Chose this cruise as we were constricted by time and wanted to visit Athens. We had been with Marella before and researched the ship before booking so knew what to expect. Luggage was dropped off at Gatwick and didn’t see it again until it was delivered to the cabin (the reverse happened on departure). Embarkation was quick but as there were only 1200 passengers there was no Premium boarding. Our cabin was roomy and clean with better decor than Discovery which was very bland. Plenty of storage and hangers. The balcony was adequate with 2 chairs and a side table, some balconies were larger with sun beds but also had less privacy. Navigating around the ship could be a bit confusing as not all lifts went to deck 9, some stairways gave no indication of what deck you were on and some corridors were dead ends. There were more than sufficient sun beds on the decks for the number of guests. Food was excellent although, being a small ship, there was not a massive choice in the buffet. Plenty of seating in the restaurants. We didn’t do any shore excursions but most destinations were interesting, those that weren’t we went to the beach. We knew beforehand about the vibration but didn’t find it a real problem, it was felt more in some places than others. A few children onboard but not a lot of activities, guests mainly middle aged to elderly. Read Less

We sailed the Emerald Waterways Adriatic Princess Dalmatian Cruise on June 8 to 15th. I will save you the agony and money spent by informing you that this is NOT a “Luxury Yacht” as stated in their brochure, nor is it a new yacht. Imagine our huge disappointment upon finding out that the “New Luxury Yacht” that we paid dearly for has not even commenced to being built and all the advertising that Emerald Waterways is putting out for their “Luxury Yachts” is False Advertising!!! We were advised a week before sail date that our “Luxury Yacht” was not quite finished yet, let alone not even built. Obviously the short notice was so that we had no opportunity to cancel. I can speak for many of the passengers that we were hugely mislead by a company that supposedly has a great reputation. I for one will not trust to book on Emerald/Scenic cruises again. If it were not for the beautiful fellow passengers, the kind and hard working staff and a beautiful country this would have been so much more miserable and upsetting!!! There are so many reasons that made this NOT a “Luxury” experience, far too many to write but a few examples: *coffee comes out of a machine, nothing fresh brewed *food was very good home cooking but not fine dining experience *snacks were a skimp, only two bowls of pretzels one day *wine was awful with not good options to upgrade to *everything is self serve *it was only after some mutiny that we were able the experience to swim off the back If this had been advertised properly and half the price then it would not receive such negative reviews but shame on Emerald Waterways/Scenic for totally misrepresenting this particular trip. I sure hope that Emerald will make right to all the passengers who have been scammed and I hope that not more innocent people are mislead by their false brochures and advertising. Read Less

Just returned from this cruise. We booked this for several reasons, a late cruise, visiting Sicily and Kefalonia, adults only, all on the fabulous Celebration, in my opinion, Thomson’s/Marella’s best ship. The ships specification is well documented on the Internet so I won’t go into the details, suffice to say, the food, entertainment, information, cabin service, bar service and so on were all of a very high standard. The pre-booked excursion tickets were waiting for us in our cabin on embarkation and the embarkation and disembarkation procedures were incredibly slick, including the experience of parting with your luggage at East Midlands airport and not seeing it again until it arrived outside your cabin, without having to collect it at Dubrovnik airport. The same procedure (in reverse of course) on the return home. That’s progress. I few points about the ports of call. Messina, Sicily - a nice place but not a lot to do if you arrive on a Sunday so it may be worth booking a trip. Argostoli, Kefalonia - again, a pretty town but a bit sleepy. Worth having a walk along the front and across the causeway (which leads to the other side of the bay). Igoumenitsa, Greece - this is a port town, with ferries to Corfu and beyond. It has little historical interest. The Marella map shows a castle but all we found was a church, something that may have been lost in the translation? We actually booked a tour to Nekromanteio which is steeped in Greek mythology if you like that sort of thing, then onto the postcard-perfect village of Parga, and it really is very pretty. Not enough for us for a whole day but a couple of hours is perfect to climb up to the castle and take in the views. Kotor, Montenegro - this is a quaint but bustling town. Check beforehand how many ships are in on the day and it will give you an idea as to how busy it will be. There are loads of options for tours, including private taxi’s and hop-on, hop-off busses. As we had been before we did our own thing. I took on the challenge of climbing up to the fortress Castle of San Giovanni, approximately 1,200 metres high and approximately 1,350 steps to climb to reach the castle. €8 for the privilege and it is a seriously long climb, over uneven (and sometimes missing) stone steps, or, in parts, a steep slope. The view at the top is fantastic and worth the pull on your calf muscles and hamstrings for the next couple of days. In general, as we went in October, the on shore tour options may not all have been present as this is right at the end of the season. If you go earlier in the year, there may be more available. In summary, this is not an itinerary that jumps out at you. The is no “Venice” or Barcelona”, but the cruise does visit some quaint, pretty and interesting places, many with stunning scenery (the bay of Kotor in particular). Couple this up with the magnificent Celebration cruise ship and add in the food, drinks, entertainment, the attentive, hard working staff and being able to meet like minded people, this all equates to a complete cruise experience. I would wholeheartedly recommend this cruise to any prospective cruiser. Read Less

We tried the majesty last year and were so impressed we decided to do the next one up ie the celebration. We had a large delux cabin which we had booked however we were given a queen bed instead of twin beds as originally requested. That being said the bed was extremely comfy and Ahmad, who looked after our cabin kept it spotlessly clean and the towel “art” each night was great. I hope the next cruise we go on we might get lucky and have Ahmad look after us again! Unfortunately on this cruise the ship appeared to be full to capacity and it was difficult finding seats in the different bars. Also when we wanted to sit and read say in the Hemingway’s bar it was most difficult. We did try the Broadway lounge which was always empty during the day but sadly it was really cold so couldn’t sit and read. The staff were lovely always accommodating nothing was too much trouble for them. The food which was aplenty, was tasty. The pianist Ben was good as was the guitarist. We watched the shows too in the Broadway lounge which were very good I particularly liked the Philip Marlowe production. The comedian they had on was also funny and went down well. An enjoyable cruise although the Celebration is looking tired and needs some TLC. Read Less

This is the third or fourth time we have been on the Celebration over the past 4 yrs I believe. I feel a bit sorry to say that in all ways this ship has gone down in my estimation and is like a frail old lady. This not to say that we did not enjoy our 2 weeks cruise because we did, but knowing this ship for a good few years it is a bit sad, so see her being dragged round the Med when all she wants is a good rest. The cabins are ok especially ours as we have an adapted cabin which is large and adequate in size but it looks exactly as it did when we first went on it all those years ago .apart from a new carpet,except it should not have done. it should have been brought more up to scratch. The cabin does not seem to have been decorated since the beginning of us using it. The food in Mistrals is really lovely but so it should at the supplement over what you have already paid. A very short menu.. The Lido is a bit like a works canteen but we only went there for breakfast as the Meridian was too early for us The food is not quite so good as before but perfectly ok. The best bit about this ship is the staff. They do all they can to make sure that you are happy. I had a couple of blips but it was soon sorted out.. Read Less

We were recommended this ship by a family member who had cruised with her before. the size of the ship was a factor we took into consideration as we didn't want to "go large." We flew from Doncaster Airport and it was great that after checking in our luggage the next time we saw it was outside our Cabin door. Embarkation was very well organised and it didn't take long before we had the key to our Cabin which we found very spacious, well designed and most comfortable. We chose an inside cabin in the exact centre of the ship, this proved to be an inspired decision! Due to the high winds forecast. Our sail away was in full sun and light winds. Our first day was our only "sea" day. We woke up, got dressed and rushed up to deck for our first experience of cruising. Our hearts sank as the staff were busy tying up all the sun loungers, seats and anything else that moved. Yes, the winds were up, we were sailing into a hurricane!!! Later in the day, the captain announced, we would be missing our first point of call in Crete as the winds were too great for comfort. Instead, the ship hid in the relative calm between Islands to let the storm pass and we spent 1 day and a half in Piraeus, Athens. It rained for two full days but we made the best of it and had a laugh over a few glasses each evening. The weather improved and we enjoyed the excellent food and entertainment on board. The captains night was a highlight for us as was the arrival and sail away from Kotor, Montenegro. The ship had a good ratio of passenger to staff and all the staff were always very friendly. and helpful. The entertainment team were superb and put on some great shows. The Celebration is an old ship but has bags of character, the only grumble about the ship was the constant low vibration from the engines, that seems to be constant even when in port. We would definitely recommend cruising on the Marella Celebration. Read Less

We were expecting a luxury cruise. We paid good money for a luxury cruise. The boat Callisto is very old and not well maintained. The noise was that loud that we were offered earplugs by the crew. The boat shuddered while under way and made sleeping very challenging. The beds were extremely hard. Bathrooms were very tired. The staff did keep them clean.This was not a luxury cruise and had I known I certainly wouldn’t have paid that price. There shore excursions were so expensive. We ended organising ours from shore and paid a third of the price. There was only hot water for the first two days and then the last. The positive was that the crew were excellent. They couldn’t be faulted. Think carefully before booking your cruise. Callisto certainly wasn’t value for money. Embarkation was was very poor. We were given a number to ring to find where the boat would be docked. The number was never answered. This happened to all guests. We were lead to believe we could swim from the boat. This only happened once and not in a lovely bay like on the brochure but where we were anchored just out of the harbour with strong currents. If you were expecting Wifi. Check what they offer. It was not what I expected. The food was good and we met some lovely people and the staff on board were great. This was not a luxury cruise and certainly not value for money. Read Less

We departed from Dubrovnik on September 23, 2018 setting sail for Venice. Our intended flight schedule was intended to take us from San Antonio, Texas to Dallas to an overnight in Madrid and then on to Dubrovnik on the day of sailing. All of our luggage took different routes including stops in London, Vienna, Zurich, Frankfurt, Zagreb and finally to Zadar, Croatia. We were exhausted from trying to reunite with our luggage upon boarding the Esprit. The staff on board insisted on turning the task at hand over to them and to their network of Port Agents. They worked tirelessly to find our luggage and finally on Wednesday evening, after leaving Dubrovnik on Sunday, we were reunited with our luggage. We wore the same clothes for five days with the staff refreshing our clothes every day. The vessel was full and all of our fellow passengers recognized us by our apparent non-changing wardrobe. On the next evening we were in proper attire and were noticed and recognized with abundant cheers from our fellow guests. The Crystal Esprit is a mere 82 meters in length. One must remember that at one time it was an individual's personal yacht. Before it entered the Crystal fleet it was totally gutted and converted to a luxury yacht for about sixty-one discerning guests. I need not say how absolutely wonderful the cruise was and how we were treated by the staff. From Johann the Hotel Director, Grace and Jaypee at the Reception Desk, Lauren, Joel and Milly who served us at the bars and in the dining venues and Gee and Kath who kept our suite in perfect order, everything was over the top. We went on a couple of shore excursions which were excellent. On some ports we chose to walk around on our own where we did a bit of shopping and had a "local" lunch. The shopping was fun and interesting but we spent three days in the wonderful city of Venice which is a shopping mecca at the end of the cruise. Although we have several favorite restaurants in Venice, the dining aboard the Esprit outshined a couple of them. The dining experience ranks with some of the finist restaurants around the world. The presentation was unmatched. Adam, the Executive Chef, was incredibly creative. One day, he went ashore to round up some black and white truffles. We had homemade pasta with truffles as well as truffle omelettes for breakfast. Of course, we were lucky that it was truffle season in Europe. All included wines were great but we supplemented them with optional Caymus Cabernet. Cocktails were all hand crafted with premium liquors. The evening entertainment was lovely with relaxing music offered by Craig at the piano and, at times, with the Captain on his guitar. Water activities included jet-ski rides and two-person excursions on Crystal's own submarine on board (extra charge for that experience) The water was a bit too cold for me. We are well-traveled and my wife and I agree that the Crystal Esprit ranks at the top of our travel experiences. We are sailing on the Crystal Serenity out of LA in December and then it's back with our Esprit family in February in the Caribbean. Read Less

We have been on the celebration before so we knew what to expect. We flew from Gatwick on the Dreamliner and the self service check -in took about 5 mins. with no queuing. The plane arrived early and we were swiftly driven by coach to the cruise terminal. The check in for the cruise was different this year as it was done on the ship with no queuing at all. Our cases arrived outside our cabin within 20 mins. The Celebration still has its slight wobble but it did not affect us at all. Our cabin was a de-luxe on deck 8, very spacious with large double bed under the 2 windows, settee,chairs, bath with shower over it and spotlessly clean and kept that way by our cabin steward all week. We ate in the Lido (self service) for breakfast and lunch, and in the main dining room for evening dinner. Sometimes there were queues to get in but they moved very quickly and we only waited for 10 mins. at the most. The food in all the eating places was very good with quick service. We eat in Minstralls on one night and it was well worth the extra money. We went to the shows every evening which were good, and one night there was a comedian who was excellent, he did a further show at 11.30pm later in the week. It was an adults only cruise. We got off at every port we stopped at and just walked around and did our own thing except for Venice where we went on the island of Marano and Buarno trip which was very interesting. We were not asked at all to buy drinks packages, photos, spa treatments, etc. We enjoyed ourselves so much that we have already booked the Celebration again for next year. Read Less

We choose this cruise believing it was high end. It was extremely expensive so we thought it was the cruise of a lifetime. I wish people would write reviews so you can make and informed decision on whether this is the cruise for you. The boat was very old. I wouldn’t pay that sort of money to sail on this boat. The noise was unbearable at night and they offered everyone ear plugs so I guess that tells you something. The boat vibrates continuously under sail. You are trying to sleep and your whole body is shaking. The beds are rock hard. The cabins are old but I didn’t mind that. There was no hot water for most of the trip. Not to much of a problem because the weather was warm but when you pay such a high price for the trip you expect hot water. Don’t sail on Callisto. The crew were wonderful and there service excellent. It was just the age of the boat and the price we paid. Be honest Variety so people can choose if this is the right boat for them Read Less

So many basic errors and a lack of understanding what cruisers expect. Obvious frozen veg straight out of a packet. Packet gravy. Braised beef hard and dry. Coq au vin not cooked in the totally unrelated sauce. Fruit salad straight from the tin served as stewed fruit compot. The lobster highlight was dry, over cooked and tasteless. Appalling waste of good produce. Fish nearly always flaccid and with no discernible flavour. Best meal was lamb shank local pub style. One sweet served in a badly buckled stemmed dish. Obvious no one is overseeing what is coming out of the kitchen or understands what we expect. Feel I am being taken for a simpleton and being insulted by the offer of an upgraded meal (standard on any cruise line) at extra cost. Staff great. Cabin clean but no fridge. Some good entertainment but some screeching singers. Overaul third rate. Booked for an excellent itinerary pity about the rest. Tui wake up and get a grip. Will only consider Tui for land based holidays in future. Read Less

This was our first non-Disney cruise so we were not sure what to expect with regard to the differences between TUI and Disney. Overall we really enjoyed the experience both on the ship and at the ports of call. The Good... The staff on board were all excellent and friendly. This ranged from service staff in the restaurants, the cabin stewards and the entertainment team... not a bad encounter during the whole trip! The ship was kept clean and tidy the entire time, including the restaurant areas and lounges. There was never a stack of empty glasses or litter left around. We chose to eat in the Lido Restaurant rather than the Meridian as we prefer a more relaxed atmosphere and the menus seemed to be the same but a buffet rather than table service. The food itself was very good with lots of variety and choice every day. Food was available from 6am through to around 2am so there was always plenty of opportunity to fit in a snack or three. There was a good choice of on-board entertainment to choose from. There were musical and comedy shows in the Broadway Lounge every night and quizzes, games and bingo in other venues throughout the day. Plenty to keep the guests engaged. We went on a shore excursion at each port of call and found the logistics of them to be very well organised. We will say more about the trips themselves a little later... The cabins we had were much better than we were expecting. They had plenty of space and lots of storage. The Bad... The Celebration itself is a small and rather old ship and it is starting to show. There was a constant vibration running throughout the ship even when docked in port that was very noticeable. Sometimes this vibration was enough to rattle glasses and make the stage lights swing, so it isn't a small problem. The deck areas were packed full of sunbeds, sometimes to the point of being a pain to get past, especially if guests were not being particularly considerate of others. In our cabins, the fridge wasn’t actually a fridge, but a box that sort of tried to keep things cold. It didn’t work very well. There could also be more power outlets in the cabins. One socket might have been sufficient 30 years ago when the Celebration was built but it’s far from adequate these days. Additional costs. This was particularly annoying as until we got onto the ship we had no idea that soft drinks were not included (even with meals). We booked as Full Board so was expecting a little more choice than Tea, Coffee or Water, but that is all we could have. There was an option to upgrade to the 'All Inclusive' drinks package at a cost of £200 per person for the week. This would have included soft drinks, but as we are not drinkers of Beer or Spirits it would have been an extremely expensive option. There was no option of a 'soft drinks' package. We also heard a lot of people who had purchased the all-inclusive drinks package complaining that not all of the drinks were included! There was another 'Premium' package that they could upgrade to for another £50 extra per person. Amazingly, this ALSO did not include every drink available on board, many had additional surcharges. It was all very confusing and annoying, as guests are not made aware of this before check in. This also meant that many drinks had various possible prices - full price, all-inclusive surcharge price and premium surcharge price. For example; a 200ml glass of Coke (but mostly ice) was £1.20, but is included in the all-inclusive package. A 330ml can of Coke was £1.90 but if you had the all-inclusive package, it was still an additional £1.00. Not very all-inclusive or straightforward!! If you wanted a steak meal in the ‘included in your full board’ restaurant, it was yet another additional charge. £9.95 this time. Wifi? £8 per hour! Want to use the safe in your cabin? £15 for the week. It was extremely annoying. General availability of information was a problem. We found that TUI were very bad at letting us know what to expect. They provide a service where once you drop your cases at the airport you don’t see them again until you get to your cabin. This is useful, but we didn't know about this until we were in the check-in line at the airport and were handed a label to put on our case by a TUI rep. Handy, but if we had anything in our cases that we wanted to use when we got to Dubrovnik before we got on the ship we would have been out of luck. We found the same with the shore excursions. For a start we had to Google how to book them as it isn't on the same web page as the cruise booking and nowhere had a link to the excursions sites. Once on board we found trips could be booked there, but many were sold out already and once again, we were not informed. The descriptions of the trip were also rather vague and in retrospect a bit misleading at times. For example on the Kefalonia Highlights trip in Argostoli, the tour we booked advertised "Next, it’s time for a visit to the island’s most photographed stretch of sand, Myrtos Beach. This mile-and-a-half-long curve of white pebbles is the setting for several scenes of Captain Corelli’s Mandolin." We carried around a bag with towels and swimming gear in all day only to find that this visit was a 2 minute stop at the top of a cliff to look down at the beach and take a picture. This particular tour was not a good pick due to the amount of time spent on the bus. In a five hour tour we had 20 minutes in a row boat (which to be fair was amazing) and 1 hour in a town called Fiskardo. It was very picturesque but we had no time to enjoy it before we had to head back to the coach. A couple of the tours we went on also had some very intense bouts of walking, either due to steep climbs or quick tour guides that had to be followed. This wasn't a problem for our group, but I would guess 75% of the guests on these tours were elderly and many had mobility issues. On one tour several people stayed on the coach as they couldn't do the walk to the Greek Ruins in Igoumenitsa. This could have been avoided by more information being given at the time of booking. In conclusion... We really enjoyed the trip but would not travel on the Celebration again, mostly due to the constant rumble and vibration being very off putting. We would also be hesitant about booking with TUI again due to the stream of additional charges and lack of provided information. Read Less

Cruise: Adriatic Odyssey: Croatia, Montenegro, Albania & Greece Cruise Company: Variety Cruises Cruise Ship: Callisto Cruise Dates: August 26 – September 2nd. 1. The ship  Callisto is a very old boat and it shows its age. But it is clean and runs well. Few negatives: The sun deck has no shade. There were four loungers, and no chairs or umbrellas. Category A cabins have no direct access to the deck. The beds are very hard.  2. The crew The captain had no interaction with the passengers. Even on the last night that was themed” Meet the Captain” he showed up for five minutes said three sentences and disappeared. His decisions about the schedule did not take passengers’ interests into account. He was only concerned about making it from port to port without trying to make it a little more pleasant experience for his guests.  The housekeeping staff was very nice and accommodating. The servers and the bar attendant were also extremely nice if not very efficient. Hotel director went out of his way to be helpful. 3. Cruise director  While he was very approachable, he lacked the knowledge of the places we visited and was unable to offer any suggestions on what there was to do, except for pushing the excursions offered by the ship. He was also not very forthcoming about the itinerary changes and was not really advocating on passengers’ behalf when his help was needed negotiating with the captain. Which in itself should never have been an issue.  4. Boarding No information was given of the location where the ship was docked or on the procedures for boarding. The phone numbers provided did not work. Most passengers spent close to two hours trying to find the ship. No assistance was offered with the luggage by either the cruise or by port officials. No luggage cards were available. The suitcases had to be manually dragged to the ship which was at least 15 minutes walk from the terminal building. Cannot even imagine how some of the older passengers were able to manage. 5. Departure time There was conflicting information about the time of departure from Dubrovnik. Website mentioned the next morning departure with the swim stop before reaching Korcula. Some passengers were told that the ship would depart that afternoon. In reality, it left at night reaching Korcula early in the morning and skipping the promised swim stop. 6. Itinerary The first night on the ship we were told that the big storm was coming. The ship had to leave early to get to Bar, Montenegro and then make a 20 hours journey to Paxos , part of which would be through the storm.  Bar is the destination that has nothing to offer. The ship spent the morning there with the short excursion to the archeological site that was neither interesting nor important. We also stopped to look at the old olive tree and at the Orthodox Church, and were back on the ship by lunch. At that time, the passengers were given pills for motion sickness and were told to expect a storm with strength of 11 on the scale of 1 to 10. Everyone went to sleep drugged. The storm never happened but apparently caused a delay in our schedule.  Originally, the ship was supposed to stop at Corfu first for an hour to go through customs, then have a 5 hours swim stop at some beautiful beach, then arrive at Paxos at around 7 pm and go back to Corfu the next morning. None happened as planned. We were stuck on the boat for 30 hours. Instead of 5 hours on the beautiful beach we had 45 minutes swim off the boat and did not arrive to Paxos till 9 pm at which point it was already too dark to see anything at all.  We had to beg the captain who, by the way never introduced himself or talked to the passengers once, to add at least one more swim stop since we already missed two (in Korcula and in Paxos). At 7:30 am the next morning we were allowed to swim off the boat near Corfu. Most passengers were still asleep and were not able to take advantage of this opportunity. In Saranda, Albania the ship docked right next to the beach that was fenced and impossible to get to directly unless we swam to it off the boat. Again, the passengers needed to beg to let us do it before it was finally allowed. The itinerary made no sense. First, why instead of going to Bar not to stop at some place that has something to offer?  Secondly, why stop at Corfu for an hour, then go to Paxos, get there after dark and then go back to Corfu? Why not spend time in Corfu first and then go to Paxos, so we can see and enjoy both places?  Having passengers on the small boat for 30 hours without stopping is unacceptable. No Bloody Mary’s or fruit platters can compensate for the time wasted and for the discomfort it caused. We basically lost two out of seven days of the cruise for which we paid significant amount of money.  The captain should have made arrangements to avoid this from happening.  7. Food Good but boring, no real variety. Felt like we are the same things every day of the week.  8. Arrival Originally arrival time was given as of 9 am. Travel arrangements have been made based on that time. Since no afternoon flights were available on the day of arrival we had to spend one extra day traveling. However, on the last night we were told that the ship will be back in Dubrovnik at 3 am. If we have known that, we could have saved time and money and left that morning. No assistance was offered with the luggage just like it was not on the day of departure. The ship was docked at the very back and everyone had to drag their suitcases to the terminal on their own. Overall, I would rate our experience with Variety cruises as below average. Read Less

we chose the cruise for the itinary also because we love the celebration the ship is very clean a bit tired but you wouldnt notice the staff are brilliant always smiling and helpful the cabin we had a suite was spotless and rohman our steward was very good and always had a smile for us the food is excellent as always the dining room waiters oung and alwyn were lovely and looked after us so well we sat at their table the whole fortnight wasnt impressed with the showteam they seemed to do a lot of screeching but all the others were good the horizans team was very good also the liberties team were very good we have been on four times now and have always enjoyed it and had fun we will book again hopefully next year if the itinary is what we want the dreamliner plane was superb Read Less

My friend and I chose this cruise because it was affordable and went to places we hadn’t been to before. From the moment we handed over our suitcases at Gatwick we couldn’t fault the service we received. Neither of us had been on a sea cruise before so I admit we have nothing to compare it to but we both really enjoyed the whole experience. We liked the ship; some bits felt a bit tired but no more so than some hotels I’ve been to. The cabin (644 on deck 2) was fine. It was spacious enough for the 2 of us and there was plenty of storage space. It had a porthole which gave us a lovely view if the passing scenery. Everything was immaculately clean. We ate breakfast and lunch/ afternoon tea in the Lido buffet and our evening meal in the Meridien restaurant. The choice at all meals was really varied, designed to suit all tastes. Everything was well presented and tasty. The service from all the staff was impeccable. We went on excursions in Montenegro, Greece, Kefalonia, Sicily and Malta and really enjoyed them. Our couriers were all knowledgeable and made the trips special, even the Etna trip which took place in pouring rain. The entertainment in the evening was eclectic, from piano playing, to the shows and quizzes. We went to the shows in the Broadway Lounge and enjoyed them also; some were better than others. Martin Daniels, the comedy magician was brilliant and had us in stitches. During the day at sea we tried out some of the on-board activities like dancing and carpet bowls, again good fun and made enjoyable by the crew taking them. Everything was well organised, from arrival to departure, with coaches arriving on time and suitcases arriving safely. We would definitely go again. Read Less

The ship is extremely dated and very shabby indeed. Its in a total need of refurbishment. Its such a mismatch. The vibration of the ship was terrible to the point where ladies earrings were swinging and glasses were shacking on the tables. Windows in the Lido Restaurant/buffet were extremely bad, very dirty and patched up where they needed mending......I could go on but I would be writing forever. Me and my friend were in a balcony cabin. However on day 2 of the cruise there was squeaking from two different areas of the ceiling. TUI obviously knew about this as there was bits of wood jammed between the ceiling and the wardrobe to stop the noise.. When I complained about this, they tried to say that I was the first to ever complain about the noise! Cabin was clean but extremely dated. Lots of wardrobe space. It was an OK size room. Lido - This was the buffet - I am a bit picky when it comes to food and to me it was substandard. Waiter Service Restaurant (Included in price) - Cant remember the name of this restaurant but it is on deck 4 - Waiters are in total confusion when its busy. Its certainly not silver service. On different occasions but each time eating at this restaurant there was always something wrong. For example, wine stained table cloths, water not given until half way through our food, Alcohol was the same, we were seated with no cutlery or if we were lucky some of the cutlery were present. Food was a bit hit and miss but it was OK for the price point. Marella/TUI are nowhere near close to food that I have eaten on other cruises. I suppose you get what you pay for. We only saw one show in the evening and that was enough, just a bit armature. The disco played the same music most nights. It was just recordings and no DJ. Service/Customer service on the ship was atrocious especially when you had a complaint. The reception/excursion staff try and make you feel that you are the problem. As mentioned above the cabin was squeaking and it was so loud that it was impossible to sleep. I had to request for someone to come to the room three times on three different days. When I had enough I complained to the reception and they then said they didn't have a record of my complaint and therefore I could not have complained.....Now is that Customer Service? The cruise itinerary had to be reversed due to weather and this did upset me as arranged meeting a friend in Malta. However I understand that due to weather etc itineraries would be changed but I was told by a member of staff at the reception desk that it was due to bigger ships paying more money to dock at certain locations and because the ship couldn't pay as much we were at the back of the queue! We went on two excursions one in Montenegro which was fine and worth the money and the other one in Sicily which would have been good value but wasn't. I understand that when you book excursions on the ship it is tough luck if you get bad weather. Well let me say the weather in Sicily was so bad, torrential rain , thunder and lightening. The local guide said that the ship said that the weather was going to be fine! Now with all that sophisticated machinery on the ship, is this really true? Anyway that's not the end of it. The guide stood outside a church shouting at the top of her voice in the rain thunder and lightening while a family were mourning taking a coffin out of a hearse. I asked her to stop but she wouldn't. Other people in our group were extremely embarrassed and either walked away or turned their back. By this time I was raging when I got back to the ship and the reply I got back from the manager of excursions was, wait for it........Other countries do not have the same traditions we have in the UK!!!! If that's not disrespectful, what is! I also wanted to comment that due to the adverse weather conditions that we should not have been climbing uphill due to the strong lightening strikes. She just said "You signed the booking form" Surely TUI have a duty of care to their customers. I just felt yet again that they put the fault back on us. Just one more thing, the tour guide wore sunglasses all the way through the tour, which was rude and even through we were in a bad storm. Plus no-one could understand her accent. Well as you can see we had two issues and it took six days to finally sort out. We received £250.00 in total off our onboard spend. Considering we were in a balcony cabin and we only got back 50% of our tour, I think it was unreasonable, especially having to chase them up everyday. So really we only had 1 night/day without hassle out of 7. We didn't bother with the drinks package as we like to drink branded alcohol and not the local stuff. Well I can honestly say that the Barcardi is really watered down. It was around £12.00 inclusive for two Barcardi and cokes, that's expensive for watered down drinks. I would like to see if TUI will reply to this. Lets see if they care! Read Less

I wanted a small ship experience and I was also keen to try out a French ship - I was travelling with my children and they all learn French at school and I thought it would be a good chance for them to practice with natives! And this was a family sailing too, so I thought there might be some other kids on board for them to befriend. In the event there weren't many other children (though there were some) but my children still spoke French to plenty of the adults who were very friendly and chatted to them in the tender boats or in the pool on the sun deck. It was lovely. And there were some English-speakers on the boat too, so that was fun and they were sat on the table next to us in the restaurant. What did we like about the cruise? We LOVED the food - it was 10/10 gourmet superb and mealtimes were an absolute delight. At first we thought it was too much having a 3-course meal for lunch as well as dinner, but we soon got used to it. And it ended up being much healthier, because none of us snacked between meals which is very unusual for my children! We also loved that the ship stopped in more than one port on some days and that we could just hop off and explore somewhere new for a couple of hours, get back onboard for lunch, then arrive at 2pm somewhere new for the afternoon. It was great fun and really diverse, especially as we loved all the stops. Mljet with its saltwater lakes was awesome. Hvar (like a French St. Tropez) was also great. Vis had a great beach. Split is awesome. Ditto dubrovnik and Kotor where we hiked up to the fortifications which was a real challenge in all that heat. And it was always nice to come back to our ship. The staff were all very friendly and one of our onboard higlights was the first show the staff put on for us! Another highlight was me winning a game played on sun deck whilst at sea. It was a fluke, but I got presented with a bottle of bubbly at dinner that night which was lovely! There was a pool and exercise bikes on the sun deck which was a bonus and suprise considering this is such a small boat. Back to the food - there were a couple of really special touches that I've never had on another ship. One was a BBQ on the sun deck for dinner, whilst we were docked in Split and the other was breakfast on sun deck as we sailed into the stunning bay of Kotor in Montenegro. We only did one shore excursion, preferring otherwise to go it alone, because I didn't think my kids would thank me for dragging them around churches/monasteries. The one place I was so grateful we went it alone was in Mljet where there are two saltwater lakes in the national park. Had we done the excursion there is would have cost about $250 for the four of us. Instead, I just paid for us all to enter the park ($50 approx) and then we walked by oursleves to the lakes where we swam for an hour and a half in one of the most stunning places I have ever swum. Had we done the excursion we wouldn't have had time to swim and would have just seen the glorious lakes and then taken a little boat to a monastery. The shore excursion we DID do was from Sibenik to the Krka National Park. Instead of doing the classic tour (really for the less unadventurous person) we did a new 'dynamic' excursion which was slightly longer, with lots of hiking throug this park which was STUNNING as well as time to swim in one of the park's famous waterfalls. This wasn't cheap this excursion, but it was worth every penny. We had a great day! Read Less

I wrote to Variety cruises with my feedback and you do not get answer - only put on the email list for advertising. This has prompted me to put a review on Cruise Critic. Afraid even the travel agent did not want to know. We had previously done a Variety Cruise "Jewels of the Cyclades" on the Galileo and loved the cruise so much that I wrote in a rave review on tripadvisor saying it was perhaps the best holiday I had ever had. Afraid it was not the case with the Adriatic Odyssey and the Callisto. On the Galileo on my previous cruise we have decided to try the rooms below and found out they were fine. Unfortunately on the Callisto the downstairs rooms are so noisy and the boat rattles so much that sleeping is most difficult to near impossible. Even when the boat is moored there is a noise going on and off 24 hours a day making it more like a form of torture. Admittedly the hotel manager did move us to the other side of the boat (still on the same level) and the noise could still be heard but not as bad. When I agreed to be downstairs I thought I was just getting a port hole instead of a window but I didn’t bargain for no sleep - it was not mentioned in your advertising that there would a constant on and off noise. The array of patches and dents on the hull are an indication of the tired state of the boat. I feel embarrassed that I encouraged friends to go with us. 1. I really think that when you pay 517 euros per night for a cabin that internet should be included. These days you get free internet with a 2 euro cup of coffee so Variety stop being so tight. 2. The optional tours were just a rippoff . (like 80 euros each for a walking tour) We had just left another small cruise from Split where there was a walking tour each day (included) – wonderful! Internet was also included and gratuities on that previous cruise. 3. This cruise had a stop in Bar in Montenegro. Bar is not worthy of a stop. Maybe it really it is meant to be just a refueling stop. 4. I know I agreed to this itinerary but I didn’t realise that Corfu is too far from Croatia and Montengro and 20 hours of very very loud rattling boat from Bar to Paxos is too long. 5. We had one beautiful stop called anti-Paxos and then Paxos and these two places were exceptionally beautiful and yet we had no time there. Only for a quick swim and then 2 hours at Paxos. It would be better to leave out Corfu and put more time in these beautiful places. 6. The staff (bar and room staff and chef) were excellent and could not be faulted. The Hotel manager- think that was his title - was not the right person for this job. The remaining staff who were doing a fabulous job were finding him impossible to work with. 7. Food was fabulous and too much. 8. Our tour guide was very good. Afraid I wont travel on Variety again unless I know the boat is much better. Read Less

An expensive upgrade to a balcony cabin, first impressions was the damp and stained bedding, from mattress protector to sheets and pillows. Cabin very dated, shower curtain (why) with many occasions standing waiting for water to come through, towels never looked clean and were rough to touch. When sitting anywhere on the ship to lying down there was constant vibrations from the engines and as we were on deck 9 it must have been hell for the lower decks. Food was okay, the lido restaurant just reminded me of the school canteen and even in the Al a carte restaurant my breakfast order was forgotten. Other restaurants were fine but they would be as you had to pay extra to use them. Not sure how often the pools were cleaned but there was often yellow scum floating on the surface with missing tiles and generally in need of major repairs. We had to throw away a bikini and swim shorts due to them being stained yellow from the pool. The sun loungers were dirty and torn. The entertainment was cheesy and boring due to the same show most evening which was just singing and dancing by the same guys. This ship is tired and in my opinion needs to be scrapped, it would be nice if TUI or Marella would contact with me as I have tried on many occasions to contact them regarding my expensive and very disappointing cruise. This was our first cruise and considering this terrible experience we would never cruise again. Read Less

We have cruised regularly on Thomson (TUI - Marella) and Cunard. We finally persuaded our friends to join us. The Marella Celebration itinerary was excellent as it included Venice, Dubrovnik and Korcular. Some of our favourite places. Marella is less formal than Cunard, uses Sterling and had a great all inclusive deal when we booked. We did a cruise and stay holiday staying on the island of Kolocep just 30 mins from Dubrovnik. This was our first time on the Celebration but we knew her sister ship, the Spirit very well. Our first impressions were very favourable as though the deck layout is almost identical there is a much more modern feel to the Celebration - less vestiges of her Holland America past. The main dining room food was excellent - we ate all our meals there as it’s so much relaxed experience than the Lido. The included drinks were good enough for the most of us though one of our friends who deals in wine thought the Cote de Rhône to be excellent and good value for money. There were no sea days on this cruise - and I do miss a good sea day to relax. I think all that can be said about the age of the ship has been said before. I love the teak decks and the fact she is easy to get around. What gives this ship her heart are the people who work on it, the value for money and the entertainment. We would certainly return if it was the right itinerary. A first for TUI Marella is a welcome back party for loyal cruisers. You have to go to reception to let them know you have cruised with Thomsons before to be eligible. Cunard contact you and know your status - so me thinks Thomson’s weren’t keeping this info. We even received a little badge! We really found no fault with anything on the ship apart from the embarkation process that takes place on the ship - Long long queues We always choose our cabins after studying the deck plan as we like to be central and not near noisy areas. I do think a deck plan should be given out at departure - like other cruise lines. We knew the layout but our friends hadn’t cruised before. The cabin numbers and decks don’t tally. We were on deck 8 bridge deck but cabin 075. Dining - we dined in the Meridian for most of our meals and were very pleased with the food (better than on the Spirit). We celebrated our anniversary in the Mistral Restaurant which was excellent. Not so impressed by the food in the Kora La - the service was excellent in all the places we ate. Ports of call Bari Montenegro- There is a free port transfer bus to Bar - we then took a taxi to Stari Bar. It cost 5€ agree the price first. Stari Bar is no Kotor but still worth a visit. Korcula - tender port. Lovely old town - birth place of Marco Polo. We went for a wine tasting in a local restaurant- god wine but very expensive. It seems that most wine is produced for local consumption only. Zadar - ship to town transfer costs £7 - drop off near the Sea Organ. Lovely town with Roman ruins and great atmosphere. Venice - Get up foe the sail in - it is so peaceful and the only time you see Venicecwithout the masses. There was no organised transfer to St Marks Square but possible to buy tickets for transfer once off the ship. We realise that there appears to be a hop on hop off water bus that may be worth using. We used the People carrier to take us to P le Roma near the Station. We made a mistake of getting a gondola from here. It costs €80 but not the most picturesque trip. Walk further on - there are plenty of gondola’s around in better settings. We followed the signs to the Rialto bridge. The streets/canals up unti this point are relatively quiet. We then visited St Marks Square. We have visited Venice before so wouldn’t have bothered visiting again as it is always heaving but our friends have not visited before. I would strongly suggest pre booking St Marks or Doge’s palace and trip to Guggenheim art gallery.Eat anywhere away from St Marks or Rialto. Trieste - short walk from ship to main shopping area. Hike up to the castle and church well worth it. Public transport runs up to the castle as well. Split - Diocletian palace and medieval town within is amazing - very game of thrones. Well worth a visit. Dubrovnik - We visited Dubrovnik at night on a sunset trip from Kolocep. We sailed into the old harbour - it was a fabulous trip. For those who are only cruising - the ship doesn’t sail till 10 pm so if you have the energy and inclination get the bus to the Pile gate and spend late afternoon/early evening there before she sails. Read Less

We as a couple in our 60s always choose Marella (formerly Thomson) for our cruises. The smaller ships are our choice as they are friendlier and more intimate. Great crew, always greeting you with a smile. We sailed from Dubrovnik, taking in Bar (Montenegro), Korcula (Croatia) and Venice, among a few other ports of call. All were beautiful - and the weather helped!! Sunny and hot every day. Although the ship, the Celebration, was full, we never felt cramped at any time. We are going back on this ship in October for 2 weeks from Dubrovnik to Malaga (repositioning). A couple of small gripes. We felt the entertainment this time round was not up to the usual high standard we have experienced before, particularly in the Broadway show lounge. We also found the food in the waitered Meridian restaurant of lesser quality than on previous cruises. Marella take note - other cruisers were of the same opinion. However, we can't fault Marella Celebration crew-wise. Even the vibration of the ship we have become accustomed to and now expect! Very enjoyable from start to finish. Read Less

My husband and I did this cruise as first time cruisers. I was never going on a cruise for a variety of reasons and chose this one because it was in the Adriatic Sea which isn’t as wide open as others so my theory was it may be calmer as sea sickness was a big concern. I also wanted to go to places I hadn’t been before and the only place I would be revisiting was Venice, which was fine as you can never visit Venice too many times. I had read that there is vibration in the ship and there is! We had an inside cabin on deck 3 and we could feel vibration but it didn’t affect us at all, we both slept well and did not feel any movement from the ship. There was no natural light in the cabin as it was an inside one but we weren’t in there much. For a longer cruise I would probably like a porthole at least. The air conditioning was good and the cabin didn’t feel at all stuffy. It was small but adequate. Ivon, our cabin steward was always available and very pleasant. We didn’t buy the drinks package and this was the right choice for us, we had whatever we wanted and it still cost around half of what the package would have been, however, we don’t drink alcohol so this may have made a difference. The food was good, we always had our evening meal in Meridian as I like to be waited on. The menu was changed every day and there was always something we liked. The waiters were very attentive, sometimes we shared a table but we didn’t have to, you can request your own and wait a few minutes for one to become free. We had breakfast and lunch in the Lido restaurant and again the food was good and plates were cleared quickly. The pool areas were clean and we could always find a sunbed when we wanted, even on the day at sea. Entertainment was of a good standard but you could find a quiet area if you wanted to. We enjoyed all of the ports, the only disappointment was that we visited Ancona on a Sunday and as it’s in Italy it was pretty much closed. However you have to go somewhere on a Sunday and we found enough to occupy us. I am now almost converted, I didn’t love cruising in the way a lot of people do! But I will go on another cruise and would go on the celebration again if it was a cruise I wanted to do. All together we were very satisfied. Read Less

My Wife and I have been cruising for many years on Royal Caribbean, Princess and P and O.We decided to go on the Marella Celebration because of the itinerary. We booked a Balcony cabin and were delighted with the size of the room. They staff were the friendliest we have ever had on board a ship always smiling and friendly everyone of them that passed you said hello from the ships officers to painters . The reception staff were so pleasant and helpful rather than the stuffy approach we have experienced on other ships. Embarking the ship was really easy we were in our Cabin in minutes and our cases arrived within 30 minutes not the normal 4 hour wait. The all inclusive package had a good choice of lager beer and Cider with top shelf spirits not watered down as we have read on previous reviews, the drinks were so good we did not have to upgrade to the premium package. The food in the restaurants was excellent and the service could not be faulted, the buffet restaurant always had fresh supplies of food. We also visited the Asian restaurant this was as good as any Indian restaurant we have visited in the UK. The entertainment was superb with some of the best singers we have seen when cruising. We will certainly be cruising with Marella in the future. Read Less

Chose this cruise as provided opportunity to visit new destinations, 3rd cruise with Thomson/Tui/Marrella, and standards of food and drinks have dropped each time. Service and cleanlinesscontinues be of a good standard, although cabins are in need of upgrade. Had the AI package, but didn`t take the upgrade offered at £50 pp, spirits served were LIDL/ALDI own brand standard unless you specifically asked for the brand. Diet/Light mixers were from plastic bottles and usually flat, service in show lounge slow Entertainment team worked hard but surely time to refresh shows, Cabin beds feel as if they are worn out very uncomfortable, problem with shower draining Food quality in MR was lower than previous cruises but generally well cooke and served, wine by the glass in AI package was acceptable. Took two ships excursions, well organised and reasonable value Embarkation and disembarkation were fine, baggage delivered promptly Great atmosphere and company but may be looking elsewhere. Read Less

Great crusie ! Always wanted to go to Croatia and this looked like a lovely way to see it! Classy older yacht, well maintained and very comfortable. FOOD and CREW were 1st class!!! 5 star all the way! Leija was a fabulous cruise director, the captain was friendly, and the wine was freeflowing. Good combination of excursions and free time, crew was willing to be accommodating to special requests for food, excursions, etc. Our cruise was not full and it felt very small and custom. Nice other passengers, plenty of time to meet the others too. I was in a bottom cabin, with just a porthole, but it was exactly the same size or even a bit larger than the top floor cabins, just not a big window! You could hear the drone of the motor when night crusing, not sure if that was based on my cabin location or not. LOTS and LOTS of closet and shelf space, comfortable beds too! Always hot water, good shower, very nice toiletries, nightly turndown - the best! Read Less