> Cruise News - Updated Daily > Crash! Farewell demand is too overwhelming for OV...

...but they'll re-open for bookings on Wednesday!

UPDATE: Bookings will now re-open on FRIDAY.

The overwhelming demand for bookings aboard the farewell Ocean Village cruises today, has exceeded estimates.

As a result, and despite the fact that Ocean Village have drafted in additional staff to assist in taking reservations this morning, they have found that booking systems are being too impacted.

They have therefore reluctantly decided to pause bookings on the farewell sailings until 10am on Wednesday 10th March to give them time to resolve the system issues..

So if you want to book, and you haven't had the chance yet - don't worry - you haven't missed the boat - YET!

Always staggers me how systems collapse with this kind of forseen skew in work. Maybe it's just because I work in IT but SCALABLE and SMART is the name of the game these days.

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2010 Cruises: MSC Magnifica(Feb), Celebrity Eclipse (Apr x2), Independence of the Seas (Jun), Queen Mary 2 (Jul+Nov)

Travel agents and ex OV customers have been saying for weeks that the systems will crash when these cruises go on sale. Hardly unexpected demand...

I have mine booked
Next month will be going into count down mode soon

I guess this proves that ships like OV are needed for UK customers. I was on OV for new year 2008/2009 and had a great trip. This year I was on Thompson Destiny and it wasnt quite as good. But the cruise companies seem to believe we need more up market (snigger) ships, that are poles apart from OV. They (cruise companies) have a lot in common with UK politicians who also "dont get it".

Bigger must be better
May be for the cruise company not for me
Tried the IOS felt like staying in a shopping mall no atmosphere
Grand is about the max, Brilliance and Legend are just about right for size.
OV & Spirit are great for total chill out

Think Co-op travel may have missed the boat, I got their promotion flyer about OV this morning. (£1699 23nt & £150 OBC or £1999 30nt & £150 OBC)

Shame I can't afford the time off, I'd have liked to do this final sailing.

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Cuiusvis hominis est errare; nullius nisi insipientis in errore perseverare
Next cruises :
07/2011 MSC Opera
10/2012 A123 Azura

Don't be so sure that you have a booking!
OV are now saying that it's not going on sale until Friday!

"Demand for the casual cruise line's farewell voyage was so high when bookings opened yesterday morning that the Ocean Village Web site had some technical issues and wrongly displayed high prices. Ocean Village then took the sailings off sale.

Now, consumers will get one last chance to sail with the line. We're told that the sailings will go back on sale on Friday, March 12 at 9 a.m. GMT."

Source: CC

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2010 Cruises: MSC Magnifica(Feb), Celebrity Eclipse (Apr x2), Independence of the Seas (Jun), Queen Mary 2 (Jul+Nov)

The site has crashed again this morning due to high demand.

I've just had an e-mail from Ocean Village saying the final cruise will now go on sale again on friday.

I hope all those people out there who are trying to book manage to get what they want.