TUI Mediterranean 2019 – Page 5

Back on the ship we went to reception to sort out the cancelled excursion. They took note of the matter and wanted to pass it on, but at the same time advised us to go directly to the shore excursion staff. We had already seen on our onboard bill that 10 euros per person had been credited back for the excursion. When we asked at the counter why we should pay 17 euros per person for the bus ride, the reason given was that we had been to Europa Point. No more detailed explanation of why we should pay 70% for an excursion whose main attraction had been cancelled could be given, but they wanted to look into it again and get back to us.

We spent most evenings in the Atlantik restaurant. For four people it's very nice when nobody is always away at the buffet looking for the next course and we could choose the courses right at the table.

In the bars we only had positive experiences. At the TUI fan meeting on board, fellow passengers told us that the waiters in the bars rarely come by the tables, as they don't really get anything out of it (tips). We can't confirm this at all – the drinks always came very quickly and the waiters were always very attentive.

In Málaga a city tour was on our programme. We had worked out a great route in advance and simply followed it.

On the next sea day we tried La Spezia, the exclusive Italian restaurant on Mein Schiff 4. This meal was a real dream too.

Our personal favourites among the "exclusive restaurants":

Surf & Turf = 1st place
La Spezia = 2nd place
Hanami = 3rd place

Service and atmosphere were always excellent in all of them.

The following morning we reached Valencia. Here we had booked a tour online in advance with TukTuk Valencia (Iberia): a complete city tour of the most important sights in 2 hours. At 10 a.m. sharp the tuk-tuk picked us up at the terminal; we reached the terminal itself with the free local shuttle that runs constantly between the terminal and the ship. Important: don't take the TUI shuttle – in our case it went from the ship straight into town. We had a super ride in the tuk-tuk, with lots of sights and plenty of information from our driver.

As we had enjoyed the food at Surf & Turf so much, the four of us went there again in the evening and enjoyed an exquisite evening.

Saturday morning, arrival in Barcelona, probably the best-known city in Spain. Here we had booked a bike tour through Mein Schiff. In the morning the bus took us to the Columbus statue, where the bikes were already waiting. Our guide Anika Sch. led us right across Barcelona for 6.5 hours and showed us many beautiful places.

We really enjoyed this tour, and it somewhat softened the impression we had formed of Mein Schiff excursions.

Barcelona was also our last stop on the trip, and the next day we had to say goodbye to Mein Schiff 4.