Two firsts - my first review here, and a first look at the Magellan.

This was not strictly a cruise, it was an overnight stay on the Magellan prior to its maiden trip. We booked this as we had sailed twice on the Marco Polo and were keen to see the new ship.

Unfortunately things did not begin well. When we arrived at the terminal we heard that there had been a computer problem and check-in was delayed - and so the queuing began... We were eventually told that check-in would take place on board and we could board. Once we had queued to get on board we found another massive queue winding round the ship so that we could check in. An hour later, harassed waiters were bringing round glasses of wine to placate the crowds. After two hours, hooray, we reach the front of the queue to find we were simply there to register a credit card - the identity cards had already been given out and the cabin keys were already in the cabins, Oh that's great. I mention this at length because the chaos and lack of information were indicative of a lack of organisation, let alone that many of the passengers are not of an age to enjoy such an endurance test. Read more