Magellan – What a pleasant surprise!

I was invited to the Gala Launch party for Cruise & Maritime’s latest ship the Magellan in Tilbury recently, and was very keen to see how she compared to the Britannia which I had spent a night on just the week before. I have to say I was very pleasantly surprised!

Magellan Pic

Firstly because she is much smaller than the Mega-Britannia, carrying just 1250 passengers – 46 tonnes ( – right up my street! )

As you know I think the big ships are just too big, and impersonal. Its like holidaying in a huge all inclusive resort, rather than cruising.

The Magellan on the other hand had a lovely intimate feel about her, with beautifully decorated spacious public areas, 2 main dining restaurants, The Waldorf and Kensington that could definitely hold their own against their bigger more well known rivals, as well as an informal Bistro Buffet Restaurant. We ate in the Waldorf for dinner, and tried out the Bistro in the morning for breakfast. Both offering freshly cooked, hot, delicious meals.

Oh and the Jade Spa! Well! I couldn’t fault it. Ok so it didn’t have the money thrown at it like the Britannia’s which was out of this world I must admit, but nonetheless, I was very impressed with the facilities, and the really reasonable prices for treatments.

Check in at Tilbury was fast and easy, and only took less than 10 minutes to get our cruise cards and board. As soon as we had passed through security we were greeted by uniformed staff who each took our bags to our cabins, giving us a quick overview of the ship on the way – Nice touch! There are no balcony cabins onboard, except in the Suites, so we were allocated an Oceanview on deck 7. No complaints there except perhaps for the lack of toiletries. But I’ve been spoilt I guess, with L’occitane and White Company products (which always find their way into my bag at the end of the cruise! – thats a ‘given’).

Nice little gift waiting for us – £100 each to spend in the Casino! Another nice touch!

You’ve got the soap/shampoo dispensers in the shower (horrid shower curtain that wraps around you like clingfilm when wet!) and a bar of soap on the sink. So basic to say the least. Apart from that, plenty of storage space, and comfy beds.

The public areas were spacious, modern, and beautifully furnished. Out on deck the 2 swimming pools and 3 hot tub/jacuzzis looked very inviting, but as it was a cold day in March, I steered well clear!

Kensington Restaurant

Bridge & Card Room

All in all, I felt more at ease on the Magellan than on the Britannia, I felt more like I was on a cruise ship, rather than a floating resort. I liked the ambiance on board (helped by a free bar for the evening of course!) the friendliness of the staff, the intimate cosy warm feel of the ship would definitely induce me to book a cruise on her.

Talking of which, she will be sailing to The Northern Lights and recently sailed northward to see the Solar Eclipse, the British Isles including the Scottish Highlands and the more remote Scottish Islands, Guernsey & the Isles of Scilly. Ireland, France, the Scandinavian Cities and a little further afield to the West Indies.

My advice? Try her – I believe you will be very impressed.