Marella Dream Review

4.0 / 5.0
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Thomson deception.

Review for the Western Caribbean Cruise on Marella Dream
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ThePirateofPenrith
2-5 Cruises • Age 60s

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Sail Date: Apr 2015

This holiday is based on deception by the tour operator. If you want to be realistic about expectations this cruise should be judged on a one star basis. When we embarked at Montego Bay there seemed to be a problem the week before with a virus as the staff served all the food and drink for the first 2.5 days. The sauna also was closed for the same duration. The notice displayed on its door verified it was closed as a health precaution. Passengers we spoke to, who were on board the previous week, verified this, adding that the problem seemed to be profound in deck 5. On our last week aboard, there were a large number of passengers who had a flu like virus. In fact, on disembarkation, the number of fellow passengers around us coughing was alarming. Maybe people should assess this when booking a cruise on a ship like this as the vast majority of cabins and public areas are sealed and are fed by recycled air. Perhaps going on a cruise with a cabin that has a balcony has health benefits too. Is it a coincidence that the medical centre is down in the bowels of the ship? In my opinion it should be next to the shops, so the passengers can see if there are any queues developing outside it.

The top end of the entertainment team was fantastic but the others who entertained during the day were no better than the ones in a caravan park. One word of caution: there is a new "dream team" on board for the summer season in the Med. They appeared for one night on our last week and were grossly inferior to the incumbents.

On the transatlantic crossing we had to lose 7 hours in order to reposition to European time. This was done at 2 o'clock in the afternoon which made the time move to 3 o'clock. This meant that one hour of quality time was being lost on these days. It just so happens Thomson then had one less hour to feed, water and entertain passengers. Even the staff lost out as apparently Thomson took an hour from their break during the day. Quite despicable of them as the staff work in excess of 12 hours a day, 7 days a week. Surprise, surprise when The Dream travels from Europe to the Caribbean in the Autumn, the clocks are changed backwards overnight which prevents the exact opposite situation ie passengers having more time to eat, drink and be merry in the afternoon.

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