This was a last minute booking, five days before sailing. We had sailed round the Canary Islands several times before and have a home in Tenerife Being aware this was a Spanish based cruise line with low prices and old ships, this was an experiment. We were aware most of the passengers would be Spanish speakers and we are not. Nevertheless, the passengers whose first language was not Spanish were capably dealt with by staff who spoke English. Some 500 passengers with little Spanish were on the trip. The staff were cheerful, attentive and some of the best experienced on over 40 cruises and more than 15 cruise lines. The food was good but limited by a daily standard menu and an insert for each new day .Evening restaurant meals were served at 7.30 and 8.45 and service was exemplary. Wine glasses were constantly topped up, average quality, but this is a cheap all inclusive cruise. Evening entrainment is a matter of taste but OK, with one excellent dance/music show. The cruise offered a package of four tours for 105 euros in total, each tour was for four hours. having been to all the islands at least 4 times we opted to take what we saw as good value tours. They were all good with English speaking guides but on one occasion in Fuerteventura our guide left our two friends behind even though they were only 3 or 4 minutes late. We knew they were very close as we had been them 5 minutes earlier in the Church nearby. Even when we remonstrated with the guide she said they must be on another bus. They were left in a village alone for at least 30 minutes. Disgusting and not dealt with by the company. Hence only 4 stars Read Less

Cruising arround Canari islands is interesting. Instead of port Agadir in Marocco, I would rather stop on any other Canari island like Fuertaventura, or La Gomera and maybe the stay in ports could be a bit longer. The ship allready shows its years, there were necessary coloring during the cruise, which was probably urgent maintenance work, nevertheless the cruise was comfortable and smooth. Service at the Atlantico restaurant was excellente and choice of food very interesting. Especially I like the choice for vegetarians and the varaity of fishes. Maybe more salads should be included in menu at Atlantico, because in Buffet windsurf there was really a larger choice. So if you want some salad, you must go to 11th deck. But the service at Salon Rendez-Vous was a little bit on average, lazy and bossy server woman was talking nad laughin' arround with spanish guests, neglecting guests of other nationalities to wait for their other and to get it at last. Read Less

Just back from an enjoyable week on the Zenith. The staff on this ship make the experience very enjoyable. Smallest ship we have been on, but that made it all the more friendly as bumping into the same people regularly. Spent most evenings in the casino and bar, as this is where we found the most English entertainment, lovely gentleman on guitar and trio group, excellent variety of songs, no night the same. Finished off with a bet in the casino, lottery lady was lovely and treated us all like royalty. Enjoyed our late dinner sitting at 9.45, Benito and Caesar were excellent in their job and again made us feel very special every night. Menu had a section that was the same every day and specials that were changed nightly, cannot fault the quality of food. Plenty of sunbeds around the pool and upper level, some lovely sun traps around the rear of the ship. Cabins had plenty of storage and large shower, a bit tired looking. English channels available on the TV as well as movies available. Overall a great experience. Read Less

All went to plan. Solo traveller and staff made me very welcome didn't feel excluded.Food in main restaurant was lovely and a change from the norm. The main buffet was good as were choices. Waters were particularly attentive and couldn't have done more.Drinks were excellent including beer ,gin,and many coctails all included Entertainment was excellent very wacky but professional,as were all the musicians,particularly the latino band and singer. Cabin was fine ,bed lovely. Enjoyed all the different islands and Agadir. Plenty of sun loungers and chairs.Bar staff excellent. Pool and Jacuzzis all spotless Very clean and well run ship if a bit dated,which didn't worry me. Good itinerary ,fab weather Embarkation and disembarkation was so fast.Ipaid to have extended stay till 4pm the last day which was helpful. If you want 5* + not for you,but everyone I spoke to enjoyed it .Spanish were very friendly well done Pullmantur,would definitely go again. Read Less

We have been on a number of cruises and we tend to select by itinerary and price rather than cruise line and have been on RCI, Princess, MSC, Oceania, Azamara and HAL. We selected this cruise to give us the opportunity to have some warmer weather and there are not many lines cruising in this area.Cost was also attractive. Pullmantur focus on Spanish speaking markets but all staff speak English, announcements are in Spanish and English, menus are in Spanish and English, daily programme is in English, there are 3 English speaking channels on the TV ( bbc news and 2 entertainment channels primarily US shows) plus a couple of movie channels which could either be in English or Spanish depending on the film. The evening shows were mostly musical and ranged from very good to disappointing - the quality of dancers and singers as good as any other line but musical interpretations could be a bit bizarre. We watched about half of them. Singers and musicians in bars were all very good. Standard of food in main dining room was good without being great - we have had better. Portions were adequate but not large, after the meal we were not hungry but were never stuffed. Menus are Spanish based so do not expect usual UK or US staples. There is a fixed range available every night plus daily options that changed. Burgers, plain chicken, steaks, chips, do not feature on either menu - although there was a small fillet steak on gala night. Gala night has a fixed menu with no choice with some tapas to start and then three courses. Coffee is not served in dining room - similar to MSC. Dinner was either 19.30 or 21.45 and didn't seem to be anytime dining. They put English speakers together usually table of 6 but were a few 2 seat tables and some larger tables. You could pay a supplement if you wanted lobster or steak or a few other options. Buffet was similar to most other lines with courses variously hot or only warm with roasts available at lunchtime, also pasta station who would stir fry meat and veg and mix with pasta of your choice and you add sauce. Pizza was also available. There were separate children and gluten free sections. There was a grill open during the day when buffet closed with hot dogs and burgers and a couple of other options. Room service was available but there was a charge.We never felt the need to use it. Breakfast could be taken in dining room or buffet and were both similar with usual selection of cold meat, cheese, bread, fruit, yoghurt as well as hot options of eggs (fried, scrambled, boiled, omelette) streaky bacon, sausages (could be chorizo, Frankfurters or 'proper'). Would equate to a standard 4 star UK hotel other than absence of back bacon, hash browns and beans. All inclusive included red, white, rose and cava wine ( only one variety of each), spirits mostly local but included Grants whisky and Gordon's gin along with other standard brands or local varieties. Cocktails were also mostly included e.g. Mojito, pina colada, tequila sunrise. Local beer also included as were soft drinks from bottles e.g. Coke, Fanta. You could pay 1 or 2 euros each time for premium spirits, beers, wines, other cocktails soft drinks in cans but most people seemed to be happy (as we were) with basic option or you can opt to upgrade your package to include premium drinks for, i think, 14 euros per day. Cappuccino, lattes etc from baristas were also included as standard. Service was excellent and much better than on many of our other cruises where we were paying for our drinks! During dinner wine was constantly topped up by the waiters. Mineral water was free by the glass but if you wanted a bottle you had to pay for it. Room was made up in morning only.Standard of housekeeping was very good. We had a balcony and were happy with space and storage and no worse than other lines. Excursions were very good value (probably best we have seen) and were in Spanish and English.There was no information provided about ports of call so you either take their excursions or do your own research. Because their excursions were such good value we took them on four of our ports rather than looking elsewhere as we normally do so cannot really comment on availability of shuttles but don't think any were provided. The ship itself is old and in places worn so do not expect shiny attriums and speciality restaurants (there weren't any). Fittings and wallcoverings showed age but cabin was however well maintained and clean. Bed was comfortable. We only had hand luggage so walked off ship shortly after docking so disemarkation for us was simple.We also pretty much walked on at embarkation. Dress code was relaxed and on gala night there were only a couple of black ties - UK cruisers - most wore smart trousers and shirts with a few ties and ladies smart dresses and tops rather than evening gowns. All in all we were very pleased with our cruise and would happily go on another cruise with Pullmantur Read Less

This ship whilst being old is so great value for money you don’t notice the age of the ship We had a balcony cabin which was fine in size plenty of storage space and bathroom slightly bigger than other ships we have been on We paid £1450 for 2 of us all inclusive including tips Food in the restaurant was fabulous and the waiters can’t do enough for you. Maybe a bit limited in choice but you can have as many dishes from the menu that you want Bar staff were excellent and drink choice was okay You can upgrade to premium package for € 98 per week which is good value The bar stays open for as long as there is someone in it and no time limit for all inclusive unlike other lines that stop at 2am We didn’t go to any shows but the musicians in the casino bar were excellent Embarkation was so easy we were on the ship in ten minutes. No queues getting on or off ship in port Disembarkation the exact same I will definitely be going on this ship again and would recommend it as long as you don’t expect 5 star all the way Read Less

We saw this cruise for £549 for 7 nights all inclusive and after reading bad reviews, thought why not, we were already going to stay for 2 weeks in Gran Canaria and this was cheaper than an all inclusive hotel, so we went with an open mind. I have cruised once before with Cunard and my partner has never cruised before. Embarkation and cabin: Embarkation was pretty straightforward. We showed up about 12:30 and after a little wait in line we went onboard with our wheelie cases. Our cabin was not ready so we went straight to the dining area and had some lunch. Our case turned up about 4pm. The room was basic but comfortable with two single beds pushed together to make an extra kingsize. The cabin was quite spacious with plenty of wardrobe space and drawers. The bathroom had a hairdryer and a glass shelf to put all of your bits on. No complementary bottles of shampoo, etc, just a fitting on the shower wall with shower gel in. There were no tea-making facilities in the room which was annoying as you are not allowed to bring a travel kettle onboard. The room was very clean, had a lovely large window and the air conditioning worked perfectly. Onboard: The ship had two swimming pools, three jacuzzis, an a la carte restaurant (which was open from breakfast time until about 10:30pm, with hot drinks available 24hrs), a main dining hall, a theatre, gym, casino, duty free shop, library and a disco. Some parts of the ship look a bit tired but overall, nothing to put you off choosing Pullmantur. Eating: Personally I could have stayed onboard and ate the whole week away as the food was of high standard. I don't eat meat but my partner does and we both found that every day there was a good selection of fish and meat dishes available, as well as vegetarian options. We chose to eat in the formal dining room every evening but one and ate lunch at the buffet every day but one. We had two gala nights, including Christmas Eve with a large 7 course meal on both of those nights and the waiter tailored mine to not include meat. The same dishes as the fine dining (and more) are served in the buffet restaurant every day for those that prefer it. All of the dishes served are good quality and cooked to perfection. If you are after chips and burgers then this is not the cruise for you. Ports: We had six ports and one day at sea. Tenerife, La Palma, Funchal (christmas day), Agadir and Lanzarote. 23 Dec - North Tenerife: We caught the bus to Las Teresitas costing €1.25 each way and enjoyed the beach 24 Dec - La Palma: We went for a walk in the lovely old town and did some Christmas shopping. We tried to book the dune buggy tour but there were no other takers so it was not running Christmas Day - Funchal, Madeira: We had a lovely stroll around Funchal and then sat on the seafront eating churros 26 Dec: At sea 27 Dec Agadir, Morocco: This port was horrible and smelly so we stayed onboard, went to the gym and lounged around the pool. 28 Dec Lanzarote: We took the Grand Tour at €59 each and visited Jameos Del Agua, the vineyards, Valley of a Thousand Palms and Timanfaya (about 5-6hrs) Formal dining: We chose first sitting and dressed up accordingly to each theme night. Most people did the same, although there were some that didn't but they still dressed smart. On both gala nights my partner wore his tuxedo with different coloured bow ties and I wore long dresses, as did many others. They seemed to keep all the different nationalities together with waiters that spoke their language which was nice. Drinks: We did not bother with upgrading to a drinks package. The drinks offered on the all-inclusive were perfectly fine. My partner said the beer was nice, the same as he was drinking the rest of the holiday. The spirits were nice, not all being brand names, although some were and the sparkling wine was very nice. Language and entertainment: Everything was in both Spanish and English everywhere. There was no language barrier on the ship or on any excursions. This may have been a problem for other languages, such as French etc. but we didn't notice it. The animation team's performances were all multi-national and of a very high standard. Even the bingo was in three or four languages. Disenbarkation: This was seemless. You could stay on the cruise for the whole of the next day at a really small cost with facilities to shower etc. They picked up your case from outside your door after 1am and the ship magazine told you where to be at what time you could disembark. This all took about 15 minutes. Once off, we collected our case from the designated area and left for the rest of our adventure. Would we go with Pullmantur again? You bet we would! We would definitely recommend as it was fantastic value for money Read Less

I travelled on the Horizon in 2017 had many problems but I thought I would give Pullmantur another chance as I live in Gran Canaria and sailing from Las Palmas is so easy just get the bus there and back no hassle with airports. I booked 2 cruises back to back. The food was first class (had an accident so using a crutch) preferred the waiter service. Great staff, great choice and munched my way through the entire menu. Buffet for breakfast and lunch was good and a table reserved for guests with disabilities appreciated. Staff in the bars very smart and helpful. Did not do the drinks package I did the previous year and to be honest didn't feel shortchanged. Bacardi and Gin flowed throughout the cruise. Entertainment good better when they did the full dancing shows as very Spanish Orientated. If you love Bingo then there's lots of that on offer. The cabins are spacious I had 2 on the 6th deck. Shower nice and warm. Bed very comfortable and lovely soft pillows. Cannot comment on the excursions as hard to walk but note if you are English speaking there is a good chance they will cancel it unless they get minimum numbers. Checked out of one cabin into another after the first week very quickly and stress free and there was a bottle of champagne on ice in the new cabin (nice touch) but left half of it as I was on my own and not much of a drinker. The new cabin on the second week was very very noisy (6168) and asked to be moved. again this happened with no problems. The boat itself I think had just had a refurb as looked nice and clean and fresh. For what I paid DO NOT MISS THIS CRUISELINE and very good if you are learning Spanish or speak it Read Less

Zenith is an old boat, built in 1992 so with that in mind it was never going to be one of the newer luxury liners. The accommodation was adequate without being luxurious. With an older boat such as Zenith there are always creeks and noises as the boat moves which can be disturbing for sleep if you are a light sleeper. On the question of the movement of the boat we both find that there was quite a lot of “swell” movement which would say to us as laypeople the stabilisers were broken or were not up to scratch. Secondly, the cruise line Pullmantur is mostly catering for a Spanish clientele and again with that in mind be careful about booking with them as of course most of the programs on board such as shows and all communications are mainly in Spanish. We had taken out a “Black Waves“ package which is the top package on board which gives you various advantages such as free Wi-Fi in a special part of the boat!, private sun deck, waiter service at own assigned restaurant table and free drinks from a drinks list throughout the cruise. No personnel could explain to me why the free Wi-Fi was not available in our cabin and throughout the boat which would be normal for that type of service on other ships. So when you want to use the Wi-Fi you had to visit an assigned bar! The downsides of the ship are more than made up by the staff on board who do a valiant job in difficult circumstances. We would single out particularly the “Waves Club” staff Juan and Jose and the restaurant staff Rey and I Mahdi and I would suggest that one tour which is worth doing if you are fit enough for it is one of the on shore electric cycle tours with Miguel and Nico. Overall, my recommendation would be there are other better international operators and offerings for the Canary Islands, Madeira, Agadir route. These would probably offer better value in a newer ship such as TUI Aida. Star rating 2.5 out of 5! Read Less

This is a port-heavy cruise ideal for those whose primary goal is to get their first taste of the amazing Canary Islands as efficiently as possible and at an affordable price. The crowd was mostly 60+ and Spanish, with a sprinkling of other Europeans, however, all announcements were made in both Spanish and English and all staff could speak at least some English. Horizon is an older, mid-sized, refurbished ship, but everything was clean, everything worked properly and service was excellent. Food was plentiful and more than adequate in quality. A large selection of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages was already included in the cruise cost. Entertainment and activities were limited and often in Spanish only, but with so many hours in the ports, we did not really need them. The islands are amazing, but one must get out of the ports to appreciate their beauty. In Lanzarote, a ship-organized tour of the Lunar Landscapes of Timanfaya is a must. Other islands are best explored by taxi which are affordable and plentiful. Those who do not speak any Spanish would benefit from reserving English-speaking drivers ahead of time. Read Less

I choose this cruise as we life and work in Tenerife, and it was meant to be a relaxing break after a hectic Christmas. I've been on other cruises, there's always a sail away party, on the Horizon we were made to attend a safety drill, not a problem, but after 10pm at night? the ship basically slipped away at 11.30ish soon after, nothing, first impressions, poor. The second night, 'Beatles Tribute' in the Theatre which turned out to be the resident band, as was every other Tribute or show, overall entertainment was non existent during the day unless you wanted a talk on acupuncture, and the evenings weren't any better, no atmosphere at all anywhere, even the piped music was drab. Food, I am a vegetarian, every breakfast consisted of cold cuts, cheese, muesli and fruit, nothing hot at all, and wheras a couple of days of this is OK it soon wore thin eating cold toast and jam every day and the concept of a cup of tea with milk just drew blank looks. The breakfast buffet closed at 10.30 or 11am. The 'Grill and Pizzeria' opened at 12, the Vegetarian option was frozen pizza, chips, possibly a cheese roll if there were any left. Lunch Buffet, 1pm until 4, meat and fish every day with salad, Vegetarian option, potatoes, pasta, every day. Basically is you don't like meat or fish you cannot eat anything until 7.15 at night from 4pm, they decided to not open the evening Buffet this week, so you were required to be in the main restaurant around 7.15pm if you wanted to eat. My wife ordered steak, and that's what she got, no side dishes, the menu for me was the same every night apart from the Chef's recommendation which was mostly a rice dish in a sauce, the portions were minute, of the 7 nights we only went three times and choose to live on the minibar contents or eat off the ship. In summary, the ship needs a lot of refurbishment, it's on it's last legs, two mornings all the toilets on the ship stopped working, and every night the Junior Suite I had stank of raw sewage untill we learned to block the sink holes. There's so much wrong with this cruise I could go on all day, it's not even a good ferry standard, the ONLY upside the staff are very freindly and helpful, and if it wasn't for them we would have got off half way through. On leaving the ship when security swiped my card an alarm rang and I was refused exit in front of everyone, because I owed 4 euros on the minibar (which I had paid at reception and had the receipt) I was made to tramp back up to be told the receptionist had forgotten to take it off the system. On booking I was told the ship catered for an International clientele, this is not the case. I'll never use Pullmantur again. Read Less