Ocean Village Crowned No.1 Cruise Line by Top Cruise Website!

I'm really chuffed by some great news that's just reached me - Ocean Village has hit the number one spot as Best Cruise Line line in rankings just announced by the independent website www.cruise.co.uk.

While it's great to have won the top spot overall, what's even nicer is that Ocean Village came top for having the best staff on board of all the cruise lines - that makes all of us feel really proud, and we'll be wanting to keep things that way through to our farewell sailing in the Autumn.

See the article by clicking here

Michael Lobban

The cruise when the King of the Jungle reverted to the King of the Jingle

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The month of June has been a good one for Ocean Village and we’ve seen the summer climes catch up with us in Mediterranean waters at last. It’s also been a good one with a great line-up of entertainment, but for me the highlight was the cruise starting on the 3rd of June through until the 10th when an Ocean Village favourite and a personal favourite of mine cruised with us, celebrity and ever popular DJ and King of the Jungle, Tony Blackburn.

As Tony boarded Ocean Village in Heraklion, he actually thought he was coming to Palma and was surprised when he landed at an airport that he found hard to pronounce, a passenger approached him and said, “you look just like Tony Blackburn, are you one of the tribute acts?”. “Yes”, replied Tony, “I am. I’m appearing as myself!”

We did indeed have a star studded line up of tribute acts from Jayne Middleton as Annie Lennox, Steve Larkins as Freddie Mercury and Kelly O’Brien as Dolly Parton. All are favourites of mine but, on this cruise the star and gentleman of the week must go to our very own, all-original, Tony.

Hosting an excellent, electrifying evening of music in our nightclub Bayside, Tony was back spinning the discs and nostalgia ruled the waves. On another evening he hosted a pop music quiz in Connexions and I have never ever seen Connexions so packed for a quiz. The banter flowed and off the cuff jokes and anecdotes spun as fast as his discs did the previous evening. Sailing from Piraeus the Marquee filled for an, “Up Close and Personal with Tony Blackburn” and Tony amused all with replies to questions posed from the chair occupied by Events Team hostess Donna Randles.

During his exchange with Donna, Tony talked about his time as a DJ with the famous pirate radio station Radio Caroline, his times with Radio 1 and how he rehearsed his opening words for the first broadcast, and his selection for the first record ever played on Radio 1, The Move with “Flowers in the Rain”.

Tony then updated us on his moves to date and of course the “Jungle” was not to be missed out and he gave an incredible insight into the filming and his life in the Jungle. How he had collected wood for the fire and, because he had collected so much at one point, the producers decided to remove most of it one night! As the crowd chuckled away he then explained that he’d been upset at the loss as he’d had an affinity for the logs he had collected and, when he subsequently found some of them again down by the stream he instantly recognised them and he felt it was like being reunited with old friends.

Our last night of the cruise, departing from Santorini, Tony was back behind the microphone as host on our very own Ocean Village Radio. OV Radio is transmitted into all passenger cabins on channel three and of course live in the Village Square where an audience had gathered to watch the idol of many, perform in his inimitable style.

Thank-you Tony for bringing us so much warmth and charm and for sharing your personal experiences of your life with us here on Ocean Village.

Michael Lobban, Hotel Director

A Sunny Santorini on the 9th of June

Mirror-like seas and a hazy hue over the caldera was the early-morning welcome to the idyllic, picture postcard anchorage below the small cliff-top settlement of Fira. If you’ve never visited Santorini you will marvel at the volcanic landscape, the black sand beaches, the red color lava rocks and the beautiful white houses built on the cliffs of the volcano. This is Santorini, with little white churches atop soaring cliffs, deep blue skies; Santorini is truly the zenith of a Greek island cruise experience. As we cruised into the caldera, the morning started somewhat cloudy but it was clear that any cloud coverage was going to blow over as the morning progressed.
Today was one of only three calls that Ocean Village is making this year and, as every call to Santorini does, it didn’t disappoint our passengers who were quickly dispatched in varying directions by some pretty impressive, new shoreside boats.

All of our excursions from Santorini are guaranteed to please and the breathtaking scenery is simply quite amazing. You can absorb so much in such a short time and, to visit the finest viewpoints with ease, a tour is a must to totally appreciate the scenery.

One of our tours starts with a fast boat trip to the port of Athinios where, from here, the windy road takes you up to the Mountain of Prophet Elijah, the highest point on the island. Following this there is a visit to see the classic Greek Aghios Nectarios Church.

After a quick comfort stop at the Santo Winery, where there is also the chance to sample the local nectar, it is onward on a never ending journey of natural beauty.

(The above photo is of the view from the Santo Winery, an unparalleled balm for the soul)
Lunch on the excursion is taken in a beautiful taverna called Pyrgos and entrance is gained through a rather quirky make-up of a small Grecian windmill. From inside, the view to the anchorage where Ocean Village lay peacefully in the far distance was on the left, to the right the plains looking down towards the airport and, away in front, the capital town of Fira perched high on vertical cliffs overlooking the caldera.

All too soon the whistle-stop tour was at an end and the last journey back to the ship lay ahead. Another picturesque winding road and then, from Fira, a short transfer by cable-car back down to the small port area in the distance below.(The above photograph is courtesy of our onboard photo team and is taken from the idyllic clifftop village of Oia)

Whilst waiting for the cable car

Homeward bound

Michael Lobban, Hotel Director

Ship of the First Quarter 2010 and Gold for Ocean Village

Triumph again for Ocean Village as she swept a Gold award off the table in the rewards for ship of the first quarter of 2010.

The competition was hard as the choice was made between all of the ships within the P&O fleet and the competition is set to hot up and get even harder as Cunard enter the frame as of the second quarter 2010.

We were awarded the Gold award and received £500 to spend on the ship’s company. One of our criteria, amongst a host of others, was that we had continued to deliver an outstanding performance based on the results as seen from the Customer Service Questionnaires and achieved the highest and most consistent scores for the period.

A heartfelt thank-you goes out to any past, present and repeat passengers who contributed to this result! Keep giving us a “Great”!

In order that all crew could benefit, it was again decided to hold another lunchtime crew barbecue on our day at sea on Friday the 4th of June as we sailed up to the start of our passage through the Dardanelles on our way to Istanbul. It’s always a difficult decision what to do with gifted funds but I think all enjoyed the few beers, wine or soft drinks and the respite from busy work schedules in the company of fellow colleagues.

Once again the celebrity chefs from “Chefs ‘r’ Us” were out in force to ensure quality standards were kept up ……..

Michael Lobban, Hotel Director

The London Marathon, Deon Du Preez and the British Sailors’ Society!

When Deon Du Preez left Ocean Village on the 18th of March for a well deserved vacation after a full contract as Finance Officer he should have been resting but this wasn’t to be! It was full on training up to readiness for the London Marathon on the 25th of April.

His fitness training regime started back on board Ocean Village in November of 2009 and, by the time March came around he’d completed over 300 miles albeit on the ship’s treadmills. Just before Deon was due to leave in March he developed an injury known as “runners’ knee” caused by over training and this injury left him little time to do any of his planned road training. He tried running again three weeks before the race and only managed five kilometers before his knee went again, therefore he subsequently went into the race not knowing if he would even be able to finish!

Sunday the 25th of April came and it was a very apprehensive Deon who made his way out of his hotel in London, where he had to leave his girlfriend Kerry behind on her birthday, and on to his assigned starting point, red, section 9, right at the back. There are three starting points around London, red is the main body of runners, blue is for the elite and green is categorised for wheelchairs and ‘fast for the age’. Between the three categories the total number of runners for the London Marathon 2010 was approximately 56,000!

The starting gun sounded at 09.30 and the runners were off. Fortunately however, although the starting gun sounds, the individual runners’ times does not start to be recorded until the individual crosses the actual starting line. This is just as well because with 56,000 runners all starting on a line, the line and indeed the streets of London would have to be about sixty kilometers wide!

So, the gun had been sounded and the first contestants started over the starting line. It was no reflection on Deon’s prowess as a runner but he eventually crossed the starting line at 10.15 (45 minutes after the start of the race!) and this is testimony to the bottleneck effect of moving such an enormous amount of people at one time.

The race was on and Deon was off and running, trying to do his best for his chosen charity, The British Sailors’ Society, for whom he successfully raised £1,400 through his efforts.
Winding his way through runners dressed as Camels, Beer Bottles, Storm Troopers and Firemen, Deon crossed the finishing line just in front of a Fullers Beer Bottle!

How did he do? Congratulations Deon, an extremely respectable time of four hours, fifteen minutes and fourteen seconds! Out of the 56,000 runners he finished as the 14,822nd and his half way time was a very good time of one hour, fifty-nine minutes and forty-four seconds! Well done from all of us at Ocean Village and, by the way, “welcome back on board”. Yes, Deon is back on board as Financial Controller.

So how was it Deon? “I was very apprehensive to start due to my knee but I had tears in my eyes as I ran up the last stretch to the finish line, very emotional, I couldn’t believe I had finished and in a reasonable time!”

Michael Lobban, Hotel Director

Alternative Kusadasi Tour

A lovely warm early morning arrival with not a breath of wind to flutter our flags, heralded our arrival into Kusadasi and another mini highlight of the cruise as passengers opted for the wondrous sights of the ancient city of Ephesus.

Passing Pelican Island on our approach, the sea looked so inviting although, being still May, the word “looked” was probably the operative word!

Ephesus is truly an amazing place where you can drink in the culture of days of yore as you pass the Library of Celsus and the Temple of Hadrian or check-out the huge Grand Theatre where St Paul preached and walk along the Arcadian Way following in the footsteps of Anthony and Cleopatra.

However there is an, insiders’ tip, an “alternative tour”! When the morning rounds have been completed, meetings have been put to rest and the paperwork has been caught up on, a general feel-good factor creeps in and this feeling needs to be fed further and what better way than a quick run ashore for a proper Turkish shave in a traditional father and son barber’s shop.

We gents look at ourselves in the mirror every morning and shaving becomes a chore that needs to be completed as part of our morning ablutions. It doesn’t have to be a chore however and, to anybody who hasn’t experienced it yet, I can thoroughly recommend the experience of lying back in the barber’s chair and letting a true professional deftly wield a cut-throat razor over your chin. Not once but twice does he perform this task in order to ensure a skin as soft, smooth and supple as a freshly born baby’s bum!

Then of course there’s the “ear waxing”! Ow ……..! This process rids your outer ears of all the tiny hairs that you’d never be able to reach yourself. Some barbers do this with a small burning cotton pad on a wooden stick and, with a flick of the wrist, burn the same hairs! The “stingy” bit is still to come though and, with fresh, lemon cologne, a face, head, shoulder and arm massage ensues before you head off into the clean fresh air outside feeling like a million pounds.

A quick cursory glance at the watch tells us that, yes, we have time for a light fresh fish and salad lunch after all!

Michael Lobban, Hotel Director

Jumping for Joy at the Pyramids

Port Said (gateway to Cairo) - Saturday the 22nd of May saw the same tired group of blue-shirted travelers clutching their pillows and heading off in their mini bus for Cairo. The travelers were our beloved photography team and the early morning start turned out to be well worth it. Passengers were well informed as to who to look out for at the pyramids and were delighted that the photographers were able to capture their cultural experience. The Ocean Village Photography Team were literally jumping for joy and the day was acclaimed as being a great success for all!

Michael Lobban, Hotel Director

Bikes 'r' Us!

Things are hotting up in the saddle and, as the warmer temperatures in the Med slowly emerge so are the budding off-roaders who enjoy a trip out with our Biker Boys on Ocean Village. Here on Ocean Village we have 42 bikes and they are run under the capable management of Andy Burford the Bike Manager and Trevor Adeline our Bike Guide.
The bike rides are graded according to difficulty so that passengers can feel as energetic as they wish. Whether you’re riding through picturesque olive and orange groves or passing tall Cypress trees and fragrant eucalyptus woods you can soak in the countryside and savour nature at its best. If medieval city walls and famous Roman sites are your cup of tea, then an Ocean Village biking trip will tick the box – one of the rides even visit a local winery!

Most of our biking tours offer the prospect of a cooling swim during the ride and as you can see from the below photo taken in Katakolon on the 19th May, the sea and sandy beaches look very welcoming indeed.

Michael Lobban,
Hotel Director, Ocean Village

Saturday Kitchen on a Tuesday and Wednesday!

Two busy days in the Bistro with celebrity chef James Martin!

It’s always a highlight when James comes to visit us on Ocean Village and the 18th and 19th of May were no exception. Immediately after boarding James headed straight to the galley to meet up with Jnr. Sous Chef Yuri Gracias. Yuri has worked with James for many years now and has been guest at his home near Winchester, with the added privilege of being allowed to play around in the Ferrari and other cars from James’ pristine collection.

However, when the two are on board together it’s heads down to get on with work. Of course when Celebrity Chef James is on board, the passengers all want to dine in The Bistro, forcing the numbers to record highs! Both of them were highly focused in their work and the plates that exited the galley looked sumptuous and each one a culinary masterpiece.
It wasn’t all cooking though and for over an hour, just before heading off to the galley on the 19th, James sat in the Village Square and signed, and signed, and signed. Ever smiling at the cameras and his fans he signed books, wooden boxed wines bearing his name and plates with the Bistro logo.

Michael Lobban,

Hotel Director, Ocean Village

Two Martins and a Rachael!

For five days, Ocean Village became the glamorous set for director Martin and cameraman Martin from the film and video production company Tigervision, as well as Ocean Village’s shoreside Brand Manager Rachael Hallett. They joined us on board to produce a farewell DVD, which is to be given to all of our crew as a great reminder of what makes Ocean Village such a unique brand. For once, it was not so much about our passengers as it was about us – “smile for the camera” requests were not needed as this attribute is what we do best on Ocean Village.
What a great team to have on board! It was fun to have the film crew with us and we now look forward to viewing the results of their efforts and their endless patience when putting up with us budding movie celebrities!

Thank you!

Michael Lobban,
Hotel Director, Ocean Village.