There is a cruise holiday to suit everyone.
If all this has convinced you to go on a cruise as soon as possible, then I can recommend the following site for consideration: http://www.cruisenow.co.uk
June 6, 2005 (Press Release) --
On 15 March 2005 my wife and I set off for a flight to Barbados and then on to board Ocean Village I had heard much about the ship and its informal style of cruising. Prior to this trip we had only cruised on ships that had formal evenings, and that is not a lot of fun in the heat of the Caribbean. So, we were happy to be going on a laid back Cruise Holiday. We travelled up to Birmingham and stayed with one of our two sons, who then took us to Birmingham International next morning. The flight was some 9 hours or so, with strong headwinds and a bit of turbulence, but the journey passed relatively quickly. Then we are in Barbados, onto the coach and off to board Ocean Village. In my resume I will offer my opinion on the good and bad bits of this particular Cruise.
I had heard that OV were trying to cultivate the under 30s but I definitely didnt find this to be the case, indeed there were more 45 65 year old than any other age group.
Overall I was very pleased with the ship, the staff, the easygoing style, the choice and the value. I would strongly recommend any first timers to book with confidence, this is a great introduction if you are a cruise virgin
The cabins were much larger than on some previous cruise ships. We had been used to those on Airtours Sundream and Carousel, and having our own fridge, safe and individually controlled air conditioning was good. However, not quite as good as the Balcony Cabin we had on Oceana for our 40th in October 2004. That is a story for another day.
We opted for a cabin on the deck near the Sick Bay, not because I have problems when sailing, but this is the quietest area at night. It is also very close to the disembarkation and return gangway.
The itinerary was great, calling at 11 different Islands altogether. My favourite stop was Isla Margarita, just a few miles off the Venezuelan coast. Out by taxi in the morning and off to the Mangroves for a one hour boat trip then our Taxi took us down to the sea for a half hour swim, before returning us to the ship for a nice lunch. PM was then spent doing a little lazy shopping in the market area right next to the ship before going off to relax at the beach only 100 yards from Ocean Village.
Antigua: was of note We went to Shirley Heights and could see Eric Claptons property, and just along from that was the hideout used by the late Princess Magaret.
.
Dominica: was worth the trip for the forest walk and the visit to the twin waterfalls.
In the afternoon we watched at the Islands Waiters race, all doing a fast walk around the streets balancing drinks on a tray.
Aruba: We did like this island but it is fair to say that many of these islands seem to be much of a muchness.
Trinidad: Not for the fainthearted and you get a feeling of unease in this place.
We went out in a taxi in the morning and toured the Island but only walked up as far as the Church in pm. Parks and streets littered with sleeping, or drugged, bodies.
Grenada: A lovely Island and this is the one stop that had the most effect on me.
Last September it was hit by a Hurricane and massive damage was caused. Ironically, almost every Church we saw, and there are lots of them, had its roof ripped off. Makes you question the benefit of prayer in all those churches?
There is damage right across the Island and it will take them a long time to recover.
They are all appear extremely poor and I wonder how they will mange to pay the repair costs.? I was astonished to see an entire area of woods completely flattened.
On this Island I had the Camera and Video working overtime.
We paid a visit, (by taxi) to the Spice Warehouse were we saw the workers, mostly women busy sifting the Nuts, by hand. No machinery worth talking about, just pure labour.
By all accounts, Grenada hosts some games during the March/April period and they had to be transferred to Tobago. For some reason, not known, when we arrived and were due to disembark at Tobago, it was suddenly called off and the Captain gave some excuse about problems with the Tender operation. Not sure what this was about because the sea was like a millpond that morning. Nevertheless, we had to miss Tobago, which was the last port of call before sailing back to Barbados and our return flight to the UK.
Barbados: It was good but I didnt think it justified its Rave Rating. Very average and the Airport was not impressive. At departure time there were masses of us all packed into this rather small building, with lack of seating and sweltering hot no air conditioning. Not recommended.
Curacao: The Pontoon bridge was the main attraction on this lovely island.
St.Lucia. Great day here and highly recommended
Tortola: Came here last year on board Sundream and liked it just as much this time.
We didnt have to Tender ashore on this occasion, unlike last year.
They did try to do sail-away parties on deck, but the lack of personality on the part of the entertainment staff allowed the events to fall flat. The Local Steel Band that plays you out of Barbados was very good.
Food was good. Entertainment, with the exception of the odd comedian was poor and took place in venues where it was impossible to view comfortably. There were some awful acts and repetitive, deafening music.
I did like the Abba Tribute. The resident hosts were playing at being DJ's and comics, but with little personality, and less imagination. The singers could be described as "top class" Karaoke performers, but they worked hard.
There is plenty for adults to enjoy trendy bars and lounges, a cosy pub showing British sport, and a roomy tiered cinema, but take a coat or sweater because they overdo the air conditioning in here.
The nightclub-style Marquee hosts Madonna, Kylie, Rod Stewart, tribute bands and versions of popular game shows. Ear plugs are essential unless you like to be blasted out of the room. The high volume of the music often drowned out the vocals and on nights that we attended people drifted out in their dozens!
When I mentioned this point to the Entertainment Director he was not really that interested.
Stand-up comedy is on offer in Connexions Bar. Always seemed packed with 30 somethings. OK if you are into this stand up comedy stuff, but not to everyones taste. Singers fill in during breaks.
Art Auctions: these seem to be big business on the cruise ships I have travelled on and Ocean Village are no exception. Several sessions are given over to this and can last for several hours at a time. One framed picture I saw reminded me of a wallpaper design I had seen in B&Q. Nevertheless, there was considerable interest and many people were bidding and offering substantial sums. It made for an interesting past time on days at sea.
A good range of shops on board, all stocking the items that you would normally never think of buying at home and they are always much cheaper in the Ports that you visit. Every ship I have travelled on offers a range of cheap junk watches and jewellery, the sort that you would ignore on your local market.
The Jewellery shop has quite a nice selection, but overpriced. Again, the sort of items can be found in Port at much lower prices.
Suggestion: Bargain hard especially Jewellery items they can always be had for a lot less than the asking price
The Casino is there if you fancy chancing your luck. Plenty of one arm bandits.
A lady we spoke to had been given a free raffle ticket for the Bingo and that night she won 150gbp with it. Now that is lucky!
Ocean Village excursions/action ashore are expensive and can be obtained at a much reduced cost outside the dock gates by anyone with a bit of initiative. The taxi drivers all know what you are paying on the ship and they compete for your business.
Make use of local Taxi/Buses. Expect to pay US$30 for 2 when the same trip via the Ship excursion could set you back double that in GBP. As a rule of thumb expect to pay the same in US$ as the ship charge in GBP.
When ashore avoid getting change in local currency or ECD$ as you cant spend it in all ports.
On Wednesdays the ship does a special offer on Duty Free Cigs and Booze but there are equally good deals in the Ports especially Barbados the arrival and departure point.
Photographers were not as much in evidence as they have been on previous cruises that we have sailed on, and did not make a nuisance of themselves whilst you were eating.
A tip for those who have not cruised before; dont let them hold up you up on the gangways when boarding or going ashore just walk past. Lots of people think that they are official photos. Remember they are rather expensive.
Acrobats performing on deck, at considerable height, are all part of Ocean Villages determination to be different from other cruise lines. They also put on a similar show inside the Ship and juggling acts form part of the additional entertainment.
We ate in Plantations for breakfast and lunch (and snacks) and in Waterside for our evening meal. No complaints in either venue. The excellent Ice & Fruit carvings are well worthy of note and justify a photograph
The Waterfront serves pretty much the same food as Plantations in rather more elegant surroundings, but opening hours are more limited and it is usually closed for lunch on port days. It also differs in its evening opening time.
BBQs are often available on deck during the daytime and evenings.
A good idea is the provision of cutlery and napkins on every table in the buffet restaurants, Plantations and The Waterfront, obviating the need to scrabble about for knives and forks as well as food
Staff in all areas of the ship were First Class. Especially the lovely Elizabeth who works in the Plantations restaurant I did offer to take her home, but she said my wife might not like that idea.
Dress: Informal but some people do take that a bit too literally
Roaming Mobiles: Mobile phone calls back to the UK are very expensive and the recipient also gets billed. Cabin phone is to be avoided. Nowadays a Roaming SIM card is available that will work OK overseas and saves lots of money. Try Here:
www.flightsdirect.info - box 0044
Internet Caf: on Board. Useful if Email is essential, but a bit pricey. Find one at the Port Docks and use that.
Travel Insurance: Essential. Dont leave home without it but, as with all things, do some click shopping to get a best price deal. Try here: www.travelmore.co.uk - go to Columbus Insurance and Holiday Extras
I had heard that OV were trying to cultivate the under 30s but I definitely didnt find this to be the case, indeed there were more 45 65 year old than any other age group.
Overall I was very pleased with the ship, the staff, the easygoing style, the choice and the value. I would strongly recommend any first timers to book with confidence, this is a great introduction if you are a cruise virgin
The cabins were much larger than on some previous cruise ships. We had been used to those on Airtours Sundream and Carousel, and having our own fridge, safe and individually controlled air conditioning was good. However, not quite as good as the Balcony Cabin we had on Oceana for our 40th in October 2004. That is a story for another day.
We opted for a cabin on the deck near the Sick Bay, not because I have problems when sailing, but this is the quietest area at night. It is also very close to the disembarkation and return gangway.
The itinerary was great, calling at 11 different Islands altogether. My favourite stop was Isla Margarita, just a few miles off the Venezuelan coast. Out by taxi in the morning and off to the Mangroves for a one hour boat trip then our Taxi took us down to the sea for a half hour swim, before returning us to the ship for a nice lunch. PM was then spent doing a little lazy shopping in the market area right next to the ship before going off to relax at the beach only 100 yards from Ocean Village.
Antigua: was of note We went to Shirley Heights and could see Eric Claptons property, and just along from that was the hideout used by the late Princess Magaret.
.
Dominica: was worth the trip for the forest walk and the visit to the twin waterfalls.
In the afternoon we watched at the Islands Waiters race, all doing a fast walk around the streets balancing drinks on a tray.
Aruba: We did like this island but it is fair to say that many of these islands seem to be much of a muchness.
Trinidad: Not for the fainthearted and you get a feeling of unease in this place.
We went out in a taxi in the morning and toured the Island but only walked up as far as the Church in pm. Parks and streets littered with sleeping, or drugged, bodies.
Grenada: A lovely Island and this is the one stop that had the most effect on me.
Last September it was hit by a Hurricane and massive damage was caused. Ironically, almost every Church we saw, and there are lots of them, had its roof ripped off. Makes you question the benefit of prayer in all those churches?
There is damage right across the Island and it will take them a long time to recover.
They are all appear extremely poor and I wonder how they will mange to pay the repair costs.? I was astonished to see an entire area of woods completely flattened.
On this Island I had the Camera and Video working overtime.
We paid a visit, (by taxi) to the Spice Warehouse were we saw the workers, mostly women busy sifting the Nuts, by hand. No machinery worth talking about, just pure labour.
By all accounts, Grenada hosts some games during the March/April period and they had to be transferred to Tobago. For some reason, not known, when we arrived and were due to disembark at Tobago, it was suddenly called off and the Captain gave some excuse about problems with the Tender operation. Not sure what this was about because the sea was like a millpond that morning. Nevertheless, we had to miss Tobago, which was the last port of call before sailing back to Barbados and our return flight to the UK.
Barbados: It was good but I didnt think it justified its Rave Rating. Very average and the Airport was not impressive. At departure time there were masses of us all packed into this rather small building, with lack of seating and sweltering hot no air conditioning. Not recommended.
Curacao: The Pontoon bridge was the main attraction on this lovely island.
St.Lucia. Great day here and highly recommended
Tortola: Came here last year on board Sundream and liked it just as much this time.
We didnt have to Tender ashore on this occasion, unlike last year.
They did try to do sail-away parties on deck, but the lack of personality on the part of the entertainment staff allowed the events to fall flat. The Local Steel Band that plays you out of Barbados was very good.
Food was good. Entertainment, with the exception of the odd comedian was poor and took place in venues where it was impossible to view comfortably. There were some awful acts and repetitive, deafening music.
I did like the Abba Tribute. The resident hosts were playing at being DJ's and comics, but with little personality, and less imagination. The singers could be described as "top class" Karaoke performers, but they worked hard.
There is plenty for adults to enjoy trendy bars and lounges, a cosy pub showing British sport, and a roomy tiered cinema, but take a coat or sweater because they overdo the air conditioning in here.
The nightclub-style Marquee hosts Madonna, Kylie, Rod Stewart, tribute bands and versions of popular game shows. Ear plugs are essential unless you like to be blasted out of the room. The high volume of the music often drowned out the vocals and on nights that we attended people drifted out in their dozens!
When I mentioned this point to the Entertainment Director he was not really that interested.
Stand-up comedy is on offer in Connexions Bar. Always seemed packed with 30 somethings. OK if you are into this stand up comedy stuff, but not to everyones taste. Singers fill in during breaks.
Art Auctions: these seem to be big business on the cruise ships I have travelled on and Ocean Village are no exception. Several sessions are given over to this and can last for several hours at a time. One framed picture I saw reminded me of a wallpaper design I had seen in B&Q. Nevertheless, there was considerable interest and many people were bidding and offering substantial sums. It made for an interesting past time on days at sea.
A good range of shops on board, all stocking the items that you would normally never think of buying at home and they are always much cheaper in the Ports that you visit. Every ship I have travelled on offers a range of cheap junk watches and jewellery, the sort that you would ignore on your local market.
The Jewellery shop has quite a nice selection, but overpriced. Again, the sort of items can be found in Port at much lower prices.
Suggestion: Bargain hard especially Jewellery items they can always be had for a lot less than the asking price
The Casino is there if you fancy chancing your luck. Plenty of one arm bandits.
A lady we spoke to had been given a free raffle ticket for the Bingo and that night she won 150gbp with it. Now that is lucky!
Ocean Village excursions/action ashore are expensive and can be obtained at a much reduced cost outside the dock gates by anyone with a bit of initiative. The taxi drivers all know what you are paying on the ship and they compete for your business.
Make use of local Taxi/Buses. Expect to pay US$30 for 2 when the same trip via the Ship excursion could set you back double that in GBP. As a rule of thumb expect to pay the same in US$ as the ship charge in GBP.
When ashore avoid getting change in local currency or ECD$ as you cant spend it in all ports.
On Wednesdays the ship does a special offer on Duty Free Cigs and Booze but there are equally good deals in the Ports especially Barbados the arrival and departure point.
Photographers were not as much in evidence as they have been on previous cruises that we have sailed on, and did not make a nuisance of themselves whilst you were eating.
A tip for those who have not cruised before; dont let them hold up you up on the gangways when boarding or going ashore just walk past. Lots of people think that they are official photos. Remember they are rather expensive.
Acrobats performing on deck, at considerable height, are all part of Ocean Villages determination to be different from other cruise lines. They also put on a similar show inside the Ship and juggling acts form part of the additional entertainment.
We ate in Plantations for breakfast and lunch (and snacks) and in Waterside for our evening meal. No complaints in either venue. The excellent Ice & Fruit carvings are well worthy of note and justify a photograph
The Waterfront serves pretty much the same food as Plantations in rather more elegant surroundings, but opening hours are more limited and it is usually closed for lunch on port days. It also differs in its evening opening time.
BBQs are often available on deck during the daytime and evenings.
A good idea is the provision of cutlery and napkins on every table in the buffet restaurants, Plantations and The Waterfront, obviating the need to scrabble about for knives and forks as well as food
Staff in all areas of the ship were First Class. Especially the lovely Elizabeth who works in the Plantations restaurant I did offer to take her home, but she said my wife might not like that idea.
Dress: Informal but some people do take that a bit too literally
Roaming Mobiles: Mobile phone calls back to the UK are very expensive and the recipient also gets billed. Cabin phone is to be avoided. Nowadays a Roaming SIM card is available that will work OK overseas and saves lots of money. Try Here:
www.flightsdirect.info - box 0044
Internet Caf: on Board. Useful if Email is essential, but a bit pricey. Find one at the Port Docks and use that.
Travel Insurance: Essential. Dont leave home without it but, as with all things, do some click shopping to get a best price deal. Try here: www.travelmore.co.uk - go to Columbus Insurance and Holiday Extras
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