This was my first ever cruise, and I was concerned as I have relatives who cruise very often, and you hear all this talk about tuxedos ad evening dresses for dinner. Everything seems so formal. Ocean Village changed my misconceptions about this.
AS soon as we landed everything was taken care of very efficiently, the OC representatives waiting for us, ready for us to board the coaches. Once we arrived at the dock at Palma, we were guided through customs, and to get our family photo taken (which you can buy on board later) and recieve our "cruise cards" which eliminate the need for credit cards and cash on board, when you want to order something you simply hand the card to the waiter, they scan the card and the bill is charged to your room account, the card also doubles as a boarding pass, giving you a feeling of security.
The ship itself seems HUGE (this could be because it's my first cruise) but the exterior is immaculate, brilliant white, the the words "Do More, See More, Be More" painted across the bow, along with the distinctive pattern.
Once inside you are greeted by plush
carpets, not yet faded, brilliantly clean, a very modern reception desk and a wonderfly inviting reception area. To your right, is Charlie's Bar, a great place to sit down have a coffee, and chat, or at night have a drink.The cuber cafe is expensive, but you are provided with webcams to use as you choose. Up the staircase, you have the emporium, where you can buy your duty free goods, and the Blue Bar, a jazz themed bar, decorated with dark wood veneer, creating a wonderful atmosphere.
Inside, on your way to your cabin, you are treated to immaculate walls, no scuff marks, brand new lifts, perfect carpets, it makes you feel so Regal.
The cabin itself is very spacious and my cabin had a porthole, much bigger than i expected, which gave a fantastic view of the sea, and in the evening offered a fantastic sunset. The beds were really comfortable and amazingly clean and the drop down bunks were great fun!
The TV showed information of the destination that we were heading to and had a camera at the front of the ship, so you can see where you are heading! Great Stuff! The TV also showed movies, and not the old rubbish either, with films such as The Matrix Revolutions and Secret Window etc. Everyday the cookie supplies were replenished. The toilet/shower/bathroom was nice and clean, no "bad" smells, just cleanliness, no mould, no limescale, just perfection.
Deck 12 (leisure deck) houses the Plantations Restaurants. I have never ever tasted better food, and better yet it's free and open 24 hours! The meals are usually based on a theme, and kids food (burgers, chips, nuggets) is served up at lunchtime. The food is presented in the style of a buffet and you can pick and choose what you want. Hygiene is enforced on board and there will always be a member of staff on hand with a bottle of alcohol gel (you cant drink it) to killl any germs on your hands. The seating area is always clean and each half of the restaurant works on a rotation basis, while one half is closed, the other is open. La Luna offers an excellent lunch, homemade pizza's, stacked with toppings, delicious! this is one of the only meals you have to pay a supplement for. The sunweaver bar offers smoothies and milkshakes aswell as the usuals. Perfect! You also have to pay a supplement of £15 to eat in "The Bistro" professional chef James Martin's own restaurant, the food in here is unlike anything you have ever tasted, it's divine! If your lucky, James Martin will be on board to cook your meal for you.
The waterfront is a formal restaurant operating on the same basis as the Plantations restaurant, but offers a more diverse and "posher" selection of food. There is always a beautiful ice sculpture on show, carved by the resident award winning chef/carver, who you can see carving the sculptures at around lunchtime on the leisure deck.
The staff are unbelievably pleasant and polite, always have a smile on their face and always saying Hi to you. I've never felt so welcome! The staff are thoroughly trained and execute their job with military efficiency.
There is nightly entertainment in the marquee, where the shows are repeated twice a night. The shows are fantastic and the talent is breathtaking. Watch out for the gymnasts! There is a comedian in the connexions bar as well as other entertainment and classical entertainment in the villagesquare. One night, there is a breathtaking show atop the ship, on a specially built structure above the pool, with people dangling from it all over the show and gymansts balancing on top of it. It really is spectacular, with all the lasers and the lights of the city in the distance. The moviedrom has a wide variety of movies which are currently showing in the cinema or have just been released.
The kids are kept happy aswell, with the hideout open from 7pm-12am and the base camp open throughout the day.
The hideout holds games and has a TV and video player, and the base camp offers creative activities and PS2's. Kids Clubs has activities every night like a meeting dinner, so no-one gets left out, pool games, such as "slippery pole" a game of balance. The Kids LOVE IT!
The pool is great, the Kids get their own pool, and the adults get one to themselves, with a swim up bar. There are also 4 different jacuzzi's kept at different temperatures to suit your needs.
Action Ashore provides plenty of opportuities to see the country your docked at, aswell as the choice to see it on your own using the shuttle that constantly are travelling to and fro form the ship. The tours are extremely well organized to make sure you get where you're supposed to and that you make it back alright.
Just in case your afraid of piling on the pounds while onboard, theres a jogging track, a Gym, which overlooks the front of the ship and the horizon beyond. Phenomenal, what a way to shed the fat. Fancy treating yourself? theres the hair salon, karma spa, or yoga and pilates area.
I hope thats covered everything, if i missed anything, please let me know,
Steve
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NIce review, I cruised on it last March and will be again in Feb....I felt the age range is a little older with us being the youngest at 30ish in the winter, possibly it changes in the med.....nice one....
Bollinger28 03.01.2005 21:38
I'm a huge fan of cruising and usually go with P&O or Cunard. The prices of Ocean Village are so much more affordable I'm going to have to check them out for our 2005 holiday. Great review, Lexy
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Advantages: The crew/staff are fantastic, mostly islands are great and a spotless ship. Disadvantages: The entertainment is generally crap. We deserved better.
IanDickson 07.04.2008 (07.04.2008)
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Review of Ocean Village Cruise
Advantages: Cabins, General cleanliness, Waiters, Cabin stewards friendly and helpfull Disadvantages: Expensive trips ,Surcharging bistro's ,Poor customer care, Entertainment
Oneon1 25.04.2008 (27.04.2008)
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Review of Ocean Village Cruise
Jan 3rd, 2005
(Jan 4th, 2005)
very helpful by (89%):
helpful by (11%):
