Welcome to Your Favorites, where you have the opportunity to share your travel experiences with fellow Internet Travelers around the world.

Airtours

MV Carousel

Your Rating:
Reviewed by:  Mick Ingham
# previous cruises: 0
Date of Trip: November 21, 2001
Itinerary: Africa

Being are first ever cruise we were (my wife and I) a little a apprehensive, having heard how cruises were for old people. We landed in Tenerife and the fiasco began, there was no organisation at the airport and to put it bluntly the Reps were a waste of space causing more confusion than already existed. Get on the coach get off the coach several times. The ship did look quite impressive the second time we drove past it, the driver was not lost just stalling for time. The reason for this became apparent on boarding  the computerised booking in system had gone down and everything was done manually. After sitting in the restaurant for three hours we eventually booked in. Then began one of the best experiences of our lives.

All the public areas were immaculately clean and the staff never stopped cleaning. The ship was full therefore there were problems getting sun beds later in the day and the shows were overcrowded in the evening but with a bit of planning it was easy to overcome.

We were on the second sitting and shared a table with 3 other couples and the Staff Captain. The table was the envy of the surrounding tables as we all got on so well, laughing and joking every evening. The dinners were the most memorable part of our cruise due to the friends we made- Pete and Andrea, Ian and Chris and Kevin and Angela. The first 2 couples we have kept in regular contact with and are planning another cruise together at some stage in the near future. The food and service was excellent, the waiters went out of their way to ensure everything was just how you wanted it.

Ours was an inside on main deck and had ample space for the average sized Brit. It could have done with a TV and the piped in music would have won awards for being dull. The cabin creaked some nights but earplugs countered that problem. It was cleaned daily and the staff were friendly.

I think we attended all the shows all of which were good, quite hard to compare them to other shows seen as we haven't seen a show before! You did have to get a seat early otherwise you'd be standing at the back, which was okay as there was a bar.

We sunbathed every day and being early risers had no problem getting the best spots. The cruise was the African adventure Starting in Tennerife-Gran Canaria-3 days at sea-Cape Verde-day at sea-Gambia-Senegal-2 days at sea-Lanzarote-day at sea-Madeira-La Palma-Tennerife. Not much to do in Cape Verde but it was an experience some passengers complained as it was "Rough". It made us appreciate what we take for granted back home, Pete got his watch stolen! Gambia and Senegal were our favouites as we collect wooden carvings. My wife was like a kid in a toy shop. Thankfully there is a weight restriction on your baggage otherwise we would have returned with half the African rain forests!Madeira is the nicest place we have been. Simply beautiful. The days at sea were very relaxing.

The ship had a lot of oldies on, most of whom were pleasant, there is always the exception. Mainly Brits and some Scandinavians. Anyone worried about sharing a boat with the elderly generation need have no fears as there are a lot of steps on the ship and most oldies do not like steps therefore you can escape. Pete,Andrea,Ian and Chris have become good friends. Kevin and Angela said they'd keep in touch with us all but didn't. Never mind their loss!