Gold Radio took to the High Seas as Ocean Village became “The Boat That Rocked!”

The 15th of April was turnaround day for Ocean Village in Heraklion, Crete which was filled with uncertainty of the impact that the volcano erupting in Iceland would have in store for us. Scheduled to join us for the cruise was popular Gold radio DJ Dean Martin and a group of his faithful listeners. It was great to have Dean, his wife Michelle and their son Luke with us on board once again.

Our very first two flights from Gatwick, which included 112 dedicated Gold Radio fans, arrived to the ship safely. However, it soon became apparent that the volcanic ash would mean that our flights from Glasgow, Birmingham and Manchester would not be permitted to take off from the UK. We waited to see if the situation improved and eventually left Heraklion 24 hours later.

Undeterred that Ocean Village was short of capacity by around 700 passengers and faced with a situation where our guest entertainers couldn’t be flown in or out to the ship, every evening between 7.00-8.30pm the Bayside became the party venue, where DJ Dean Martin could be seen – and heard – spinning some of his favourite tracks. A packed-out Bayside saw Gold fans dance the evening away while competing to be the ‘last man – or woman – standing’ for a piece of Gold radio memorabilia.
Dean contributed to the overall success of a fantastic cruise and even hosted an amazing 60s and 70s disco night onboard. He also took to the mic on our own radio station ‘Ocean Village Radio’, where he proved his weight in ‘Gold’.

An amazingly charismatic character Dean can be heard on Gold Radio in 4 different ways. For more information check out the website or go to the Listen Live facility on http://www.mygoldmusic.com/.

And if you’re interested in travelling with a DJ, Tony Blackburn is on board Ocean Village on June 3rd for pop quizzes and party nights on our ‘Myths and Mosaics’ itinerary.

Michael Lobban,
Hotel Director - Ocean Village