This was our second cruise and to be honest I was a very disappointed this year and did think that the standards - particularly on the entertainment side has slipped. We had a fantastic trip in Aug 06. A lot of people we spoke to this year had cruised before with OV and expressed that something seemed to be missing. Entertainment on board I've put 1 but would put minus 5 if I could.

We were also unfortunate this year as our appointed cleaner was very poor and always forgot extra towels, cups etc, the year before it was like having a personal man servant so perhaps we had been spoilt. The main areas were always clean, the staff in the restaurants were less efficient this year, but not poor but as I said not as good as before.

The cruise was around the Greek Islands, and saw some very nice places, excursions are a little expensive but easy and when you are on holiday you want easy.

I think people on board wearing shorts and not even getting washed up for the evening was a let down, the slogan is informal but I don't think they mean "slumming it" as lots of people tended to.

We had already booked for OV2 Carribbean in Jan 08 before going on this cruise and I'm trying to look forward to it excitedly but reading the OV2 reviews and my experience on OV this year I do not have high expectations for entertainment or atmosphere which is a shame, so could be my last OV tour unless the people from OV are reading these reviews and trying to react to the negatives expressed by its customers.

I did not bother complaining on the ship as I was on holiday and didn't want to spend time complaining and getting het up and runining my holiday mood, the best form of complaint is to not return and to not recommend.

Ship constantly being cleaned and painted, but having a major refit at end of season.
Staff willing, helpful and pleasant without being intrusive.
Food excellent.
On board entertainment in marquee a bit repetitive and lead singers could be better, but this is fairly new route and new acts were being booked. Tina Turner and Madonna tribute very good. Connexions good mix of entertainment, but get there early to get a seat. Planet show excellent.
Overcrowding at certain destinations with too many crusie ships docking in one place at one time was quickly addressed by the company, and there were very few problems by the time we sailed. Well done

We have just been back 5 days from OV on the Olives and Ouzo cruise.
I am still making my mind up about it all to be honest. We have never cruised before and I don’t think I would rush back to OV.
Good points
The main one is the food its really nice well cooked and hot with a lot of choice. There are 2 buffet rooms (they are plain) along with La Luna and the Bistro. We ate twice at the Bistro as it was fantastic. I had the rack of Lamb and it’s the best I have ever tasted also the goats cheese and shallot tartan was to die for. La Luna (some meals free others had to be paid for max price about £10 for starter and main) was also nice but not a patch on the Bistro (12.95 each plus drinks)
Swim up bar was great on a hot day to watch the port fade away with a cool beer is something I will remember for a long time.
The stops offs where Limassol (mainly shopping) it’s like a city really not brilliant.
Rhodes Town was really good lots of winding streets and shops loads of history as it’s within medieval walls. For a snack go to the far end of the walls there is a little square with pitta gyros and a beer for 3.5 euro compared with 10-15 euro in the town.
We then headed for Kusadassi (Turkey) we have been before so got the dolmus to ladies Beach where thee are a lot of bars and some shops. It’s far quieter and less hassle than the town we have been on holiday there before. If you go eat at the old house its really good ½ spit roast chicken and home made chips with salad 3 euro (£2.10). There is the famous Ephesus I would recommend a visit its breath taking (I have been twice before though)
We then headed for Santorini wow it was a really hot day the donkeys stink. They can take you to the town on top of a volcano on a donkey needles to say don’t do it! It’s cruel and the donkeys are badly treated. Alternatives are walking up 2000 steps with a sheer drop on one side or get the fastest very scary cable car! At 8 euro return pp. We went to OIA that’s the place with the white buildings I was not that impressed after Rhodes. It was ok but every where was so expensive even inland from the edge we did not look at the menu (mistake AS I NORMALLY DO) we paid 11 euro for a shandy and an orange juice owch.
Next day was Mykanos this was nice but again a bit pricey. Not a lot there really unless you did a trip to the back of beyond to see the ruins (it was to hot for me) 115 every day. We flew on a Thursday at 2pm so did not get any time in the last port Heraklion it did not look very nice and we did have opportunity the week before as we did a cruise and stay in Heranossis but we decided not to bother. I enjoyed going ashore but did feel rushed at most of the time you can’t get off until after 9am and you have to be back for 5pm ish so it’s a bit of a rush.
The rooms on the boat are nice and we did get an upgrade to a room with a window however we had 2 single beds! Hardly romantic. I never asked to be moved as unpacked the cases. The room is clean and comfy bit like a travel lodge. Good shower, TV, Tea making and Hair Dryer and fridge (that made a funny rattle) we had a good room just off the main Village square but it was very quiet. I can’t give one complaint about the rooms.
Bad and Badish points
This cruise is advertised as 30-50 year olds nope its not its full of OAP,s fair enough I was not that fussed but it would have been nicer if some younger people where there as well. It’s like me going on an 18-30 they would not let me go on one so I can’t see why OAP,s feel the need to come on this type of cruise as all they did was whinge anyway. We had a lot of people comment that things had slipped and gone down hill a bit.
This cruise also had a large number of people who just ate and ate all day I have never seen as many fat folk and I am not Kate moss but the way some people over flowed the plates then left half it was amazing. Considering the staff come from poor countries I am sure they thought we where fat pigs and to be honest it was a reality check and I agree with them. A small amount of people had lunch with just swimming gear on even at dinner time. I know it’s informal but I found half naked pensioners a bit worrying while I was having my lunch.
This is not a cruise for people who don’t do cruises it’s a cruise for people who can’t afford to go on a proper cruise. Sorry!
The entertainment yes it was very buntlins and am dram. Three singers going round the same 3 bars every night doing mainly the same songs! The comedians I found pathetic they did not tell a joke just effed and the crowd loved it sorry but someone saying oh my god you work at effing Tesco is just not funny!! And it was not even me he was referring to, the poor woman.
The DJ/Compares just never shut up. Your having a drink when you fave music comes on the all you get is a load of babble from the DJ about what is on where and what they can sell you, it got really wearing.
The shows where ok but again it was the same dancers and singers all week no one was flown in or anything. Yes they could sing well but again a bit to much faffing about went on. As I said there are a lot of elderly people on board I say 80% over 50 (not that 50 is that old) and the entertainment was geared up towards them i.e. 2-3 games of bingo a day! Come on OV.
Oh the night club was the best about 30 people in at 10.30 then all gone to bed by 12pm then it was just staff there. Who I may add did not talk to any of the passengers unless there where after chatting them up!
The planet show was supposed to be the highlight!! It was ok I would have liked more acrobatics less faffing about with daft dancers waving torches about.
The casino was good but very very small and smokey. Infact the whole ship stank of fag smoke. It should be resolved when the ban comes in though.
The thing that got to me the most was the fact that you did have to pay for a lot of things that is not mentioned. We soon got around this. IE a soft drink like coke etc was about £1.50- £2.25. Many people had their own soft drinks they don’t take them off you and no one was botherd as we drank round the pool. We even got ice from the bar. You have to pay for ice cream £1.10 each for a cone there is none at meal times.
Up near the pool and in the village square they just plug the spa all the time and it was £70.00 for a mini facial if its not the Spa then its over priced tat from the on board shops or the 2 restaurants (worth it, though I think it should be free)
The trips where mega over priced and most ports have taxies and excursions for half the price once your off the boat. We did them all independently (if you cant get about though they have got you) apart from Limassol as they stated it was far from town ! no it was half an hour’s walk. But we paid our £10 each it was as shuttle to town and the beach!! We got on the bus in town at 2pm to go to the beach only to be told they had decided not to go as no one else was going!! Oh that’s ok then isn’t it, I was not happy.
Also in Limassol and in the Greek Isle you will see sponges, Dead Sea horses and puffer fish all over the place these are real. I would recommend not buying these items cause if you ever go in the sea there will be noting left it will ALL be on market stalls! Not good. I also found that no one really spoke to each other much, unless it was because we where younger I don’t know. I don’t think the staff made an effort to get people mingling.
Oh if you do take alcohol on ensure it’s in your case they won’t touch it but hide it in your room or they will charge you £5.00 fee!!!! Good eh. We spent £550.00 in one week on the ship only, for 2 we spent £150.00 on food and £20 on a trip so £380 was on beer. The wine was £12 a bottle shorts up to £5.00 each and small 330cl cans of larger £2.20 each and a pint of Stella was £2.80 I hate Stella so does my fella this is the ONLY LARGER ON DRAFT that why we spent £27.00 a day each not that bad really
To sum it all up it was an experience but I don’t think I will be doing it again until you can stop over in port or they make a cruise that is truly 30-50 year olds. The need to ditch the cheesy shows. I know it’s all reflected in the price but even so I expect to be given what I have paid for and not to be misled. I feel this cruise is being marketed wrongly. They need to be honest about the age group and about the bingo!! And the rubbish Draft Larger ! Give it a try if you have never done it before it is worth it even though there are some bad points there are good ones as well.

Ocean village is the best cruise ever.
The first time we went on it was in 2004, that was ment to be a one off, but we have went back on it every year since.
The crew are all really friendly. We know all of the crew and every year we meet more crew and we meet the crew we have met from the previous years.
The food on board Ocean Village is fantastic there is always food ready to eat when ever you want. Every night there is a different theme for example; indian,chinese, greek and much more. If you dont want to try any of these food you can go to other restraunts and have roasts and much more.
The on board activities are great. There is always fantastic entertainment 24/7. If you are up on deck there is fruit carving, ice carving, acrobatics and music. At night there is always tribute acts on in the marque such as robbie williams and celine dion. There is also lots of acrobatics such as crash and pulse. Once a week there is an amazing show on deck called planet.
The kids clubs are fantastic for any ages for tiny tots to teenagers. The kids clubs run from 7am-12am. The kids club crew are very friendly to all the kids and adults and they all make sure that there is lots to do.
The cleanliness of the ship is great the crew keep the ship in great conditions and they tidy all your cabins for you every day and if you run out of towel,soap,toilet paper exetra theres no need to worry because they will always get topped up the next day.
There is no need to hezitate if you have a problem just ask the crew.
I would recommend Ocean Village to everyone !!!!!!!

Love it loads xxx

Just returned from Olives and Ouzos cruise - 10th-17th May 2007.
Having been on only one cruise (Island Star) in May 2006 this is our only comparison.
The Ship itself is of exceptional quality and found it much more luxurious than the Island Star in both cabins, public areas, bars and facilities - all of which, in comparison favoured MUCH better than the Island.
The food was comparable and the welcome, service and menu in the BISTRO could not have been better.
Both other restaurants were of very good quality and a selection of food to die for.
celebrated our Pearl Wedding anniversary the BISTRO and 'James Martin' your 'team' should make you proud.
All in all 10/10.
Cabin - very well appointed, with both coffee/tea making and safe in room all in the price. Much bigger than Island Star.
Deck - Two pools, four jacuzzis and more space than last year - excellent.
Service - pretty much the same on both ships, but Island Star's staff seemed much more customer-friendly, we got to know our waiting staff and bar staff who would find time to talk to you - not so on O.V. - no towel animals on our cabin beds either on O.V. - a nice touch which we missed.
O.V. was generally a much cleaner vessels all round apart from one MASSIVE negative..... smoking...
why, oh why dedicate so much space to the bag habits ot others... this did spoil our enjoyment as the smell of smoke was wafting around the ship even though smokers could only 'allegedly' participate in their discusting habit on the 'port' side. Some disgregarding this rule making like unbearable for non-smokers. The sooner smoking is banned the better.
Also, the constant 'hard-sell' on ship was noticed by not only our party, but several other passengers we spoke to.
Days at sea is one big excuse to sell, jewellery, perfumes, clothing, drinks, Artwork, etc, etc. - tiring at times.
Entertainment.... although the resident dancers were without doubt excellent and enjoyable,,, dancing shows on Friday, Sunday, Monday (on Deck) and Tuesday does tend to leave you wanting variety in the theatre... we got a Rod Stewart tribute (excellent) and Madonna tribute (who by the way had NO dancers backing her up). However, some 'adult' variety was provided elsewhere - in Connexions, yes, plus Karokee - it bit 'working men's club' if you ask me.
Ports of call.
1. Limassoll - don't bother even going ashore if you're looking around this place. what a dump - book a trip somewhere else on the island.
2. Day at sea.... fun and games on deck?
3. Rhodes - very nice - good full day in town within walking distance of ship.
4. Ephasus.... if you're a culture vulture - dont miss this - amazing...
4. Mykinos - due to heavy swell we could not dock so spent a day at sea being persuaded to part with our cash.
5. Santorini.... don't miss this place... but please, please don't take the donkey's up to town... these animals were beaten with sticks to get them moving and with little food and water, face a misable existence.... take the cable car, its cheaper and faster.
6. Heraklion... had a few hours to look around before flight home... not a bad place and easy access from ship...
SAIL AWAYS.... this was a HUGE part of Island Star's itinerary.... always a live band on deck with happy hour on the cocktails which encouraged flocks of passengers on deck when leaving port.... unfortunately the Ocean Village crept out - sorry O.V. you've missed the boat here...
To sum up, if the staff, entertainment, and working practices could be transferred from the Island Star onto the much nicer Ocean Village One, I would make this my next cruise.... at the moment, I'm confused on which ship to book next as both had good and bad points.... oh yes STOP THE SMOKING... !!!!!!

Very dissapointing, food lets this ship down. Tried booking the waiter restaurant, but was fully booked, plus there's supplement to pay for this.
The ship itself was great, newly refurbished, good modern gym, friendly staff, good sized rooms,plenty of deck space.
But food is so important on cruise ships, and this misses the mark.

we sailed on the ship from the 17th to the 31st May in the Eastern Med and this was our first experience of the OV concept.

We found the cabins to be the largest we had ever had on a ship, the cabins were clean, and well cleaned but only once per day rather than the twice per day we are used too.

However many of the Bars, and public rooms were dirty, and in need of a good clean.

The food was slightly better than the thomson ships but we did not like the ships eating areas which were similar to a motorway cafe on a bad day.

We used the Bistro on many ocasions and found this OK.

A downside of the OV is the large number of smokers and the smell of smoke was all over many of the public rooms.

The other main downside was the entertainment which was by far the worst I have ever seen on any cruise ship. My wife described the OV as the most boring ship she had ever been on.

I would expect that the intended age (ie 30 to 50) range of this ship may find little to do other than spend money in the bars, and even that that can be difficult on ocasions.

We had expected the average age of this ship to be lower than most other ships as the marketing is aimed at a younger group than most of the others but in the first week the average age would have been about 65, and the second week about 55 (school holidays.

The cost of trips was about average.

The airline used was Thomas Cook, and our flights were late both ways, but the Gatwick flights were very late up to about 5 or 6 hours.

I conclusion there are beter ships for about about same price,visting the same ports, and with proper eating arrangments.

Having enjoyed OV in the Western Med for 3 years we were keen to try the new intinerary from Crete.
We are fully aware of the good and bad points as pointed out by other reviews on this ship but as a family enjoy what OV has to offer. This holiday was just as good as the others.
The food was ok in the buffet restaurants but for waiter service and excellent food we ate in La Luna several times. Children’s dinner is 17:15 in Plantations-Spaghetti Bolognese, Nuggets, Sheppard’s Pie, chips etc etc....
The OV trips are expensive but worth doing to get round the key sights in a short while. At most ports you can get a taxi which works out a lot cheaper, especially just to get to the nearest town, beach or water park. (Ask first for a price as they vary from driver to driver).
If you want to sit near the family pool, you do need to get a bed by 09:00 on sea days and later on port days when the majority of passengers disembark. There are plenty of other quieter decks which always have space available for sunbathing.
Children are well looked after, our 6 year old loved the children’s club and spent most evenings there whilst we enjoy a relaxing dinner for 2. Our 13 year old made friends within hours and spent most of her time on the ship with them at the Hideout returning to the cabin only for showers and to sleep!!!
The entertainment has been slated, and with this being our 4th trip on OV we were hoping for something different. The Planet Show up on deck is not to be missed but we had seen something very similar previously. The tribute bands in the Marquee are ok if you like that sort of thing, as is the singing & dancing shows performed by the resident entertainment team. We prefer Connexions which has a mix of singers, comedians (Various standards), quizzes and karaoke. In order to retain the large number of passengers who like OV and return year after year there is a definite need to change/upgrade the evening entertainment. However there are also the choices of the Casino, Cinema and a number of other bars without entertainment if you just want to chat, play cards or just chill (Blue bar recommended).

Like I said we are fans of the whole OV experience and will return hopefully on the OV 2 next Easter in the Caribbean.

Returned 2 days ago from our Caribbean cruise, on the whole a wonderful experience. Ocean Village are very organised on the luggage side and after checking in at Manchester you don't see your cases again until they are delivered to your cabin just after you arrive. When you land at Barbados a mini bus pulls up to the plane steps and takes you straight to the ship (about 40 mins).
Ocean Village are very strict about the use of hand cleansing with alcohol gel and you have to do this every time you enter a food area (even if the food is served to you as in The Bistro or La Luna)or when you get back on the ship in a port.
Food is mainly good in the Plantation and Waterfront restaurants though sometimes could be hotter. Each night there are usually 2 different types of food in the Plantation we had mexican, italian, indian, chinese buffets and in the Waterfront it's more a british carvery. We ate in both the La Luna and The Bistro, service in both was very attentitive and it was nice to have the food served to you rather than walk along the buffet with your own tray. Our favourite was La Luna and the surf and turf (8ozs fillet steak and lobster tail) was cooked to perfection.
The staff on the ship all work very hard and are friendly but you don't see them out and about doing general cleaning as you do on a Thomson ship. The glass around the barrier on deck 14 was really grubby and hard to see through but remained that way all week.
On board entertainment was quite mixed, the tribute bands they had the week we were on were good (Cher, Queen etc)The resident entertainers are a bit hit and miss, Celina is awful, Mana Live are quite good fun and in tune and Luke Sabatino is quite good. One night a week they perform "The Moon Show" which is an on deck acrobatics show. They have a couple of late night comedians again one good, one not so good. The drinks are on average the same as the u.k. pub prices (£2.60 a pint, £3.30 for a cocktail) An all inclusive drinks package as Thomson do would have been a good idea though.
We did an organised trip in most ports and they are quite good value, the only one we were disappointed by was the best of Trinidad where you have a quick tour of the main attractions and then time to swim at the beautiful Maracas Beach.......it has to be a very quick swim as you only get 20 mins there !! The Pitons Part Cruise around the coast of St Lucia was very good as was the swim with turtles catamaran trip on the very last morning before flying back from Barbados.
I had one visit to the onboard Karma Spa while my other half was off on a diving trip. The hot stone massage was very relaxing but quite expensive at £70 for an hour but after the massage it is very hard sell to get you to book another treatment or skin creams etc.
The cabin facilities were very good with a fridge, safe and tea and coffee making supplies replenished daily. Plenty of space for hanging clothes and a decent sized shower cubicle.
We would cruise with Ocean Village again.

GREAT HOLIDAY!!!
We cruised the caribbean as a family for the first time with parents in their seventies, us in our forties and children in their late teens.
as we found on the ship there was a wide range of ages on board,and everyone is catered for, we all had a great time,with very few grumbles.
The flights are the worst part of the holiday, but unless you can afford to go first class this will be the same where ever you go on any holiday but the organisation at Barbados is excellent, you step off the plane straight on to a coach and diret to the ship not even going in to the airport buildings.
The ship is great with everything you need on board,
its very clean and as this was a first time cruise,and i can not compare it to others but i dont think you can expect much better with the amount of people that pass through, our cabin window was a bit grubby on the outside by the end of the two weeks,but thats being picky.
The cabins are a good size with loads of draw space and a good size shower, plus tv,fridge,safe,hairdryer and tea and coffee toppped up everyday.
The cabin staff were great,very freindy and nothing was too much trouble if you wanted something done.
The rest of the staff were the same, always smiles and eager to help and very efficient.
The food i cant fault, i`m a fussy eater but i still over ate, there is something for everyone, its well cooked and well presented, La luna does a very nice meal if you want something a bit special.
Charlies bar does a nice toasted sandwich but as its not cooked there, by the time you get it it`s warm rather than hot.
The entertainment is good enough, its what i would call holiday camp caberet, but i did not expect anything more, if these people were any better they would not be working cruise ships would they!
The ships dancers and acrobats were very good, the singers so so, (dont think they would get past Simon Cowell.) the tribute acts were good and all in all the entertainment was good enough to have a few beers or cocktails to in the evenings
The excursions are good, some a bit pricey, if you want to put the effort in you can save some money doing it yourself,particulary basic tours of the islands, there are plenty of taxi`s waiting to take you where you want to go though i must say that as we were there late in the cruise season on all but two islands we were the only ship in port, what the difference would be if there were four or five ships in i dont know.
we booked the "swim with dolphins" before we went with Dolphin Discovery .com and turned up at the same time as others from the ship but had a better swim for about twenty pounds less each. we booked the Royal swim where as the ship books the basic swim and i expect you could do this with many of the excursions but some times, for me anyway, its not worth the effort and at least if something goes wrong you can blame someone else.
The only bad excursion we went on was the St Barts Break, it got off to a late start because of passport problems and took 1 1/2 hrs to get there when they say 40 mins that was 11.30 and the shops shut from 12 til 3 for siesta, as it was advertised as a duty free shopping experience it did not really live up and St Maarten has enough duty free shopping so dont bother.
The turtles were great as were the stingrays, and any snorkelling, also tried the dicover scuba which was well worth it.
On St Lucia we went on the spirit of st lucia tour but the distillery was not woking for the first time in twenty years (not oceans fault) but the free tasting session of the "rocket fuel" was nice.
The only moan i would have about the ships excursions would be the punters, there are allways a few people who cant be bothered to turn up on time and its very hot on the quayside waiting about for them and ocean staff will not say there late, we will go without them as i would
The islands are real picture post card stuff and the locals are all happy to see you, the taxi and coach drivers are all characters and know there history and island knowledge and most are commedians too.
All in all this was a brilliant holiday well worth the money and we will have no need to try another cruise line as this one suited us and we will be going back again.