Waterfront Restaurant offered some of the worst food at dinner that it has ever been my misfortune to attempt to eat. The cheapest possible cuts of meat, dry, tough and never cooked to order. Vegetables that were served cold and tasteless. Illustrating this disaster: one evening 5 of the 9 people on our table requested medium rare beef wellington cooked, it was served well-done sent back and returned again cremated. Three times this happened each time with the same result. Naturally, the Restaurant Manager was always noticeable by his absence, probably too embarrassed to face the diners with their complaints. No soup spoons, or steak knives were available. The dinner buffet was just as bad, It reminded me of the worst kind of rationed school dinners in the late 1940's.Three types of wafer thin cold meat remained constant throughout the cruise. Thankfully the Grill was excellent, selections cooked to perfection and served by smiling waiting staff, well worth the extra money. Breakfast fine, drinks packages represented excellent value for money, comfortable cabins, entertainment in lounges somewhat childish and unnecessarily loud, waiters and cabin steward provided outstanding service. Formal nights now need a rethink as a great number of passengers did not bother, many men in shorts and sweaters were still allowed in the main dining areas. It appears obvious that, since my last cruise on Columbus 12 months previously, cutbacks have been made, both in quality food and staffing levels. It is a great pity because Cruise & Maritime are one of the very few cruise lines that encourage solo passengers by offering reasonable single supplements. However, along with many others I spoke to during the cruise the company has lost our custom. Read Less

We booked this cruise because of the Comedy Legends which we had experienced on a previous cruise. The embarkation was very quick, we had journed by coach from Victoria coach station which due to traffic took 1 & half hours. We found the cabin rather tired though the beds were comfortable, the wash basin was old and did not hold water very well due to a worn mechanical system. The shower though was perfect. Another problem was that the ship was draughty, especially the main entertainment centre the 'Palladium' on the right hand side so we sat on the left which was slightly better, we did have one session when the temperature was decent but soon was back to draughty a couple of hours later. The entertainment was generally good, after all we did go to see the comedy hero's who did not dissapoint. The in house entertainment team did a good show, the dancers were very good, the singers were let down by a poor sound system which was far to loud, do they not have a desibel meter, I did hear that some people that had earing aids took them out. The food was generally good though in the self service bistro was not pipping hot even when there at the start of service, the 'Waterfront' where the evening dinner was taken the menu was sometimes difficult to understand to those who did not have the experience in this type of dinning, also the service was a bit long winded. During the hotter days there were plenty of sunbeds around but the we had the old problem of towels on beds but no bodies. Over all we had, for us, a pleasent 15 days but don't think we would book another cruise on the Columbus. Read Less

Summer cruise around the Canary Islands trying a cruise company not used before, or again. We sailed many cruises using varied cruise companies. Food not much choice poor standard. Hygiene no hand wash provided when entering self service buffet, until reported. Entertainment, only one guest artist ( comedian impressionist) appeard 3 times. Dance group do most shows, not too bad. Cruise director, magician! No personality made me feel uncomfortable with his amateurish presentation, more like a children’s entertainer. Dress code, never adhered to Formal nights people allowed in main resteraunt wearing T shirts. Dress code given on daily program no one bothered. ship is described as adult only, however children were allowed on at less than £200. No entertainment for them so they ran riot in every swimming pool much to the annoyance of older passengers wanting to swim.( jumping in pools, jumping in onto large inflatables, 12 children in jacuzzi in over 18s area. Not children’s fault no supervision from anyone. Not only annoying, but dangerous. Rude staff. Read Less

We chose it for the destination The food was awful 2* is being generous. The breakfast was the same very day greasy hard bacon cheap nasty sausage never changed . Every day was a stir fry or some obscure meat like beef cheeks nasty cheap food by the end of the cruise so many people were eating from the kids section as the food was slightly better. if you are vegetarian you would really struggle veggie curry and rice or cheese and salad . No late food apart from 11 to 11 30 when plates of Iceland type buffet food was taken Around the bars. You felt like a penguin being given fish . Most staff rude especially reception we went to complain about the lack of sun beds 450 for 1400 passengers.the receptionist rolled her eyes and picked up the phone twice while we were talking . People were taking sun beds when someone went for food and leaving belongings piled on the floor . There were arguments and near fights every day . The Crewe had their own deck with around 30 beds that weren’t being used we got a sun bed twice in 15 days and it was taken when we went for lunch . People were sitting on chairs taken from the buffet as there was nowhere to sit.we ended up going to the speciality restaurants they were a bit better but you shouldn’t have to pay . Entertainment was awful singers screeched out of tune people got up and walked out including us. We went to Tenerife on a Sunday everywhere was shut . Some of the places visited were too short 4 hours not enough time . Kids in pools couldn’t use till day ten when the made one adult only We lost tv signal on 3rd day . Incompetent management it all needs a massive review All in all this was my tenth and by far the worst cruise I would never sail with them again or recommend them to anyone I know . Read Less

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We chose this cruise because it covered the Christmas and New Year period. We have never cruised at this time of the year before, so we were looking forward to a new and interesting experience. The vessel has had something of a 'makeover', but some of the areas looked and felt very dated. Seating in some lounge areas was so dated and so low, that guests with any kind of mobility issues had problems descending and ascending into and out of them. At the first evening meal, soup was served cold and had to be returned. On other occasions, wrong dishes were served, sometimes with items that, for dietary reasons, had been requested NOT to be served - eg. Lemon slices for a 'non-acidic' guest - and frequently, 30 minutes+ between courses. The entertainment left much to be desired. Whilst the singers, dancers and musicians were quite good, other performers were of a very poor standard. Seating in the theatre is badly designed, with some lower seats behind higher ones! The rear doors are frequently left open, allowing other guests to enter at any time, standing in aisles, passages and, crucially, doorways, blocking exits. Daytime entertainment was very limited, and seemed to lack any organisation. The card room lacked complete sets of both cards and other games. Our final account statements were left in the door handles to our rooms, for everyone to see. No envelope! Nothing marked 'Private'. Visits to the reception desk almost always meant waiting for a line of other complaining passengers to be dealt with. Disembarkation was equally, or even more disorganised, with passengers appearing to be boarding the ship before we had left it! Definitely something we would never choose to do again. Read Less

We were last on the Columbus in June 2017 for the Iceland cruise, and booked this with two other friends. We had an upgrade to a Junior Suite with a balcony and, although the cabin had not been refurbished as far as we could see, was very comfortable and roomy, with a good shower and a sofa and armchair plus a small balcony. Embarkation was fine, reasonably well organised bearing in mind the numbers of passengers. There was about a 45 minute a delay in disembarkation at Tilbury, whether it was down to the ship or the port authority at Tilbury we do not know. Some passengers seem to be very upset and annoyed by this but it was a case of just being patient. The ship was beautifully decorated for Christmas, and we found the atmosphere just right, festive but not overwhelmingly Christmassy ie: no Christmas piped music! The first couple of days in the restaurant were a bit chaotic, and we felt sorry for the staff who were doing their best but appeared to be thrown in at the deep end. However, it got sorted out eventually and we were more than happy with the service, both in the restaurants and cabin. The entertainment was some of the best we have seen on CMV ships, especially the wonderful Tatiana (violin), Lana (piano), Jordana and Angelina (opera)... please hold on to them! The shows were excellent, especially the Panto, and the two comedians were very good. Dancing was first rate too. The main restaurant was beautifully decorated for both Christmas and New Year, and the party atmosphere, once again, was just right. The food... mostly excellent although the portions seem to be larger than before. My favourite were the scones at afternoon tea, delicious, least favourite were the pancakes at breakfast, only because they seemed very dry and broke up as soon as you tried to pick them up. The chefs did an excellent outside barbecue when the weather got better as well. I still think that thought needs to be given to extending the seating area around Connexions... it is very difficult to get a seat for the events held there. To sum up, a very enjoyable cruise, we like this cruise line and have booked the Northern Lights one for this October. We only booked a couple of shore excursions this time, we find them not particularly good value for money but they are optional. Read Less

We are seasoned cruisers but never with Cruise and Maritime, so my partner and I along with 2 of our friends booked the Cape Verde Christmas and New Year cruise hoping for some winter sun which we got... Embarcation: this was ok, we had our Embarcation time sent to us with the tickets and final cruise information, once out of our taxi at Tilbury, porters quickly and efficiently took our cases from us, we went inside the terminal and were shown the end of a long queue to check in...this moved however, quickly and we were checked in with no problems, we also booked our drinks package, which I must add was very good value at £17 per person per day...we certainly had our money's worth there. We boarded the ship where a member of staff showed us to our cabin 6143, the cabin was clean and spacious enough with plenty of storage, bathroom with toilet, basin and shower (no bath) which was also clean, towels were replaced each day, we had a large double bed, (which were two singles pushed together) but were surprisingly comfortable, the bed linen although clean had seen better days and had holes in the sheets and duvet cover. We had tea and coffe facilities, which I understand was not enjoyed by the lower decks?? The TV lost its signal most of the times. Wifi was available at a charge but you could never get on it. Our cabin steward Nyoman was very friendly and quickly had our luggage installed in our cabin and offered to bring me more coat hangers which I appreciated...the wardrobe space was adequate. Meals: We were on the 5-45pm sitting in the Waldorf Restaurant, and had a table just for the four of us, our waiters were friendly, funny and efficient in all aspects. The menu choices were good and the quality of food was very good, we also breakfasted in the Waldorf where a buffet was prepared where you helped yourself, lunch however, was a different story, this was a buffet selection in the Raffles bistro on deck 10, there was plenty of food choice but trying to get a table and chair was like finding a needle in a haystack!! It was also set out like a canteen, you could eat dinner up there, however, one side of it was sectioned off for the Indian cuisine which you paid extra for, making less tables and chairs available, my partner and I did not use the dinner service up there. Public rooms: Taveners Pub, comfortable chairs, and pleasant surroundings, Sinatras Bar also had comfortable seating and a pianist playing most nights. A small casino with a few slot machines, 2 small card tables and 1 small roulette table. Then we had the Captains bar with a very small dance floor, the seats had seen better days, beading coming away from the chairs and dirty sofas with holes in the bottom foot boards. The Theatre was set on two floors which was very spacious, however, the entertainment was not so good. We had 3 comedians, 1 quite funny, 1 not so funny and 1 downright awful...the dance shows were ok, some were better than others, then there were the singers....1 male vocalist we did not like at all he just shouted his songs out...The Cruise Director however, introduced them as if they were the best west end stars...which I assure you they were not!! Entertainment on sea days was awful. Quizzes which are fine but only if you could understand the questions, they were often done by one of the singers who were either from Eastern Europe or further afield and you could not understand their accent, there was only 1 English singer who we could understand....there were what we called children's games, ie: throwing bean bags in a bucket, thowing bean bags at tins to knock them over, and throwing little wooden horseshoes over sticks, there was a professional dance couple who tried to teach some dances, however the dance floor was so small we gave that up after the first 5 mins of the first dance lesson, there were some lectures that took place in the theatre, which were on planets and solar system, entertainers of the 50's 60's ect, also talks on Spanish recipies and Portuguese cooking, None of which we attended as we did not find them to our taste, All in all, I think the entertainment should be seriously looked at, as it stands it's abismal, there were long gaps in between the activities and nothing seemed to be consistent, there were some social dancers like ourselves among the passengers who could have been catered for, but no..nothing, and this is the first cruise ship we have been on that did not offer this activity, it would have been nice to have had an afternoon social dance. There was plenty of free time in the day for this. We found that after a shaky start from the bar staff, lack of service, they stepped up and upped their game. Most of the staff were friendly and courteous, however, we did have a problem, the reception staff gave the impression that they could not be bothered with sorting it, which in fact was not sorted, until we reached home and sorted it ourselves. We liked most of the countries we visited but unfortunately not the Cape Verde islands they took us to...very 3rd world we felt very intimidated especially when the local policeman told us to walk on one side of the road for our own personal safety..we thought that 3 days at sea to get there was a waste and then the 1 day back to Tenerife. I know there are lovely places in Cape Verde but not these two places Mindello and Praia..in Mindello we saw males urinating at the side of the road up the rocks, we were followed by beggars, I know that these ports rely on visiting cruise ships and the tourist trade, but they have got to make it feel and look safer. We were disappointed on New Years Eve, it was spent at sea on deck as we were traveling to Lanzarotte, and we were freezing in our formal attire, we had been in the day at Gran Canaria where it was lovely and warm, and thought how nice it would have been to see some fireworks coming from the town as we welcomed 2018 from the deck. Disembarkation: this was relatively painless, our suitcases were collected before midnight the night before, we had the disembarkation time left in the cabin a couple of days before, we had to vacate the cabin by 7-30am, had breakfast and joined the rest of the passengers to disembark, we were lucky and did not have to wait to long, our allocated time was 9-40am..once we had disembarked we found our luggage in our coloured area in no time, however 1 case had been slightly damaged, and my partners suit carrier had been put down in a puddle of water and had mud splashes all over the front. Outside the terminal we were shown to a taxi which took us to where our car was parked. FOR: Good food, quality of food and choice. Friendly cabin Steward and waiters, adequate cabin. Plenty of sun loungers on the sun decks. Drinks package. AGAINST: lack of good entertainment and no organisation of the entertainment, especially on sea days. No TV signal most of the time, WiFi was available at a price but you could never get on it. Lack of information and directions of how to get to main areas of ports visited for people not going on the expensive shore excursions. Not enough seats in Raffles Bistro for lunch, unhelpful staff on reception. Some areas of the ship need urgently updating. I must point out that we do not need constant entertaining, but like to watch and participate in good entertainment which this ship did not provide. This was our first cruise on Cruise and Maritime Maggellan and I am sorry to say it will be our last. Read Less

We were looking for a cruise around X'mas time and the New Year, so the cmv Magellan to Madeira Cape Verdes Canary Iles seemed OK. We embarked in Amsterdam and soon found out that the average age of the passengers was about 80.Lots of wheel chairs, electric scoot mobiles with beep sound signals etc. The cabin was OK and the steward was exellent. Only the airco smell in the cabin was like a smokers room that lasted for 22 days. The ship is old and very unstable it rolls fiercely in waves of only 3- 4 m. Lots of old passengers fell of stairs and in cabins. The hospital and the Servian female doctor was very busy with all the coughing guests. The pneumonia germs were spread throughout the ship by the apparently not well filtered or sanitary cleaned airco air. Twice a rescue helicopter had to collect sick passengers. The kitchen chef was Indian as well as most of the cooks. The soup was every day the same only a different name and colour. At breakfast the bacon was dried out because it was baked in the middle of the night. The entertainment girls and boys came from the former East block . The quality was below the standard one would like to experience on a X'mas cruise. The excursions were acceptable except for the waiting time for diasbled passengers that were coming while they could hardly walk up a stair. The final bill showed a creditcard charge of GBP 141 for payment of an amount of GBP 1690 , a small charge for paying by credit card we would accept but this is robbery. In short we do not recommend this ship or cruise line.Our experience with the HAL is much better. Read Less

The cruise had an appealing itinerary together with the opportunity for Christmas in a warmer climate. The cost was at the lower end. I believe we had value for money. The Magellan visited Amsterdam, Vigo, Lisbon, Cape Verde, Tenerife, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote, Madeira and, Leixoes (for Porto). We were allocated cabin 5078, adjacent to reception. It was quiet and in mid ships comfortable. In fact although there were up to 6m swells, the ship was reasonably stable. We dined in the Waldorf restaurant at the early sitting 5:45. We found the food good and the service friendly and quick. We had always finished the 5 course meal by 7,00. The waiters were friendly and always willing to help if needed. Even when fruit was not available for dessert, he was able to produce some. The shows in the evening were of a variable standard. 3 comedy acts were mediocre. The musical shows of dancers and vocalists were generally good although we disliked one of the vocalists. The daytime activities were unappealing. The lectures were either about astronomy or 50s singers. Although there was a bridge room there was nothing organised and so we managed it ourselves. There were not even enough cards available and I had to purchase some from the shop. The service was generally good. Occasionally it took some time to order and receive drinks in the evening and at shows. The ports were mostly excellent. The biggest disappointment was Cape Verde. Really not worth the 4 sea days there and back. Our biggest disappointment was the port information (mostly limited to the shore excursions) and the shore excursions on offer were unappealing and looked poor value. We did similar things ourselves at much lower cost. We were fortunate with the weather and the Christmas and New Year celebrations were good. Free wine and bubbly were supplied. Read Less

We sailed on the Columbus as a middle-aged couple celebrating a belated honeymoon. The Canaries and Madeira cruise offered summertime warmth, great sights, and enough sea days to relax and spend time together. The newly refitted ship was clean, and bright. This was a voyage with great potential. We arrived in Tilbury, and embarkation went smoothly. We arrived at our cabin and it was spacious and had an above average sized ocean view window. We were on an upper deck, and the views were great. The steward was amazing and learned our names on our first meeting. The reception staff, were wonderful as well. I cannot fault them for the efforts they put forth to make us feel welcomed, and cared for. Now the down side. Cruise and Maritime are experimenting with "Family Friendly" cruises. This is a company wonderfully prepared to serve a niche clientele of a certain age. Many passengers (including us) are loyal to the line, and are repeat cruisers with them. But C & M seemed ill-prepared to deal with children. There was a great offer, £99 per child for a two week cruise. You can't send them in a summer club and feed them for that. There was a stipulation, however, that the ship didn't have regular children's facilities and parents needed to accompany their kids. Accompanying was true for some. Others did not. Children got bored. Their were cases of kids pressing several lift buttons at once and then leaving. The main pools were dominated by "families," relegating the majority of passengers desiring some quiet to the Oasis decks. For the first 7 days even these places of 18+ peace were frequented by kids. The library (wonderful with its overstuffed chairs, and English Club atmosphere) lost its tranquility owing to its position next to the games room. I witnessed two boys spinning in the revolving door then jumping out, leaving a waiter full tray in hand having to wait for it to come to a stop before he could return to his duties. Part of the problem was of the company's own making. Kid-friendly activities included foot ball shoot outs in a stairwell. This, I must imagine, is what gave some kids the impression that this was a suitable place to play. In fact by the end of the second week, a gang of late pre-teens began to loiter in the stairwells. I am not anti youth. I am an educator, and a grand-parent. But as such, I need a break on holiday from "the day job." C & M really has to have a rethink on this one. Either charge a realistic price (even next year's £199 per child is to low) to provided for more youth services, or return to the tried and true adult cruises. If not they risk losing the clientele which built the company. [By the way, this was a topic of much discussion among older passengers, and I even overheard one "family" discussing that they weren't content with the system either as their child felt the whole on board experience was "boring"]. Dining was very good. The Waterfront was well run, and the service excellent. The executive chef and staff were very focused in their dealings with special dietary needs. The waitstaff really took a personal interest in us and our dining enjoyment. Unfortunately, as the cruise continued, more and more of the restaurant staff were shifted to duties on the Buffet. Fair enough, many families were eating there, and service needed to be "where the people are." This did lead to a scarcity of seating, and waits in the buffet at times (though we did stay with the restaurant primarily). The excursion staff were very good, and the planned trips very reasonable in price. In fact, there seemed to be savings to be found by booking with C & M. On some previous cruises with other companies, the seemed to be a mark up for a "captive audience" which does not seem to be the case on he Columbus. If I were to fault the shore side experience at all, it was the access arrangements on Tennerife. Poor communications about shuttle services (daily bulletin did not mention this service under transport), and taxis (which were mentioned), led to frustration. While not C & M's fault, they had said metered taxis would be available. But the taxis only wanted to take full day tour fairs, not short runs. All in all, it was an enjoyable cruise. But, I am now reluctant to take another "family friendly" trip with C & M. I do like the line, and feel a loyalty. I will remain a top choice for adult cruising. Read Less

As a cruise I have no real complaints and it's not the reason I'm giving the poor overall review. I've been on many Cruises over the years and started off with the now extinct Airtours followed by Thompson Cruises and then moved on to P & O and Princess Cruises. It seems Cruise and Maritime have bitten off a little more than they can chew with the Columbus, but I think given time they will improve and be able to offer an amazing Cruising Experience. The refit that the ship underwent seems a little rushed with most of the focus being on the main atrium, Waterfront Restaurant and the Casino, all of which are lovely. My cabin was terrible though if I'm to be perfectly honest and I have added photos and a full review in that section. My waiter was really miserable. I'm not a difficult person by any stretch of the imagination before you think this is the case. He barely cracked a smile the entire trip. The rest of the staff were wonderful, the food was very good and the Captain, despite being a little hard to understand at times (which I'm not going to fault him for, he is Greek after all and English is not his first language) is very competent and friendly. The were a few service issues on some of the evenings The entertainments crew whilst very good are standard issue and nothing sets them apart from any other crew I've seen. But I think Tony Parkins, the Cruise Director is by far the best Cruise Director I've seen as he really gets 'stuck in' with entertaining the passengers and his Spanish lessons were helpful and fun! The daily schedule seemed a bit lacklustre on certain days, with many of the daily activities being un-hosted and little more than suggestions. I'm not cure if CMV blew their entire budget on the refit but the main big screen on deck was used only twice for evening films and both of the films were low budget British made movies. At first I thought perhaps I have been spoiled in the past with P & O and Princess, but then I remembered the 2nd time I was on the MS Carousel with Airtours, they would put a movie on in the show lounge late at night and they wouldn't be low budget movies either. The Palladium Show lounge is beautiful, albeit a terrible, terrible design (yes two 'terribles'). Forget about seeing anything worthwhile from anywhere on the upper floor and any one who posts a review or comment saying otherwise is either 3ft tall and could see under the railing or 8ft tall and sat in the back row, because I'm 6ft and my view was at least partially obscured at the best of times. My advice, get in quick and go downstairs for this to not be an issue. Last but not least, there seemed to be a lot of snagging left to do, which is worrying considering the Ship was launched 10 weeks ago. The most amusing thing I saw was an Exit sign fixed in place the wrong way round on deck 10. This was however fixed before the end of my Cruise. I could go on forever about all the good and bad points, but alas I have a Cabin review to write. Read Less

Wheelchair assistance was requested but only one person was giving assistance so after a VERY long wait I had to walk on board with assistance from my husband. ONE PERSON WAITED FOR OVER 2 HOURS. The cabins are large and comfortable with a large TV on which only one channel ever worked. When asked about this reception explained that all the cabins have different channels, most of which were foreign or have no signal. This is an old but rather lovely ship. The staff are friendly and polite but have no idea what is happening or even where things are on the ship. Many of the crew are very new and have difficulty with English. There were over 300 children on board and the ship has no special provision for them so many just ran wild, jumping in pools and breaking things. As there was no nursery provision they stayed up until very late, cried a lot and became very cross. The crew refused to help claiming it was the parent's responsibility and nothing to do with them. The extra numbers on board meant that seating in bars and lounges or on deck was difficult to find. The ship was noisy and crowded. Many elderly people had been told this was a child free ship when they booked. Quiz sessions were a farce as everyone marked their own papers so that four youths who did not even bother to write answers down,regularly claimed victory and won drinks in the evening. The entertainers claimed this is a "friend ship" but this is not enough, a degree of organisation and efficiency is vital. This was the first cruise that they had allowed children on board and it was a disaster. Read Less

We were looking for a no fly cruise to celebrate our friends 60th birthday, don't usually go in August but being a one off this fit the bill, it was just a lovely cruise, cabins were clean and well maintained by our steward, the food was excellent in the Waterfront dining room, didn't feel the need to use the other choice restaurants. The ports of call had enough interest based on the length of time in ports, it certainly didn't disappoint, we were a bit unsure as to what to expect based on some reviews read prior to departure, all the staff worked very hard and a very good team effort from all concerned, the entertainment was decent, some shows were better than others but overall the team did a good job, nice to see the Captain and his crew out and about on the ship and all very friendly, the highlight was Seven steps big band for the entertainment, exceptional talent from all the band. Christopher Gee and Mel Harvey were funny. Female violinist was excellent. The only gripe for me was if you sat up on deck 8 to watch a show in the palladium, anything beyond the front row is very difficult to see anything, the glass and rail is very off-putting, I know the need for Health and safety but there should be better view from up on that deck and the need to clean the glass that you have to watch the show through, but that would be my only issue, Columbus only do a couple of cruises with kids on and this was one of them, overall they were well behaved and respectful of other passengers. The ship felt welcoming and a very good enjoyable cruise, nice mix of cruisers, even the Bay of Biscay was like a mill pond. Read Less

‘Columbus’ sailed to Gibraltar, the Canary Islands, Madeira and Lisbon from Tilbury on 11th August and whilst I’m sure that there will be those that will find something to moan about, if you cruise with CMV and expect a ‘Cunard’ standard, then you will be disappointed. I found the whole experience far exceeded my expectations and my previous experiences with P&O. Whilst there was not perfection in all areas, overall, it was excellent and definitely value for money. This was a multi-generational cruise and there will no doubt be those who will complain about there being children on-board. However, this change was advertised over 12 months prior to sailing and there was surely the option to cancel or rebook on another cruise if this was unacceptable. The CMV coach transfer from Victoria was professionally organised and embarkation smooth and efficient with the luggage being delivered by a happy, smiling Cabin Steward within 10 minutes of entering the twin inner cabin on Deck 10. There’s no point in going on a cruise and spending all day in the cabin, so provided it is clean, comfortable and of a reasonable size, that’s acceptable. This inside cabin was just that and a minor problem with the shower was sorted out within 10 minutes after notifying the excellent Cabin Steward, Puta Sukma who replaced the towels and consumables at least twice a day and kept it spotless. It was traditional in style and provided adequate hanging and storage facilities. The Safety Drill on the first evening was well organised, most people realising its importance. The cleaning and maintenance staff worked extremely hard throughout the day and night to maintain the initial impression that it was a clean and well maintained ship. Bar and lounge staff were friendly and attentive, as were the staff in the dining areas. great dining companions on Table 208. The presentation and quality of the food in the Waterfront Restaurant surpassed some fine dining restaurants and an enjoyable 7 course dinner could be taken each evening. If desired, breakfast and lunch could be taken here too. The Plantation Bistro provided variety and convenience for breakfast, lunch, dinner and of course there was the ‘mandatory’ afternoon cream tea and constant access to tea and coffee throughout the day. Breakfast was indeed a time when everyone could find something to satisfy and included fruits, cheese, cold meats, pancakes and of course all the items for a ‘Full English’. The Fusion Restaurant in the evening provided an interesting alternative, at cost, as did The Grill. There was certainly no shortage of food available and you could have breakfast in the cabin if you wished! Not sure when (or if) members of the entertainment team managed to sleep, as they seemed to be constantly hosting, organising, performing or accompanying excursions. As the cruise progressed, so did the standard of the shows culminating with two super offerings on the final two evenings. Themed party evening were organised and during one a demonstration of the making (and consumption) of paella and sangria proved very popular! There were exceptional performances from the dancers, singers Jordana and Angelina, the classical duo of Tatiana and Lana, not forgetting Maria the aerial performer. The Palladium Show Lounge is poorly designed as the safety barrier restricts the view from the circle on Deck 8, so getting a seat downstairs is preferable. The Dome Nightclub was popular and well attended, providing for young and old until the early hours. Some of the quiz session were good and some quite hilarious. And then there was Tony Parkins the Cruise Director…enough said! Berthing in all ports was convenient to the town and complimentary transfers were provided. There was a reasonable selection of shore excursions and sufficient time in each port to do an excursion and have free time. If you prefer to have everything planned / organised, then a shore excursion is the (expensive) answer, but using local transport can be less expensive and gives you flexibility. Comprehensive port information was always provided the evening prior to berthing. Berthing at Lisbon was delayed by 90 minutes due to thick fog, but a modification of the itinerary allowed for passengers to have the same length of time on-shore. In all other ports the ship arrived and departed according to the published schedule. This was a multi-general cruise on a ship that has no specific child-friendly areas or facilities and there were some who were obviously not aware that children would be on board. Admittedly there were some children who could perhaps have been better supervised (by their parents), but they were in the minority and their presence added to the vibrant atmosphere on board. Every day ‘Sailor Sam’ and team managed to organise a tremendous range and variety of activities with few resources for these younger guests and it was delightful to see parents and grandparents getting involved too. Disembarkation at Tilbury was efficient, but seemed very a slow process due to the ship requiring final clearance and all the luggage taken off. Passengers had to leave their cabins by 8am, the luggage having been collected the night before and stored ready for transfer to shore. Express disembarkation for those who wished to carry their own luggage was possible 15 minutes after berthing at 10am, whilst regular disembarkation started at 11:20 and again was smooth and trouble free with, surprisingly, no further Passport or Customs inspections. Had it not been for road closures in London, the return transfer to Victoria would have arrived by noon, as it was, the journey only took just under an hour and a half. Two pools which were almost always in use, large sun decks, hot tubs, quiet areas, the elegant Raffles Bar (and much more) with a constant programme of activities, demonstrations and tours all combined to make this a memorable, eventful and enjoyable two weeks in the sun on calm seas. This was 14 days of sun, fun and superb food. Magnificent ship, enchanting ports, exceptionally hard-working, friendly crew, excellent entertainment team and shows, wide variety of kids activities. None of this would have been possible without the tremendously hard-working staff who didn’t always get it right, but couldn’t be faulted in their efforts to please. Best cruise I've had for years. Magnificent. Well Done to all on 'Columbus'. CMV will certainly have my custom in the future. Read Less

wanted away for Christmas and New Year My wife Myself her Sister and Friend aged between 60 and 73 having been on larger ships before we were a little unsure of the Marco Polo But right from the start at least you knew your way around Boarding not bad from arriving at quay to our rooms about 40 minutes which we thought normal nice touch mulled wine handed round while we waited Cabin small but functional with good shower , Cabin Steward excellent nothing was a problem ,Every thing was spotless (but too many full length mirrors ,will have to diet) plenty of variety at mealtime with the waiter and wine waiter at our table good fun and always smiling Shows were good and there were a variety of talks lectures and quizzes every day there also were art and craft classes everyday . this suited us as my wife and sister liked the lectures their friend loved all the arts and crafts and I had my quizzes So we always had something to talk about when we met we did not go on many excursions as we had been to most of the places before but the ship anchored off Maderia to bring in the New Year and the firework display was fantastic only downside was that we had to wait for a couple of hours to disembark but fore by that i would recommend the Marco Polo if you want a small pleasant ship without great shopping Malls or Climbing Frames that is easy to get around and give good value for money Read Less

This is our third time with CMV, and the second time we’ve been on the Magellan. The value for money is outstanding, and we thoroughly enjoyed it. Some of our fellow passengers obviously went on the cruise simply to find fault with anything they could, some of the best entertainment was listening to the moaning! Too many sea days and it was too cold in the Canaries were amongst our favourites - along with "the trouble with cruise ships is that they can't fly"... If you’re unhappy with life, then a cruise isn’t going to put it right, however hard they try. And the ship staff do try! Our last cruise was on the Regal Princess – with over 4000 passengers. Throughout the cruise, I kept asking myself if there was anything I missed from the Regal that wasn’t available on Magellan and really couldn’t think of anything. In fact, the smaller ship had many advantages over the larger ship – it was friendlier (you saw people twice!) and much easier to find your way around. We were delighted to find ourselves on the same table – with the same waiter – as last time on the Magellan. Zay Yar, hailing from Myanmar is still by far the best waiter we’ve had on any ship. Eating on the second sitting let him advise on dishes – if we chose something that didn’t go down too well on the first sitting, then he’d let us know. I can’t think that there was anything I didn’t like during the whole cruise. I’m not keen on desserts, so he’d always bring a cold starter or salad instead – and dealt with my allergy to cheese superbly – especially on Italian night, where he went through the menu the night before. Overall, we found the food to be excellent in the restaurants. We didn’t really go to the buffet, except for a couple of breakfasts as it was open slightly later than the restaurants. Having the drinks package meant that we didn’t have to serve ourselves with orange juice – and the day we went, I spotted a “minute steak special” – the regular waiters had no idea, but as soon as I asked the Maitre d’ (just look for stripes!), he asked where I was sitting and brought it to me. That’s my type of buffet! We sat by the pool and had no problem getting a table, but it’s a shame that breakfast isn’t served later in the restaurants, although it's still buffet style, we preferred it. The Waldorf tended to be quieter at breakfast and lunch as it’s at the end of the ship, both serve the same food. We’re gold passengers, so had a 5% discount on the drinks package, making it just over £16 a day, which we found to be good value, especially as it let us try out some cocktails – some of them we really wouldn’t have twice (like the Apotheke, a dreadful mix of crème de menthe, Martini Rosso and something else!) But I quickly got something I liked to take the taste away! We were impressed by the quality of the house wines and sparkling wine, although it would have been nice if tea/coffee were included. For the first time, we had a guaranteed cabin saving some money, meaning that we hadn’t chosen the cabin. Another first was that our baggage actually arrived before we did! We were very happy with 6082 until the sea was very rough on the way back and there was a very bad hammering noise. We’d convinced ourselves that they wouldn’t do anything about it, but after no sleep, I finally snapped at around 5am one morning and we called reception. Within minutes, a friendly face appeared, couldn’t fix the problem and said he’d report it to reception. A few minutes later, the phone rang and said that we could have a “sleeping cabin” on deck 4. We went in our dressing gowns and slept for the rest of the night. Why we didn’t do it sooner is beyond me, and very much our fault for not letting CMV have the chance to rectify the situation, which they did very well indeed. After all, they can’t put right a problem they don’t know about. The cabins are fine, if simple – one tip is that the toiletries are basic, so if you’re fussy, then bring your own favourite brands. Unlike some other passengers, we didn’t get any towel animals which are always a bit of fun. Fellow passengers were a fair mix – if you’re under 60, it’s a great way to feel young as most passengers will be older than you, although on the whole CMV passengers do seem to be full of life. There aren’t many ships where the main lounge is still busy after midnight! We're always delighted to see a smattering of fellow EU citizens on the ship from the Netherlands and Germany, just giving it that more cosmopolitan edge. Having said that, we were exceedingly careful to keep our political views to ourselves during the trip, knowing that we'd probably disagree with the vast majority of fellow cruisers. You really need to go with the flow with the daytime activities and evening entertainment – as much as carpet bowls on a rocky ship can be very entertaining, it’s true to say there are some things to laugh at, rather than laugh with… Christmas day was a bit quiet – until dinner – when we had rocket balloons which were exceptionally entertaining – probably the most fun meal I’ve ever had. Santa Claus was also kind - cufflinks, cards and chocolates were on the beds which was a nice touch. We were a little surprised to find no theatre entertainment on New Year’s Eve, but after dinner, it was great fun. The excursions well organised and interesting, and not too dear if you compare them with other cruise lines. Having spent $199 (plus $3.95 connection) on the Regal for 4 hours of internet, £35 for 12 hours wasn’t too bad at all, although I do wonder when it’ll be a little faster. I’ve no idea why, but we were invited to the Captain’s table one night which was a lovely and unexpected touch. We thoroughly enjoyed the evening and felt very spoiled and privileged, having two senior officers and the Captain as dinner companions, although I did joke about having to eat with the staff! The next day, we were invited onto the bridge which is always fascinating. One thing that does need addressing, however, was that the gangways were inadequate, especially in Tenerife where it was a rickety staircase from Deck 5, not even a ramp. Considering the amount of frail and disabled passengers onboard, CMV really does need to liaise better with the port authorities. Ports - Amsterdam - 10 minutes easy walk into town for the able bodied, although a new cruise terminal is being built out of the city. We just had a coffee with friends. Gibraltar - If you’ve done the rock tour, then there’s not that much else to do. The walk into town is an easy 10-20 minutes, no need for a taxi if you’re able bodied. The biggest disappointment for some was that M&S was closed as it was Boxing Day! Lanzarote - Fire island tour – fascinating volcanic landscape, the only shame is that the tour didn’t drop us into town, rather than having to get the shuttle bus back in. Gran Canaria - First time I’d been – we had a wander around and a nice lunch on the square near the ship after nearly being ripped off at a beach café. We were lucky that the Science Museum had an open day - it was very interesting. Tenerife - Probably the outstanding tour of the trip – La Orotava was an amazingly gorgeous little town, with a highlight of a huge nativity scene at the Town Hall. We then went to Puerto de la Cruz, unfortunately, we didn’t have enough time there, but we were supposed to leave earlier than we did due to not tendering in Madeira. Again, the tour bus didn’t drop us off in town after our excursion, so we had to go to the cruise terminal and back onto the shuttle bus, which was an unexpectedly short journey. Madeira - Couldn’t tender as weather too rough, but still caught the fireworks, which were spectacular. Lisbon - Went to Sintra and Cascais. The weather was too wet to do much walking, but that certainly isn’t the fault of the cruise line. In Sintra, we went to the Myths and Legends museum which was great fun. In Cascais, we went to a lovely restaurant “Jardim dos Frangos” where we had a lovely lunch and sheltered from the rain To be honest, I can’t recommend the Magellan enough. Personally, I’ve been as happy (or even happier) in an inside cabin on the Magellan as I’ve been on any other ship, even if it’s got a balcony or a butler. We go with no expectations, and generally speaking, our expectations are usually exceeded. Read Less

Where do I start… As with our previous cruise on Magellan, we lost count how many times the toilets failed to flush. This time there was also a stench of raw sewage in the cabin corridors and in some public areas. When the toilets *were* working, there was sometimes a 20 second delay between pressing the flush button and the toilet actually flushing. After about a week on board, my wife and I both contracted ‘the famous Magellan cough’ (as mentioned by one of the entertainments team). If CMV clearly knew of this infection then why were we not warned prior to boarding? I overheard one passenger saying the on-board doctor charged him £28 for a 10 minute consultation with the nurse and a bottle of cough mixture. Obviously there is more money to be made by not fixing the ventilation/aircon and NOT telling the passengers! Lifts not working (again). One lift (11) was not working for the whole duration of the cruise. Another lift (in the middle of the ship) seemed to be always stuck on deck 4. There were also call buttons not working (either they lit up and the lift went straight past or didn’t illuminate at all!). I wonder what other systems on the ship don’t work due to poor maintenance. Wobbling gangway in Lisbon. Outright dangerous. In conclusion, this was our 3rd trip with CMV. We will think twice about using them again. Read Less

I choose my 1st cruise because I didn't need to fly. I travelled from Aberdeen to London by train & stayed overnight before getting coach to Tilbury from Victoria. After traffic problems embarking was so easy & I was in my cabin on Atlantic deck before I realised where I was.Lovely spacious clean cabin with so much wardrobe space.Took me a while to find my way about but soon worked out which lift took me to cabin. Invite to Solos Cocktail party was a lovely surprise & chance to meet people also on their own. My fellow table guests had all cruised before & soon put me at my ease. Meals were excellent & even when I didn't like the choices there was always something lovely to eat. Breakfast & lunch was free seating so gave a chance to mix with many different guests. It was always good to meet up at own table at dinner to catch up with the others. I went on 6 organised trips & had a great time especially the wine tasting ones. Shame weather was so bad in Lisbon that we really didn't see much. I loved the huge choice of drinks available on all inc package. It was fantastic & well worth it. I enjoyed the entertainment in Show Lounge & Captains Club as it suited my tastes.Shame so many people complained that it was poor but each to there own. I loved the chance to be in the Choir. It was a great experience being on stage singing excerpts from Les Mis. Brought us together as a group. I felt the days at sea lacked a little in entertainment especially if weather wasn't ideal for sitting out. All the staff were attentive & very friendly. Loved the fireworks in Madeira. A stunning experience. I will certainly try the Magellan or sister ships again as I met so many lovely people who helped make my 1st cruise a great success. On arriving back at Tilbury we were last off but arrived in Victoria in 50 mins. Once I got used to the odd noises & the layout I really did enjoy myself. Read Less

We chose this cruise to be away from home for Christmas and the New Year. The Ship, Cabin, Crew and most entertainers staff were absolutely superb. We chose the second sitting, and were served admirably by our waiters. Our table chums were very good company, the food on the whole was very acceptable. Although the entertainment was not really to my taste, but my wife loved it, i could see that a great deal of thought and rehearsal had gone into producing the shows. Both my wife and i did find the classical music in the Hamptons lounge great. Each evening we were there before going to Dinner into the Kensington. I found the on board lecturer a little tedious, with a subject matter of Yachting, DIY and weather i was looking forward to some good quality talks. Unfortunately this particular lecturer was most biased about his own self importance and past life, having listened to why his first wife left him (do i really need to know that?) i then listened to the first talk about sailing around the world. unfortunately his talk was all about him, not the yacht or voyage. I was aware of at least 2 offshore deep sea yachtsmen on board who all agreed that the talks were very uninformative. a surprise really as it transpired that he is a RYA instructor. I managed 2 talks before deciding i would rather do 6 dog watches in a storm than listen to him. The Garden lecturer was however very good, knowledgable about her subject and engaging. A down side to the cruise, was the constant moaning of any passenger's beyond a certain age. I have never heard so much gossip, untruths and rudeness. I dared to ask one passenger who was loudly moaning why he had chosen to come on a cruise, he said that his son made hm come away at christmas. Both my wife and i came to the uncharitable conclusion that the Christmas Cruise on board the Maggellan had many passenger's whose offspring had off loaded them onto CMV! Still we were not going to allow these sad passengers ruin our holiday, even though they tended to hog seats. We did try the on deck buffet a couple of times but left it to the old food monsters who had made the deck buffet their home. Unfortunately we missed madeira due to a heavy swell, but were treated to a wonderful firework display in the company of 10 other cruise ships, superb bit of "on station" handling of the ship, from the bridge. All other ports were just great. I agree with a previous poster that It was nice to see some Dutch passengers on the ship. The Ship rode any inclement weather very well, the worst sea state was a swell of around 4mts and winds of 30kts, but she rode the elements very well. nobody should have any problems with motion on the Magellan. Cabin? Big, comfy & great 4028.... but we chose carefully, fwd of midships. I heard anything aft of amidships was a bit creaky, but we never ventured down there! so in in five words? "WE HAD A GREAT CRUISE" Read Less

Choose this cruise because it was value for money Best cruise in a long time Food was excellent in all areas Entertainment was not bad but seen better on other cruise ships Service was second to none very helpful Excursions was excellent only one was a bit boring but saw the rep to say we was off on our own All in all a very memorable time I would recommend the Magellan to anyone and I would certainly be very happy to go again Captain was excellent in delivery of the weather and what was happening was disappointed at not docking at maderia but our safety was paramount and we got there to watch fireworks new year Was some great people and made some great friends Waiters and assistants and cabin staff excellent nothing to much trouble Read a lot of bad reviews so when I got on board which was very swiffed I was quite thrilled to find that some people moan for the sake of it OK you had a cruise onboard the Queen Mary then on the Magellan ? Should of done it the other way it's an old ship but I didn't experience much of what was in the reviews Only the odd blocked toilet Read Less

We chose this cruise as it was convenient for us as we live in Bristol, and we thought the weather should be warm. Convenient it was, but the weather was far from good, which was no fault of the ship, obviously. However. I was in bed for 2 days with sea sickness. We were tossed around everywhere, which is one of the drawbacks of a small ship. We have been on bigger ships, and not even known were were on the water. It was most unpleasant, and worrying as you had no way of knowing what the next day would bring. It was extremely hard to keep your feet when walking about and ruined the whole experience for me. The staff, food and entertainment were excellent, as was our cabin. The weather in the Canaries was just passable, but it poured rain in Madeira. The drinks were very reasonably priced. Don't pay for the excursions. We had an hour on a tuk tuk in Madeira, it cost us £84. We saw nothing and spent 20 minutes looking round a shop. I complained to the excursion rep on the desk who was extremely rude and spoke to me as if I were a child. Complete rip off. We did however book as excursion at Coruna, before we sailed, which was great. Most ports have open topped buses for sight seeing. Read Less

this was my wife and I first Cruise and we were both really looking forward to it,embarkation went smoothly and we were soon under way. We were assigned a table for dinner along with three other couples.The food was average although the presentation was good, and the other couples were good company. The entertainment on the first night I thought would be a sign of things to come, I wasn't wrong, it was embarrassingly bad, the singers couldn't sing,the cruise director looked like he was working out his notice, and would rather have been anywhere else but on board. The best singer was the waiter who gave our dinner table a rendition of (Iam sailing) The main reason I have for writing this review though is a much more serious one. My wife has never smoked and I cant remember the last time she had a chesty cough, By the end of the cruise she sounded like a homeless person who had just spent the winter on the streets of London and who smoked 20 cigs a day.This didn't just apply to my wife,i noticed whenever we went on shore excursions,(we went on3) at least 70% ofpunters were coughing and sneezing or in some way feeling not right.I sincerely believe shipboard environment is a very unhealthy one and anyone considering a cruising vacation should think about the health implications. Read Less

I went on this ship Magellan For the first time Found it to be very clean Food was very good Cabins also good staff worked hard around the she ship Some passengers had Coughs awhile they were on-board but the sun most days made up for feeling a little under the weather. Entertainment was good shows I Liked the Cruise director Gary was always around to make you laugh Raul The singer was also fun to watch The team who did The Entertainment worked hard under what looked like long days. there is lots of space Around the ship to relax will book again for this ship only have postie comments to make Nice holiday and very good for the money when I read other reviews it makes me wonder what ship they were on. I have been on many other ships and CMV do a good job with this Ship Read Less

I was on Magellan For 15 nights med Cruise and found the ship to be fine crew do a good job food very good their was a few coughs about with some other passengers but the sun came out when we were in Spain and everyone was happy The Entertainment was fine the Cruise Director was Very funny Gary and team worked hard the reason for my review is because when I read other comments on here I wonder what ship they were on this ship is good for anybody who has been on a ship before or first time its a good ship to spend some relaxing time away from work lots of space on-board and I cant understand why some reviews knock this ship maybe its because they work for other shipping companies because I cruise a lot and found this good Value for money and have booked again next year Read Less