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Airtours

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Reviewed by:  Ian Battersby
# previous cruises: 6
Date of Trip: September 22, 2001
Itinerary: Mediterranean

My wife and I have just completed the Mediterranean Medley cruise visiting Valletta, Messina, Naples, Olbia and Ajaccio. We thoroughly enjoyed the cruise as we visited several new countries. The ship is well run and caters for the British, who do have different taste to the Americans. You will also find Canadians and Scandinavians on board as well. Occasionally there will be announcements made in Scandinavian, but generally all announcements are in English.

Apart from the Sun deck, which can get crowded when the weather is sunny, there are 3 lounges, lido bar and a walk round Promenade deck. The Promenade deck is usually quiet when the sun deck is busy. The is a small pool that can get busy. The casino has 50+ slot machines, roulette, blackjack etc and does offer lessons for those desperate to lose some money(not me this time). Production numbers and guest artistes are in the Showboat Lounge. Quizzes and passenger participation shows are in the Carousel Lounge. There is also the Cafe Bar (ie Olde English pub) in the Carousel Lounge. The Midsummers Night Lounge is good good for a quieter pre dinner drink.

Meals are served in the Camelot Restaurant or on The Lido deck if you prefer buffet. The food is good and varied with both a heathy option and veggie choice in the restaurant. Service was good and attentive, but could be a bit intrusive when on second seating (ie when the midnight buffets were to be presented). We usually dined in the restaurant for lunch especially when the weather was hot. Again the choice was good and varied. You can have a full 4 course meal or just a snack. At night there was also an al fresco dining on the Lido Deck which was a bit more relaxed. There was a inclusive drink offer costing #109 each per person.

The cabins are not large but adequate and were serviced twice a day by the steward who did a good job. The storage space was ample for our needs but you should be aware the the wardrobe only has a curtain, but there is a safety deposit safe in each cabin (cost #1 per day). The bath rooms are on the small side and most people will become very friendly with the shower curtain by the end of the cruise! If all possible avoid the following cabins B156,158,160,162,164 and B129,131,133,135,137. These cabins are over the propellers and can be noisy when sailing (we were in B160)the bed vibrated!

Entertainment was provided by the resident singers and dancers who put on a number of shows. While they tried hard I am sad to say that I have seen better. During the cruise we also had a very funny Welsh comedienne(if you have not seen her before), a singer who had won New Faces and was very good, 2 lads who entertained on the piano during good old rock and roll.

The itinerary was good, it was after all why we picked this cruise. Trips were available at all ports of call, both full and half day, with meals provided if you did full day tours. We usually opted for the half days so that we could do our own thing after lunch. If you did want to go out there was always something going on on board to keep you occupied. Kids were also catered for with qualified staff and kids clubs.

Passengers were a mixed bunch as I stated earlier. But everyone got on well. The cruise tries to cater for everyone and generally succeeds. It is aimed at the mass market and could easily have lots of children on board during school holidays. But having said that this was our second cruise with Airtours so they are doing something right. If you are not sure if cruising is for you and you don't want to break the bank, try Airtours, you will be surprised how good it can be.