Ocean Village 2 Review
Ocean Village Two Educational 28th November - 6th December 2007
Sugar and Spice
We flew to Barbados from London Gatwick with Thomas Cook Airlines. Regional flights are available at a supplement. On arrival in Barbados you do not need to clear passport control. Transfer buses are waiting for you on the runway to take you directly to the ship where you check in and leave you chosen method of payment for your drinks, excusrions and onboard purchases. The Ocean Villlage is a cash free ship, and all charges are made directly to you cabin which is automatically debited from your account on the last day. The currency on board is Sterling and all drinks, prices etc are in sterling. Once we had checked in and found our cabin, we were free to enjoy the facilities on board the ship.
Itinerary:- Wednesday Barbados
Thursday At Sea
Friday Isla Margarita
Saturday Grenada
Sunday St Lucia
Monday St Vincent
Tuesday Martinique
Wednesday Barbados
The Ocean Village 2 was launched in April 2007 as a sister ship to the Ocean Village. The concept of Ocean Village was created for Complete Cruise Solution to compete with the ever growing markets of 'Informal' Cruising. The atmosphere on board is very laid back, with no need to dress up for dinner or eat at set times. The main restaurants on board are all buffet style, but if customers prefer something a little special they can eat in either La Luna of The Bistro (created by celebrity TV chef James Martin) for a small supplement.
Vital Statistics!
• 70,310 tons
• British Registered Cruise Ship
• 619 Crew, 1708 Passengers
• 4 Restaurants (2 Buffet, 2 Waiter Service)
• Karma Spa and Fitness Centre
• Theatre
• Nightclub and Casino
• 7 Bars
• Kids Clubs on board
• Average age of customer - 43
• Ideal for cruise virgins
Ocean Viilage will suits many types of customers. It is ideal for clients who want to take advantage of the benefits of cruising such as waking up in a new port of call everyday, a wide selection of international cuisine and first class inclusive entertainment but do not like the idea of formal and traditional crusing.
Ocean Village is also ideal for families. There is plenty on board to keep children of all ages entertained from the age of 6 months to 17 years. There is a creche and night nursery available for children upto the age of 5 so parents can fully appreciate the entertainment and night life on board sake in the knowledge that their children are well looked after. Base camp is open daily for children from 5-8 with activites such as Talent Shows, Ball pool play and dance competition and the sperate childrens pool on the Ocean Village 2 mean that adults can relax by their own adults only pool. For older children there is Teen Zone and on board the Ocean Village 2 there is a desiganted area of the ship for this club with Sega arcade games and a Let's Go Jungle jeep simulator. In addition to this there are discos, karaoke and pool games going on all day and evening. Parents are more than welcome to join in with the activities for families that like to spend some quality time with their children on holiday.
To keep the adults entertained there are regular tribute bands performing in the evening, and live performances by various singers on deck during the day and in the bar areas during the evening. There is a night club and Casino on board which is open until 3pm for the night owls amongst us. Trapeze and circus artists will amaze passengers with regular performance throughout the cruise. On one of the evenings we were on board we were lucky enough to see the Planet Show on deck which was a fabulous performance with lazers and dancers taking the audience on a journey through the solar system. There is literally a bar for every night of the week, ranging for sophisticated wine bars and cocktail bars to more traditional pub style venues and also a fun pool side bar. Prices in the bars are reasonable comparing to average pub prices in the UK.
For the days when you are in port, customers either have the option to saty on board and enjoy the facilities or they can book excursions through the action ashore team. Excursions are more active than on many other cruise lines and includes activies such as Bike ridnig (Which I did for 16 miles around St Lucia!) Party buses, Water tubing, Abseiling, Horse Riding and Jungle adventures. For the less adventurous amongst us there are Wine Tasting, Golf, Walking tour and Sightseeing tours available. Alternatively passengers can jump off and head to a beach for a day of relaxation.
Dining on board is informal and relaxed. The plantation restaurant can be found on the top deck and offers a range on international cuisine 24 hours a day. The Waterfront restaurant is open for breakfast and dinner and offers mainly british cuisine with some Mediterranean and Caribbean dishes. For a special treat guests can book into The Bistro or La Luna restaurants and experience first class waiter service and food for a small supplement (Starts at £5 per head).
The Ocean Village 2 is home to the Karma Spa. This is a 14,000 sqaure foot facility on board offering Sauna, Meditation Room, Hammam Hot Room, Ice Fall and Shower Room, Therapy room, Herb Steam Room and a relaxtion room with beds and fleecy blankets if you just want to find a quiet corner to relax. There is also a fully equiped gym, Solarium, Hydro Baths and massage rooms. There charges for using the spa facilites is £10 per day or £35 for the week. Treatments such as facials, massage, hairdressing and manicures are charged to your account but prices are reasonable.
There are plenty of Shops on board the Ocean Village 2, with market square housing boutiques, souvinier and jewelrey shops at duty free prices. Shops are not open when the ship is in port due to customs regulations.
Overall the Ocean Village is and ideal choice for customers of most age groups wanting an informal cruise with plenty of facilites on board. It is suitable for families, couples, singles and groups, however I would not recommend it for passengers who have previously cruise with traditional cruise line or elderly passengers unless they were aware of they type of cruise the Ocean Village is.
