DESTINATIONS CRUISE | SPAIN & PORTUGAL


3


OF THE BEST


food MARKETs


Funchal: Mercado dos Lavradores sits within easy reach of the port with a beautiful façade, made from hand-painted tiles and stalls stacked high with fruit, vegetables, flowers and spices.


Las Palmas de Gran Canaria: Covered Vegueta market was built in 1863 and sits on the waterfront, a good spot for tapas of Canarian cheeses and cured meats. .


A Coruña: Plaza de Lugo has fish and seafood stalls at ground level showing why the Galician coast is famed for its fishing, plus local cheese and meats (pictured) upstairs. It’s best from Tuesday to Saturday when the fresh catch is in.


top tip Weekly’s Celebrity


op tip Sign up for Travel


for Beginners virtual masterclasses at


travelweekly.co.uk/ celebrityforbeginners


board, offering all the sea views you could want while sheltered from the accompanying sea breeze. Likewise, our Infinite Veranda stateroom, with floor- to-ceiling windows that can be retracted half-way, was a good fit for a shoulder-season sailing where the weather didn’t always play ball – though cruisers who like a full balcony might find it takes some getting used to. There was more innovation in store in the theatre,


BOOK IT


Celebrity Cruises will base Celebrity Apex in Southampton from May 8-October 18, 2026, with an expanded programme to the Norwegian fjords and the Arctic Circle – including the new port of Trondheim in Norway – and a solar eclipse departure. An 11-night Canaries & Portugal cruise departing September 26, 2026, starts from £1,739 for an Inside cabin or £2,512 for a Veranda stateroom. celebritycruises.com


32 10 JULY 2025


where flagship performance Crystallize was a show-stopping display of aerial acrobatics – with a husband-and-wife team taking centre stage – to a soundtrack of an electric violin belting out pop anthems. I ventured behind the scenes on a backstage tour for an insight into the fast and furious pace of being a performer at sea – whether learning a show from start to finish in just 10 days or the practicalities of quick costume changes in the wings – and was wowed all over again by the inventiveness of both cast and crew.


APEX EATS There’s plenty of culinary creativity too, from the classy cocktail menu and impressive wake views at Eden to the inventive Le Petit Chef experience, plus a wide-ranging wine menu courtesy of 20 onboard sommeliers. Refreshingly, though, guests don’t have to shell out for the speciality restaurants to experience top-quality food and drink. Edge Class ships have swapped large, grand dining rooms for four smaller


Crystallize was a show-stopping


display of aerial acrobatics to a soundtrack of an electric violin belting out pop anthems


spaces more akin to a regular restaurant with plenty of tables for two or four. With some menu items in common alongside specials unique to each venue – the slow-cooked lamb shank at Cyprus and Venice-style pappardelle at Tuscan were favourites – the low-key atmosphere and quality ingredients were every bit as impressive as the speciality restaurants. With space to chat at our table for two, we weighed up the highlights of each port of call – from our tuk-tuk tour of Lisbon to venturing into the hills of Funchal and admiring the peak of Mount Teide in Tenerife – finally ticking off some of western Europe’s must-see spots. But was my mum convinced about the joys of a holiday


at sea? The standout service, varied dining and constant sea views were a hit, so much so that she’s already eyeing up a cruise in the Norwegian fjords. The only challenge was finding our way around the ship amid its array of onboard facilities – but as we’d discovered earlier, we’d rather be lost somewhere than on the way to nowhere, and getting lost together was all part of the fun.


TW


CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: Magic Carpet, Celebrity Apex; Eden bar and restaurant; mural by Mário Belém in Lisbon PICTURE: Steve Dunlop; vpogarcia/Wikimedia Commons


travelweekly.co.uk


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60