Marella Celebration Review

4.0 / 5.0
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A reasonable introduction to cruising

Review for the Eastern Caribbean Cruise on Marella Celebration
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Jack1956
First Time Cruiser • Age 60s

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Sail Date: Feb 2015

My wife and I have just returned from our two week Caribbean cruise on the Celebration. This was our first cruise so we didn't really know what to expect. We paid a lot of money for a deluxe cabin on deck 9, all inclusive with the drinks package, etc, but we never really felt we got value for money. The ship is rather dated now and the decor a little run down, despite having been revamped recently. The food and drink were plentiful but at the same time rather plain. The staff were friendly and very helpful. We visited some great places and went on some great tours and enjoyed meeting new people and experiencing the whole cruise thing.

People we met on board who have been cruising with Thomson for 15 years said that each year they had noticed a little erosion of standards, as Thomson try to appeal to the package holiday crowd. Most of the people we met were pleasant but there were a couple of large groups who were loud, raucous and didn't seem to care much about how they were affecting those around them. Usually to be found in the bars, the men were shaven headed with pot-bellies and lots of tattoos (sometimes on their necks and faces) while their wives looked like bulldogs chewing wasps while managing to hold a fag in their mouths. They would shout across to each other during shows in the Hollywood Show Lounge and run around shouting in the Meridian Restaurant while we were trying to have a nice meal. The only places I did not see them was at the Captain's Gala Reception (would have meant dressing up) or in the Browsers Corner - the ship's library - books presumably being to them what kryptonite is to Superman.

Being on an all inclusive package I was not happy at having to pay for bottled water; despite the brochure saying that wifi is available in public areas (it is) it didn't say that this had to be paid for - and very expensive it was too for those that really needed to use it. These things we expect as standard these days. Most of us waited until we docked and would find a cafe with free wifi or hoped we would berth alongside one of the Costa ships which were flooded with free wifi which reached our cabin. Also there is a new coffee shop on deck 5 which for some reason is not included in the all inclusive package.

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Cabin Deluxe
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