Ocean Village 2 Cruise Review
Official Naming, April 2007 - Angela 
13:00 - We were very honoured in being asked the attend the inaugural event and official naming ceremony to celebrate the arrival of the latest addition to the Ocean Village fleet, Ocean Village Two. The ships are aimed at ‘people who don’t do cruising’. On Ocean Village you can enjoy the best of times ashore and have as much fun as you want on board, with none of the timetables and formalities you get on conventional cruising.
13:15 - After a speedy check-in at Southampton and being shown to our cabin it was time to unpack. We were staying in an outside cabin on deck 8. Our cabin was very spacious at 187 square feet and very well equipped.
14:00 - We took a self-guided tour of the ship. First stop was up to deck 12 to check out the pool area. The ship has two pools and two Jacuzzis along with a children’s paddling pool. There are also ample sun beds available on deck. We could easily imagine that we were in Caribbean lying by the pool with a cocktail in our hands.
14:45 - Our next stop was a tour of the Karma Spa and fitness which has 14,000 square feet of indulgence. We were blown away by the sheer size of the Spa and the luxurious treatment rooms, purifying steam and sauna zones and the ocean-view gym and aerobic centre.
16:00 - Base Camp and The Attic was our next port of call. Having children myself I was very keen to see what facilities Ocean Village Two had to offer. The ship is very well-kitted out for kids from 6 months to 17 years. There are enthusiastic and fully qualified youth staff on board at Base Camp for children aged 6 months to 8 years with activities such as ballparks, playstations, films and games such as talent shows, face painting, pirate days, and dance competitions. The centre extends outdoors with a special family play area with netted railings and a paddling pool. For older kids (9-17 year olds) there is ‘The Attic’. There are loads of things to keep them entertained like art and crafts, sports, game shows, playstations and discos. New to Ocean Village Two is SEGA Village, an entertainment arcade.
18:30 - We enjoyed cocktails in the Village Square, High flying trapeze shows take place here to keep you entertained.
19:30 - Time for dinner. Forget fixed feeding times, flexibility is what you get aboard Ocean Village. You’re free to eat when it suits you – 24/7. With no formal dress codes, you can leave your tux and tiaras at home. We enjoyed a high quality buffet dinner at the Waterfront restaurant which serves traditional roast beef along with signature Mediterranean dishes such as Paella, moussaka and seafood. . If you love to eat alfresco, you can dine out by the pool at La Luna during the day. As a special treat you can also dine at celebrity Chef James Martin’s restaurant ‘The Bistro’.
21:45 - Off to the Marquee show lounge to watch the premiere of the brand new dance show ‘Street’, a rumbustious, raunchy, rabble-rouser of a performance that combines street style and top 80’s and 90’s tracks, mixing the sounds of Blur and Basement Jaxx. 22:30 - Over to Connextions Bar on deck 7 to enjoy some live music and stand-up comedy.
23:00 - Back to the Marquee for some dancing and fantastic live music from the 80’s superbly sung by Jaki Graham followed by Angie Bell who sang songs from the 70’s up to the 90’s. Both disco divas have had hit songs in the charts.
02:00 - Time for bed, what a fabulous day and there was more to come tomorrow!
The day of the official naming ceremony of Ocean Village Two and we were very privileged to be taking part in this momentous day.
10:45 - We made our way up to deck 14 to get ready for the start of the official naming ceremony.
11:00 - The celebrations begin! We are entertained by a new aerial deck show called Planet which is set on and under the unique Ocean Village Two aerial Planet Structure on the top deck. We saw some jaw dropping acrobatics and trapeze work taking place.
11:30 - Celebrity sisters Jodie and Jemma Kidd take two attempts to smash the champagne against the hull of the ship in the official naming ceremony. Ocean Village Two became the first UK ship to boast two godmothers. To end the ceremony fireworks and thousands of streamers were released. The national press and tv cameras were there to catch the proceedings along with some celebrities including James Martin.
12:15 - We attend a champagne reception in Connextions bar. We could get used to this lifestyle!
13:00 - Time to disembark for our return flight home. We had a truly fantastic time onboard Ocean Village Two and hope we can return in the future either in the Med during the summer or Caribbean in the winter.
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