Marella Discovery Review
Rating by category
Additional details
We sailed on the Discovery from 2nd July to 16th July 2016. This was two cruise itineraries back to back – Mediterranean Secrets and Highlights of the Mediterranean. We booked a deluxe balcony cabin on deck 7 midships and took the All Inclusive drinks package. This was our 15th cruise, 5 of which were with Thomson.
Overall we very much enjoyed the cruise and the ship. Highlights for us were the food and entertainment, but less so the ports of call. We decided not to take any of the excursions as we have visited many of the destinations several times and so we explored the ports independently. The first week's itinerary was: Palma, Elba, Marina di Carrara, San Remo, Toulon, Ibiza Town and back to Palma. 2nd week: Ajaccio, Civitavecchia, Livorno, St Raphel, Barcelona and back to Palma. (St Raphael was cancelled because the sea was too rough for tenders ashore). The ports of call in the first week were much better than the 2nd.
The ship was beautiful in structure and most of the public areas had been newly renovated with new carpets and up to date décor. The parts of the ship we most enjoyed were as follows (I will expand on some of these later in my review). The Islands buffet restaurant with its impressive curved panoramic windows overlooking the bow of the ship. The Broadway show lounge which had very attractive, comfortable seats with drinks holders and a wonderful art deco style curtain on the stage prior to the show commencing. The main dining room and Gallery 47 italian themed restaurant were beautiful. The Atrium was spectacular, spanning about 7 decks with golden lifts either side of the central staircase – this was a good place to be and Thomson regulary used this area for entertainment. Bar Eleven (on deck 11) was a nice quiet place to be at any time of the day, but bar service started at 5pm and was a good place for watching the sailaways if you were dressed for dinner and didn't want to be on the open deck. Late at night the same area becomes a disco.
Cabin Review
Our cabin was really very nice – spacious, clean and nice fixtures and fittings. The cupboards and wardrobes had lovely cut out/shaped edges. Plenty of hanging space, full length for half of it. There were more drawers and cupboards than we could fill. The patio door that led onto the balcony went the whole width of the balcony, so it was very light in the cabin. New patio furniture on the balcony. Tea and coffee making with a kettle and a fridge that contained a mini-bar (chargeable). Nice flat screen TV, hairdryer which was adequate. Power points for two different voltages. A king size double bed with comfy mattress and pillows – slept like a baby. We had a three seater sofa that I think might convert into a bed for an extra adult or child. Plenty of space for a cot. The coffee table had seen better days and was a little out of kilter with the good standard of the rest of the furniture. The bathroom was clean and in good condition but had a shower curtain that clinged and it was a bit of a nuisance when I flooded the floor because of the curtain leaving a gap. Hot water for the shower was adequate but we soon discovered that it is better to shower early and avoid the times when the hot water runs out because of everyone getting showered at the same time (same as in some land based hotels, I might add). The cabin stewardess was efficient but did not refresh our room until the afternoon on most days. Towels, bathmat and flannels changed twice a day and pool towels changed each evening if you left them on the bathroom floor. Bed turned down each evening whilst we were at dinner. Chocolates on the pillows and towel sculptures a couple of times. The stewardess will not take away any unfinished drinks from your cabin, so you need to tip them away if you want to be rid of dirty glasses, even if they have water in them. The balconies on deck 7 are not overlooked but there was a canopy over the ones on deck 6 as they project forward about 12 – 18 inches below deck 7. Barely any vibration from the engines. Air conditioning in cabin.