which was a nice view – we were on the smaller catamaran so it was nice and peaceful and we then chilled on the Cays beach and in the sea however I managed to get quite a nasty sting in there along with a few other people. When we returned we had a barbecue lunch on Mayreau beach and it was quite busy. Shortly afterwards most people started drifting off back to the ship as the heat was hotter than you can imagine – I am generally really good at lying in the sun and I spent most time in the sea, then by 3.30pm insisted we go back and start packing or something. I felt like I was going to burn to a crisp and I don’t usually burn at all.

WEATHER – We could not have asked for more – not one tiny bit of rain and it just got hotter and hotter as the days wore on! We both came back with a really nice suntan to make our friends envious.

IN GENERAL – I wouldn’t hesitate to do it all again in a hurry – there were bits I wasn’t so keen on as mentioned above but the good far outweighed the bad and in general we had such a fantastic holiday, the Caribbean is the way of life for me! Shame I’m stuck back behind this desk for now. Never mind, will not start saving for the next one, probably take me until next year though to pay off this one!!! Am considering checking out the prices come September and if the price is right OV may even see me in the Med!

If anyone has any questions feel free to mail me and ask.

SAM

I went on the cruise in april this year and had an absolutely brilliant time. The ship is really laid back and the people on board were all incredibly friendly by the end of the week all the barstaff knew my name which is a first!! All the places we stopped at were brilliant if a little similar to each other but it goes without saying that the scenery is breathtakingly beautiful. In St Kitts we went on a tour of the rainforest and chatted to the locals who just seem to have the ideal lifestyle- no stresses at all!!
In the evenings i found that the entertainment was first class, I have travelled alot and have not been anywhere better were entertainment was concerned. Davey Nicholls performed most nights and not only was he extremely friendly but he had a really excellent voice we found ourselves singing along to all his songs as he did some great classics that reminded me of my younger days as well as some up to date stuff aswell. Jackie Graham was also really good and she is brilliant at getting the crowd going.
The Moon Show was really good and being on the top date the atmosphere was electric the acrobats are absolutely amazing.
I will definitly return to ocean village maybe in the med though because my only criticism was the flight was really long and tiring.