PULLMANTUR-SOMETHING DIFFERENT FOR CRUISERS

If you're looking for a great value cruise that included almost everything in one easy fare, it might be worth your while to look at a cruise with Pullmantur. The Spainsh tour operator also caters to UK passengers on each of it's four ships, and, with all drinks and speciality coffees included along with the food, it represents an astonishingly good value buy.

It's a fact of life that you'll be travelling on a predominantly Spanish orientated product and, if you are fine with that, then Pullmantur is a really good option. The ships sail on seven night cruises in the Mediterranean, Northern Europe in Summer, the Canaries in winter, and year round in the Caribbean.

Food on board is decent and plentiful rather than gourmet, but then you're not paying gourmet prices. The Spanish tend to eat late, with second dinner seating usually around 9.15 PM. However, if that;s too late for you, there's an earlier seating and a full service, help yourself dinner buffet each night as well. I did find that they tended to use quite a bit of salt on meat and fish dishes, but not too much. Overall, the food quality is on a proper par with the prices charged.

Entertainment tends to revolve around musical trivute shows- think Abba and you've pretty much got the gist. There's live music everywhere, with everything from Samba to soft rock, and a late night disco that usually runs through until about four.

These are not quiet ships. They are busy, lively resorts at sea- a little slice of Spain afloat. Smokers abound outdoors, and lines to get on and off the ship in ports of call are just a fct of life. My personal reccomendation? Go for a balcony cabin, and gift yourself a little bit of private outdoor space to enjoy.

I was on the 74,000 ton Sovereign, a ship that was formerly the flagship of Royal Caribbean. She features small inside and outside cabins that are adequate for storage, but hardly idyllic in terms of relaxation. That said, you won;t be in that cabin for very much time. And, with a smart casual dress code, you can safely leave the tuxes and tiaras at home.

In terms of all inclusive, almost everythig is included. Only some top shelf brands (think of the likes of Grey Goose vodka) incur a small, additional charge. And, unlike some some lines, that 'all inclusive' does not uddenly end at two in the morning, either.

In terms of tipping, you should budget for around ten euros a day. Service in general was good to outstanding on my short cruise, and left me impressed enough to plan for a definite return visit early next year.

So, where to? In summer, the 45,000 ton Horizon sails to the Greek Islands and Adriatic each summer, before switching to the Canary Islands for winter. Sister ship, Zenith, sails year round in the Caribbean.

Monarch is 74,000 tons, and is another ex-Royal Caribbean stalwart. Summer finds the ship cruising in the Baltic and the Norwegian Fjords, before making an autumn transatlantic crossing to the Caribbean for a series of week long winter cruises.

Sovereign spends most of the year on seven night Western Mediterranean cruises, with embarkation allowed in both Barcelona and Civitavecchia, the port for Rome. After a refit this coming November, the ship will redeploy to Brazil, where she will offer a series of three and four night cruises from Santos to Ilhabella and Rio De Janeiro.

Overall, the Pullmantur experience is surprisingly elegant, very inclusive, and devoid of pretense. True luxury lovers and those who savour peace and quiet are best advised to consider other options. This isn't a 'best of the best' option, and nor does it pretend to be.

Recommended? Absolutely yes, but with the caveats mentioned above borne in mind.