Mein Schiff Review

Good, but not a "Premium All-Inclusive" as Mein Schiff advertises...

Review for Canary Islands Cruise on Mein Schiff
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berlinNYC
10+ Cruises • Age 50s

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Sail Date: Jan 2020

Just came back from our first ever Mein Schiff cruise, and my first German speaking ship experience (my partner has been once on the AIDA). This was our 28th cruise.

I, a non-german, but German speaking person, give this ship a 3 out of 5. My partner, German born and raised, gives it a 4. Both of us liked a few things, and disliked a few others. All in all, we found the "Premium All Inclusive" to be a misleading moto. Basically it means you can have (almost) all the drinks you want, at (almost) every venue. Yes, there are more limitations to their "all inclusive" drink policy that one would care for.

Drinks: in most bars there are a wide variety of all inclusive drinks one can order. There are also many "extra charge" drinks, but at the bars the choices of inclusive ones are decent. However, at the Main Restaurants (Klassik and Mediterran) the alcoholic drink choices are very limited, including just one choice for red, white and rosé, and all 3 are bad, really bad. During dinner bar personal will walk around and offer you "additional charge" drinks, many of which are the same that are inclusive at the bars. Just a nickeling and dimming play, one that one would not expect when booking a "Premium All Inclusive" cruise. At the buffet restaurant, the drink choices are even more limited than in the main dining rooms. So one better get a drink at a bar, then walk into the restaurant or buffet.

Cabin Review

The cabin is quite nice and bright, clean and comfortable. Bathroom works well. Balcony nice and deep unlike the newer larger ships nowadays (I'm thinking of you Norwegian Breakaway class). However, in line with German philosophy (less choices, less service, cheaper), there is no minibar/no fridge, and no room service. Bedding is not so good like on the other cruiselines, and there is just 1 pillow per passenger.

Port Reviews

Madeira (Funchal)

Beautiful town and island. Very nice.

La Palma

Very pretty town of Santa Cruz de La Palma. A nice surprise.

Tenerife

This is a bigger city with some shopping and cafes, restaurants, etc . It has an amazing Opera Building on the water, designed by Calatrava. A must if you are interested in architecture and or music.

Fuerteventura

The town of Puerto del Rosario, the main town on the island has absolutely nothing to offer. It is a ghost town. If you have a port of call here, make sure to book a trip to the amazing beaches of Jandia and other beaches close to it, OR make it a "at sea day".

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