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

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 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 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 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

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 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

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

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

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

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

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

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

On a previous cruise with Cruise and Maritime (Marco Polo) we found the service and the attitude of all staff friendly and helpful. food was good and the general atmosphere pleasant and accommodating. The experience on the Magellan was the same. We would cruise with them anytime. The cruise was also excellently priced - much less than many others for the same destinations. The entertainment was geared to the people who were on board and the standard of performance and presentation compares with the best in the entertainment world. The ship is well presented, facilities on board were of a very high standard. The attenton given to hygiene was meticulous and ensured that there was no illness on board as experienced by other shipping lines. The staff kept us well informed about the venues we were about to visit and made sure that procedures were well explained so as to ensure timely arrivals and departures. Very enjoyable experience. Read Less

Just before our Cruise, we received the final documents from CMV and noted our Cabin had been changed from 5092 to 7188, a choice no one would freely make. I rung CMV and despite protesting they refused to change back to the one booked, stating you checked the upgrade box, basically tough luck. As we found out later, this turned out to be a DOWNGRADE. Difficult to understand what was, "superior plus" about this cabin. It should noted that apart from one night this cabin 7188 remained empty, the reason it was occupied was because their cabin became flooded on deck 5. They quickly returned the next day. Other people knew people someone from a previous cruise, who had complained about this cabin. We arrived at the car park at 11.00 hours for an 11.30 boarding to be confronted with total chaos. There were no porters to assist you with your luggage, joined a long queue shuttling along with our cases, eventually boarded a double decker bus, totally unsuitable for many to get upstairs. How fortunate it was not raining. Eventfully arrived at the main terminal to be confronted with long queues, eventfully boarded at 12.45. Our last case arrived during the life boat drill, sometime after 16.00 hours, which was longwinded & disorganised. Our initial thoughts on the cabin were encouraging, reasonable size, as was the shower. But limited storage, and our cabin steward was very helpful. We arrived at the Waldorf restaurant and had a most enjoyable meal, table companions & service were very good. Eventually we returned to our cabin, and things went downhill rapidly, noise from the propellers was worse than expected, and we were subjected to loud metallic banging and repetitive vibrations all night. It was as if a metal door were swinging freely, and slamming closed. We were advised by others that it was a wire rope and there was nothing that CMV could do about it, or were prepared to do. Complained to Customer Service they advised that the ship was full and consequently there was nothing they could do. During the second enjoyable meal one of our table companions was missing, she was in sick bay having fallen over and either broken or dislocated her hip. One of many to fall over and injure themselves. Was advised that cruise ship arrived at Tilbury with quite a few less passengers, as CMV have not disputed this figure it must be correct. If so, one must question whether this ship is suitable for its itinerary the cliental it aims at. Endured a second sleepless night and complained to Customer Service again, and advised that there nothing they can do. Later in the day we were contacted by Customer Service that another cabin 7059 was available as it appeared to much quieter, so we moved in, how wrong we were. The cabin was even worse, again we complained to Customer Service, and requested that can someone come and have a look at it. Eventually a carpenter arrived, he tried his best hammering corks in, in various parts of the ceiling, all to no avail He advised the whole wall panel needed to be removed to resolve the problem. Next day we went to Customer Service and advised the tapping problem had not been resolved, they requested a report from the Carpenter, he inspected the cabin again and reported that the problem had been resolved. Customer Service advised that as no one had complained about the cabin before, which was totally untrue. Consequently, we had to endure another sleepless night. After leaving Gibraltar, the Ship started cruising at high speed in turbulent water and the noise in 7059 was unbearable, we went the Customer Service and demanded that we come and inspect the cabin, he refused, however they arranged for someone to inspect the cabin, he agreed that it very bad. We were then offered 7087 as a night cabin, however this turned to be not much better, because the speed the ship was travelling at, and the vibration from the prop shaft, even the fan in the bathroom was rattling badly. Yet another sleepless night, it was so bad that my wife returned to the 7059. During the day the Captain reduced the speed to about 10 knots, which significantly reduced the noise level, why he found it necessary to travel at high speed at first, who knows. After returning to our day cabin 7059, there was what I describe as a very condescending letter from Julie Thompson and a bottle cheap house red wine (cost to CMV about £2.50), two wine glasses, but no corkscrew, how typical. I would add that the next day when I went to reception to pick up a news letter, the person I dealt with the night before saw me coming & looked the other way & totally ignored me. At at no time were we asked is everything okay during the rest of the cruise. Later on the Cruise another couple on our table complained about noise in their cabin at low speed, they were immediately offered a quiet sleeping cabin and deck 5, at no time where offered this option. I won't go into other problems we had with Customer Service, few seen able sort out even simple problems. Needless to say, we will never cruise with CMV, and well over 80% of the people we spoke to, felt the same. As a company, they seem to have little respect for customers. They must be aware that cabin 7188 is noisy and customer service on the ship were certainly aware of the problems with 7059. Last but not least, within a few days many people starting coughing, including myself after about 5 days. In the second week all three ladies on our table had several days in bed. Even now, my wife is very poorly, and a x-ray confirmed she has a lung infection. This is a major problem that will be difficult to eradicate, I feel sorry for the people on the next cruise. An email similar to the above was send to CMV on Tuesday, to date no response. Read Less

Introduction: This was our first CMV cruise and was booked after a disappointing Xmas 2015 & New Year cruise to the same destination with a competitor cruise line. We booked with CMV and then read the earlier reviews, so we were concerned that we were in for another disappointment ... Nothing could be further from the truth - the whole cruise experience was really good and the new Captain has changed the service quality immeasurably. Crew members all smile, service is quick and efficient and everything happens in the background, leaving the passenger to enjoy the cruise instead of worrying about the next problem. The Captain and his senior Officers are available (and very visible) throughout each day and give passengers adequate time to raise concerns or issues, without any hint of the 'corporate brush-off' response. The Executive Chef even visited each table at the Dinner Sitting to gain feedback. Embarkation: The Long Stay Car Parking is about 1 mile away from the Cruise Terminal and Shuttle Buses run back and forth - it's a bit of a bun-fight with tight parking slots and trying to avoid passengers wandering across the traffic path towing cases, bags and other appendages. The process is slightly chaotic but it works. Inside the Cruise Terminal, the process is much smoother - there is a separate Waiting Lounge (faded charm, peeling plaster but rather like an Agatha Christie film set) and timed booking-in slots were operating so that, even with a full complement of 1250 passengers, the queuing was kept to a minimum and the process was very smooth and efficient. On board, a crew member escorted us to our cabin - a really nice touch, and checked that door keys worked before returning to guide the next passenger. The Cabin Review is in a separate section. Ship Layout: Slightly quirky - you can only access the full length of the ship at the top and lowest decks since the middle of the ship is devoted to the Galley that serves both restaurants. So, you need to know whether you're aiming for the stern or the prow before leaving the cabin - for the first couple of days, lost souls were wandering the decks muttering 'Is it the rear or the front I need to get to?' as they familiarised themselves with the layout. Lifts are quite small and, with an ageing and often mobility-limited client group, in constant demand. If you need to use the lifts, be prepared to wait up to 2 minutes for one to become available. This was a source of annoyance for several customers. Staircases are quite steep - using them will get you fit! - and the stair riser on some staircases slopes back into the staircase (to create extra space for those size 13 shoes?) and this take a wee while to adjust to. Crew Members are cleaning handrails, lift entrances and the public areas constantly to minimise the risk of infection. Despite this, and the hand-cleansing machines and notices everywhere, passengers still feel they have the right to refill their own water bottles and to return excess food to the serving trays so the coughing starts - grrr! CMV needs to employ a retired schoolteacher from the 1960s so that (s)he can use a wooden ruler to rap the knuckles of any passenger ignoring the food hygiene rules ... Dining: We were allocated First Sitting in the Waldorf Restaurant on a Table for 8. A combination of poor handwriting, inaccurate transcription of the Dining Cards from the computer records and passengers not having their reading glasses meant that we had 12 different guests for the 8 seats over the first 4 days! Eventually (back to Agatha Christie), the Maitre d' appeared at the Table with pad and pen and requested cabin numbers and names so that he could solve the 'Whodunnit' of the Dining Room - of the 12 people trying to get in the 8 seats, 10 were very pleasant so we had a good final selection of fellow diners! Zin and Min (Waiter and Wine Waiter) were first rate and very friendly, seeing the humour of the changing guests until the 'real 8' diners were identified. Menus were decent - safe, unadventurous food in sensible portions. The temperature of the food could have been a wee bit hotter on occasions. We took the £85 Alcohol Package (5 bottles of reasonable quality wine (equivalent to supermarket 'Dine In' promotions - safe but decent quality) and 10 bottles of water) since we do not drink much alcohol. Unused wine is stored until the next meal and there was no noticeable deterioration in its quality. Wine can be bought by the glass for £5 or you can pay £17 per person per day for the Unlimited Drinks Package. We started using the Raffles Bistro fro breakfast, lunch and afternoon tea, but it was often tight for space so finding a table could resemble the Saturday morning drive around the multi-storey car park for the Space that is supposed to be available. The lunch-time deadline return from port visits in Santa Cruz and Gibraltar caused a wee bit of a logjam with diners exceeding available spaces until the Maitre d' began gathering up lost souls and directing them to the restaurants. The Bistro has no table cloths during the day and the layout has evoked descriptions of 'canteen' in appearance with several tables having bench seats along the wall as the perimeter tables run the length of the room. The layout gets the most 'bums on seats' and it gives you a chance to meet lots of fellow cruisers - it's a lively atmosphere that works well, if a little spartan on the furnishings. The Bistro food is the same as in the main restaurants and the range is decent - not spectacular, but you won't starve (I am a very picky eater and managed to find enough variety, albeit in combinations that would have made the chef weep) and there is no problem with taking further portions. Empty serving trays were replenished promptly, but the pressure of a full complement of passengers and the rigid hygiene rules of not re-using plates when taking a second portion (food hygiene and cleaning regimes throughout the ship are scrupulous) sometimes meant a delay whilst new plates and cutlery arrived - nothing major and 'Hunt the Plate' gives a wee bit of exercise to burn the extra calories ... Plenty of serving/support staff (all of whom smile and try to make polite conversation - there's been a big effort to engage with passengers) to clear plates and guide passengers around the serving stations (Mushrooms and Hash Browns sit in a separate Serving Station from the rest of the cooked breakfast components). Quirky, but it works well as does the small queue to have a freshly fried egg rather than scooping up one that has been pre-cooked and then left to sunbathe under the warming lights ... Entertainment: The Carmen Duo classical music act is very good and their show in the Magellan Lounge was excellent - the only complaint is that the sho did not last longer. The Duo also played each evening in Hampton's Bar (3 or 4 sessions of 20-25 minutes) to an appreciative audience. The Magellan Entertainment Team, led by Raul, the Assistant Cruise Director, work very hard to provide a fresh face to the 'song and dance' staple offering. The 'Abba' Evening was done very competently and was very enjoyable. I am a Queen devotee and hoped that the 'Queen' Evening wouldn't be too bad - alas it was. The 'Abba' production showed that there are very capable singers - the 'Queen' production was simply too ambitious and, as a fellow fan observed, 'After the second murder, I called Quincy, MD. to arrange the autopsies ...' Raul and the crew led the 'Sail Away' singing to great effect - it was energetic and well received, confirming that the 'Queen' production had been too ambitious. Guest Lecturers were good - Sue Walsh and Alan Oliver. The latter is a more academic presenter who would get you through your exams, but who is a little too academic for cruise entertainment. Sue Walsh is a very enthusiastic bird watcher, ringer, conservation volunteer - her enthusiasm for her subject shines through, even though she some times became carried away and talked about the subject matter of the next 2-3 slides, leaving a few 'Err, ums ...' until she recovered from realising that she had just spent a couple of minutes covering the content of the new slide! Sue was very happy to talk to passengers outside the lecture stints and to share photos and information from her Tablet. Very enjoyable. Shore Excursions: We booked quite late so several excursions were fully booked - no problem for us since this cruise was to visit destinations that the previous cruise company had cancelled over Xmas 2015 and New Year. We made our own way in each port and encountered no problems. Courtesy buses were available, albeit stipulated on a couple of occasions as being for those passengers with mobility difficulties. In practice, these passengers were given priority and then it was 'first come, first served' for everyone else. It was particularly nice not to have to pay for the Courtesy buses - a nice gesture that CMV and the Port Authorities deserve credit for providing. Julie, the Customer Services Manager. was high profile during the Shore Excursions process, and her cheerful, warm Lancashire voice was a delight. Her update announcement at Gibraltar - 'Ladies and Gentlemen, it's not cloudy - I've just been down at the quayside - I'm from Lancashire and I know rain - it's absolutely lashing it down so DO, please take your coats and umbrellas' was very well received. Some passengers felt that Magellan could have stayed longer at some ports - a matter of personal choice. My wife and I were unable to go ashore at Lisbon because we had picked up the coughing sickness that someone had kindly brought aboard. Those who did remarked on the queues at the local pharmacy to purchase paracetamol etc. Disembarkation: This is probably the weakest element. The baggage collection from cabins on the previous night was very smooth, albeit slightly noisy as cabin crew began the portering about midnight and cabins had to be vacated by 07:00 the next morning. 07:00 and lots of passengers, carrying hand luggage, scrabbling for lifts and then restaurant/bistro space was all a wee bit chaotic. Breakfast was over by 09:00 and there was then up to 2 hours wait for disembarkation. Seats were at a premium (if all else fails, aim for the Magellan Show Lounge - it's dark and a wee bit cold but you can sit comfortably). Toilets were at an even bigger premium as the (already limited by original design) public WCs were closed down for cleaning and maintenance - lots of frustrated, ageing working class males, roaming the decks whilst describing their impending incontinence is not a happy spectacle. I found a working toilet at my 6th attempt - this is not good enough and let the previous high organisational performance slip. London Cruise Terminal does not have enough baggage trolleys for the 1250 passengers so people had to queue for a trolley; then queue to leave the terminal; then queue to reach the Shuttle Buses to return to the Long Stay Car Park which was heaving because of the arrival of new passengers for the Norwegian Fjords Cruise. If you watch Rugby and wonder why players are not allowed to carry suitcases into the scrum, you will have a picture of the organisation under strain ... The organisers were run off their feet getting exiting passengers away and coping with new arrivals whilst a succession of taxis and private care were dropping new passengers off at the Cruise Terminal. After vacating our cabin at 07:00 and being called for disembarkation at 11:00, it was almost midday when we left the Cruise Terminal and 12:40 before arrival the Long Stay Car Park - quite a fraught process overall. There needs to be more trolleys and more frequent Shuttle Bus journeys to free up bottle necks. Summary: I recommend prefacing any review with 'Looking at the price we paid' before making criticisms. I heard several comments from fellow passengers that 'The food is not as good as xyz cruises and it's not available round the clock' etc. We paid £52 per person per day (and we could have saved £5 per person per day by choosing a cheaper cabin) for 14 nights cruising, with 6 ports of call over 4000+ nautical miles on a full board basis with free entertainment provided. Our budget pre-cruise hotel cost us £35 per person for accommodation only! The cruise was well organised, staffed by a friendly and competent crew who provided great service and who made us feel like people rather than cabin numbers. CMV promise 3.5 star service but get closer to 4 star - they could provide more of the pampering, more choice of menu items, fluffier towels etc but not at the prices they charge. I was very apprehensive about the booking after I had read the reviews. My experience has been very positive - a good, value-for-money, decent holiday that was better than CMV indicated. My wife and I have already booked our next cruise on the Magellan (Norway on 17th April 2016 - just about time to get the holiday washing dry before we meet up with the Captain and Crew again); we are really looking forward to the experience! Read Less

We have recently returned from a cruise from TILBURY to the Canary Is. Lisbon Gib and Madeira on the Magellen. All up, I suppose the whole thing prob cost about £1000pp to include upgraded inside cabin, drinks package, parking at Tilbury, tips etc. We had on offer: a child free enviroment, four meals a day, three served at a table, bedroom and bathroom cleaned, transported to various countries/ locations, shows every night, entertainment pool side, quizzes, bars galore, lectures, a library , fabulous friendly helpful staff, a great fun Captain and a wonderful selection of people to pal up with or not depending on your choice. So if anyone can tell me better value for money - I'll book it! Thoroughly enjoyed our time on board!! Read Less

We're do I start to payed just over 650 each for a large inside cabin crew which was spotless our cabin girl elana was great cabin number 7092 so a good start to holiday ok the magellan is a old lady of the sea which gives you her lots of charm. as for the food it was realy very good the waiters and the chefs and we're first time class. The entertainment industry run by Johnathan and his team work in endless to entertain you plus a classical duo guest guest comedian and and opera singer and speakers and there was always something to do. We met at some lovely to people who and there were a few tears on the last day. On a negative note the passengers are a little on the older generation side which is nothing wrong with that but did a lot of complaining about silly little things instead of of looking for a the good things. Then there is was the young at heart that were having a good time whatever. Anyway thats it thank you to all the crew and to cruise and maritime a realy excellent cruise and I forgot to mention the drinks and package which is really good value for money even if if you're only a average drinker served by the hard working bar and restaurant waiting for staff Read Less

I will not re-state the title because we had a wnderful cruise. The food was excellent, the crew were excellent and the entertainment was excellent. The itinerary was as expected and enjoyable. The weather was as expected and changeable. If we had just pulled out into mid-Atlantic and gone round in circles, I would not have complained. The evening buffets/ displays should really have been photographed not eaten. I am not a wine buff but the house wines were good and much enjoyed. Embarkation at Tilbury was good, disembarkation was a little chaotic but we got there in the end. We had a table for four (163) where the bench seats were a bit low and my wife asked for (and was given) a cushion but if this is a complaint, it is a small one. The cabin was comfotable (6150) but I would have preferred a cabin with a bit of daylight - but this was my fault not CMV's. Overall - great!! Read Less

This is a cruise I will not repeat the ship was uncomfortable the air con was far too cold The bistro restaurant was very dificult to get a seat and the food was not good too cap my Trip the ship had 8 deaths . Trips were cancelled due to bad weather and out of 15 days we had 7 days at sea with very little to do on board the entertaiment was very poor it was more like children,s the Gratuities were high and there were long lines of passengers including myself taking This amount off of our final bill overall the prices for items on board were very high ie photos , Disembarkation was a farce out of your cabin by 10am got of the ship at 14.30 and seats were at a premium as for using this line again I would never not my ideal holiday by a long way Read Less