CMV Magellan Review 3rd - 6th September 2015

[Gill W]

I returned yesterday from my short break, and have started to write my report.

Here's the first two parts, more to be added in due course.

Check in and boarding the ship

Magellan was berthed at Tilbury, so we had an easy 45 minute drive to the terminal. We had booked our car in for the port car parking (booked and paid for at the time of booking the cruise).

Initially there was a little confusion. We had been given written instructions about how to get to car parking location, which is in the port area. When we got there, there were Magellan parking signs, directing us to a different location. We decided to go to where our written instructions told us to go, but when we got there, there were some operatives around to tell us they had to change the parking location at short notice. So, we followed the signs, and found the correct parking area, with no further trouble. It turned out that lots of people did exactly the same thing as us.

At the parking area, we were directed to a parking bay, and parked up. It’s Self Park, so the keys were retained by us. Our case was put on a bus, and we went on a different bus for the short drive to the terminal.

We arrived at the terminal at around 11.35am for a noon boarding time. We were given a health questionnaire and sat down to complete it – then they immediately started calling our luggage label colour for boarding.

It appears that boarding is done in cabin order, the higher graded cabins are first. The terminal was fairly quiet so they started calling us ‘black label’ people early.

We entered the queuing zone. First of all we handed in our health questionnaire, and then shuffled along to the next table, where we were given our cruise cards. Then we shuffled along to the check in desks, where we produced our passport and tickets. They also took our photos and added this info to the boarding card. In addition we registered our credit card.

Then, a few more yards to the security area. Some people had their bags x-rayed and had to walk through a security arch – but some didn’t. We didn’t – we were just waved straight through. I don’t know the criteria for missing the x-rays, but I’d have been happier if ALL passengers were looked at in detail.

Then a bit further – and we were on the ship by about 11.45. It’s a much smaller operation than Southampton, but it was efficient.

When we boarded, a member of the crew showed us to the cabin which was a nice touch. Also, the cabins were available as soon as we boarded.

We had a light lunch in the buffet area. Our case had been delivered to our cabin by the time we came back from lunch. We unpacked and looked around the ship until the safety muster.

This was slightly different to what I’ve been used to. They have a list of passengers and make sure all the names are ticked off, to ensure everyone attends. We were told to put on our life jackets while we were waiting for the PA announcements. This was quite entertaining, as no previous demonstration had been given by the crew, so half the passengers has no idea what to do! After all the PA instructions had been given, we were then taken to our actual lifeboat, where we had to stand, women in front, and men behind, to be inspected. I suppose this is for women first in an actual emergency.

After that, we sailed shortly afterwards,





The Cabin

We had originally booked a standard outside twin cabin on deck 5, but we were upgraded to a premium outside cabin on deck 7. This premium cabin was actually the highest grade cabin apart from a few suites and mini suites, so it was a very good upgrade and in an excellent midships position.

If we have a smaller cabin, we tend to book a twin bed formation, as it allows for a bit more floor space. Therefore, bearing in mind our original cabin selection, we had opted for twin beds

In this cabin the twin beds were in an ‘L’ shaped formation, so one bed was under the window, and the other was by the wall at a 90 degree angle. So this meant that the cabin seemed very spacious indeed, with lots of floor space.

We each had a small bedside table, and there was also a padded stool to sit on, and a chair to sit on at the dressing table. The dressing table had about 5 drawers underneath, and there was a three door wardrobe with hanging spaces and shelves. The safe, which was a good size, was also found in the wardrobe. If you are on a cruise for any longer than about 3 days, you’d need to take more hangers.

The shower room was much bigger than I have got used to on P&O. You didn’t feel at all cramped, and there was enough room to move around without accidently banging into things.

When I go on holiday, I normally bring flannels, just in case, but have never needed to use them, as they have always been supplied.

This time I didn’t bother – and no flannels were supplied! It wasn’t too much of a problem, but bring your own if they are needed.

There was a small flat screen TV, but there are no tea making facilities in the cabin. Tea and coffee can be obtained from the buffet. You’ll need a European adaptor for any electrical items.

The cruise card is not also used as the cabin door key. You have a separate card for the door, a rather old fashioned hole punch thing

All in all, I was very pleased with this cabin. It’s not the furnished in the latest fashion, but it was roomy, clean and comfortable.


More to follow in due course

[Manoverboard]

It sounds just like our experience on ' Voyages of Discovery ', so far ...

Did you have a fridge included in your cabin grade ?

[Dark Knight]

sounds pretty much the same as a Thomson cruise so far

[qbman1]

...but I don't believe CMV have a Knobbly Knees competition !

[Gill W]

It sounds just like our experience on ' Voyages of Discovery ', so far ...

Did you have a fridge included in your cabin grade ?

ooh, I forgot to mention that - no fridge.

The only higher cabin grades are the mini suites and suites. I've looked at the 'blurb' in the brochure and fridges aren't mentioned at all for the suites, so maybe there's no fridges at all

...but I don't believe CMV have a Knobbly Knees competition !

There wasn't on this short cruise. Perhaps if DK asks nicely, they'll arrange one for him on a longer cruise!

[oldbluefox]

Thanks for your review Gill. It makes for interesting reading. Looking forward to part 2.

[barney]

Likewise !

Be interested in the next installment

[qbman1]

...but I don't believe CMV have a Knobbly Knees competition !

There wasn't on this short cruise. Perhaps if DK asks nicely, they'll arrange one for him on a longer cruise!

After his experience on Thomson, he'll probably be arranging it himself !

[Gill W]

I'm having disturbing visions of DK's knees, so, to take my mind of it, I wrote more of my report

The Ship.

Magellan is new to the CMV fleet this year, but compared to many ships, she is quite ‘mature’.

She originally entered service as Carnival ‘Holiday’ in 1985, and served with Carnival until 2009, when she moved to Ibero Cruises, as Grand Holiday.

Interesting points in her history include being used for temporary accommodation for victims of Hurricane Katrina and acting as a floating hotel in Sochi in 2014 for the Winter Olympics.

She was acquired by CMV in late 2014 and had her maiden voyage as Magellan in March 2015.

Signs of her previous life can be seen around the ship, such as her Carnival shaped funnel and Spanish signage as used during her Ibero Cruises tenure. The swimming pool is still called the ‘Piscina Colon’...... swimming in a colon doesn’t work for me!

You enter the ship on deck 5, near reception. Apart from the reception desk and the excursions/loyalty desks, there are no other public areas on deck 5. The rest of this deck, plus deck 4, 6, and 7 is entirely given over to passenger cabins. None of these cabins have balconies.

The public areas of the ship start on deck 8

Deck 8.

Waldorf and Kensington Restaurants – two MDR’s, with a shared galley. You can only enter Waldorf from the aft staircase. (there is also a midships staircase and a forward staircase)

Hamptons Bar – at various times in the evening a classical duo plays here.

Shopping Gallery – very small, nothing I wanted to buy. Perfume more expensive than ashore, and they didn’t even have any handbags to look at.

Magellan Show Lounge – This is a two deck space. For the size of the ship, this is a large theatre with plenty of room. There are two shows a night – we went to the 20.30 showing, and there was none of this getting there 45 minutes early to get a seat. There’s plenty of seating for all without a crush, and you can get there just before the show and still find somewhere to sit. There are some supporting pillars, so you have to be a bit careful you don’t sit in a blind spot.

Deck 9

Top tier of Magellan Show Lounge.

Photo gallery

Captains Club – largest bar on the ship, also home to cabaret and game shows.

Small casino
Small library
Small internet area

Sinatra’s Lounge Bar – very popular small bar – with pianist

Scots Nightclub – also home to Karaoke

Nansen’s Card Room

Jade Wellness Centre – with Sun Terrace



Deck 10

Swimming Pool and Eros Bar

Raffles Bistro – the buffet restaurant.

At the back – another small pool and the Lido Bar

There is no Promenade Deck, but you can walk right around the ship on this deck.


Deck 11

Open Deck area with Neptune Bar.

The Gym

The suites and mini-suites are on this deck – the only cabins with balconies.

Access the life boats from this deck


Deck 12

Sun Terrace and Whirlpool


The open decks are spacious (and made of teak!), and I think there’d be plenty of room for sunbathing, if you had good weather.

Although the ship is older, they keep it clean and well maintained. As long as you’re not expecting all the latest gadgetry, you’ll be fine.

I had to smile to myself when chatting to the CMV faithful. Apparently Magellan is ‘not like Marco Polo’!



Fellow passengers

They looked like your average P&O passengers really. Mostly 50+, but with a good smattering of younger people. It’s an adult only ship, so there were no children.

Being a short cruise I did wonder if there’d be hen and stag parties. In the event, there was only one stag party, but I think they were a load of middle aged blokes getting away from their wives for a day or two – they weren’t rowdy for a load off blokes off the leash!

The vast majority of passengers were either from Essex, or had some sort of Essex connection. As an old Essex Girl myself, I felt on home territory!



Dress Code

The dress code for this cruise three night cruise was 1 formal and 2 smart casual nights.

Most men wore their dinner jackets or lounge suits with ties on the formal nights, but there was a noticeable amount of men wearing open necked shirts. I don’t know if they went into the dining room like this, or whether they had changed after dinner, but it seemed to be more prevalent than on P&O!

I have no idea whether this is typical for a CMV cruise, but I thought I’d mention it, as dress codes are always of interest!

We didn’t have any informal (jacket required nights) on this short cruise, but for a 14 night cruise the format is planned as

2 formals
8 informals
4 casuals

That strikes me as too few formals for some people’s tastes, too few casuals for other people’s and too many informals for most people’s tastes these days.



There will be more

[Dark Knight]

Gill
I was referring to the embarakation process, which was exactly the same as Thomson's from Harwich
that said my knees are in fairly good order
we have a 14 nighter books so that will mean all 3 dress codes no doubt, but as we go from Newcastle 4 cases should suffice. Sounds like the type of ship we should enjoy

thanks for the info

[Gill W]

Gill
that said my knees are in fairly good order

The staircases are quite steep, so you'll need your knees in working order !

[qbman1]

Gill
I was referring to the embarakation process, which was exactly the same as Thomson's from Harwich
that said my knees are in fairly good order
we have a 14 nighter books so that will mean all 3 dress codes no doubt, but as we go from Newcastle 4 cases should suffice. Sounds like the type of ship we should enjoy

thanks for the info

Sounds like you need to pack your blazer and flannels (both types of the latter !!)

[barney]

Cheers for that Gill

sounds interesting (and local)

I've never been on a cruise where the majority are from Darn Sarf

[oldbluefox]

I wonder if the clientele will change when the ship leaves from up norf. An interesting review Gill giving a good idea what to expect on Magellan. The comparison with Marco Polo was amusing!! They are all out there!!

[Manoverboard]

Harping back to Voyages of Discovery, yeah yeah, I recall that there was a rotational scheme for attendance by invitation to a ' Select Dining Venue '. This was set up within the enclosed buffet area during the evening period. Does Magellan have an equivalent, do you happen to know ?

ps ... What's it like on Marco Polo ?

[barney]

My dear old Mum has been on Marco Polo many times and loved it, even before it was C&M and was Russian owned.
It was called the Alexander something or other.

She's also done P&O and Cunard but had a soft spot for Marco Polo.

I suppose some of the customers on Magellan will make comparisons one way or the other.

To them it would seem a large ship I guess.

[Gill W]

Harping back to Voyages of Discovery, yeah yeah, I recall that there was a rotational scheme for attendance by invitation to a ' Select Dining Venue '. This was set up within the enclosed buffet area during the evening period. Does Magellan have an equivalent, do you happen to know ?

There was no select dining venue at all. You could pre-order 'surf and turf' for dinner at £22 per head, but I don't think anyone bothered. It seemed very pricy.

Here's some more - including more about dining

Food

The eating places on Magellan are the two main dining rooms, called Kensington and Waldorf, plus a buffet called Raffles Bistro. There is also a small poolside grill, and a pizzeria, which is really just a serving hatch in Raffles.

Raffles was open for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Both main dining rooms were available on an open seating basis for breakfast, with just Kensington open at lunch time, also open seating. Both days of our cruise were port days – so maybe Waldorf also opens for lunch on sea days

Dinner in the MDR’s is ‘club’ dining, with two sittings

Kensington’s times were 1st sitting 18.15 and 2nd sitting 20.30.

Waldorf’s times were 1st sitting 17.45 and 2nd sitting 20.15. As both restaurants shared a galley it looks as if the times were staggered to relieve pressure on the staff. Fortunately we were in Kensington, as the Waldorf early sitting was very early indeed.

As usual, we ate breakfast and lunch in the buffet, and the evening meal in the MDR.

The range of food probably wasn’t as extensive as you’d get on P&O, but there was certainly enough of a selection for most people. Some people said that the portions were small at dinner, and I’d agree with that on the first night at least.

For special diets, vegetarian, gluten free and lactose free were marked on the menu.

On the subjects of special diets, I’m sorry to bang on about this, but for me, this was one of the things that let them down.

One of the first things we did was to call in at the MDR, just to see if I could pre-order my evening meal, to make things easier at dinner time.

The Head Waiter looked at the computer and confirmed that I was noted as low salt and said that I could order at dinner time and they’d come round during the meal with the next night’s choices.

Anyway, at dinner, I ordered sea bass with vegetables, and when it came, it was fine, and I couldn’t taste any salt on it.

But no one came round to give me the menu’s for the following night. It wasn’t that they forgot me, they didn’t seem to be doing pre-orders at all.

Next night, I said that I was a bit confused, as no one had taken my order the previous night, and the waiter was quite off hand, saying that I can order on the night. Well, I made my order, and didn’t go out of my way to order the plainest thing, as I get bored with plain food. I ordered beef tenderloin, and asked for roast potatoes instead of potatoes gratin.

The meal was served, without sauce for me, as I was expecting. But I could taste that the beef had been seasoned with salt, and there was also salt on the roast peppers.

So I left half of it, and was intending to speak to the head waiter on the way out of the restaurant.

But the waiter saw that I had left most of my meal, so I explained that it had too much salt on it, and he did bring me next day’s menus, so I was able to pre-order for the last evening. I had chicken tikka masala that they made for me, and it was very nice.

So, it was a bit of a struggle, but we got there in the end. But I was disappointed that the head waiter wasn’t involved with going round the special diet peoples tables.

I think P&O take the diets much more seriously, and I’d certainly trust them more in this respect.

Breakfast in the buffet was fine, but lunch was a bit limiting. All the cold meats were things like ham, spam or salami – all high in salt. There were no chips or jacket potatoes, which is always a good standby for me. So it was salad and salad for my lunch. Although I found out that I could get chips at the poolside grill so that was an added extra.

Afternoon teas were served in the buffet and one of the MDR’s.

To sum up, the food was fine, but I’m disappointed with the special diet arrangements.



Entertainment.

The main evening show was held in the Show Lounge, with an early show and a late show.

For this three night cruise, there weren’t any guest performers, just the show team.

The shows were a ‘Broadway’’ show, a 1960’s themed show and ‘Magellan’s Voyage’, which featured songs and dance from around the world.

These shows were simple song and dance shows – they didn’t rely on fancy special effects, or try cobble songs together to tell a very loose story, which seems to be the way P&O are going.

It was very refreshing just to have a simple, entertaining show, and no worry that the special effects were going to blind you.

Also, they didn’t rely on backing tracks; they were accompanied by a live band each night.

The cruise director is much more involved with being an active performer than they are on P&O. The CD would sing at least one number with the show team each night, and would be part of the cabaret later in the Captains Club.

As there were no sea days on this cruise, daytime entertainment was limited. There was a couple of quizzes and bingo, but I was told that they have guest speakers etc on the longer cruises.

There is no cinema, and I forgot to ask if they have films.

There is music in the bars around the ships in the evening and a disco in the small night club.

More to follow next time - it should be the end of it!

[Manoverboard]

Thanks Gill, I do like to know all the foodie type details

[Gill W]

Here's the last of it

Captain

Well, I think we had one, but I never saw him, and only heard from him the once.

There was a Captain’s reception on the formal evening, but it was held at 7pm, so people on 1st sitting couldn’t attend. It’s not a big issue, but it’s one of those cruising traditions that is nice to do, so it seemed a bit odd to arrange it for when half the ship couldn’t attend.

He only made one announcement throughout the entire cruise, and that was a routine navigational update on the last evening. I wondered if it was a CMV thing, that the captains weren’t very visible, but I was assured by the faithful that normally the captain’s are very much seen and heard.




Ports and weather.

There were just the two ports on this cruise – Amsterdam and Antwerp. It was our first visit to both cities

We did a tour to the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam, and did our own thing in Antwerp. I’m pleased that we did the tour, as the weather was very wet in Amsterdam, so I appreciated taking the coach. The weather was much nicer in Antwerp, and it was a very pleasant place to walk around. We docked on the river, close to the centre, so it was an easy walk.

My other area of slight concern centres around the Amsterdam call.

It wasn’t CMV’s fault, but how they dealt with it almost caused us a big disappointment.

We were very late into Amsterdam due to traffic, so all the tours had to be rescheduled. We had to wait in the public areas of the ship, and there were periodic messages about not congregating in reception, where the exits were.

It was 11.30 by the time people could disembark and they announced that people going ashore independently and people on the Anne Frank excursion could leave.

We were on our feet immediately and made our way to the staircase, but already the queues were backing up the stairwells. So much for not congregating around the reception area!

But the queue didn’t move for 30 minutes. There were no announcements to let us know what was going on. We eventually found out that the gangway had to be disconnected and reconnected, but with the lack of information, people were getting restive (as they do).

Eventually we were off the ship and found our way to the coach, which was about half full. A few other couples got on after us, but they said they couldn’t wait any longer as they had to get us to the Anne Frank House for our timed ticket entrance. It turned out that 20 people had been left behind due to the crush getting off the ship, and through no fault of their own! I’d have been so disappointed if we’d been left behind – going to the Ann Frank House was my main reason for booking the cruise (That’s the truth, I’m not just saying it!). It might have worked better to get the tour people off the ship first.

But fortunately we got to the coach just in time, and the excursion was very worthwhile. I had read the book when I was 12, and I’ve genuinely wanted to do the visit since that time.


Summary

Overall, I enjoyed the cruise, and I think most cruisers who aren’t expecting all the latest gadgets, glitz and glamour and luxury would enjoy a cruise with CMV.

The ship was very comfortable, and kept in good condition by its hardworking international crew.

I think the drinks prices seemed slightly more expensive than P&O, although we don’t drink much these days. We had a glass of wine each evening with dinner, at £5 per glass, so I can see that a drinks package at £17pppn, would be a good option.

The tips were £5pppn, added to the bill.

I would score this cruise at 7 out of 10, with points lost how they handled my special diet and the lack of communication on the Amsterdam call.

I would sail with them again, probably for a Northern Lights’ cruise. But I don’t think I’d consider a very long cruise on this ship as the size is slightly restrictive for me.

CMV offer a product that cruisers say that they want – Adult only, traditional cruising on smaller ships. Yet I get the impression that people are a little reluctant to sail on CMV. It might be worth putting aside any pre-conceptions to give it a try. You might like it!



THE END

I've tried to include everything I could think of, but if you have any questions, please ask and I'll do my best to answer

[oldbluefox]

Thank you Gill. I have often looked at CMV partly because they sail from northern ports so your objective report made for interesting reading.
When you think how experienced crews must be I would have thought common sense would have told them to disembark tours first and get them away rather than deal with irate passengers who had been left behind and missed it. Pity also that cruise crews aren't more forceful with those who cannot obey a simple request.

[cruisin_duo]

Thank you for the review Gill.

[Dark Knight]

thanks Gill
we are looking forward to our cruise on Megallan and your reports makes me think we chose well

[qbman1]

Very interesting and informative, Gill - thanks.

A lot of people criticise P&O for "falling standards" and suchlike but, having read your comments about the small things CMV got wrong, I do think that P&O do an awful lot right. But, as they say, you can't please all the people.....

[Gill W]

Very interesting and informative, Gill - thanks.

A lot of people criticise P&O for "falling standards" and suchlike but, having read your comments about the small things CMV got wrong, I do think that P&O do an awful lot right. But, as they say, you can't please all the people.....

'Falling standards' has just reminded me....... there was no chocolate on the pillow each evening!

I nearly had to go and buy some chocolate in the shop, as I really missed my bed time choc!

[qbman1]

Outrageous - what is the world coming to ?!