We chose this cruise (our first) mainly because of value for money. We paid $1,500 per ticket and that included the round trip flight from Quito to Panama. Cartagena was forgettable but we did do the Mud Volcano excursion through Viator. Nothing quite like getting completely immersed in volcanic mud. On Curacao we did the Tugboat snorkeling excursion (Viator also) and that was very good. On Bonaire we snorkeled off of Klien Island and that was by far the best water time we had of all three islands. By far the most to see (turtles, many fish, moray eels and much more). I could have stayed in the water for days on Bonaire. On Aruba we did a glass bottom boat and snorkeling tour with Watersports and Tours Aruba after a literal last minute cancellation of a Catamaran excursion due to the boat being rented out from underneath us by a private party. NEVER WILL I DO BUSINESS AGAIN WITH ARUBA WATERSPORTS CENTER. Now about the ship. The embarkation and disembarkation was orderly and mostly hassle free. The security did arrest my utility tool as it contained a knife but gave it back to me at the end of the cruise. I saw a lot of clothes irons also under house arrest due to potential fire hazards. The service as quite exceptional. Five stars to all the Food and Beverage staff from the Manager and Head Waiter on down. Those folks are keepers and I would hire them myself if I owned a ship. The food was very good and met my expectations and then some. There was the buffet with good food and generous hours and the dining room with fixed times and seating - I enjoyed eating at both. The cabin (exterior superior) was nice. We had a king bed and the shower was spacious enough. My wife likes the evening shows and we took a few in. They were good also and a good way to end the day. There were many activities that we did not partake as my main goal in taking the cruise was rest and relaxation with emphasis on rest. We also found housekeeping to be quite good and did a good job of keeping the cabin clean. I know very little Spanish but all the staff I encountered spoke great English and I met a lot of the staff. For TV in English, there was the BBC and a movie station. The ship sponsored excursions were not of interest to me but then again my wife and I are experienced world travelers and can manage time schedules. The Moka Coffee shop and bar was my first stop in morning for cappuccino and I found it amusing that they could not make a moka for lack of chocolate. I also met a lot of great passengers and had many good conversations on the boat. It's a value for money cruise and yes, I would definitely sail with them again. Read Less

This is our third trip on Pullmantur and have we have been very impressed with the quality for the price. For the last two trips we have booked room of Junior Suite or higher to get the advantages not only of more space but the Waves Club amenities. Embarkation in Cartagena can be super chaotic with Pullmantur but with the advanced boarding with the Waves Class rooms this is avoided and you get on with minimal hassle. To avoid some of this check in online, print it out, and sign it. Then after you arrive go the line where your passports are checked. Colombian nationals will have to pay a exit tax, your passport is stamped but this is not immigration. Then get in line for immigration. The Zenith is a relatively small ship with around 1400 passengers and the junior suites are spread throughout the ship. There are very few balconies on this ship. Our room was a junior suite without a balcony and was a very nice size, bigger than an NCL mini suite, with full bath. There was a large flat screen TV but we never turned it on. Our only complaint is the room needed to be cleaned better, but once it was pointed out it was done quickly. The Waves Club was a small but nice interior area on the 8th floor, I understand it was the old "cigar lounge" when it was a celebrity ship. The room is dark without any exterior windows, but has a library feel with a nice ,marble fireplace and a big screen TV above it. My recommendation here are, if it is going to be a Wave's Club only area, you need to put in a card key entry. There were always people coming that were thinking it was the library, computer room, or games room. Also when you order a drink at the bar many times the person attending the bar has to go to another area of the ship to get the drink, leaving the area unattended. Just food for thought if Pullmantur reads this. The nightly shows were excellent for the size of ship. They are mostly in Spanish and there is very little English spoken on the ship other than the announcements, but if you need help the staff is multilingual. The buffet is recently remodeled and the food was very good. I can not fault anything there. In the back of the buffet there is an outdoor grill area for hamburgers and hotdogs as well as plenty of outside seating on that deck and the one below. That is one thing bout the Zenith, there is a lot of outdoor space. The main dining room was incredible. It was one of the nicer dining rooms I have been in on a ship. There was a piano player almost overnight, the service was very good, and the food was excellent. Remember the dinners are late. Early seating at 7:15 late seating 9:30 PM. The gym is very small, 3 working elliptical, four normal sized treadmills, two leg machines, and a four-sided multipurpose weight machine. There were also a incline bench and flat bench with dumbbells. It was just a very tight space and usually full. The spa, hit and miss. Spa manager a little aggressive with the sales pitch. The prices good. Massage, one good one not so good. The area is not super tranquil, there is a deck area outside the spa and three doors that go in an out of the area. Wish they could find a different area for the spa to be placed. We paid the $10 dollar/day charge for the upgrade in drinks. The canned Diet Coke alone was worth it, but Absolute didn't hurt either. We did all the tours on our own and have taken to getting resort passes for the bigger islands when we are in the Caribbean. So, I can't say anything about the Pullmanturs tour program. Overall, a great value for the money. Have patience in the boarding process, Have your expectations in check as it is an older ship but has been maintained well. This is primarily a Spanish speaking cruise, but there is always staff to help that can speak English if you need help. This is a family cruise, usually three generations and extended family. If you looking for a quiet cruise it may not be for you. Enjoy. Read Less

This is the worst embarkation a human being can go through to join Pullmantur's Monarch. Lots of misinformation by the staff members. Unnecessary lines taking nowhere...and a long time waiting in the terminal. No matter you travelled with children or elderly people.. all have to wait in very long lines...Service on board was very poor..food never changed. Shows were boring. duty free shops with not enough retail. Prices high. Photography during formal night a complete disaster..only one studio shot before you meet the captain.. terrible! bad smells as you go to buffet restaurant and cabins.. very crowded.. buffet lines not openng at advertised times. rude people...definetelly not recommended. I can say that the cabinist and waiters were very nice and ready to make us feel great. most crew were nice although some seemed under pressure to sell. Colombian citizens not allowed to disembark in Costa Rica unless you hold a yellow fever certificate and purchased on board excursions. Read Less

We choose the cruise because we went to Cartagena to get married. So my husband and I decided that would be a good idea take the cruse there. I'm going to do a favor to people who like read reviews: Please don't take that cruise. The food was awful, in all restaurants, breaksfast buffets the same every day, just few things to eat, the eggs were the worst I've ever had. People who go there are unrespecful, I even have a problem with a guy in the casino who asked me and my husband money to bet, was unbelievable. Times to eat were very limited. Please don't go, it`s very bad cruise. The chair at the pool and in the bar 360, so old and even broken. Seriously, I don't understand why that company still working. The stops in each port were very short, mostly from 7 to 2; well the cruise get at 7 but then you have to wait to get off the boat, it`s a process and it takes too much time. I definetely won't take that cruise with that company anymore and I recommend people don't do it either. The experience was terrible. Cabin was pretty old, dining terrible, service was poor, entertaiment was poor, excurtions was poor, they don't have in English any excursion. Read Less