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£75 for engine trouble on Gateways and Gondolas |
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Reviewed By: Westbrooke, London on 3rd Jul 2009
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| Cruise Line: Ocean Village Cruises |
Times cruised before: 6-10 |
| Cruise Ship: Ocean Village Two |
Sailed:
June,
2009 |
| Destination: Mediterranean |
Age: 56-65 |
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Our first time on OV2, but it seemed almost identical to OV1. Problems on day 2 as an engine played up, meaning we went so slowly we had to miss Dubrovnik in order to get to Venice on time. Some passengers were unhappy with this. But once the problem was sorted, OV managed to find a slot at Dubrovnik two days late and so it was Korcula we missed out on instead - a pretty town but it probably wouldn't have been the highlight of anyone's trip. In compensation, everyone had £75 credited to their onboard account - reasonable enough if you planned on spending that much on drinks, the fancier restaurants, shore excursions etc. Those who didn't may have to demand more realistic compensation.
On the plus side, we missed out on all the bad weather that had been forecast. Venice was misty on arrival and had a little flooding around the cathedral; the rest of the week was dry and hot. Zakynthos was the only place where a tender was used. You could buy transport into town from the docks in Venice, Dubrovnik and Corfu; those in Heraklion and Zakynthos were within walking distance. Apart from a Knossos tour in Heraklion, to fill in the time before disembarkation, we just did our own thing and saw plenty. All these towns are very walkable. Cameras are supposedly banned in St Mark's and the Fenice theatre in Venice, the brochure warned, but this was barely enforced.
The ship was well kept and fairly spacious - they claimed it was full; I'm not so sure, as it was almost always possible to find sunlounger space. We dined in the Bistro (to use up some of our £75) but found the steak chewy; the lasagne in La Luna was great. Extra fees were £15 in the Bistro, a lot for chewy meat, and £4.75 in La Luna for dinner, well worth it. There was a lot of jollification around the pools during the day, though not as much as I've heard on OV1. Someone was pilloried a few weeks back for saying it was too noisy, but he was right: at its worst it is very rowdy and I had to plug in my iPod to shut it out. We skipped most of the entertainment on board, but there seemed to be plenty for all tastes.
I had read reviews saying that transfers at Heraklion airport could be a nightmare. But they ran smoothly both on arrival - we were whisked to the ship very quickly - and departure, where we were checked in while still on the ship (it would have been even quicker if the airline staff had arrived on time, but no great problem). However, air traffic control strikes in Heraklion meant outbound flights ran half an hour or so late.
Enjoyable? Yes, very; and inexpensive too (booked through this website). It's a shame Britain is losing the OVs. Anyone know what the best alternatives will be?
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| Quality of Food |  |
| Free restaurants were all good and so was La Luna; not so impressed with our Bistro meal. | | Entertainment | n/a |
| | Shore Excursions | n/a |
| You can do your own thing at all these ports, though to get out of town it's probably best to book an excursion, which isn't cheap. | | Staff | n/a |
| | Children's Facilities | n/a |
| | Onboard Activities | n/a |
| | Cabins | |
| | Overall Rating | |
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