Hi Lilac,
I was on Ocean Village last year (Caribbean) and was KK grade cabin, my cabin number was B164 (inside). The cabins themselves are really spacious compared to the Sunbird (now with Thomson) I had travelled on the previous year. It was a twin cabin as opposed to double so had twin beds, dressing table, small table and two chairs, fridge, bathroom with large shower area (again compared to Sunbird) and in general was much more spacious which was pleasantly pleasing!
B deck is quite a good spot although to be honest there are lifts to take you up and down anyway.
Have a great holiday.
Thought the following information would be of interest to Ocean Village Cruisers. I've cut and pasted this from our local paper, The Southampton Echo.
First published on Thursday 07 April 2005:
Second Ocean Village ship
by Keith Hamilton
BRITAIN'S cruising market is continuing to grow rapidly - with Southampton-based op-eration Ocean Village today announcing the addition of a second ship.
Ocean Village is a part of the stable of companies owned by the Miami-based Carnival Corporation that also includes Cunard, P&O Cruises, Princess Cruises and Swan Hellenic, which all have their UK bases in Southampton.
Carnival Corporation employs about 1,000 staff locally and is one of the biggest employers in the city, the UK's premier port for cruise ships.
Specialising in casual cruising and aimed at younger passengers, Ocean Village will more than double in size next year when the new ship, at present named Regal Princess and currently part of the Princess Cruises fleet in America, joins the company.
Like the first Ocean Village vessel, the second ship will offer informal fly-cruise holidays in the Mediterranean.
Due to come into service in November 2006, the newer, larger ship will accommodate up to 1,690 passengers and, although similar in layout to the company's first ship, also named Ocean Village and formerly the Southampton-based P&O Cruises vessel Arcadia, she will have three times as many cabins with private balconies.
Peter Shanks, managing director of Ocean Village, said: "We have been shaking up the traditional cruise market since launching our first ship less than two years ago.
"Ocean Village has already taken more than 150,000 bookings, nearly 60 per cent of them from first-time cruisers.''
First published on Thursday 07 April 2005:
Second Ocean Village ship
by Keith Hamilton
BRITAIN'S cruising market is continuing to grow rapidly - with Southampton-based op-eration Ocean Village today announcing the addition of a second ship.
Ocean Village is a part of the stable of companies owned by the Miami-based Carnival Corporation that also includes Cunard, P&O Cruises, Princess Cruises and Swan Hellenic, which all have their UK bases in Southampton.
Carnival Corporation employs about 1,000 staff locally and is one of the biggest employers in the city, the UK's premier port for cruise ships.
Specialising in casual cruising and aimed at younger passengers, Ocean Village will more than double in size next year when the new ship, at present named Regal Princess and currently part of the Princess Cruises fleet in America, joins the company.
Like the first Ocean Village vessel, the second ship will offer informal fly-cruise holidays in the Mediterranean.
Due to come into service in November 2006, the newer, larger ship will accommodate up to 1,690 passengers and, although similar in layout to the company's first ship, also named Ocean Village and formerly the Southampton-based P&O Cruises vessel Arcadia, she will have three times as many cabins with private balconies.
Peter Shanks, managing director of Ocean Village, said: "We have been shaking up the traditional cruise market since launching our first ship less than two years ago.
"Ocean Village has already taken more than 150,000 bookings, nearly 60 per cent of them from first-time cruisers.''
Hi I am going on ov may24 2 weeks cabin p181 has anybody been in this cabin can you tell me what its like is it noisy
can anyone tell me any more about visiting places your self we are doing the frescoes and frascati tapas and togas
would be nice to know what places we can visit and how to do them ourselfs would also be nice to know if anyone knows about the trains to difrent places or buses and the cost
would really like to go ot the vatican when we are in rome but i gather the ship is not docked near to the vatican would we have enogh to go see it
any info at all would be nice
i have been reading a few reports about ocean village and i must say im not liking the sound of it has been putting me off going
we went on thomson spirit last year and enjoyed it
thanks for taking time to read this
jackie
can anyone tell me any more about visiting places your self we are doing the frescoes and frascati tapas and togas
would be nice to know what places we can visit and how to do them ourselfs would also be nice to know if anyone knows about the trains to difrent places or buses and the cost
would really like to go ot the vatican when we are in rome but i gather the ship is not docked near to the vatican would we have enogh to go see it
any info at all would be nice
i have been reading a few reports about ocean village and i must say im not liking the sound of it has been putting me off going
we went on thomson spirit last year and enjoyed it
thanks for taking time to read this
jackie
Jackie
have a look at the reviews on ship happens
http://www.ship-happens.co.uk/cgi/reviews.pl
We went last year our first cruise and really enjoyed it.
Would recommend you try The Bistro and La Luna a couple of times each. You have to pay extra but the food is much better quality than the included restaurants. la Luna also do free pizzas at lunchtime that are excellent & you can eat out on the deck.
Organised Trips, like all cruises are a rip off but if you really want to go somewhere it can be difficult doing it yourself in the time you are there. We paid £48 each to do the Amalfi Coast trip from Sorrento to Amalfi its always something I've wanted to do but time limitations didn't give us the time to do it ourselves. When we docked at Livorno the OV trip to Pisa was £22 but we got a coutesy bus to the dockgates, caught another bus to the railway station and paid 3 euros each for a return ticket to Pisa. All depends on the organisation in the port and the OV reception aren't that helpful because they want you to take their trips.
One other tip don't get off the boat at Tunis, they take you into the city into the souks and you get pestered to death by street traders trying to sell you anything at all. These guys don't take no for an answer, I had about 25 of them chasing me down the street. I believe you dock in Tunis twice in the 2 weeks. Then when you get back to the ship all the sunbeds have gone.
Sure you will enjoy it, cabins are very spacious and crew, particularly the Phillipinos provide great service.
have a look at the reviews on ship happens
http://www.ship-happens.co.uk/cgi/reviews.pl
We went last year our first cruise and really enjoyed it.
Would recommend you try The Bistro and La Luna a couple of times each. You have to pay extra but the food is much better quality than the included restaurants. la Luna also do free pizzas at lunchtime that are excellent & you can eat out on the deck.
Organised Trips, like all cruises are a rip off but if you really want to go somewhere it can be difficult doing it yourself in the time you are there. We paid £48 each to do the Amalfi Coast trip from Sorrento to Amalfi its always something I've wanted to do but time limitations didn't give us the time to do it ourselves. When we docked at Livorno the OV trip to Pisa was £22 but we got a coutesy bus to the dockgates, caught another bus to the railway station and paid 3 euros each for a return ticket to Pisa. All depends on the organisation in the port and the OV reception aren't that helpful because they want you to take their trips.
One other tip don't get off the boat at Tunis, they take you into the city into the souks and you get pestered to death by street traders trying to sell you anything at all. These guys don't take no for an answer, I had about 25 of them chasing me down the street. I believe you dock in Tunis twice in the 2 weeks. Then when you get back to the ship all the sunbeds have gone.
Sure you will enjoy it, cabins are very spacious and crew, particularly the Phillipinos provide great service.
how much does it cost to dine in the la luna 
can anyone update me on this ship apart from sending me links to ship happens and other reviews on here i have read all them and i am NOT looking forward to this cruise at all now as reviews dont sound that good
what sort of food do they have to eat i refuse to pay to dine
what sort clothes to wear is it worth taking nice dresses suits
is there enough to keep you occupied during the day and night
apart from lying on a sunbed which we dont do
can anyone tell me more on how to do trips by our self rather than pasy for there organised ones we are going may 24th frescoes and fraascati tapas and togas
we are in cabin 181 has anyone been in that cabin whats it like is it noisy
do you get free sickness tablets from reception
Please let me know asap
Edit to restore fonts. As per T&C's, please do not use coloured fonts in the main forums. Thanks, luci - HT Mod
what sort of food do they have to eat i refuse to pay to dine
what sort clothes to wear is it worth taking nice dresses suits
is there enough to keep you occupied during the day and night
apart from lying on a sunbed which we dont do
can anyone tell me more on how to do trips by our self rather than pasy for there organised ones we are going may 24th frescoes and fraascati tapas and togas
we are in cabin 181 has anyone been in that cabin whats it like is it noisy
do you get free sickness tablets from reception
Please let me know asap
Edit to restore fonts. As per T&C's, please do not use coloured fonts in the main forums. Thanks, luci - HT Mod
i have read all them and i am NOT looking forward to this cruise at all now as reviews dont sound that good
It will not have changed a lot (if at all)from what you have already read. If you don't like the idea of this cruise why did you book it.
There are loads of tips for DIY trips in the reviews just match them up to the lisy of ports you are visiting. If you have specific trips in mind ask again for specific advise, no one here know what it is you want to do in each port.
Take whatever clothes you like. If you like dressing up a bit do it.
I have always found enough to do but it will depend on the sort of things you like most cruise ships do similar things so there are no suprises. There are quiet periods during days at sea but I can fill those by watching a movie,eating,casino and relaxing with a couple of beers at an outide bar having chat to my fellow cruisers.
I always reseach my trips before booking so I have some idea of what the ship will be like and am happy that I can DIY at at least some of the ports.
My partner and I are joining this cruise. We are really looking forward to it and have read the good and the not so good reports on OV, however I feel it will be what you make it. Are there any of our fellow passagers embarking next Wednesday? Or anyone who did this cruise last year?
I'm going on this cruise with my husband just for 6 days, as we're leaving the kids behind. It's our first cruise, although I'm lucky enough to be going on another with my daughter in July.
Great stuff... maybe see you on board! We are travelling down from Scotland and have booked the recommended coach, so just hope it makes it to catch the ship!
Couple of questions for anyone who has travelled on OV before, and I can't seem to get an answer from the brochure and can't be bothered phoning OV!
1) I am sure I read somewhere that the Casino is cash only on GBP. Is that correct?
2) Is there a cash machine on board?
Thanks
Couple of questions for anyone who has travelled on OV before, and I can't seem to get an answer from the brochure and can't be bothered phoning OV!
1) I am sure I read somewhere that the Casino is cash only on GBP. Is that correct?
2) Is there a cash machine on board?
Thanks
Everything on the ship is paid for GBP (although your account is not settled until the end of your cruise).
No cash machine on board. I have used my cash card before when off ship.
Have a great hol!
No cash machine on board. I have used my cash card before when off ship.
Have a great hol!
Hello
This is our first cruise. We are going with Ocean Village on their Frescoes and Friscati cruise. I have always wanted to see Naples and Florence but don't know whether we will get more from the experience by just doing our own thing or whether it would be better to book one of the excursions?
Is it fairly easy to get a bus or a taxi to where you would like to go?
I'm not really very keen on having my time organised for me yet don't really want to waste my first trip their just walking around the city aimlessly for hours on end.
PLEASE HELP!!
Corngirl
This is our first cruise. We are going with Ocean Village on their Frescoes and Friscati cruise. I have always wanted to see Naples and Florence but don't know whether we will get more from the experience by just doing our own thing or whether it would be better to book one of the excursions?
Is it fairly easy to get a bus or a taxi to where you would like to go?
I'm not really very keen on having my time organised for me yet don't really want to waste my first trip their just walking around the city aimlessly for hours on end.
PLEASE HELP!!
Corngirl
Hi Corngirl and welcome to HT!
As it is your first time there I would recommend you take the ship's excursions if you want to get the most from your trip and don't want to miss anything.
luci
As it is your first time there I would recommend you take the ship's excursions if you want to get the most from your trip and don't want to miss anything.
luci
Hi- we found Florence fairly easy to navigate with a good guidebook- but still managed to miss seeing "David" in the Accademia! We got a bus from outside the station to Piazella Michaelangelo- fantastic views across the city and loads of nice places to have a coffee while admiring the view. Then back into the town to explore the Duomo etc. There were long queues outside the art galleries, which put us off, and which you would probably bypass on an organised trip. Also Florence is quite a long way from Livorno, so even if you don't take a guided tour, it would be a good idea to take a "Florence on your own" trip which will just take you there and bring you back. The train is much cheaper, but first you have to get to the station on 2 buses. You are always very conscious of the time when on a cruise- the ship WILL go without you if you are taking independent trip, but they never leave if one of their trips is late back.
Naples is a bit of a madhouse- getting to Capri on your own is easy, anywhere else needs hard bargaining with taxi drivers who resent taking someone to the station when they might miss out on being hired for the day. There will be lots of choice of excursions in Naples, so you really need to plan exactly what you want to see. Have a great trip- I'm sure it won't be your last cruise!
Naples is a bit of a madhouse- getting to Capri on your own is easy, anywhere else needs hard bargaining with taxi drivers who resent taking someone to the station when they might miss out on being hired for the day. There will be lots of choice of excursions in Naples, so you really need to plan exactly what you want to see. Have a great trip- I'm sure it won't be your last cruise!
This is always a difficult question. Ships tour or DIY.
If you know the area(been before) or can speak the language and do the research the DIY is possible. If you are not used to independant time critical(the ship will go if you are late) then Ships tours are probbably better. When you are new to a city knowing where the bus stops which numbers waiting for a train etc. can use a lot of time so you don't get the best out of the time ashore.
Some cities are V.easy DIY some not, research.
For Florence its train or ships tour. Train needs planning, ships tour easy.
Remember this will not be the last cruise in the med so you can allways DIY next time.
Naples, Capri easy but waste of time(IMHO). Pompeii is the trip of choice for the first visit. Our next Naples trip will be Herculaneum or city.
There are some private companies that operate in the port area but Naples has a reputation for bad traffic and the ship will wait for its own tours.
If you know the area(been before) or can speak the language and do the research the DIY is possible. If you are not used to independant time critical(the ship will go if you are late) then Ships tours are probbably better. When you are new to a city knowing where the bus stops which numbers waiting for a train etc. can use a lot of time so you don't get the best out of the time ashore.
Some cities are V.easy DIY some not, research.
For Florence its train or ships tour. Train needs planning, ships tour easy.
Remember this will not be the last cruise in the med so you can allways DIY next time.
Naples, Capri easy but waste of time(IMHO). Pompeii is the trip of choice for the first visit. Our next Naples trip will be Herculaneum or city.
There are some private companies that operate in the port area but Naples has a reputation for bad traffic and the ship will wait for its own tours.
Thanks ever so much guys! You've really helped to clarify it for us. As we are complete newbies I think the ships tours are the best option.
Hopefully we will go again anyway as you say and maybe we can be a bit more adventurous!!
Many thanks
Corngirl
Hopefully we will go again anyway as you say and maybe we can be a bit more adventurous!!
Many thanks
Corngirl
Couple of tips:
Trips are expensive but as the other posters have said it very much depends on time.
Naples you can do on your own but the port is huge and a bit of a maze with containers etc from where OV docks to finding your way out. Once you do Naples must be the cheapest place in Italy for pizza and Peroni beer but there are a lot of "interesting" characters around.
Florence you can do under your own steam. Comp Courtesy bus to Livorno 1 euro bus ride to train station then about 8 euros on train via Pisa.
Finally don't get off the boat in Tunis, it is a hell hole and they charge you £22 each and bus you into a souk in the city where a gang of street traders are lying in wait to part you from your hard earned holiday money. I live in Blackpool and thought I had seen every hard sell imaginable but these guys are something else and extremely intimidating. If intrigue gets the better of you and you go there stay out of the carpet shops in the souk, it was a nightmare. Then there is a scrum back to the ship as it sails at 14.00 and you can't find a sunbed for love nor money.
Trips are expensive but as the other posters have said it very much depends on time.
Naples you can do on your own but the port is huge and a bit of a maze with containers etc from where OV docks to finding your way out. Once you do Naples must be the cheapest place in Italy for pizza and Peroni beer but there are a lot of "interesting" characters around.
Florence you can do under your own steam. Comp Courtesy bus to Livorno 1 euro bus ride to train station then about 8 euros on train via Pisa.
Finally don't get off the boat in Tunis, it is a hell hole and they charge you £22 each and bus you into a souk in the city where a gang of street traders are lying in wait to part you from your hard earned holiday money. I live in Blackpool and thought I had seen every hard sell imaginable but these guys are something else and extremely intimidating. If intrigue gets the better of you and you go there stay out of the carpet shops in the souk, it was a nightmare. Then there is a scrum back to the ship as it sails at 14.00 and you can't find a sunbed for love nor money.
So glad I have logged into this site. My mum and friend are thinking about doing the ocean village cruise for a week in August on the tapas and togas... thought this would be better for her than going to a resort for a week somewhere - she has not long finished chemo and wont be able to do a lot of walking about.
Good advice about Tunis.. we have had a day trip to Morocco once and it was a bit like that.
Do you think this would be suitable for over 70s, and is the ocean village cruiser up to scratch?? Dont see any reviews about the actual boat?
Good advice about Tunis.. we have had a day trip to Morocco once and it was a bit like that.
Do you think this would be suitable for over 70s, and is the ocean village cruiser up to scratch?? Dont see any reviews about the actual boat?
Do you think a week on this boat would suit over 70s? My mum and friend would like to do this cruise for a week - my mum hasnt that long finished chemotherapy and I thought that a cruise would be ideal for her. We have seen a good deal flying from Glasgow in August. Any advice on this shall be gratefully received!
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