Reviews of Ocean Village 2 Cruise Ship, Ocean Village 2, Ocean Village Cruises

Dont go on an Ocean Village 2 Cruise

Overall Rating:

2/10

Itinerary:

Not Specified

Date of Holiday:

Nov 2008

Tour Operator:

First Choice

Submitted By:

metcalh

Comments:

Would strongly recommend you do not go on an Ocean Village cruise. Arrived to a dirty cabin, which rattled for 2 weeks, the air con hardly worked and then broke for a day, the restaurants food was basic, the older kids club was useless and did not keep the kids entertained. They took us to Caracus where if we got off the ship we were likely to be mugged or hurt. The action ashore trips were expensive and pushed constantly along with all other money making things on offer. The family pool was used by young adults who thought they were on a 18-30 holiday. Glasses were used around by the pool and got knocked in and broken, hence the pool had to be closed. Broken glass was also found on the top outside deck where people were bear footed. They docked later than originally quoted and left earlier on occasions so youu get less time in port. Total waste of money.

Ocean Village Two - Amazing!

Overall Rating:

10/10

Itinerary:

All Inclusive

Date of Holiday:

Oct 2008

Tour Operator:

Thomas Cook

Submitted By:

ginger_ninja

Comments:

I'd been on a cruise on Ocean Village in October 2007,so me and my parents and a friend decided to try out Ocean Village Two.Just returned off the cruise 3 days ago and I have to say,I'd kill to be back on that boat! Was a little pricey but well worth it.Being a teen,I was able to wander off and do my own thing most of the time,so If i wasn't spending time in my cabin-which,by the way,was very comfortable with loads of storage and great facilities-I'd be off watching one of the great shows they had lined up.I particularly enjoyed all the shows by Freedom 2 Move,such as Fever-The Arialists;I think their names were Juan,Jose and Jiar-we're really talented and great fun to watch.There was always lots of sunshine and plenty of spaces to sit out on a deck chair and enjoy the ambience,and often went into Sunweaver bar to get a reasonably priced drink or ice cream,or headed off into Plantations Restaurant where there was an awesome amount of food and loads of places to sit.I was shocked by the staff working there,they work so hard! You could eat your dinner and go off to get a pudding,and by the time you'd come back your dirty plates had been taken away and your table wiped down,not to mention the fact that there was always someone there to order your drinks and have a friendly chat with-I made very good friends with a few of the staff and they made my visit even more worthwhile.The only complaint I do have about top deck is the ages which the pools are aimed at-there is a childrens pool which is supposed to be for people aged 16 and under,but can you honestly expect 16 year olds to swim in a pool with 7 and 8 year olds? I tried it once but hated the fact that it was so crowded with little kids splashing me and generally just getting in the way,so I went for a quiet swim in the adults pool on my own,only to have another passenger confront me and tell me I should be swimming in the childrens pool-I could understand If I'd been splashing around in the adults pool and making a lot of noise,but I wasn't and felt very annoyed at that.No other complaints though-loved the cabin.We got upgraded from deck 8 to deck 9,and our cabin was very near to the end of the hallway which meant it was only a short walk to get to the end of the boat and be able to enjoy the view-great! Our cabin itself had an amazing view,too.It was also very spacious and well-set out,with two lower beds and two upper beds which we also used.There were plenty of mirrors and storage,and also the bathroom was very nice-a lovely shower with loads of room,and a nice mirror with storage behind it,which was very practical.It was great to get back after a day ashore pretty much every day to find our cabin clean with fresh towels,tea,coffee,water and biscuits-our cleaner was amazingly efficient and payed great attention to detail,and was also very friendly,always saying hello and asking us how our day had been-so much so that at the end of the cruise I thanked him personally! There was also a great array of films on the television everyday,ranging from childrens animations such as Ratatouille,to family films such as Shrek,and great dramas like Atonement and Vantage Point.As for the on-board facilities,I used the gym four times and thoroughly enjoyed it-cross trainers,exercise bikes,treadmills,weight lifting machines,as well as upbeat music,were all available in the room.What was even more handy was the fact that there was a spa nearby,so that you could get a nice relaxing massage straight after a long workout-bliss! I didn't use The Attic but I did have a look around it,as well as Sega Village-great places for kids to get away from their parents! The excursions were a little pricey but why not pay a little extra for something once in a lifetime? We visited places such as Nou Camp in Barcelona-where I met football legend Lionel Messi-Caves of Drach in Spain,and Pompeii in Italy.We also took a tender ashore to Cannes in France,which was a great escape as we didn't have a tour guide to follow round,and were able to do our own thing-swimming in the sea and then sitting on the golden sands having a drink was highly enjoyable.The photographer was also very helpful,taking pictures of everyone when they were eating or when they were ashore,so you have lots of memories to take home.As I mentioned earlier,the crew were great-as is the captain! he was so friendly,always buzzing in from 'the bridge' with comments on where we were headed and so on.he even informed us when there were dolphins swimming on the port side of the boat,and naturally everyone ran over to have a look-im surprised the boat didnt capsize! overall,amazing cruise,im saving up and can't wait to go again!

Villas and Vino

Overall Rating:

10/10

Itinerary:

Not Specified

Date of Holiday:

Sep 2008

Tour Operator:

Booked Independently

Submitted By:

blueye

Comments:

This was our first cruise and we weren't disappointed! The ship is spacious and well equipped with restaurants and bars. The staff were very friendly and helpful. They were always there when you needed them. The sailaway from Majorca was quite magical as it was starting to get dark and all the ships in the port were lit up. The cabin was clean and comfortable, we had a balcony that we used quite a lot. It was nice just to sit out at night. We had thunder and lightening one night...that was really spectacular at sea! Although we didn't have brilliant sunshine all the time it was really warm, particularly when we were near Tunisia. We had most of our meals in the Waterfront but we did eat out one night in La Luna. It was lovely...food and atmosphere. We did have a problem getting a sunbed but I guess if we had gone early in the day we may have found one. The ports were all fine, we just got off the ship and wandered around the quayside at Tunisia and had a ride on a camel. We didn't like Naples, but Pompeii and Sorrento were fine. The best part for me was Tuscany, we went on the wine tasting to a vineyard in a place called Monte Carlo. It was lovely tasting the grapes straight from the vines, not to mention the wine and food, which made us all a little merry! St Raphael was beautiful, as was Corsica. The choppy sea on the last day resulted in us confined to our room laying down for 8 hours!! I was sick and was very glad that it was our last day rather than our first!

ocean village 2 - oct 08

Overall Rating:

8/10

Itinerary:

Full Board

Date of Holiday:

Oct 2008

Tour Operator:

Booked Independently

Submitted By:

dutchman53

Comments:

Second cruise, first with OV. Ship very clean and comfortable, well staffed. Food pretty good - better than Warners as a comparison. Bistro (James Martin restaurant) was really good and well worth the £15 per head charge. The bread on the ship was super - very light and tasty. Cabins quite spacious and well thought out - plenty of light for reading, good shower, good storage space. Balcony was super - wouldn't do without it in future. Didn't use the entertainment - opinions from others were not wonderful. Shore trips were very expensive, and usually too rushed for many people. Drinks are at UK pub prices - rather excessive for a duty-free boat - soft drinks even worse, with cans of coke etc. at £1.25 each. Spa treatments were pushed a lot, and were definitely wallet-emptying.

Stops were generally OK. Tunis needs to be taken with care - pressure selling is the norm. Civitaveccia to Rome was do-able by public transport, but to see Rome in a few hours seemed too much of a rush to us. Genoa was very nice to wander round - good cafe coffee at reasonable prices. Cannes was expensive (as expected) and Barcelona was visually good too.

All in all a good holiday and I'd recommend it to anyone. If you can't find good tasty food you like you won't find it anywhere. Staff were friendly andd helpful. The gym was OK but had no rowing machines and no supervision. plenty of quick lifts to move around. The ship itself was very smooth for us - it was hard to tell if we were moving most of the time.

Vilas & Vino

Overall Rating:

9/10

Itinerary:

Not Specified

Date of Holiday:

Jul 2008

Tour Operator:

Thomas Cook

Submitted By:

glynnwal53

Comments:

Having cruised prior to this trip was unsure what to expect of the freestyle format,
I can only say that it worked really well.

Food: Although there is limited 'service' restaurant availability the buffet restaurants are well presented in both layout and ambience and the quality and variance of the food can only be described as exceptional.
The James Martin restaurant is well worth the additional charge and provides a special atmosphere with 5 star food.

Entertainment: The variety and quality of entertainment on offer was first class the only difficulty being how to visit it all within one week!
The health spa and gym is of a high standard and one of the key features on the ship.

Trips: Perhaps a little pricey but in line with other operators and of a good standard.

Cabins: Good standard and well maintained.

Staff: Very attentive and respectful but at the same time friendly.

Ship: Spacious and well appointed, the village square and show lounge being prime assets

Overall: An excellent cruise providing a high level of quality across all arenas.

Bad news: La Goulette (Tunis) Why???? did not meet anyone who judged it other that a dump and to quote the on board comedian the only rationale for going must be to stock up on flies!!

Our first Ocean Village Holiday. There will be more

Overall Rating:

10/10

Itinerary:

Not Specified

Date of Holiday:

Sep 2008

Tour Operator:

Thomas Cook

Submitted By:

susanwallis

Comments:

Our very first cruise, cant wait to do it again. (Tapas and Togas)
We did a week stay at the Los Principe in Alcudia for our first week. A lovely place right on the beach. The hotel was catering for German as well as British guests. The whole place was clean and well kept. The food in the resturant was quite continental, if you are not fussy about what eat you will love it there. The gym was free for guests to use although the sauna and steam rooms were chargeable. Also beware the sun beds on the beach are 8.50 euros per day to use, you are not chaged if you stay within the grassed area of the hotel. Local shops cafes and bars are just a short walk around the corner and sell most things you will need. The entertainment in the eveings was a bit poor but if you are into early nights this hotel will suit you a treat. The Ocean Village Rep is Ray and he is lovely very informative and keen to help.
Ocean village 2 was a wonderful experience. 5 star. The cabins are very comfortable and kept beautifully clean. The staff on board are very friendly and always willing to help. The food provided is excellent, well cooked and plentifull, the resturants are tastefully decorated and well staffed. The bars are comfortable and the prices are about the same as you would find in your local pub. The entertainment on board was really quite good, the comedians are a must, the shows in the marquee are also worth a visit. We did find the entertainment a bit repetative towards the end of the week though. The Planet show was a wow, definitely a must see but put a cardigan or jumper on it gets cold up on deck at night.
We did a few of the action ashore trips, Rome, Monte Carlo and Barcelona but found these to be a little on the expenive side for what you actually got. Not a lot of information around if you wanted to go ashore on your own.
We met so many lovely people on board ship and at the hotel it really made our holiday special.
We will be booking another cruise for our next holiday, watch this space........

First cruise experience -...

Overall Rating:

9/10

Itinerary:

Ocean Village 2 Cruise Ship

Date of Holiday:

Oct 2008

Tour Operator:

First Choice

Submitted By:

Mrs A Youens

Comments:

First cruise experience - pleasantly surprised.

Food - superb quality, variety and abundant and comfortable dining spaces

Entertainment - high standard of singers, comedians, variety acts, presenters excellent

A very young, incredibly energetic and talented entert/events team

Cabin - spacious, balcony, teamaking facilities, great storage space, good bathroom

Staff - Never met such a hardworking, cheerful presentable polite bunch

Captain - what a character!! bing-bong!! - "captain calling" every few hours with new announcement about the weather or docking, etc!!

Shops - numerous, various, luxurious, interesting, a magnet for art lovers

Pools, etc - attractive and clean

Seating - abundant sunbeds/chairs - usual scrabble for beds near pool and in sun. Useful to have a balcony in reserve if poss.



Cleanliness - the whole ship was absolutely spotless



Excursions:

Cruise: Tapas and Togas

Visited: Palma, Tunisia, Rome, Genoa, Villefranche, Monaco, Monte Carlo, Barcelona

Did: Walk Round Rome with Lunch (excellent) and Monaco/Monte (excellent)

The rest we found our own way around. Enjoyed having a taste of life in all of these places. The Rome and Monte Carlo trips were good value. Both guides excellent.



Weather:

Perfect sightseeing weather - dry and sunny with a slight breeze

Able to get hot sun on deck most days



Drinks - slightly more expensive but when you are being waited on and you are on holiday, who cares!! the cocktails were out of this world!!



Interior of Ship - Large Lifts, plenty of stairs (not steep), luxurious centrepiece of a village square housing bars, shops, cafes, entertainment. A marquee (proper theatre set up), variety of bars, lounges, top deck entertainment area. Warm, inviting decor all over the ship.



I noticed the ship caters for all walks of life. It is wheelchair friendly, and caters for special needs, families, couples of all ages, and there were people there on their own. Also there were children and teenagers and all were incredibly well-behaved.



The only angst I had was that the ship was not docked with better and quicke access t o dry land in most places



Personally this ship suited me down to the ground as you could either dress up or dress down and just do your own thing as you pleased. Very relaxing, very healthy holiday.

Would definitely sail with OV2 again.

Being first time cruisers we...

Overall Rating:

9/10

Itinerary:

Tapas & Togas- Villas & Vino's

Date of Holiday:

Sep 2008

Tour Operator:

Thomas Cook

Submitted By:

Mrs Vall Allen

Comments:

Being first time cruisers we have been following the reviews put on this site regarding the O/V 2 cruises. As this was our honeymoon we wanted it to be special.

It was!

From the flight out to Palma to the return journey home it was well organised and planned by Thomas cook and O/V 2.

The crew on board the ship were great always on hand to help, and Rosita our cabin maid was extrememly friendly and helpful and always left our cabin clean and tidy, with clean towels everyday if wanted.

The food in the Plantations and Waterfront was to die for, brilliant variety, themed evening meals, and the desserts, fantastic be prepared to pile on the pounds. All the eating areas are cleaned after every passenger leaves a table, although we did notice a couple of times this did lapse, due to being busy.

Very well prepared and served, help yourself to whatever you want.



Entertainment always available if you want it, it was nice to have our meal around 7-7.30 ish then on to either Connextions or the Marque for the shows and tribute acts. Katy Riley is a brilliant singer and well worth a listen.

It is all up to you, you only do what you want do.

A must is to watch the Planet show on the top deck its spectacular watching the acts perform on high wires and the captain co-operates with this by slowing down the ship and changing directions while the show is on if necessary because of the winds.

One word about this show, it is free standing for passengers but those who have mobility problems there are limited amount of chairs available, but be ware get their early because selfish able bodied people take them, then refuse to move when asked by the crew to give the seat up for someone much less able. Then watch them walk away perfectly well after the show even using the stairs!!!!

Then the next day you get in the lift with them and hear the remark, we have just walked around Corsica . Well excuse me but if you can do that then you can stand and watch a show!!!



You will recieve a ships newsletter with helpful information every night, and it tell you about the next port stop. It also has a map of the area.

Although we felt this was good we did however feel that local information for passengers who wanted to visit ashore by themselves and not do a ships action a shore excursion was very vague. We did some homework using the internet before cruising which was most helpful, and we did all our own ports of call visits for much much less of the cost. For example we did Rome for 9 euros each by buying a daily travel card which allowed us to go anywhere in Rome for the day using bus, train and Metro.



Steer clear of Tunisa, unless you really have to go into the city, its total rubbish and really not worth the money to get there by taxi as there is a trains to get there, but are very unreliable. If you must then share a taxi with a group of at least 5. Use the white taxis not the yellow ones

The taxi drivers are waiting for you at the port, then when you get to the Souks-street markets the traders pester you and you are not left to just look around.

All other ports of call were great, unfortunately most of them dont wake up until 10.30 ish so not worth getting into there much before then. Cannes visit is on a sunday so all was closed except resturants.

St Raphael on a sunday also, but once landed by tender at the port their is a lovely quay side market and all the shops and resturants come alive around 10ish. Beautiful place and well worth a visit to the Riveria beach...



Most ports lay on a shuttle bus but O/V do not tell you this, especially Palma one euro ten to go to the city from the dock.



Now the art auctions, yes they are there usually in a different bar or place around the ship every day, but contrary to previous reviews we have read you do not have to look at them, they are there if you wish to.

Just watch the spending in the shops on board, I forgot my nail varnish remover, so whilst in Barcelona we called into a little shop and bought a 125ml bottle for 85 cents, when we got back on board we looked in the O/V shop and it was priced at 120ml bottle for £5.50.... come on O/V thats outrageous!

Beware of ships photographer if you dont want your photo taken every day or if the person your with is not the other half!!

They even pesture you at meal times, although you are not obliged to buy it does get a bit annoying. If we wanted a picture done we would have gone to their studio.



Overall a very enjoyable cruise, it is definately a informal cruise so if you enjoy dressing up for dinner then forget it, although there is nothing stopping you from doing this you would look the odd one out.

Really would recommend it to everyone of any age, when we went there was only 6 or so kids on board and they were no trouble....

No problems getting a sunbed, most people like to lay out around the pool area or on deck 14 for topless, but we found the back end of the ship the best. Yes some do get up at 6am and claim a bed with a towel, but if its there with no one for 30 mins you throw it of and use the bed......

We will be going again and the cruise did make our honeymoon very special.... we did all our own thing and enjoyed every part of it....BRILLIANT TIME.......



Thank you very much to all at Ocean Village 2 and Thomas Cook......

Returning yesterday from a week...

Overall Rating:

9/10

Itinerary:

Ocean Village 2 Cruise Ship

Date of Holiday:

Sep 2008

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

Mr M Williams

Comments:

Returning yesterday from a week long ‘Villas and Vino’ cruise on Ocean Village 2 I can honestly say I was impressed and would recommend the cruise to friends.



As their marketing material suggests this Ocean Village cruise is aimed at your Mediterranean holiday maker who wants to stay in a good hotel, be entertained in the evenings, served by friendly English speaking staff and likes day trips. You need to decide before you book if you are going for just the cruise experience or both the cruise and the destinations – if you are looking for the pomp a ceremony of black-tie dinners, west end shows, and foreign food this isn’t going to be for you.



Before you embark are issued with a security card come-credit card which you charge everything you buy while aboard. Be careful, although you are given an interim statement it is very easy to run up a sizable bill since no alcohol apart from that purchased on-board can be consumed, this is charged at general UK pub prices. There are ubiquitous opportunities to spend more money on the art auctions, photographs, ‘Action Ashore’ activities, shops, casino, and nightly watch/perfume/handbag sales in the Village Square.



The key advantage for my family was the child facilities which you just don’t get in a hotel. Older children have their own area with Play Station 3 consoles, films, games machines, activities, table tennis; the younger children 6 months to 5 years have a separate room called ‘Base Camp’. The safety, staff and facilities were excellent including the programme of activities which runs from 9am through to 11pm (this was free on our off peak cruise). There is a £3 charge per hour from midnight to 3 am (all prices onboard are charged in pounds sterling).



The cabin was clean and spacious with an LCD television including films and Sky News, good modern power shower and safe, the room attendant introduced himself when we arrived to check everything was in order. We had a balcony which the staff prior to our arrival had used a net to add additional security for our toddler. Note that there is a safety drill on the first day where you need to grab your lifejackets and congregate at your muster point. Your cases are delivered to your cabin and again taken from your cabin back to the coach the night before you disembark, meaning your last nights clothes need to go into your hand luggage. Be aware that the case tags you are given before disembarking can come off leaving you hunting for your case.



There’s a selection of restaurants which can become busy at peak periods, although the tables are cleared in seconds after someone leaves so we never had to wait. All of the restaurants predominantly server English food which is plentiful and really good quality, there’s a 24 hour restaurant which is reserved for an hour each evening serving kids food. Typical restaurant food included full English breakfast, fruit, salads, soup, always fresh bread, carvery and some wonderful puddings! If you’re looking for local cuisine, you won’t find it. If you want a first class meal then go the ‘The Bistro’ which you will need to book in advance.



The cleaning/restaurant staff are all very polite, genuinely friendly and work incredibly hard. Before you enter any restaurant you are given a squirt of alcohol based hand cleaner to help stop the horror of those stomach bugs – while we were there we did see the Plantation restaurant undergo a regular ‘deep clean’ where the bottoms of the tables were being scrubbed, they could have done this at night which made me think it was a bit of skilfully crafted PR.



The entertainment is good (more to entertain than wow) and there is a good selection of bars, each with different ambiances. By far the majority of passengers are in the 50-60+ age range which isn’t necessarily a bad thing – you don’t get them throwing each other in the pool, or coming back to their cabin drunk in the early hours shouting!



Each port is essentially a day trip with a choice of either pre-arranged excursions (Action Ashore) or DIY excursions to see specific places of interest. In the morning you wake to find a folded A3 sheet which details the port you will be visiting, a local map, trip times/meeting places, weather, evening shows etc.



Action Ashore has a good selection of things-to-do at each port which average around £30 for a day. You can of course go off and do your own thing. There are excursions in Palma, but after an early start leaving the UK (7am flight from Gatwick) we were too tired. The first day you spend at sea so are itching to get ashore and explore in Tunis (La Goulette) but as other reviewers have mentioned it’s a disappointment as the port isn’t walking distance to the town and there are the annoying locals trying to sell you tat – probably worth trying an excursion rather than doing your own thing in Tunis.



Naples was much better with the port walking distance to places of interest, just watch out as the roads are very busy. We did an Action Ashore visit to Pompaii which was excellent.



Livorno (Florence and Pisa), was an excursion to see Pisa and its famous tower, again excellent. The port seams to be quite industrial (containers, petroleum) so you will either need to do an excursion or get a taxi if you do your own thing.



St. Raphael you travel to the port by Tender (small boat) which takes about 5 minutes and is certainly worth it. The port is picturesque with a small market on the quay side. I went scuba diving just off shore – for beginners you receive one-to-one guidance from the instructor while on the dive, if you are PADI certified you can go and do your own thing along with a sizable number of locals who are also on the dive boat. Well worth the £50 in my opinion.



Corsica (Ajaccio) is beautiful and I’d recommend to Ocean to spend more time here and drop Tunis. The port is walking distance into the town with two lovely breaches are about 10 minutes walk away.



The ship itself was refitted in 2007 so all the fixtures and fitting are modern, also when the boat is in port you can see people touching up the exterior paint work, washing windows, cleaning carpets and generally keeping things spruced up. As for seasickness it was difficult to even detect any ship roll or movement which I was very relieved about!



To summarise; if you want the comfort of a clean well run 4* English hotel abroad with all the benefits it brings combined with visiting some beautiful Mediterranean countries this cruise will be for you.

Having never cruised before, and...

Overall Rating:

10/10

Itinerary:

villas and vino

Date of Holiday:

Sep 2008

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

Mrs K Preece

Comments:

Having never cruised before, and having read some of the reviews, I was a little apprehensive.

I can't describe how much I enjoyed it! All the negative reviews I had read before we went seemed to relate to a different ship and a different holiday. My husband and I are in our late 40's and we had expected boat full of golden oldies (well, older than us anyway). Fellow passengers were a complete cross section - ranging from couples in their 20's up to late 60's and definitely no tattoos or belchers! Butlins on sea?? Not at all!

The atmosphere onboard was fantastic - passengers friendly but not intrusive and staff were spectacular.

We had the most basic, cheapest cabin and it was better than expected, spacious and very, very comfortable. It was cleaned by Rose "with a smile", and she couldn't do enough for us.

How could anybody complain that waiters were constantly on hand to offer another drink? I think some people will moan about anything.

If you're in any doubt - don't be! You'll love it.

we were 1st time cruisers and...

Overall Rating:

9/10

Itinerary:

tapas and togas

Date of Holiday:

Sep 2008

Tour Operator:

Thomas Cook

Submitted By:

Mrs J Minshull

Comments:

we were 1st time cruisers and were not disapointed, the staff were so attentive and worked so hard. the food was excellent and so much choice, if you can then book a meal in the bistro, you wont be disapointed, the food and wine was worth the extra money. the entertainment was good, especially the tribute acts, we would seriously consider cruising again.

Ocean Village 2 is well set out....

Overall Rating:

4/10

Itinerary:

Ocean Village 2 Cruise Ship

Date of Holiday:

Aug 2008

Tour Operator:

Thomas Cook

Submitted By:

Mrs A Davies

Comments:

Ocean Village 2 is well set out. The cabins are fantastic – large and well kept by your steward who will clean them every day. The food is wonderful, tasty and plenty of variations (be very careful unless you wish to put on a large number of pounds!).

Our 3 kids, 14, 12 and 9 had a fantastic time – they were all eligible for the activities in The Attic, and were entertained for most of the day ... discos, games, swimming parties, the provision for them was well thought out, well run and much appreciated.

The trips ashore were good, though expensive; for example, £82 per adult was the cost of the Rome excursion, however, this included a 160km round coach trip, two guides, entry to the Colosseum and the Vatican. It also covered a very nice three course lunch which included carafes of wine. So, expensive, but not over the top.

The entertainment on board was fine, though not West End productions – one of the guest stars was someone called Aleysha who was a runner up in X Factor. The highlight of the shows was, without doubt, the gymnasts/trapeze artistes who were fantastic. Other entertainment, especially some of the offerings provided in the bars were poor.

The main problem was the amount of time that we spent at sea – be aware that you will never be able to go ashore for the evening to explore the local wines and food. This is because the itinery has been specially designed to ensure that to reach the next destination the ship must sail by the late afternoon. This ensures that you are onboard throughout the evening, when you will be wanting a drink. This is where the company really start to rake in the money. £2.80 for a pint of Stella, £1.25 for a coke, and a whopping £3.25 for a glass of house red wine with your dinner. An actual bottle of wine will cost you about £12 to £20 pounds depending on what you want The official line is that the drinks are reasonably priced at UK prices – except they buy the wines locally for a fraction of the price. Our bill for things spent on board at the end of the trip was an extra £2000 on top of the cost of the trip. This did include about £850 worth of trips (we did 5), but it shows just how easy it is to amass a really hefty bill.

Everything on board cost something ... You want to tour the bridge? £4.95 each. Go to the Bistro, (the restaurant associated with James Martin a minor TV chef) an extra £20 each. Then there are the photographers who take pictures on every possible occasion ... these start at £5.95 each and there are always loads of them some of which, if you have kids, you feel duty bound to buy.

If you are looking for the type of holiday which allows you lots of time to spend on a sunbed with the latest book, with a few excursions to various places, then this is the trip for you. If you like something a little more meaty, then don’t touch it! My husband and I were, to be frank, bored. The entertainment palled after the first few days – even the highly professional gymnasts (after the fourth time) failed to interest us. Thank God for Scrabble!

To be honest, the dedication of the company to milking every last penny out of their guests did more than irritate us – it actually spoilt the holiday and convinced us that despite the good things that this trip had to offer, it was not something that we would EVER consider repeating.

One last comment, something that I actually found quite upsetting. When you go ashore, whether by gangplank or by tender (the motor boats) you will often find that there are members of the crew also going ashore. However, be aware that these lucky ones will ALWAYS be the European members. The others, (mainly I think from the Phillipines) work ten hours per day seven days per week for nine month stretches. These are your chefs, your cabin stewards and all those polite and smiling waiters who bring you your drinks. They do not get days off. They get 2 hours! So much for equality!

Just got back from Tapas and...

Overall Rating:

8/10

Itinerary:

Ocean Village 2 Cruise Ship

Date of Holiday:

Sep 2008

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

Mr S Carroll

Comments:

Just got back from Tapas and Togas 7 night cruise.



1. Ship was immacualte room cleaning spotless.



2. Staff (mainly reastaurant) faultless. V v helpfull and polite.



The only critiscism is with the entertainment staff, not the entertainment per say. As an ex-rep, I was aware of the staff and how they acted with the passengers. Absolutley disgusting. I saw at least two of the English entertainment staff (the males were the ****iest) 'repping' a couple with false smiles, the minute the couples back turned they were openly ****ing about them. I also saw this happen with a lad who had downs syndrome.



Every night the 'entertainment' staff sit in the late bar in a little group ignoring the passengers, however they fail to grasp the basic concept that they are still in view and therefore are still working. Watching them chain smoke and **** about guests is not a good sign. As an ex 18-30 rep I'm used to negative publisity, however I was trained correctly and would never have acted the way the onboard management culture clearly allows.



On the last night I had a word with the entertainment manager about it and her reply was as follows - yeah but some of the passangers are tw*ts to us- QUOTE. After I picked up my jaw from the floor I resigned myself to sadness because it's an excellent Cruise, just full of v v bad entertainers with attitude.

Have just returned from first...

Overall Rating:

9/10

Itinerary:

Villas and Vinos

Date of Holiday:

Aug 2008

Tour Operator:

Gills cruises

Submitted By:

Ms L Hazrati

Comments:

Have just returned from first ever cruise and can't rate it highly enough. Read many reviews and consequently was very apprehensive but can honestly say our one week villas and vinos cruise on ov2 was the best holiday we have had.



Flight and embarkation of ship was very smooth and well organised. We were very impressed with the cabins which were spacious and kept spotlessly clean throughout our stay.Our cabin steward Romeo was excellent. Every member of staff was friendly, polite and nothing was too much trouble. The excellent service we recieved from start to finish really made our holiday.



The Food was wonderful so much choice and the extra charge for the Bistro is well worth it. The ship did not feel overcrowded even though we sailed full apart from the day at sea when it is impossible to get a sunbed unless you get up at dawn. People tended to reserve sunbeds for the day with towels but were not using them - which is my only complaint. The entertainment was generally good and varied. We enjoyed the daily pub quiz, Robbie Williams tribute, 70's quiz and the spectacular planet show.



We got off the ship at all ports but did our own thing as excursions are pricey. Tunisia was a little intimidating - constantly hassled for taxis, shops etc.. I would avoid getting off ship if had children. Top tip is to get taxi outside port gate as considerably cheaper and agree a price before you set off. It cost us 5 euros per person each way and the driver came back for us after 2 hours. We were pestered a lot by people to go and see the mosque and take pictures of the beautiful view etc. They all claimed to have seen us at the port so in the end we played along and pretended to recognise them.



In Naples we took train to Pompeii which was really cheap. You need the 'Circumvesuviana' line which takes you right outside the ruins. In Pompeii kids go free and students go half price. We didn't have ID on us but we still got the discount! Buy some water from the kiosks outside because there isn't an opportunity to buy anything inside, there is merely several taps around the site from which you can fill up your bottles.



In Livorno we got a shuttle bus into the town centre which is recommended if you have not booked an action ashore because the port is not within walking distance of the town. It as 1 euro pp which was a return. We booked a coach trip to Pisa which we booked at the tourist info in town centre, again very cheap (10 euros pp) with a set time to return.



The ports in the south of France and Corsica are well within walking distance of the town so transportation is not needed. The one Action Ashore trip we booked was in Corsica and it was thr 'aerial adventure' which features a course through the trees including zip-wiring and high wires and i thoroughly recommended for teens or anyone who fancies a little high flying. Pricey but worth every penny!!



All in all a fantastic holiday and we would definately cruise with ocean village again.

Excellent cruise, excellent well...

Overall Rating:

10/10

Itinerary:

Tapas & Togas

Date of Holiday:

Aug 2008

Tour Operator:

Virgin

Submitted By:

Mr R Craig

Comments:

Excellent cruise, excellent well mannered crew. Food choice was excellent. Hygiene on board was a priority and well managed. cabins were spotlessly clean. Entertainment was excellent and varied. Prices on board were fair. At time of cruise the ship had a full compliment of passengers which made the ship feel crowded, especially on the sun decks but there was plenty of other things to do.

All things considered the cruise was excellent and worth going on. Will certainly be cruising on this ship again.