This cruise started in Heraklion and ended in Southampton. It was the final 10 day cruise of the summer season before a mini refit/refurbish over the next 2 weeks in preparation for her winter cruises in the Carribbean.
I have been on OV twice before and I am sorry to say this time we have been disappointed. Whilst the ship is still very clean, it is clear that general wear and tear have taken their toll and she looks decidedly 'worn out' The restaurant staff were still attentive and the food is OK, but there is much better around (Celebrity, NCL Princess & P&O) for the same money. We have never been impressed with the entertainment provided by OV, but it can only be described as appalling. Some days on the pool deck it was like a ghost ship and quite frankly the 'Events Team' as they are now called were no-where to be seen. We spoke to no-one who would book again. Personally, if things don't change, I think they will struggle next year. There's a lot of competition out there and with more new ships coming along, I am sorry to say, OV is right at the bottom of the list.

THIS IS THE SECOND TIME WE HAVE CRUISED ON THE OCEAN VILLAGE, WE HAD SUCH A GOOD TIME ON PREVIOUSE CRUISE THAT WE BOOKED AGAIN THIS YEAR--- WHAT A DIFFERANCE A YEAR MAKES,
-PREVIOUSLY THE CATERING STAFF HAD BEEN VERY ATTENTIVE NOTHING WAS TO MUCH TROUBLE EACH TRAY AT THE BUFFET WAS REPLENISHED CONSTANTLY - THIS TIME NOT A MEAL TIME WENT BY WITHOUT HAVING TO POINT OUT THAT THEY HAD RUN OUT OF ONE OR ANOTHER DISH AND THEN STAND AROUND WAITING WHILST IT WAS REPLACED. (NORMALLY WITHOUT A SMILE)
HAVING TO GET UP DURING OUR MEAL AND WALK TO THE SERVICE AREA TO ASK FOR THE WAITER TO SERVE DRINKS IF WE SAT AT THE FAR END.
FOR SOME STRANGE REASON THE SHIP HAD DESIGNATED THE CENTRE BAR AS A SMOKING AREA WHICH INCLUDED THE PASSAGEWAYS, SO EVERYONE HAD TO WALK THROUGH A FOG OF SMOKE TO GET FROM ONE END OF SHIP TO THE OTHER IF ON THAT DECK.
THIS IS MY 5TH CRUISE AND PART OF THE ENJOYMENT OF A CRUISE IS THAT FEELING OF BEING TREATED SPECIAL, THE PRESENT COMPLIMENT OF STAFF DID NOT MAKE MUCH EFFORT
TO DO THIS.
I HAVE NEVER HAD SO MANY EARY NIGHTS WHILST ON HOLIDAY,
BASICALLY WHEN ASKED THE STAFF CONSTANTLY COMPLAINED OF HOW TIRED THEY WERE AND COULD'NT WAIT TO GO OFF DUTY.
WE HAD TO MAKE A VERBALL COMPLAINT TO THE MANAGEMENT ONE NIGHT WHEN THERE WERE 6 OF US STILL DRINKING AT THE BAR AT 1AM AFTER A SHOW , WE MANAGED TO GET THE BAR TO STAY OPEN FOR A FURTHER 20 MINS.(THE MANAGER SAID HIS STAFF WERE TIRED HAVING WORKED FROM 7AM THAT MORNING AND IT WAS NOT WORTH KEEPING THE BAR OPEN JUST FOR 6 OF US ) THIS WAS THE LATEST IT STAYED OPEN THAT WEEK.
THE CHILDRENS CLUBS WERE EXCELLENT AND DESERVE A GOOD COMMENT.
THE COMEDIANS AND SHOWS WERE ALSO VERY GOOD AND DESERVE A GOOD COMMENT.
THE RESIDENT SINGERS/ ENTERTAINERS WERE DISMAL THE SORT OF ACT THAT YOU WOULD EXPECT AT BUTLINS/HAVEN ETC ON A BAD NIGHT.
CONSIDERING THE AGE OF THE SHIP THE DECOR AND GENERAL CLEANLINESS WERE GOOD.
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WE WERE ALL VERY DISSAPOINTED THAT THE SHIP FAILED TO STOP AT MYKANOS AS ADVERTISED,THE CAPTAIN SAID THAT IT WAS TOO WINDY, SO WE HAD ANOTHER DAY AT SEA.
HE SAID A RE-SCHEDULLED ENTERTAINMENT PROGRAM WAS GOING TO BE PREPARED AND OUR EXCURSION PAYMENTS WOULD BE RE-FUNDED.
(TALK ABOUT A BAD BEDSIDE MANNER, HE MIGHT BE AN EXCELLANT SEAMAN BUT WHAT A PUBLIC RELATIONS DISASTER)

- HE ARRANGED FOR A FILM TO BE SHOWN IN THE CINEMA ON A HOT SUNNY DAY AND YET ANOTHER ART AUCTION TO TRY TO ENCOURAGE US TO SPEND EVEN MORE MONEY ON HIS SHIP,
ABSOLUTELY NOTHING FOR THE CHILDREN,NOT EVEN A COMPLIMENTARY ICE CREAM.

THIS MIGHT SEEM PETTY UNTIL WE LEARNT THAT OTHER SHIPS MANAGED TO MOOR AT MYKANOS THAT DAY --BUT OUR CAPTAIN PREFFERED TO TRAVEL AT THE SLOWEST SPEED TO CONSERVE FUEL/MONEY FOR THE COMPANY TO OUR END OF VOYAGE. VERY CONVENIENT FOR HIM.(THIS REMARK WAS ALSO MADE BY SOME OF THE STAFF WHO NOW COULD NOT GO OFF DUTY BECAUSE WE DIDNT DOCK AND GO OFF ON EXCURSIONS FOR THE DAY.)
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TO SUM UP I WOULD SAY WHAT A SHAME, THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN BEING AVERAGE AND GOING THE EXTRA MILE MEANS THAT OUR TOTAL (JUST LESS THAT £9000 SPEND) WILL NOT BE GOING TO OCEAN VILLAGE NEXT YEAR - WHEN IT SO EASILY COULD HAVE DONE.

This was our fifth cruise, each one with a different cruise line. Having had good experiences of formal cruising I went with an open mind about this cruise.
Firstly the flights. I am very tall so need some extra legroom and going out had a good seat but this I believed was because the travel agent we used put in a request although these cannot be guaranteed. However the return journey was terrible. No requests can be entertained and the seats are allocated so that the boarding cards can be issued on the last day aboard the ship. The airline was Thomas Cook and after the take off which was very uncomfortable due to no leg room at all I then stood up for the whople Journey. I have let Thomas Cook know about this but do not expect any thing to be done for tall people in future.
The ship I must say was very clean and tidy. The cabins are the largest that we had had on any cruise we have done so far (Carnival,Airtours,RCI and Star Cruises). Although the cabin steward only cleans the room once each day we did not find this a problem. The buffet restaurants were clean and well looked after by the staff who were always on hand to clear tables and provide anything which was needed. My usual experience of buffet food is that it is very often lukewarm or cold but on this ship every thing I had was very hot. This was a welcome surprise. The food may not be the best or the widest choice but I found a number of items I could eat every meal and I am a fussy eater. The crew in general were very effiecient without doing anything special but I found that quite acceptable. We did not try the Bistro as I do not like food cooked using various sauces but did try the La Luna. The meal in this restaurant was very good. Reasonable price and it was very nice to be waited on at the table. The downside would be that if you did this every night it would add on a considerable amount to the onboard bill.
In previous reviews comments have been made about the cost of drinks onboard. Some people have said that these are expensive. If so I would like to know where they usually drink because it must be the cheapest place in England. A pint of Stella £2.60, Coca Cola 330ml – 95p and a std glas of house wine £2.65. All these prices are certainly less than any pub near to my area.
The informal aspect of this cruise was not fully evident as we booked a cruise for the first week the schools returned and so there were very few children on board. This of course resulted in an older age group of passengers. It was good to see on our first week that almost all passengers that I noticed went to a bit of effort for the evenings and dressed quite smart. Whilst not formal there were no T shirts and shorts in the evenings but on the second week some of the new arrivals did start by wearing Tshirts, Shorts and flip flops in the evening but it was noticeable that with each evening these people became less and less.
The entertainment on board was not the best we have seen. The ships dancers and trapeze artists were in our opinion very good and the Planet show on decjk is not to be missed. One of the best shows we have seen. The singers and tribute acts were not very good but then again I do not think a lot of tribute acts. One of the comedians on board in the first week was the same one that we had seen on an Airtours cruise 6 years ago and her act was the same. I cannot understand why people laugh when a person swears as this is not funny in the slightest . I’m sure they would still laugh if the jokes were good and told cleanly.


Tips for going ashore

As usual on cruise shipd they always want to sell the organised trips at high prices. As seasoned travellers we are more inclined to want to be independent. Unfortunately the staff on the Action shore desk are not very helpful to people who don’t want their trips. They do not tell you the full information on how to get transport at destinations prefering to entice the passengers into using the shuttle buses they put on at a rather expensive extra charge. In Dubrovnik there are plenty of taxis cheaper than the shuttle if 4 share and there are also public buses from very close to the port.In Katakolon a lot has been said on review sites about the train that now runs to Olympia. This is correct and would be a very cheap option to get to Olympia but beware that the train does not return to Katakalon until 10 minutes after the ship is due to depart. In Piraeus there is what is called the Metro which will take you to the Acropolis for only a few Euros return but it is about a 20/30 minute walk from the Berth in the port. Knossos Palace in Crete can be reached very easily by public bus from the bus station just along from the port entrance. (about 100 yards) and again only costs a few euros.At Cyprus I decided it would be a good idea to rent a car and go to Paphos but at the desk the Destinations Manager, Glen was most unhelpful. He spoke to me as though I was an idiot and tried to tell me that car hire in Cyprus is very expensive and it would be better to arrange it through him. His price was £70 for the day yet I know from past experience that Cyprus is one of the cheapest car hire places in the world even though you have to pay for 2 days. I hired my own car in Limassol for CY£30.,a lot less than he could arrange. Also in Cyprus they put on the shuttle for £10 return as they say that it is a 1 hour walk to Limassol. It may be a long walk but they do not tell you that buses leave the outside of the terminal every 20 minutes or so for a flat rate of CY£0.80 wherever you go.. A word of warning in Ephisus for those who do their own thing. You will need to change some money to Turkish Lira as this is the only currency they accept at the ruins apart from credit cards. If you do not have any Lira then there are people who will change you money at not very competitive rates. Finally Santorini is a beautiful place but do not hang about when getting off the ship. Ocean Village cannot use their own tenders at this island and so the flow of tenders can be a bit hit and miss. Also there will be at least 4 other ships in and the cable car does not carry many passengers each trip . We left the ship at 09:50 and arrived on the quayside at 10am. We then queued for 1 hour in high temperatures for the cable car. It was also a long queue to come down later. If you do not want the cable car then you could walk up abiut 650 steps but you then have the hazard of the donkeys using the same path. Then again the donkeys could take you up but I think that this method is cruel as the walk is long on slippery..

All in all we enjoyed the holiday and would go back on Ocean Village . There were many good things about the ship and it does go to extremely interesting destinations. I hope my comments may be of some interest and help to others although I appreciate each person has different ideas of what is good and bad.

We have just returned from two weeks on board OV 1.
Firstly the Flight from Manchester, the plane was very camped, I had asked for an aisle seat just in case as I have quite a big frame!. Luckily the seat near the window was not taken so we could stretch out. On the return leg, the boarding passes are handed out on the ship on the morning of departure. Our time to pick them up was 7:30am which made it quite a long day when the flight back was at 5:00pm. I asked if I could swap to an aisle seat when I was given the passes, they said change them at the airport which upon arrival, could not do.
The room, vey spacious compared to other ships but felt very used and second hand as did the rest of the ship. fridge and hanging area was a bonus and steward always kept it clean. Be aware there is tea and coffee making facilities but the bottled water is chargable at £1.35 a bottle!.
The gym had 30% of the gear out of order and the water was chargeable!.
The movie drome for the first 9-10 days had a green tinted screen but was fixed.
The food was quite good, we tried the flagship "Bistro" at £12.50 head, this was ok, the steaks were huge but overall we liked "La Luna", this was more seafoody so suited us. There was still additionals to pay here too.
The staff, the waiters and waitresses were sound, really chearfull, very chatty and personal, all credit to them. The white suited officers!, I could not name one, if you saw one or was near one it would take a huge effort to get an acknowledgement, quite rude really. The dj's , god, dont even go there.
unfortunately within the first few days we were around when some crew were argueing, having a dressing down from supervisors and actually cuddling, kissing patting one another on the arse, uprofessional at the least.
The entertainment, I have never had so many early nights,apart from Jaki Grayham, Tina turner(Niki Brown)and Rudi Lickwood(comedian) it was absolute rubbish, it seemed to be based upon 3-4 singers ( term used loosely) doint the same songs at different locations between the bingo or the art auctions. The dancers seemed to be a bit too young and runchy for the people on board and seemed rather High schooly!.
The sibngers also dressed a bit too casual for me, looked a bit chavish.
Butlins on sea sums it up. However the early nights did us good because we spent a lot of time on shore seeing the sights. e only had one trip, that was to the Ephesus in Turkey, very interesting. However, the guide allowed a guy selling Turkish delight to tout the bus, a lot of people got suckered and spent 10 euro on 5 boxes and a sachet of saffron, he even helped serve it and get change from the tout. Upon return to Kusadssi, the shops were selling the same boxes for 5 euros for 5 boxes!, be aware they are in it for them selves.
the rest of the ports of call we did ourselves. OV shuttle bus is dear and the rips seemd very expensive. We went to Athens on the metro, 3euro (day ticket) from the station in the North East corner of the port, all very easy and explorable including the Acropolis.
All in all I feel dissapointed, it was not what I thought it would be like, it all seemed rather amatuerish and unprofesional. It is is sell sell sell and pushing extra costs onto you, I have been on the island escape, far cheaper than this and enjoyed it two fold. I would not reccommend it nor use it again.

Having been on two previous cruises on Island Escape a few years back we will highlight the differences we found with Ocean Village.

The boat is much more spacious than Island Escape with much larger cabins, two pools (one adult only - which was good) and slightly better decor. Although OV goes in for a re-fit later this year it is not in long and will be limited to mainly freshening up the decor. We were concerned that it may be a bit shabby but did not find this the case at all. The fridge in the cabin was very welcome and the bottled water is replaced on a daily basis if you use it. The tea coffee making facilities were more than adequate and consist of kettle, tea bags, coffee, sugar, creamer and a few biscuits all used items are topped up daily. Rooms are only serviced once a day and you get no towel sculptures. We did miss the Sailaway Bar of Island Escape and found it strange that there was nowhere to have an evening drink up on deck whilst watching the scenary go by. All legs of the journey were very smooth and the ship did not seem to rattle too much. There was a bad vibration down the centre of the ship but it did not cause us any problems. I did not find the ship t be noisy. The front of the deck is often closed due to winds, Island Escape has a better viewpoint from the top of the ship looking forward.

We found it annoying that the Casino and Oval Pub still allow smoking, the former was very small indeed. There are also designated smoking areas on deck so at least you can get away if you don't like smoke. I had expected from the wording in the Ocean Village brochure that they would comply with the smoking ban but not entirely. Some of the cabins were also very smokey.

We found that at all times onboard there was a policy of sell sell sell to extract the last pound from your wallet. After a few days it became very tiring indeed. Have you had the cocktail of the day? Have you been to the Bistro? Have you been to the Spa? etc, etc, etc.

We ate at both the Bistro and La Luna in the evenings. The Bistro do an early bird for under £10 each before 7pm. The Bistro has a good range of very good dishes none have extra supplements. We found the food to be great but the service at times was average. Whilst in the Bistro you still get bombarded with tannoy announcements advertising karaoke or whatever which really should not happen in here. We ate more at La Luna as we found the food to be almost as good as the Bistro but better value at under £5 each. Some dishes such as Surf and Turf had a supplement in this case £6 but the steak was huge and the lobster tail was delicious. We found that the staff in La Luna made much more of an effort but were poorly managed. On numerous occasions you would receive someone else's dessert or they would come to take your order more than once but this was a minor niggle. The al fresco dining made the good experience even better. On two occasions we ate at Plantations (Indian and Chinese) and the food was better than we expected. Unfortunatly you often finished your meal before getting your drinks served to your table due to poor staff management. The wine appeared to be expensive (white over £16 a bottle) on the restaurant menus but you need to ask for the full wine list in each bar/restaurant as there is a much bigger selection available and some cracking wines could be had for under £13. I am sure this is done to make more money.

Entertainment was largely dissapointing although we had read a lot about this and so were not too bothered. We found the band were good and some singers were OK but they never performed together. The singers had dreadfully recorded backing tracks which killed their acts. Many of the productions had a 6th form drama feel to them. The deck show was much better with the trapeze and acrobatics which were good.

Arrival in Crete was smooth and the transfer to the boat is around 15mins. Getting on the boat is not as slick as Island Escape in Palma, there are no staff to show you to your cabin. As commented elsewhere the sailaway is not a big event as on Island. The emergency drill is performed at 6pm which is annoying if you want to spend some time in Crete before you sail.

Day at Sea. There was more room on deck than on Island Escape but you still had to be up early to get a sunbed. Noisy entertainment around the pool can become tiresome and is a bit amateur in places.
Limassol. We did the biking and it was very good, the guides are excellent. We found the cost quite high at £29 each but I would recommend it.

Rhodes. Rhodes old town is lovely and the ship docks next to it. Just walk ashore and wander around the old town and enjoy. We found a fabulous roof terrace restaurant at the back and the cost was very reasonable (30 euros for two including greek combo for two, ice cream, wine and beer and ouzo)

Kusadasi. We chose to get a taxi to Ephasus and paid 60 euros just outside the port. I'm sure you could pay less than this if you went a bit further out but the car looked as if it would get there! Ephasus is 15-20 mins away. Tickets at Ephasus can only be bought with Turkish Lira cost 10 per person. The taxi driver will probably try to exchange Euros for you at a bad rate. You need around 1.5 - 2 hours in Ephasus and get dropped off at the top gate so you can walk down to the bottom gate (a couple of miles) where your taxi will be waiting. There are no audio guides so either tag onto a cruise guide or read up before you go.

Santorini. Santorini is fabulous but very busy. We got off on the second tender at 9:00am and there was no queue for the cable car. Go later and expect to queue for over an hour as the cable car can only take 36 people at once every couple of minutes. We had a good walk around and stopped off in a small cafe which was reasonable (3 Euros for a beer). If you want a spot overlooking the caldera then expect to pay for it - you will still be smiling as the view is incredible. We set off to return at 3pm and the queue for the cable car was huge so we walked down the steps. The steps are OK but they can be slippy as they are cobbles, they stink, the poor donkeys have to use them and they go on for ever. Still quicker than waiting for the cable car but fine if you have sensible shoes.

Mykonos. You dock at a small harbour a few miles up the road. OV charge £6 per person by coach into Mykonos which is bad as other ships would do this free. You could walk down the sometimes narrow windy coast road but there are no pavements, it would take around 30-45 mins. Mykonos is small but very pretty but the delivery vans and bikes get annoying after a while. It is amazing what they can fit down what we would call an alleyway. We had a pleasant lunch for two overlooking the old harbour which cost around 20 euros inc a couple of beers.

Return from Crete was relatively easy. We put our cases out the night before at 11pm. We had saved some old deodorants and toothpaste for use on the last day and had to leave the cabin by 8:30am. Our flight to manchester meant we were collected at 12 noon. Whilst we were fully aware of the liquids rule my wife took a 1.5l bottle of water to the airport and was not even questioned. OV staff told us that it depended on the mood the security staff were in. My advice would be not to throw anything away unless asked to.

Overall the cruise was as I expected as I went mainly for the itinery. I probably wouldn't use OV again mainly due to the constant sell sell sell and because too many things cost extra. However that doesn't mean that I would not recommend it.

I hope this has been some use to anyone about to go

This was our 2nd cruise as a family after starting with a cruise & stay with Thomson Emerald last summer. From my perspective all aspects of the Ocean Village experience were superior to Emerald except for the entertainment. I thought the Thomson variety, especially the house band 'Juice', were streets ahead of the OV offerings. Only Jaki Graham and Niki Brown came anywhere near the standard I had expected.
Many people have commneted on the food, cabins, facilities, destinations and travel arrangements all of which, I agree, are very good indeed. I like the informal nature of OV - I simply do not want the structured, formal and, frankly, old-fashioned approach it appears other cruise lines still promote. With Thomson we did manage to avoid the 'formality' after we discovered that one did not have to go to 'Captains Gala Dinner' etc. This is, for me, a major attraction of OV! I believe that this will become the norm for cruising over the next few years even in the more established companies. For me the five major factors which made OV a very special holiday experience are: the excellent organisation of transfers/ luggage; the informal 'sail aways' from some fantastic destinations (chill-out sunsets!); the food quality/ variety; the space avaialable in cabins/deck/lounges and the gymnasium (air-con with a view fwd above the bridge).
We will consider going again with OV (or OV2) in 2 years time

Just returned from a 2 week cruise on the ocean village and loved it. The ship is very large compared to Thomson Emerald which we sailed on last year. The cabins are very spacious lots of drawer and hanging space. Small fridge for bottled water, juices etc, although you can drink the tap water on the ship. Our room was on A deck 11 outside cabin which was kept spotless by the cabin assistant. Quite noisy in the cabin at times from the 24 hr plantation restaurant above which has a wooden floor hearing chairs and tables dragged across it. All public areas were kept very clean and use of alchohol hand gel was promoted every time you entered the restaurants.(we never had an upset tummy!!, and heard of only one person on board with a viral infection) At first we tended to eat outside the plantation restaurant where in the evening you could watch the sunset which was very nice. But the food got very repetitive, mainly chinease, indian take away sort of food. Would have liked to have seen much more greek cuisine. We then discovered the waterfront restaurant, this was lovely very spacious, very clean, food excellent. Much more choice of everything compared to plantations. They even had a chocolate fountain one evening, my daughter was in heaven. The waterfront was open at breakfast (fab breakfasts) and evening dinner, sometimes at luchtime when plantations was being deep cleaned. We visited the Bistro once which cost approx £55.00 for 3 including wine and soft drinks. The food was good although what you got was not as discribed on the menu sheet and it was plain boiled veg and boiled potatoes. Alcohol on the ship was expensive, wine started at £12.00 per bottle, but you could order a wine package for approx £70.00 for six bottles brought to your room with corkscrew and glasses. For children you could buy a soda card and an ice cream card for approx £35.00 for 20 drinks and 12 "99" ice cream cones. The pool area especially the cildrens pool tended to be crowded especially on sea days. The pool attendants provided beach umbrellas if you needed them (a must for small children). They frequently had barbeques at lunchtime on deck. There was a good area at back of ship on deck 11 (A deck) with a reasonable good sized paddling pool and lots of toys and equipment for small children. Entertainment tended to be ongoing in all of the public areas although we tended to be in bed before 2200hrs so did not see much, although we watched the Tina Turner Tribute which was excellent. All the staff very very pleasant, always smiling and attentive, they worked very hard. There was a childrens club which had excellent facilities especially for the little ones. Charlies bar was nice for a liquor coffee in the evenings, sitting listening to the piano in the foyer.
Trips were expensive, we tended to walk, take the bus or taxi to wherever we wanted to go. Other holidaymakers said the same. All in all we had a fantastic experience on this ship it was a lovely holiday and we would recommend it to anyone who wants a relaxing good time

On the 2nd we traveled to Ocean Village via Thomas Cook flights. The flight was dreadful way below par, no leg room, food was a disaster, quite a lot of turbulence. We arrived at Crete after a 4 hour flight around 3pm and boarded the ship. Weather astonishing! (v. hot) Our luggage got delivered straight to our room which was good. Our cabin was great and was cleaned regularly by our maid Regie thanks babe a big shout out to you. Our cabin number D179 (DELTA) was a quadruple bedded room with a small tv, shower nice, hot and big.

The 4 restaurants were top. As a family we only visited 2 out of the 4, (the Waterfront and Plantations) up to scratch indeed. The food was tip top. Very enjoyable for all ages. The 24 hour service was very handy when you got hungry at for example 1am in the morning.

The bars were splendid. Bar staff very friendly but slow at serving us our drinks, but we do understand as there were many customers to serve. Thanks Chris for the drinks. The cocktails were very tasty and varied (tons of) to acquire your taste buds.

The bayside club was great for all ages, it had plenty of varied songs from all eras and the atmosphere was amazing. Very chatty and sociable place to meet new people. The dance floor could have been used more, improvements should be made! (magnets should be placed to attract more dancers) There was a couple who always performed their salsa routine on the dance floor, they were good sports always confident great people all in all. Comfy sofas and chairs were surrounding the dance floor for those shy non-dancers.

The ship itself was very clean, tidy and colourful. There was always something going on to join in with or watch (Daily challenges, workshops, ice and fruit carving-good one Ricki, flower arrangements etc.) which were enjoyable and lively. The music was played frequently which made the atmosphere what it was. The pool was nice, large, clean (except for when the pipe burst which was a one off).

And last but not least the entertainment. ASTONISHING! loved every second. The dancers were great and very professional, the singers extremely talented especially Dan James he was very nice down to earth chap, good looking, great voice. (i believe he could win X Factor) Also the 'Freedom to move' cast. WOW! The singers Teresa De Gennero and Micheal, were brill. The acrobats were..... speechless. Too good for words. Well done Andreas, Rodreigo, Francisco and Yolaina simply breathtaking. The Latino lovers were adorable stole the show! But if it wasn't for the events team who organize most of the entertainment, none of the fun would be there. They organized Quizzes, music, sports and hosted it all. *Paul Maffy*, *Ross Mayne*, Lee, Frankie and Donna, made our hol. Paul and Ross stars.

All in all it was the most amazing holiday we have ever ventured of all time. Thanks to everyone who made it so great. xx

We will definately be cruising with Ocean Village again.

We have just returned from the OV Olives and Ouzo cruise. The ship was very clean and they are aware of the spreading of germs so they make you rub alcohol gel into your hands every time you return to the ship or handle food. The cabins are very spacious and pleasant. The food is repetitive and Asian food is offered too many times. Drinks are expensive but this is normal with cruise companies. We did not eat in the Bistro or La Luna because we did not want to encourage the trend of paying for food which you had already paid for, Aswell as paying per head in the restaurants, there were also supplements on food choices. The ship staff were friendly and the cabin attendant was very pleasant and helpful.
The onboard entertainment was poor and struggled in parts. The dancers worked hard but sometimes it was difficult to work out the theme of show. There was a Rod Stewart and Madonna tribute show which wasn't to bad. We did not go to the Connections Bar to see the comedian as it wasn't for us , just as well as you could never get a seat it was always standing room only, the Oval Pub was always too smokey. On an evening we sat in the Blue Bar, but this should have been a piano bar. The piano was located on the floor below right next to the reception desk and Charlies Bar which is actually Costa Coffee, where you have to buy all coffee and cake.
The itinerary of places visited was very good. We spent the first day at sea, it was vey busy around the pool area and noisy and a lot of hard selling going on from cocktails to artwork to spa treatments.
The first stop was Cyprus, we took a taxi to a beach Kouran 20cyp return. The beach was quiet with two bars very nice for the time we had in port, we had an excellent lunch there. The taxi driver true to his word came back for us at 2.30. No shops so make sure you have suncream. We then visited Rhodes which is within walking distance of the ship. We foolishly took a taxi to see the sights 10 euro per person, it was supposed to be for an hour, however after 40 minutes the taxi driver wanted to take us to Lindos for an additional cost, we said no and left the taxi paying 40 euro for the privilege. Beware in Rhodes of bars selling drinks in large boot shaped glasses. We asked for a small beer/large beer/2 cokes they all came in 1.5 litre boot shaped glass at a cost of 25 euro a rip off. We did however have a nice in lunch in a restaurant called Zizi, very friendly people with normal size glasses! The town itself is nice and full of history and many shops. There is a small beach just outside of the port to cool of in.
We then went to Kusadasi, this is also within walking distance of the ship. You just walk to the left and you are straight into the bazaar, be pepared to haggle for your goods, they can be very rude. There is also a Lido/Beach next to to the port. If you wanted to go To Ephesus there are taxis waitung for you at the port, even mini buses and it is lot cheaper than OV are charging.
We then went to Santorini, this was brought forward a day due to the amount of ships wanting to dock. We reached the shore by tender and then had to wait in long queue for the cable car at a cost of 4 euro per person and they will only sell you a one way ticket. There were about five ships docked together. The other way to the top is either by walking or by donkey. I would strongly not recommend the donkeys, they are whipped to move and it is a long way up and they have to walk on shiny cobbled stones, so they often slip and split their legs. They are kept waiting in the sun for customers and I couldn't see any water for them to drink , it is a cruel way to reach the top and bottom. We actually walked back down to the port about 25 minutes, I suggest a strong pair of shoes, it is also quite smelly due to donkeys and be prepared to move quickly when the donkeys are turning the corners. The views walking down are fantastic. We then went to Mykonos, this is 3km from the port, taxis are not available at the port so Ocean Village organised a bus for £6 per person for a return
trip, expensive for a five minute journey, but it was just too far to walk in the heat. Mykonos is pretty, with its windmills, winding streets and little venice is nice but expenssive to eat in. There are much cheaper and nice restaurants nearby. There is a beach in the town, only small but ok for the time you have available.
We enjoyed our holiday and enjoyed the places we visited. Ocean Village state it is for people who don't do cruises, but it was too informal although most people made an effort on an evening. We have cruised before with the Royal Caribbean and you can't compare, it's like chalk and cheese. We did the OV as we had two teenagers with us and thought the informal cruise would be better. But if you don't mind standing in line for your food and waiting a while around the pool to be served a drink then it will be ok. I think it is worth paying the extra with other cruise companies to be served your meals although it means dressing formally on some nights.
We enjoyed the holiday because we did want we wanted to do, but probably won't do it again with OV.

We've cruised with Airtours, Thomson and Princess prior to going on the OV. We would rather have formal nights rather than being completly casual, but we did enjoy "dressing down". We chose this cruise for the itinerary which is very good and you do get to see lots of the Greek islands. We we're pleased with the ship which makes good use of it spaces for a ship of it's size. The cabins are a very good size and are well layed out. The entertainment was "ok", the dance team we're good, but the 2 main singers are a bit weak. There's a good selection of bars, so you can can be entertained or sit with a quiet drink. The team that do the acrobatic show are very good, and their shows in the atrium are well worth watching. The pool area is very well laid out and the adults only pool is great! We ate twice in the Bistro which was very good although the service can be a touch slow. The La Luna is also very good, in fact may be even better than the Bistro. The plantation restaurant is no better than a transport cafe and is very dull with poor lighting. The Waterfront restaurant is nicely laid out but the food is very repetative IE: the same menu in the second week as the first. The food is not of a very high quality either, with breakfast often being like warm, my daughter even found hairs in her food on 3 seperate occasions! The food for us was the weak point of the OV and is why we wouldnt use it again, which is a shame as the ship is very nice. OV would be better calling this the "meat & 2-vg" cruise rather than the cruise "for people who dont do cruises"