This cruise actually started in Valencia, Spain-but that was not an offered port. That being said-this was an odd cruise having 2 starting ports, Malaga and then Valencia. The cruise was 95% Spanish speaking-making it necessary for all things done by the cruise director to be in 2 languages. The entertainment suffered as a result. There were no comedians, I assume because it is too difficult to do in 2 languages. One night they had a guy balancing plates that was a 5 minute gig stretched into a 40 minute gig, and another night a Brazilian tango dance couple-that seriously did a terrible tango. The ice skating was great. The other nights we opted to skip the entertainment.

The food was the absolute worse we have ever had on a ship. Meats were over cooked. Chicken one night was served raw inside to one of the people at our table, another night-our entire table didn't eat the chicken dish because it was served so dry and inedible. Cold soups tasted like jello-way too sweet too sweet to be a soup. The hot soups were flavorless. It was very obvious to us that nobody bothered to taste the food before serving it. We decided to do the breakfast in the dining room every morning, which was great. The waiters were exceptional. We steered clear of the buffets because it is usually the same food over and over, and not always good.

Our cabin was nice, a bit tired, and on the 6th floor which has a solid bottom on the deck. Which means you were not able to lay on the bed and look out. It felt a bit closed in for me. I am sure most people wouldn't mind-but I wouldn't book that floor again. Our cabin steward was wonderful, and kept our room very clean. Read more