I chose a 2 night cruise to see what the Marco Polo was like as I was planning to go on a much longer cruise (78 nights) and was unsure if I would enjoy life on this rather old and small ship for that length of time. I have been on larger ships for long voyages before. Having read various reviews I was anxious to find out if they were accurate or not. On the whole I found them a good guide to the ship. Reasonably OK for a short voyage but not for any longer. The main reasons for this are that the cabins lack virtually any sound proofing. I heard every word of the phone call that my next door neighbour was making. I was in a premium ocean view cabin. I could also hear music from the entertainment lounge in the evenings. The buffet got very crowded and it was very difficult to find a seat or a table. At times it was crowded with people queuing for food, people trying to go out to the pool deck and people coming in or just passing through. Perhaps the best term would be a scrum. The public areas were mainly only on one deck so no real area for a quiet few hours, activities were also held in these areas. The gym was very small and some of the equipment was out of order. The entertainment lounge looked old and tired and it appeared that if you didnt sit in the front row you would have not seen very much. All these things would not have made an enjoyable long trip with a lot of sea days. I gave the trip a 3 star mainly because the service was good, food OK and a shuttle bus was provided for the port stop, but the ship was really not up to standard for today's cruising Read Less

Decided on this cruise as it was going to Hamburg, and we thought it was a nice change to go on a winter short cruise visiting Amsterdam, Hamburg and Antwerp. Ports were lovely. We didn't take any shore excursions. Unfortunately, it cannot said to be the same for the ship. It looked as if the heart has been taken out of it since it was known as Arcadia with the P&O fleet. The service was dreadful. In the restaurant we waited over an hour for our main course, which did eventually come, but it was cold. The wine waiter was clueless, he didn't know the difference between a bottle of wine and a glass of wine. On the formal evening when the table waiter distributed petit fours, he just tipped them onto the desert plates. One lunch time in the buffet, had to point to staff on duty that the battered fish was under cooked. They just didn't seem to care. These are just a few examples of the bad service, the list goes on. The couple of shows were in our opinion of a very low standard. The Entertainment Manager tried to make jokes which made us cringe, they were years and years old, and not very funny. Read Less

Have never been on a cruise before, so decided an 'overnighter' would be a good introduction, and have to say we enjoyed every minute. To be honest we weren't expecting much for what we paid, but it soon transpired that like many others we spoke too, it was amazing value. Check in was quick and efficient, as was parking at Tilbury. Our cabin wasn't ready on boarding, but we were directed to the bistro to grab some lunch, which was a unexpected. We heard many comparing the Magellan with other ships, but couldn't fault it. It was clean and comfortable, with plenty of places to sit and relax. The emergency drill was a bit drawn out (and disorganised) but had to be done. Our cabin was excellent (Atlantic Deck, Outside Superior) and bigger than we expected. The staff in the restaurant's and bars couldn't do enough, and the food excellent. Drink prices were reasonable too. The evening entertainment was a bit 'Butlins' however the classical 'Duo' in the piano lounge were excellent. Overall the cruise exceeded our expectations. Read Less

we left tilbury on the 31st March just back this morning. starting with the good cabin steward was great good drink selection friendly staff. boarding was fine got on quickly shown to our cabin which was very smelly of diesel and very loud during the night didn't have a good night once. staff were friendly however could not understand English at all well and seem to just agree with you instead of helping you with your questions. when we arrived we decided I would like a drinks package lady told me 26 pound a day which I didn't think was bad however as I shared a cabin with my wife who don't drink and 2 kids I was told I need to buy us all a package even a alcohol one for my wife even though she don't drink so all in all with kids I was going to end up paying a extra 500 pound just for drinks for me as kids drink where free didn't make sense. on board entertainment was poor cruise director was rushing all over the place didnt give anyone time. captains dinner he wasn't even present at the waldorf restaurant. on to ports we where due in amsterdam Rotterdam Rouen St Peter's port Guernsey and Honfleur we only went 3 stops amsterdam Rotterdam and honfluer all others where cancelled so instead of going st Peter's port they took us to Portsmouth UK fantastic that was (not) they blamed it on bad weather however owing to strikes in France me and many others believe this was the cause. many where on the cruise just to visit st Peter's port so many angry people got offered 25% of there next cruise why would anyone book after this is beyond me. WIFI was the biggest joke you can buy Wi-Fi on board at a cost off £60 for 1 GB anyone who knows data usage can understand how much of a joke that is. It is a cruise for the over 80s only lots of wheelchairs and scooters over the place. After having many cruises with P and O in the past and now CMW I will be sticking with P and O you do get what you pay for Read Less

I booked because I wanted to go to the Scilly Isles. The other stops also looked good. My daughter wanted to re-visit Guernsey. The five ports all held interest for us. When we got on board I noticed a leaflet on my bed regarding a shore visit to Cherbourg, this was not a port on our itinerary and I panicked thinking we were on the wrong boat. Then I saw there was a change of ports, due to bad weather. We were being taken to Cherbourg and Portsmouth instead of The Scilly Isles and Guernsey. To my mind the only reason to go to Cherbourg is to get off a car ferry and head straight out. Well as for Portsmouth, only an hour away from home and another place very low on the want to visit list. It beggars belief that the cruise line thinks these were a good exchange. The cruise line knew of the change before we boarded. They should have offered a refund before sailing if had wished one. To make matters worse the French dockers were on strike and we never got to Rouen. Only two ports were of interest. Had we known about the change we would not have gone on this cruise. Such a disappointment, it ruined our holiday. The cruise line we felt had "made us prisoners" we were certainly taken places against our will. The ship itself held a mixture of feelings. We had to sort out problems. There were two cabins booked for myself, daughter and grandchildren. Yet they put us on different sittings, so we had to alter that. The cabins were very hot and that had to be seen to. The toilet in my cabin blocked three times and on a fourth time it flooded. The cabin was very noisy, a large notice at reception said the boat was full and there would be no changing of cabins. I and my daughter are very heavy sleepers, but we were kept awake most of the night, and my daughter ended up like a bear with a sore tooth. The food was reasonable, but not for foodies. The shows were for a mixture of tastes and some, especially the Easter Panto, were very enjoyable. The staff were all very polite and helpful with smiles (except the reception desk, no smiles there) The cocktails were nothing 'to write home about', had much better on other cruise lines. I asked for some monetary compensation but the cruise line will not give me any. That would have helped to sweeten the bitter taste. Therefore this is not a cruise line I shall use again, and certainly will not recommend, in fact I shall advise against them. Had we been aboard and the weather worsened so we could not go to our chosen destinations I may have felt a little sympathetic, but they knew before we got on and could have said something. Very dishonest. Read Less

We had enjoyed a previous cruise on the Marco Polo, and wanted to see the areas covered by this cruise. The entertainment was an added bonus. We so enjoyed Nadia's attitude and spirit that we will be looking for whatever ship she is on in the future when planning our next cruises. It is rare to find such a fine performer on a cruise ship. The shore excursions are well planned and organized, and the check-in process in Tilbury is much smoother and better organized than most other cruises we have taken. The ship itself is one of the smallest and oldest out there, but that gives it an ambiance that is sadly lacking in the newer ships, and makes the shipboard entertainment much more personal and enjoyable. Other cruise ships try to simulate the small-scale entertainment experience, but on the Astoria it is the real thing. We enjoying listening to the classical music in the lounge far more than a steady diet of pop music. Nadia's music reminisces of the days of Schubert and Mozart, where the music was fresh and original. Read Less

We choose the cruise because of the places it visited. Almost immediately we realised the number of people with mobility issues, were frail and elderly or had other serious health issues who were on the cruise. As we embarked we followed an elderly couple, she was in a large wheelchair and he used a walker with a seat on which he had 6 large carrier bags which make it too large to get on board without the help of two crew members. It took a further 4 crew to get his wife on board. At the safety exercise it became more apparent that the people who have mobility issues would not be able to participate in climbing up two flights of stairs to the lifeboats. The exercise lasted over an hour. I would estimate that 30/40% of passengers had mobility issues or were frail & elderly. I do not know how the company work out how many disabled passengers they can manage safely or how they risk assess passengers based on the Medical Declaration we were asked to complete a week before we travelled. Looking at the deck plans there are only 4 disabled accessible cabins. Many passengers had falls when the sea was rough and had black eyes, bandages & plasters. One elderly lady had 6 stitches in elbow and other injuries when her husband fell on her. Like others have mentioned many people including me went down with bad chest infection - hard cough, high temperature and bad chest. Again a large number of passengers were affected. My husband & I would not Travel with this company again and would check on the Safety and Risk Assessment s that are carried out before we cruise again. The Bistro , as others have said was overcrowded with too many people filling too small a space - avoid at all costs Read Less

We looked forward to this cruise for nearly two years and within three days of leaving port we started coughing. My husband held up but I got steadily worse until I had to sleep dosed up with paracetamol, which was all we had,for thirty six hours whilst my body (which is fit) tried to sweat out the infection. Thank goodness I had had the pneumovac last October or I truly believe I would be dead. I haven't eaten for five days as nothing stays down and seven out of eight people on our table fell foul of this infection, most of whom have severe medical conditions to start with. I got home this afternoon and thought I would check if there were reviews about sickness on board. It beggars belief that passengers are routinely subjected to bacterial infection and laid low when what they paid for was a holiday. Are there no controls over this from a public health viewpoint or is the fact that the ship is registered in Nassau a license to kill? This vessel desperately needs a deep clean in the clinical sense, not just hand gel, which was pumped at us at every turn and does absolutely nothing for airborne respiratory infection. We joked about how many ambulances would meet us at Tilbury and sure enough we saw one there waiting as we docked. As it is Easter weekend I hope that I can survive until a GP appointment is available next week. Briefly reviewing the other aspects of the trip ( when I was still standing), the food was nothing to look forward to and the chocolate buffet sculptures were painted polystyrene. Entertainment provided by the dancers and musicians was done with energy and enthusiasm but the rest left me cold, especially the comedians. One guest speaker was not overly articulate and so full of his own importance that he got cross when the captain came on to give his daily report. This was a regular time and outside of that allocated to the speaker who seemed to think he should take precedence. The days at sea were life lost to the three little pigs syndrome when passengers came earlier and earlier to spread books, towels and anything else over seats to secure a base in all areas of the ship. The standard of human behaviour was disgusting but I guess that wasn't down to the ship's crew although they could have policed it better. The crew, in my experience, were happy and obliging and had somehow overcome the infected atmosphere in which they live. All in all this has been a steep learning curve. I am home thank heavens and breathing fresh air once more but I still feel extremely ill and wish I could stop this happening to other unsuspecting passengers in the future. Read Less

Did the Christmas Cruise to Hamburg, Amsterdam, was excellent. The ship Columbus was great. I didn’t do the drinks package this time but have booked the Christmas cruise 2018 and have done the drinks package. It is very good value especially for cocktails and spirits etc. Highly recommend it. There is entertainment in some of the bars and in the main reception area you can listen to some excellent pianists. You can also have your photo taken by a professional photographer and then see them on the wall. You can pamper yourself in the spa with a massage, facial, jacuzzi etc. That done then go to top deck and have a lovely cream tea or sandwiches and cakes. The food is amazing and the staff work really hard from one meal to another. I am really looking forward to the next cruise and hope it will be as amazing as the last one. Read Less

Like many, we had read some of the mixed reviews about CMV's Columbus but have to say they really did a great job. Embarkation was, however, chaos. The terminal building seems ill-equipped to handle 1500 or so people, with inadequate basic facilities such as toilets and refreshments. Many people had traveled a long distance and refreshment facilities were wholly inadequate. Once on board, the Columbus is spacious but has a small ship-feel. Everything was bright and fresh, colourful carpets and furnishings are warm and welcoming. The cabin was MASSIVE ! one of the largest we have ever had for sure! The staff in all areas of the ship were really lovely. Our cabin steward was equally lovely! Entertainment was terrific and there is tons of space in the Palladium show lounge and staff serve drinks at your seat. The waterfront restaurant is a lovely venue and all of the food we had during this short cruise was delicious. Bars and nightlife venues were great, full of atmosphere too! CMV offer an all inclusive drinks package at just £17 per day, which is excellent value for money. There is plenty of space on board Columbus and nice places to stroll or sit in sheltered areas on deck, even when its cold. The Jade Spa on deck 2 has a lovely sauna and steamroom (free) which again, was one of the best I have seen on a cruise ship. All in all a great experience. sadly, disembarkation was chaos again. Huge queues of people standing outside in the bitter cold, waiting for bus transfer to the car park. If they sort out the embarkation and disembarkation procedures things would be a whole lot better! Read Less

Lets start with with the good. The shower was hot, the bed was comfortable and the food was generally good at dinner. The Christmas and New Years dinners were excellent with wine included. This "good" was short - now lets start with the bad. We were on the fifth deck,on the wall above our head was a folded bunk bed which stuck out far enough to knock our heads as we sat up in bed. another bunk bed was on the far wall. The air con.control was on the ceiling and did not work.The small TV was up high in a corner, but no problem, no channels were available except for a couple of days. The worst complaint was water running down our window in the morning, so badly towels had to be placed under to catch to water. After a few days we were moved -no bunk beds. We dined in the Kensington Restaurant,the food was good but badly presented with spills on the edge of the plates.The waiters were not trained, on our second evening our waiter could not be bothered to give any fresh knives and forks at our table so he so he just left the dirty ones on plates and told us to use them again! The next evening he was replaced with an excellent waiter (should be with the "good" list). Lunch was poor with a feeling it was using some leftovers from dinner, poor selection and frequently cold. Breakfast was fine but not the smoked haddock,like cardboard in colour and texture. Raffles,the self service buffet, is a disgrace. Very poor selection, food cold and waiters completely disinterested who spoke little English.many times nowhere to sit.I asked for a mint tea, the waiter picked up a tea bag with his hands dropped in a cup and passed it to me. when I questioned if this was mint he removed the bag sniffed it and then returned if to the cup! I found my own tea. The ship is very old and it shows. The heating did not always work and it was very cold. During bad weather it handled badly,very noisey with bangs squeaks night and day and the ship did rock and roll in any bad seas. Lack of seating in all public areas. The card room ran out of cards.The theatre was comfortable but always cold. Two lecturers one knew his subject but no talker, the second just read from notes. The entertainment was the worst I have experienced, I would say end of the pier stuff but this would be an insult to any pier. This was a budget cruise and is not for anyone who has cruised on a better line (any other line) This is certainly not for anyone with walking problems as they were not considered in any way. At two ports the gangways,up to the fifth deck, were so steep if was like climbing a mountain. Read Less

We chose this cruise following some research and wished to see the Northern Lights from the ocean as opposed to land, would have been better to have viewed from the land again. The Magellan and CMV are best avoided until they can organise this type of cruise, and they are fortunate enough to have a great team of staff, awful management though. It seemed as though 30% of our time was spent in queues, embarkation was poor with the car park located a distance away opposite Tilbury railway station with a bus pick up service, then when e returned to join the queue a rather excessive delay with the ubiquitous photographer awaiting us. Located the cabin and eventually our luggage arrived, in two separate lots, cabin was very hot and chambermaid showed us how to turn down the heating, a card informed us of our table number and dining time. Disembarkation was a further exercise in the sport of queuing as the cards and machines were incompatible with the delays unacceptable and not user friendly for wheelchair users. Breakfast in our appointed restaurant closed at 9 am so a lie in meant joining hundreds in the Bistro, Raffles, no seating nor mugs available in this area. We landed at Ports where due to it being a Sunday all was closed, the Captain, changed mid cruise, decided to miss Trondheim as he was running late and there was a sea swell, so we proceeded to a small village after two days at sea, yet another closed village. We were on Holiday. The cruise director mentioned that Bergen had a lovely farmers market and a fish market, but couldn’t be bothered to find out if was actually going to be there or open! Have a visit to the Cathedral for £29 leaving for a 20 minute drive at 10:00 to find the Cathedral wasn’t open until 15:00 a phone call or a peek at the web site would have given this information. We paid extra for a window, this was then boarded up, for safety reasons! In spite of leaving Bergen early, following a delayed arrival, he missed the Pilot at 3 am resulting in a 8 hour delay, up at 6 am on this morning and no announcements about the delay until almost 9 am prior to an announcement and that we could now remain in our cabins until 15:00, in fairness lunch was provided. We would never consider this company again Read Less

We have just returned from a 6 day cruise on board the Magellan. When we arrived, we found the staff really helpful and friendly and within 20 minutes of checking in, we were on board the ship. We had a Seaview cabin on the 7th deck, which was more than adequate for our needs. The walk in shower was a good size and the bed comfortable. The cabin steward was excellent, keeping our room clean and provided guidance and assistance throughout the cruise. We found all of the restaurants clean and well presented, with a good and ample selection of food. Our evening meal was in the Kensington. Due to health problems, I am often restricted with what I can eat. Maryo was so helpful each day ensuring that my diet was catered for. Something I really appreciated as he didn't make me feel a nuisance. All in all we found the whole experience on board a pleasure and we would definitely recommend the holiday to others. We have already booked for 13 of our friends to join us on board for a Christmas overnight stay. Read Less

I chose this cruise for a Birthday Retirement present for my husband The Good: Excellent food, entertainment, friendliness and hardworking staff were amazing The Bad: Music that did not suit the age group of the people on board as most were over 55 The Ugly: My husband died in July before he could have his holiday. When I rang in CMV to change the booking name to that of my sister-in-law (my husbands sister) I was told they would be charging me £232.50 as no matter how unfortunate the circumstances it is their policy to charge 25% of the holiday for this. CMV obviously lack compassion and are completely heartless. Although both my sister-in-law and myself enjoyed the cruise immensely I still feel robbed by CMV many other cruise lines do not charge to change booking names. I would have been happy to have paid an administration fee but I actually feel that they ripped me off while I was mourning the death of my husband. Read Less

Was a bit surprised at some of the reviews for the Magellan cruise to the fjords. We were cruise virgins so did not know what to expect but must say we are well pleased with our experience. Surprised at some of the moans ie. no orange juice after breakfast - you could always get that from the bars if needed. No kettles in cabins - excellent idea for health and safety as tea and coffee stations available 24 hours around the ship. Does it hurt to walk a few steps for your morning cuppa???? The lifeboat drill has to be done and although tired from our travels to the ship hubby and I still managed to get a laugh out of this very important exercise. Whilst yes, we are on holiday I think it doesn't hurt to step into the shoes of the crew who we think did an excellent job catering for everyone with cheery smiles and a can do attitude. As for worrying about the older and less mobile passengers from where I was standing (excuse the expression) they seemed to cope very well. Most of them I would think were cruise veterans and knew the score anyway. All in all - very good value and we are looking forward to booking our next cruise. Read Less

chose this on offer - buy one get one free. Poor start - not the cruise company fault - weather in Thames estuary prevented ship from docking until after we were supposed to leave. Ship and cabin very clean - cabin steward did an excellent job. Menu - poor. Curry every night. Vegetarian omlette cooked in the same pan as a ham one - could do better. Choice of eating places no where as good as a Thomson ship. NO ICE CREAM Made a comment about the content of a ship based shore excursion and was called a liar in as many words, till her colleague corrected her. Refused to give me a copy of the remarks she said she would forward to head office. Entertainment. Two nights will no show - an ancient comedien instead., and two other nights a magician instead of a show. Not good enough. Cruise director only seen now and again, and the 'talent' of the singers poor and lacking. Dancer however and the violinist were superb. Gratuities were added to your account but we opted out - my husband worked it out - 1500 passengers over two weeks would have netted the company 100,000 pounds. Ten trips would have netted the a million pounds - no way were the crew being paid that amount in tips, so we opted out and rewarded who we thought deserved to be tipped WILL NEVER CRUISE WITH THEM AGAIN Read Less

We arrived at Tilbury expecting embarkation to be something of a shambles (based on previous comments). However, we were pleasantly surprised at how smooth this was. Drove straight up to the gate, offloaded luggage and asked to park approximately 20 yards in front of the terminal building! I think embarkation is very hit and miss, having spoken with others who were asked to park in the long stay car park and had to be bussed back to the terminal. One big complaint I have about boarding is the total lack of security. At no point were our carry on bags scanned and we were told to walk round the outside of the x-ray scanners! This was the same at both Amsterdam and Antwerp (although at Antwerp they made a show of making us put out bags through a scanner. This proved to be totally ineffective because no one was looking at the screens! Complete waste of time. We could have brought absolutely anything on board and spoke to many people who brought quite large quantities of alcohol on board totally undiscovered. We were more concerned about what else people could have smuggled on board, bearing in mind the heightened security level at the moment. In all, this cruise was more or less what we were expecting for the price we paid. The food in the main buffet is very limited and quite unimaginative. The coffee is good. Food in the dining room better but the service is, again, hit and miss. We chose to take breakfast in the main dining room one morning and out of the 6 people on our table, I was the only one who didn't ask for any change to be made to the dish I ordered. Needless to say, my breakfast was the only one which was wrong! The coffee was cold and we had to ask more than once for a refill. The orange juice tastes watered down and I am still waiting for my toast! The cooked breakfast is exactly the same as that served in the buffet, so no difference in quality at all. The entertainment is pretty dire. The cruise director is unprofessional, scruffy and not funny at all. We walked out half way through a show in the Palladium as it was cringeworthy. The singers in Connexions Bar and Taverners are poor. However, the crew in every bar and elsewhere on the ship were all excellent. There is a large screen over one of the pools which showed various music and promotional videos non stop. There is also music next to the second pool. If you happened to be sitting on the top deck between the two pools the conflicting music was ridiculous. It would be infinitely preferable to have music by one pool and make the other pool a quieter area. At no point were any officers or the Captain visible. This is the first time we have cruises where not one of them showed their face for the whole time and we found it quite odd and not good for customer relations. Disembarkation was OK, although being asked to vacate the cabin by 7 a.m. was very strange indeed. Bearing in mind the price we paid, we still feel that it was good value. However, if I had paid the full list price on CMV's website, I would have been quite unhappy. I think that with Columbus they are trying to compete with P&O but they have a long way to go yet. Finally, the outside windows on every deck were absolutely filthy! Come on CMV - this is poor housekeeping and easily rectified. Read Less

Read Less

We chose this cruise for the itinerary and because of the BOGOF offer (as did most of the folk we talked to on board). We had cruised once before with CMV 2 years ago and the experience had been a little unsatisfactory, but we thought - new ship to the company, too good an offer to miss, give it a go. We don't regret it entirely, but several 'issues' with the ship made the trip feel like hard work at times. I could repeat most of other reviewers' negative points re attitude of certain staff, especially the tendency to pass the buck - it was always someone else's fault, or the mantra we kept getting (in the dining areas): 'It's coming'.. The main problem we concluded was that many of the crew were insufficiently trained or did not have enough English to understand passenger requests. One thing that requires serious reviewing is the emergency drill procedure, which, as described by other reviewers, was a farce but not at all funny. God forbid they would ever need to put this into action in a real emergency... We found the quality of the food deteriorated progressively after the first few days, sometimes to the level of school dinners. If you can eat anything you'd be fine, but even without my dietary requirements (dairy, sugar and additive-free) we expect high-quality food as part of a good cruise experience. Maybe because we have only gone with Fred Olsen in the past (5 times) and always found the dining experience on their ships to be excellent. Overall, the ship is attractive and has some very pleasantly appointed areas - notably the Taverner's Pub, the Observatory bar and the Library - though a pity the latter is only open for 3 (separate) hours a day. If you like to settle with a book in a secluded quiet corner you will struggle as most of the bars/public lounges play piped music all day. The cabin (superior inside) was very spacious and kept immaculately by our lovely and hardworking steward. We could not fault it - though I struggled with the air-con and became so uncomfortably dried out I had to resort to using my saline eye drops up my nose in order to breathe at night . But we were luckier than many who had to be moved from their cabins due to toilet blockages. The musical entertainment in the bars was quite good - and as an ex music teacher I am critical - but we were disappointed with the show company whose singing we thought generally shouty or 'pitchy'. The backing band were accomplished but I have seen more imaginative choreography and better segue-ing between numbers in many school productions. We were however, delighted that they showed some of the Wimbledon matches on the big outdoor screen on the top deck, since the signal on the cabin tv was frequently intermittent.. The ports in Iceland were all very interesting and scenic - especially Seydisfordour, and the whole day 'Jewels of the North' tour was excellent. The stop at Torshavn in the Faroes was rather disappointing as it was a Sunday but we expected that from previous experiences, like the Lofoten islands in Norway! Overall, I would say that the crew are trying very hard to please, but somewhere in the 'chain' communication within and between departments is lacking. Read Less

On a recent trip to Iceland and northern islands, we were surprised how much this 64,000 ton ship was moved around by Atlantic swells and waves. We were a bit unlucky with the weather. There was excellent entertainment on board with an outstanding violinist and also a wonderful soloist, and very good groups. Guest speakers were entertaining and the impressive lounges, bars and other public spaces were top notch, but unfortunately for comfort, varied a lot in temperature. Crew and staff were generally very good. Excursions were well organised. The PA system was easily heard well in most parts of the ship, and the information given was clear and helpful, without being intrusive. Don’t expect a luxurious cabin on this oldish ship. Ours on deck 10 had a poky shower, and there were some nasty plumbing problems on this deck. But otherwise the cabin was adequate with a good size and ample drawers and hanging spaces. The aircon was a little noisy compared with aircon systems on some newer ships. But a good cruise considering the cost. Read Less

My wife and I chose a cruise with Cruise and Maritime on the Columbus embarking at London Tilbury . The Columbus is the latest addition to their fleet, indeed on the 11 June 2017 it was the inauguration having had a refit.The cruise was a 3 day cruise going to Amsterdam and Antwerp. We were really looking forward to this short cruise having been before on the Magellan which was very enjoyable. It soon became evident however that there were serious problems with the ship.On approach to our cabin the corridor was flooded.On entering the cabin it seemed very pleasant. On using the toilet I found the toilet did not flush.It was reported 3 times but nothing was rectified.The following morning and already under way the toilet then overflowed and flooded the whole bathroom area.It wasn't until day 2 of the cruise that we were able to use the bathroom facilities.Having spoken to about 16 other people it was discovered that the problem had affected a large amount of cabins. All the food was very bland and tasteless and repairs and painting were being carried out on deck for 2 days.On arrival at Amsterdam there appeared to be little organisation in getting people off the ship.It took us 50 minutes as hundreds were in the queue.A very big thumbs down from me.Will stick with P and O in future. Read Less

Decided to try CMV and Columbus as now I am single they seem to offer favourable deals. A taster cruise seemed to hit the mark. This was Columbus inaugural cruise for CMV and whilst I think it has great potential it was a little disappointing. So whilst the rest of this review maybe a little critical if they sort out issues it could be good. I found the ship similar to P&O Oceana in layout (travelled on this in April), where all the essential elements are available on the Promenade deck including show lounge, pub, lounge, shops, restaurant The good points Ships was clean and furnished in a more modern style On Board SPA and Service was excellent Staff were friendly and very approachable Embarkation was timed (11:30) for and was smooth with cabin ready when I got on board Car Parking procedures fine Cabin and Cabin Stewards as good as any Drinks prices were reasonable £4ish for a cocktail The less Good Biggest issue for me was Tepid food in main restaurant for dinners and breakfast, this improved slightly over 3 days. Things not complete, pools, hot tubs, sauna Wine service in dinning room first day appalling, wine arrive with desert No daytime itinerary to speak of (this was not advertised as cruise light) Shows OK but first production show was a little dated Sound on upper level of theatre made it difficult to discern singers words, music too loud for performers. Optional Grill restaurant not open for this cruise or the Chefs table Lack of Cold water pressure on desk 10 No enrichment program Many of my fellow guest suffered from card account registration issues so could get into room but could not buy anything, this led to very long queues in reception most of the time. I Also note that the list of passengers cards not correctly swiping on exit of ship went into 2 pages at both stations. Worthy of a little more explanation In General there needs to be a settling down of procedures, process and staff effectiveness. I imagine that as this is CMV largest and newest ship they had a challenge getting a crew together without stealing too much experience from the other ships. This really showed in the dinning room where things were not going to plan (they did improve over the 3 days). Lack of wine waiters meant the assistant waiter/waitress had to perform that function and their inexperience showed plus the card-swipe mayhem. I did try the fusion Indian restaurant the last evening and whilst the ambience and food were good, service was poor. It simply lacked leadership, staff doing things in the right order. What role each had. When I was there there were only 16 other dinners whom were at least into 2nd course, but I watched my starter being brought from the tandoori oven just on the deck, bought into the restaurant, placed on a preparation (not warmed) area whilst the staff were confused about whom could deliver it to customer. That took 4 mins so was not pipping hot. This was a lack of management but my impression was that the restaurant manager was also inexperienced. If not he would have observed and directed more effectively and with a relatively low number of covers sorted things. So have been on many cruises and many cruise lines (Celebrity, Azamara, P&O, Princess, Fred Olsen, Holland America, NCL, RCCL, Thomson) and had no pretensions about what market position CMV were targeting. Expected a Fred/P&O type experience but this was not achieved. However i will monitor review as I like the ship in general more than I expected and some of CMV intermarries look favourable. I wont rush to book another, but neither will I rule them out. Read Less

This was our fourth cruise with Cruise and Maritime and we have another booked on Astoria (a lovely old ship). We booked this short break as a taster of their newly refurbished flagship and had this been our first cruise with the Company I don't think we would have booked another. A first trip we expected some hiccups and the first one was a computer problem which meant some people couldn't get into their cabins was probably to be expected annoying though it is (I had three cruise cards none of which worked properly). Our main grievance was the food. I have responded to several reviews about the company's catering pointing out that it is always well cooked and with six course dinners etc. how much do you want to eat!! On this occasion the catering was nowhere need the standard of the other ships. In both the restaurant and the buffet they seemed to find keeping food hot too much of a challenge. The service in the restaurant (we only used it once was appalling. The first sitting was at 5.45 and we were there on time and ordered promptly We left at 8.20 having had to return two meals because they were cold. we understand from other passengers that there was little improvement. At the first breakfast we complained that all the so called hot food was cold. Even the plates from the hot plate stands were cold. I think we acted as salesmen for the Company in telling dissatisfied first voyagers that none of this was typical. We have sailed on Marco Polo, Magellan and Astoria and always had a great time. Read Less

We chose this cruises line because it was one we had not done before and the date was perfect for us to have a short break, the ship was the companies flag ship the Columbus ( old Arcadia and ocean village) it was its first trip out with paying passageners calling at Amsterdam and Antwerp, the embarkation was a joke all sorts of problems, the ship is a long way short of being ready to receive passengers, it was a total farce, we had a balcony cabin which was nice but the cabin steward did not do his job properly and it was never clean, he just tidied up, the cabin had the usual fruit and bottle of wine and on arrival canoppies on the first day nice touch, the new carpets were not fitted properly and the shower room and not been upgraded, dining was a joke we got in to the dining room for 8.30pm second sitting did not get a menu till 8.55 pm and got our main course at 9.45pm it was a total shambles and to top it all the food looked and tasted like Aldi specials not to my taste thankyou, my wife booked a massage and walked out because there are problems with the air con on board and all the rooms were freezing cold, entertainment was poor the worst we have ever seen on a cruise ship and the cruise director we'll all can say about him that is pleasant is he was totally immaturely crap. No English speaking people on board in the staffing department even tho use it is classed a British ship, so communication is poor, top and bottom is don't cruise on this ship it is not ready for sea, and the company need to have a good hard look at themselves Read Less

I am a very experienced cruiser having predominantly sailed with Cunard and Royal Caribbean. My daughter who is in her mid thirties had never cruised as she is a teacher and it is far too expensive in the school holidays. We jumped at this cruise as it was at half term, adults only and a great price. I will be honest and say I wasn't expecting very much but our experience was brilliant. We had a superior inside cabin which was spacious, comfortable and kept spotlessly clean by our lovely stewardess. We had chosen late dining which suited us and had lovely people on our table who we enjoyed meeting up with to chat about the day. The food was of a very good standard and we ate there every evening. Our ports of call were Antwerp, Rouen and Le Havre. Complimentary buses were provided to the town centre. This doesn't happen on Cunard if you are on the saver fares. You have to pay so well done Cruise and Maritime. We enjoyed all ports of call and just did our own thing which was great. Back on board there were quizzes, lectures, crafts etc. We enjoyed all of them and came away with some lovely homemade items. The maximum cost for classes was £5. We also had the drinks package at £17 which included wine and cocktails although the drinks prices were very reasonable. A cocktail was only £4. Our opinion was we had a lovely time and would not hesitate to use the Magellan again. Good food, friendly staff and clean. Read Less