It will help if you are really fussy about hand washing constantly, particularly after visiting the toilet. Also avoid using handrails on stairs and lift buttons as much as possible.

My husband had the virus for 24 hours despite these precautions and although it was inconvenient, it didn't affect his enjoyment of the cruise.

luci

Thanks for info Luci

We were on the OV 6- 13 dec . Norovirus was on board.

As a result the quality of food suffered and we were ill on the way home.

We are about to complain to OV . If anyone else is about to complain please contact me . bestyman @ Yahoo.co.uk

Just a note to say that food is not the cause of novovirus.

The choice of food suffered as there was a limited menu and certain restaurants were closed sometimes.
When food was available it was not not usually self service, members of staff would put the food on your plate for you .

I cannot say much more other than the 2 facts above ( that I have in writing from OV) untill I have seen my solicitor.

We have had our tickets through today. Does anyone know if we can check our luggage in the night before our flight.

Does anyone know if beach towels are provided for use when going ashore-I`m trying to cut down on luggage.

going to book for feb been offered inside on "A" deck or outside on F. Is it better to be inside but higher up ship? also how does it work if they upgrade you ,when do they tell you, what if you dont like what they offer, do they nearlly always upgrade you. never been before so dont know how they work.

Clean towels for the pool were provided every day. There was no problem if you want to use the towels on a beach. So save the space in your case.

Lynne

does anyone know why the CC cabins on deck A dont have a table and chair like the other cabins. thanks.

Just returned today from a two week caribbean cruise with OV. It was fantastic...anything you need or want to know, just ask. It was our second cruise with OV and we got talking to some of the staff, some of them even remembered from our last cruise 18 months ago! So ask away!

I would go for the outside cabin personally, it is great to have a window so you can see where you are each morning! and know what time of day it is!
Also, the higher up the ship the more you will feel any motion.

I would go for E deck or D deck outside cabin if you can.
We originally booked on E deck (deck 6), but were upgraded to D deck (deck 8 ) the room was pretty much the same, just the bed was in a different place, and there were pull down bunk beds (for families). We were sent an 'upgrade confirmation' letter a few weeks before we went, and our tags and tickets etc arrived a few days later. We thought about calling them to say we didn't want the upgrade (only because we specifically booked on E deck as it was where we were last cruise, and the room was great) but we decided to stick with the upgrade. It was in the perfect position, with the main Bars, the Marquee, shops and restaurants the deck below (you couldn't hear any noise from the cabin from any of these places) the only noise we did hear was some mornings when the ship arrived in port, but our room was at the back of the ship. It was a good alarm call to know you have arrived at your next destination!



Anyway, like i said, if you have any questions, please ask!

thanks for the info bubbalee, welcome home. we have booked end of feb A deck outside cabin this will be our first cruise and dont know what to expect glad you enjoyed so much. did you fly from gatwick? and what plane was it? and how many hours before departure do you have to check in?. and what time did you leave ship to come back? and what time did you take off?. sorry for all the questions,thanks zeusy.

Hi Bubbalee and welcome to HT!

If you haven't done so already, you can post a review of your cruise by clicking on the Cruise Reviews link at the top of the page.

Thanks.

luci

Hi zeusy..
Yeah we went from Gatwick. Our flight was at 9.45am, we were there at least 3 hours before the flight. Our flight was with Thomas Cook, we booked the extra legroom seats which were well worth the money (£129 per person) you can only book these if your are going for two weeks. You have a lot more room, free drinks (they come round about half an hour into the flight to ask if you want a drink, i had wine, and she gave me two bottles to start with, then more with my meal...not tight with their drinks that's for sure)! you get a little bag with a toothbrush, toothpaste, lip balm, a hairbrush etc in, which came in useful, you get free headphones too.

Our flight home was at 5.25pm, we were the first to leave the ship which was at 2pm, so you still have the morning in Barbados. However one person from each group has to go to the marquee with all passports etc for Immigration Inspection at 7.15am! Then you need to be out of your cabin by 8.30am. It sounds early but its not too bad, we went to breakfast after we had left the cabin, then went round the shops at the port in Barbados, then went back on board, sat in the sun, then had lunch, and sat in the sun for the last time!!
You can leave any hand luggage in the marquee if you don't want to carry it around, but i wouldn't leave valuables etc as its not secure. Its ok to leave coats and things there though.

Barbados airport isn't great! We basically got off the coach, queued up in the one and only way into the airport, handed in our stamped immigration forms, went through the one and only scanner, then sat in the departure lounge until our flight was called! I think there were one or two shops, but i didn't venture that far, it was busy there, so just grabbed a seat.

If you want any info on any ports of call, just ask. I put together a little booklet of useful info and reviews that i got from other people on these forums, and they really helped! (We mainly shopped and went to the beaches though)

(i will do a full review at some point.....washing needs doing first)!

Hi,

We go on our first ocean Village cruise in two weeks time. We fly to Barbados and are then doing the Rum & Reggae/Coral & Coconuts cruise. We are taking our 2 year old son with us. We have cruised before but before our son was born. Firstly, has anyone stayed in room E204 or thereabouts who can tell me if its noisy etc? My main question is when we land in Barbados I believe that our luggage will go straight to the ship but will our son's buggy also go straight to the ship or will we have to collect that ourselves and put it on the coach?

Hi Susie75,

We have stayed in E192 before which is very close to where your cabin is. You shouldn't hear any noise there, we were in D174 last week, and the only noise we heard was when the ship arrived in port, some mornings we could hear the vibrations of the ship.

Your cabin is in a great position, with the waterfront restaurant just one deck up, and also the Marquee, the Oval pub and our favourite bar Connexions. The staff there are fantastic, they really appreciate you chatting to them, some people don't bother, they treat them like dirt sometimes (i don't understand these people) It's amazing how the bar staff remember you, your drinks (if you drink the same thing each day) and your cabin number. They will look after you and make sure your never waiting for a drink.....this comes in handy when its busy in the evenings when there's entertainment on. The phillipino and Indian staff here are a credit to Ocean Village.

As for your son's pushchair, if this goes into the hold then it will go straight to the ship.
You pretty much get off the plane, onto the runway and straight onto the coaches that will be there waiting for you, hardly any walking at all...!

I hope you have a fantastic time, i'm sure you will.

If you want to know anything else, just ask!

I just wanted to say regarding the earlier posts about Novovirus, my husband was talking to someone who has recently been on OV and said that they were asking people to use handgel cleaner before entering the restaurants. Its a bit worrying but at least it shows they are trying to do something about it.

You have to do this on any cruise anywhere.
The amount of dirty people who don't wash their hands after going to the toilet, its a good job they make everyone use the hand gel when you enter the restaurant!

You have to use the hand gel when you get on the ship too, its all around the ship. Its a good thing though, for sure.

Its a week to go now until our Ocean Village cruise. I've cruised before but this is the first time I've cruised with a child (2 year old). Can anyone tell me firstly are the plug sockets English or American? I need my hair straightners so this is the most important question.

Next one is also a hair question, are there hair dryers provided in the cabins or do you need to take your own?

Finally, how well equiped are the shops on board? Im already packing half the house, if I forget something like infant paracetamol, run out of nappies or wipes etc will I be able to get things on board?

Oh yes also do I need to pack beach towels for the deck and ashore or are they provided? If I don't have to pack these Im sure I could fit another pair of shoes in my case which you have to admit is much more crucial.

Thanks