We round-up of some of the top features onboard Cruise & Maritime Voyages’ Columbus ahead of our full ship review in the next edition of Cruise Magazine.
If you’re seeking a cruise for your group that encompasses everything from spa treatments and art lectures on portraiture to Broadway-scale productions and the chance to dine on seven plentiful courses every night, Columbus might well be the ship for you.
Rachel Bailey sailed on the Columbus in December and visited Hamburg and Amsterdam on a Christmas Markets itinerary. Here, she picks out five attractions guaranteed to whet your appetite for a group adventure with Cruise & Maritime Voyages.
1. Taverner’s Pub
If sumptuous décor, hanging lights constructed out of sparkling glass decanters, pea-green foliage displays on tables and ice-cold gin and tonics sound like a collection of features you’d definitely enjoy at sea, make your way straight to the Taverner’s Pub. One of seven bars onboard, it’s styled like a traditional English pub – think record players and elegant landscape prints rather than Axminster carpets and pool tables. Many a jolly hour can be whiled away in these pleasant surroundings, and it makes for a cosy alternative to a night of full-blown evening entertainment if you’re after something quiet.
2. Waterfront Restaurant
For a meal presented with class, poise and visual appeal guaranteed every night, make sure you visit the Waterfront Restaurant at least once on your cruise.
An exciting menu that changes daily reveals an array of delicious courses and you can enjoy up to seven every evening if you so choose. Be sure to take a sitting on the final night of your cruise to ensure you don’t miss the traditional Baked Alaska parade where the staff are celebrated by their passengers as they dance their way through the restaurant with plates of beautiful Baked Alaska. A true sight to behold and an entertaining precursor to the scrumptious pudding.
Pictured: The Waterfront Restaurant.
3. The Library
Those with a bookworm streak will want to make time to visit the Columbus library. A truly relaxing environment can be enjoyed in here, where guests can curl up in comfy Chesterfield chairs and read away to their hearts’ content while enjoying ocean panoramas. A small but comprehensive selection of reading material awaits library-dwellers so if you’ve forgotten your own book or fancy a new one, there’s plenty to browse through.
4. Guest entertainers
Cruise & Maritime Voyages offers an extensive programme of guest entertainers, speakers and craft specialists, and GTOs might like to find out who is speaking onboard ahead of booking if their group has any specific interests. Guest speakers range from comedians to art experts – the Hamburg and Amsterdam itinerary, for example, featured four art lectures from an artist called Alan O’Cain and ranged in topic from Modern Art to Portraiture. Each cruises’ enrichment programme also includes a series of activities that could be anything from making jewellery, painting and mosaic decoration to calligraphy and decorative card art.
5. The Dome Observatory and Nightclub (pictured above)
For groups who like to let their hair down, the nightclub is guaranteed to have a song and a dance to end your night on a high. The entertainment ranges from interactive gameshows such as charades to themed cabaret shows. A resident DJ plays party tunes into the small hours so the night doesn’t have to end too early if you don’t want it too. An extra plus is that table service in many of the entertainment spaces means every guest gets to enjoy a hassle free experience without having to queue at the bar.
Need to know about Columbus:
• Launched by Cruise and Maritime Voyages on 8th June
• Passenger capacity: 1,400
• 64 deluxe balcony cabins
• 75% of its 775 cabins offer an ocean view
• 12 decks
• Five dining options
• Seven bars
• Six entertainment venues
CMV Groups Department:
0844-414 6199
www.cruiseandmaritime.com
