Ocean Village details 2007 Crete debut
Ocean Village is to operate from Crete for the first time next summer as a second ship is added to the fleet.
The casual cruise line’s larger second vessel, Ocean Village Two, will operate Western Mediterranean cruises from Palma.
This will allow the original Ocean Village vessel to be deployed in the Eastern Med to run two seven-night island-hopping itineraries from Crete – ‘Temples and Tavernas’ sailing from Heraklion to Dubrovnik, Corfu, Cephalonia, Katakolon and Athens; and ‘Olives and Ouzo’ covering Limassol, Rhodes, Ephesus, Mykonos and Santorini.
Prices for ‘Olives and Ouzo’ holiday start at £629 including flights to Heraklion, while ‘Temples and Tavernas’ leads-in at £659
Fourteen-night Stay and Cruise options give a choice of six hotels in Crete – before joining the original Ocean Village ship – or Majorca before joining Ocean Village Two. Prices start at £779 per person for two weeks.
The new ship, currently operating as AIDAblu for German line AIDA Cruises, more than doubles Ocean Village’s capacity. The 16-year-old vessel will have 1,708 berths in 854 cabins including 198 with private balconies and a 14,000 square foot spa and gym complex. This compares with the first ship offering 1,578 berths in 789 cabins including 64 with balconies.
Ocean Village Two also features two whirlpool baths, two pools, a theatre, casino, children’s centre and bars.
From Palma the ship will run two seven-night itineraries – ‘Marinas and Medinas’ starting at £599 and ‘Villas and Vineyards’ from £629 including flights between May and October 2007.
‘Marinas and Medinas’ features calls in Tunis, Naples, Florence and Pisa, Monte Carlo from Villefranche and Ajaccio while ‘Villas and Vineyards’ Tunis, Rome, Genoa, St Raphael and Barcelona.
The line is expanding regional departures from the UK with flights from Cardiff and Luton for sailings from Crete (plus Gatwick, Manchester, Birmingham, Newcastle and Glasgow), and East Midlands and Bournemouth for sailings from Palma (plus Gatwick, Stansted, Bristol, Manchester, Birmingham, Newcastle and Glasgow).
Report by Phil Davies
Phil Davies
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