After breakfast we leave the ship and pick up the rental car that was booked in advance. Since our flight back to Germany doesn't leave until the afternoon, we still want to see a lot on the island.
Las Palmas de Gran Canaria - opposites
You can usually pick up rental cars at the cruise terminal, but the buildings are not accessible due to the carnival. However, we only have a few minutes to walk and everything goes very well. We drive back to the cruise terminal and collect the luggage.
With the rental car overland to Teror
We visit the Castell de la Luz near the cruise terminal. Then we leave Las Palmas.
Las Palmas de Gran Canaria - Castillo de la Luz
Next we drive to Teror, which is a very original little place, about 15 km from Las Palmas. Unfortunately, it is completely overcrowded on Sunday because the weekly market takes place. Nevertheless, we take a look at the beautiful historic houses with the carved wooden balconies and the Basilica Nuesta Señora del Pino, in which the statue of the patron saint of Gran Canaria is located. The square in front of it is quite full, and there are also a lot of people between the market stalls. You have to dodge a little on the side streets or the Teresa de Bolívar square to have it a little quieter.
Las Palmas de Gran Canaria - The center of Teror
Our next destination should be the Monumento Natural de Bandama - the Bandama Natural Park. It is located about 10 km south of Las Palmas and consists of the 574 m high Pico de Bandama and the Caldera de Bandama, which has a diameter of around 1 km and is 170 m deep. The nature park is a protected area. From a viewing platform at Pico de Bandama you can see into the crater and the view of the Canarian mountains should also be great. However, we get lost on a branch line, which is absolutely great in terms of landscape, and we are running out of time. Bandama will have to wait until our next visit.
Las Palmas de Gran Canaria - Landscape near Teror
We end our tour with a detour to the beach north of the airport. Everything went well.
I can only recommend a Canary Islands cruise. The individual islands offer a lot in extraordinary landscapes, inviting places and harbors. They are an attractive travel destination all year round, but especially in the seasons when it is cold and uncomfortable in Germany.
More information about Gran Canaria:
On the bottom -> Gran Canaria and on our website kreuzfahrtenkanaren.de -> Gran Canaria
And how did I like Mein Schiff 4?
Mein Schiff 4
In February 2016 is Mein Schiff 4 only in the service for a good half year. Of course it's great to drive a ship like that. The entire equipment is very good, the material used looks high quality, everything is tasteful and well thought out, and almost new. The abundance of restaurants and bars, modern information technology and the space available for passengers are also impressive.
The food in all restaurants is varied, well presented and always delicious, as are the drinks, which are largely included in the price of the cruise. The sports and fitness areas are superbly equipped, the range of first-class entertainment is extensive, and we thoroughly enjoyed the shows in the theater or in the sound house. All of this is really convincing and speaks only for TUI Cruises.
Mein Schiff 4 - Atlantic Mediterranean Restaurant
The sometimes very careless service in the bars and restaurants speaks against Mein Schiff 4. One has the impression that everyone is still in a learning phase, which is questionable after half a year. I was also often annoyed about the "host" - TUI language for a supervisor. For example, they make sure that every guest disinfects or washes their hands while the service has problems clearing the tables. Even the lax tone of voice - "hey", "you", "stop, stand in line" - was not appropriate for me. Mein Schiff 4 is not a youth hostel.
Other disadvantages are less clearly tangible, such as the TUI feel-good language. The word “feel good” is used so inflationarily that after a short time you can no longer hear it. “Well-being ship” may still work, but “well-being through water” or “well-being punch”? As a result, you get many fellow travelers who use it all the time: "We all want to feel good".
Mein Schiff 4 - Everything here revolves around feeling good
The way in which children only set a few limits does not speak in favor of a trip with Mein Schiff 4, at least not during the holidays. Our trip coincided with the winter holidays in five German federal states. Either the kids' clubs were too small or not interesting enough, which one cannot imagine with the other perfection of this ship. But there were almost no places on the entire ship where children were not amused, and that into the late evening. We experienced that, for example, on the Queen Victoria - during the summer holidays - very differently. And yet we all felt comfortable.
Conclusion: You should enjoy the first-class facilities on Mein Schiff 4 and otherwise not be too sensitive.
(Anne P.)
