Very pleased with the services and crew members. Thank you Sarah in Registration for your empathy and professionalism! The crew were very happy and friendly. Shout out to Eury in the bar services! The spa was I delightful experience! I learned how to care for my face and enjoyed a fabulous massage. Thank you Nancy and Alex! We were disappointed to only be able to make reservations at the steak house for one evening. The food was very food and the service was exceptional! It was a big surprise to learn the currency on the ship was the pound. We hadn’t prepared in advance for the exchange. it was also a big surprise that the all inclusive did not include top shelf products. There was an additional cost of 60 pounds per person. Would have been nice to have known, however would have been nice to know in advance and be able to pay in advance. Thank you to all that make these adventures possible! Read Less

Discovery 2 Panama Canal Experience Jan 2020 First the Bad. We booked early through Sunwing (Toronto), paid full price. When we boarded the ship, our assigned cabin was quite small. We are pensioners, Sunwing requested our age. There was a queen bed in the corner, 1 night table sideways at head (drawer could not be opened), access to the bed was only from foot or on right side. Access at right side, about 12 inches opening to 18 inches. We went to reception, they had a look at the cabin and asked us to return after all passengers had boarded. When we returned, they did have an inside cabin for us with the queen bed in the middle, night tables each side and access on both sides. A big thumbs up to Stiven at Customer Service, a very upfront and professional Marella employee. Booking from Canada we could not pre book a cabin or anything else. Sunwing need to ensure that elderly passengers are in a suitable cabin and/or have the option of booking a suitable cabin. If we were in our 40’s we would not have complained. Sunwing are hard to deal with, we requested a call back from a supervisor re our booking and were never called back. If you book with Sunwing cover all of your bases before they get your credit card info! Next the Good! Third time on Discovery 2, another excellent cruise. It's a friendly ship. There was some obvious updating in Islands and the new Quid and Anchor Lounge. Food was very good. Third time on board but first time for the fish & chips at the Snack Shack – excellent! Entertainment, excellent as usual, amazing talent. Even though we had seen most of the shows the year before they were still quite enjoyable - must have been as most nights we went twice. We are still laughing at the comedian’s (Peter Piper) jokes – “How Much?”! Costa Rica, Port Limon – did the canal and train excursion and enjoyed it. Guide (Ivan) was excellent. Panama, Colon - We chose this cruise primarily for the trip through the locks on the Panama Canal into Lake Gatun. Up at 4:30am, coffee was on. Quite interesting and well worth it. We stayed on board for the day and enjoyed the return trip back through the canal. Columbia, Cartagena – Just took a cab into town and wandered around. Quite an interesting place. Port Royal Jamaica – Well what can I say, first ship to dock since Captain Henry Morgan! Interesting swing out pier/walkway that attaches magnetically to the ship. This is new tourist destination facility, first day it was open. People were very friendly, we walked through the town to the old fort, quite interesting. Read Less

Opted for this cruise because it sounded such good value and we were not disappointed! Whole trip was a total success! Plenty to do, eat visit. Very relaxed atmosphere throughout the ship. Entertainment was very good too. Staff always there to help you. Got to know acouple of the staff quite well. Emilliaj, Daryna and Kerry, were just brilliant with our group. Always smiling and always had time to chat to us. Cant recommend the ship enough and will certainly be returning. Food was excellent. There was plenty of choice for everyone. Entertainment was great, too. Highwaves and Entourage, are great live bands and they also take time out to talk to the passengers. All staff make time to talk to you. There are also plenty of sun beds, so no need to put towels on them during the night, haha. Other smaller activities are available too, such as mini-golf, wall climbing and table tennis. Its a 10/10 from our group. Read Less

I would like to have given this cruise a higher rating but there are some matters that need to be addressed mainly which occurred before and after the cruise. When you book this cruise TUI advise that you download their TUI app but when you do so you soon realise that the TUI app is not applicable to Morella cruises. You will also receive a lot of paperwork re TUI but not necessarily about Morella cruises. In the notes it clearly says that you can take your luggage to the airport the day before. We were booked into a hotel for the night preceding the cruise. Having booked in the hotel I dragged 2 suitcases to the airport and found an unmanned check in which had a note saying if you wanted to check in your luggage to use the desk phone and someone would attend but alongside that note was another saying that early check in did not apply to Morella cruises. So I dragged the 2 suitcases back to the hotel. At Jamaica it was chaos from leaving the plane it took 3 hours to embark the boat people were being screamed at in the airport children were crying some disabled people were crying. On the Manchester flight passengers had been given a short immigration form but on the Birmingham flight we were given the long form but you were supposed to fill in both forms.Then there was even bigger chaos at the port where Morella staff were trying to register everyone. On the return flight to Birmingham we had to wait for 1.45 hours for the luggage to be off loaded. This is totally unacceptable and management need to sort it out. On board the ship the bar staff, cleaners etc could not have been more helpful and polite and they are to be congratulated. Entertainment was not of a high standard except for the singer/guitarist and the saxophonist who were excellent. There was one musician who was a real primadonna in the words of Mr. Fawlty "stroke him and you will never play the guitar again" Security was obviously important as you had to show your photographic pass every time you left and returned to the ship. My pass in my name had my wife's photograph and hers had mine (not the best form of security). So TUI sort out the admin both before, after and during the cruise and get HR on board to sort out the management cliques and you could have a brilliant cruise. I have seen previous reviews mentioning the mixers for drinks and I agree they are terrible we had to pay £100 premium to upgrade so that we could get tins of tonic etc not the "splash" mixers. Read Less

This was a Christmas present to us both, with the interesting places being visited. We'd never been away for Christmas before. Tui Dreamliner flights are excellent and we treated ourselves to Premier class - very good. For us embarkation was smooth, but Montego Bay airport was disorganised (not in Tui's control). Also embarkation/disembarkation at the Port was disorganised - again poor coordination by the Jamaican authorities . Flew to Jamaica and did two 7-day back to back cruises, covering the Christmas period. Felt the ship could have been more festive - only the Atrium looked Christmassy. Many families on board, which gave the ship a better feel at Christmas time. Carols in the Atrium on Christmas Eve, with sparkling wine and mince pies. Christmas Day we had 3 sittings for the traditional meal - very good. AND most guests dressed to impress that day. By Boxing Day we had reached a lovely beach in Honduras - warm and sunny and it felt like Christmas was over. Meals in the main dining room were sometimes excellent, other times not so much. Serving staff under too much pressure - Tui don't have wine waiters now, so the waiter was doing everything - not fair on staff. However, they were always very pleasant. Self-service cafeteria on deck 9 was a poor choice of food and the floor always had remains of food on the carpeting. Only ate 1 main meal there. Ship's singers/dancers were excellent, but you get tired of seeing them every night. More variety please. Entertainers around the ship were good. Think most people are attracted by the free drinks (good choices) and no tipping. We did several trips with Tui, as some of the destinations visited were not considered that safe - we would have normally done our own thing. Panama Canal tour was excellent, seeing both ends of the Canal in Colon (v. poor area and not advised to wander on your own) ships going through the canal and then Panama City in the Pacific - prosperous City. Guide was excellent and informative. Did our own thing in Santa Marta, Colombia. Another poor place, but trying to attract tourism. Had plenty of attention from street sellers, but just said "No, gracias" and they didn't pester us. Did walking tour of Cartagena, Colombia. Beautiful City - not enough time there. Could have stayed all day. Didn't get any time to ourselves. Guide spent too much time giving a very detailed history of Cartagena - people glazing over. Puerto Limon, Costa Rica. Tortuguero Canals. Good canal trip on waterways in a rain forest area. Saw sloths in trees, monkeys, plenty of bird life, iguanas, but I think some children were hoping to see alligators. Another poor area. Days sailing back to Montego Bay, Jamaica. Poured with rain o.night and into the morning, so not a beach day. Went to the Hard Rock Cafe (only ½mile away). Rain stopped, but still v warm with o.cast skies. Paid 8$ each to get in, which entitled us to a sunbed. Good area to be. Lovely small sandy beach, swimming pool, music, bar/restaurant and no-one pestering you to buy something. V Good value close to the Dock. Don't take a taxi - you can walk it. Roatan, Honduras. Walked off the ship and spent the day in Mahogany Bay, owned by Carnival Group. Fortunately only 2 ships in. Plenty of sunbeds, shade under trees, changing area/toilets. Sea lovely. Bars/restaurants/shopping. Good place to relax. Las Escobas Springs, Santo Tomas, Guatemala. Listed as a walk through the rainforest with glass-like rivers where waterfalls tumble into streams. Swim in the natural pools. (this is the drinking water for the people of the v. poor Santo Tomas). We were looking forward to seeing wildlife in this rainforest area. We saw NOTHING, apart from humming birds flying around a feeder. V disappointing. All the guide seemed to want us to do was swim/paddle in the pools. Reason we didn't see any wildlife is that there are too many tourists going round a very small area of rainforest. Belize City - Seas are v shallow and the ship had to dock 5 miles off the coastline. So we were taken in by 250 seater water taxis. Belize looks a prosperous place with many big yachts and is part of the Commonwealth, with English the main language. Went to a water park with huge water slide and man-made swimming area. (water a bit cool though) Plenty of sunbeds, warm sunshine, drink/food/music. Couldn't swim in the sea because of stingrays. Costa Maya, Mexico - Yucatan Peninsula. Just went ashore on our own. Looked like the ship had docked in the middle of nowhere - palm trees/mangrove as far as the eye could see. Only ship in that morning. Walked to end of jetty - very touristy area at end, full of shops selling the same stuff we had seen everywhere else + bars & eating places. Many people had gone on an 8hr coach trip to Mayan temples, but we didn't. Decided to walk outside of the tourist area to see what else there was on offer. Plenty of taxi drivers willing to show you the village where 700 people live, plus a trip further down the coastline, which we did. The village had no water (only collecting rain in water butts), or electricity. People cooking outside on fires. Stray dogs everywhere. V. poor and we don't think many of these people worked inside the tourist compound. Taxi driver said there was much corruption and wages were around $6 a day. When there's no ships in, there's no work. Went further down the coast, where they obviously had electricity as there were several small hotels etc - usual tourism and good beaches. Sailed back to Montego Bay and decided to have a coach trip on our final day to the Good Hope Great Plantation House, Trelawney County, plus lunch, then onward to the airport. The previous week we had seen those leaving the ship sitting around waiting until their flights were called in the afternoon. You had to vacate your cabin at 9am. Also, those who had just arrived wanting to board the ship, but couldn't because everyone was still waiting to leave. It was chaos on the quayside. Disembarked the ship at 9am in plenty of time for the 9.30 trip. However, we hadn't reckoned on Jamaican immigration wanting you to stand in a long queue whilst they looked at your immigration departure form, then stamped your passport. We still don't understand the purpose of this exercise, as no-one at the airport wanted the immigration form - just bureaucracy. Staff gazing into space. Tui staff unable to assist the situation. Note to Tui - consider not using Jamaica as a starting/departure point. Their organisation is dreadful and it causes many people so much frustration. This is our holiday. Went on the coach with Chukka tours, which departed at 9.30, but we had to stop and return to the departure point, as there were still several people held up in the immigration queue in the terminal. Eventually we left at 10am. The drive to the Good Hope house was good and we saw plenty of lovely scenery in the drive towards Falmouth on the north coast. Then turned off the Martha Brae road into the countryside - bumpy roads. The house stood in breathtaking surroundings with lovely gardens. It was v warm and sunny. However, there were 10 other groups touring around the house that day, so we felt a bit rushed, as some people on our coach said they had return flights at 4.15pm - ours was 5.50pm. We were then given lunch outside, which was a selection of typical Jamaican food, very tasty, followed by melon, cake and the famous Blue Mountain coffee. Or rather it would have been, had we not been rushed to move on to a rum tasting, so didn't get any coffee. The rum tasting was also rushed as we were moving on to another part of the Estate to look at the swimming pool/activity area, before heading to the airport. Such a shame, as this COULD have been a good trip instead of a rushed exercise. Returning to Montego Bay airport - chaos ensued, but we had Premier class tickets, and the queue was v small. However, going through security was chaotic - everyone being made to take off their shoes, find their own trays, load them with their belongings and push them down the conveyor belt. Went to gate 18 and waited, then an announcement that the Gatwick flight was from gate 15. People all over the place. Flight called. Everyone surged forward. Jamaican staff just stood around gazing (again). Flight waited another hour before being able to leave, as ground staff had not loaded 3 containers of luggage, plus all the pushchairs and wheelchairs. The Captain even left the flight deck to find out what was happening, but has no control over what happens in the airport. Night flight back. By the time we left, we realised that it was almost midnight, New Year's Eve, in the UK, so raised our glasses to 2020. 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Travelled with a family group for special celebration. The cabin was a Deluxe Balcony Cabin on 7th Deck. Adequate but a bit shabby and in need of refurbishment. Bed and bedding poor and uncomfortable. Small shower room with plastic shower curtain in need of replacement. Cabin staff very helpful. Found food very average. Tried A la Carte steak house but not impressed, especially as the extra charge was far too high. Public areas on board during the 'Days at Sea' were over-crowded and noisy. The main restaurant was probably the best dining option as the buffet restaurant was over-crowded. The entertainment team worked very hard but it still felt amateurish. Our main criticism was regarding the second week's itinerary which included Belize, Guatemala and Honduras as we felt these destinations were not fit for purpose. Unless you had booked excursions at least the day before docking, there was literally nowhere to explore independently or safely. This was our first cruise experience but we were travelling with family who had all travelled on several different cruise lines previously, including Princess and P&O. We all felt disappointed with the ship's facilities and some of the ports of call. Read Less

This wasn't my choice of holiday normally but I replaced someone who couldn't go. Overall it was a lovely holiday on a clean and comfortable ship but it was in need of a spruce up in placed particularly the glass house/indoor pool. Food was good with a variety of choice. Entertainment was good if not a but samey after a few nights shows were excellent with a talented bunch of people. Only problem was times of shows and dining if you wanted early show you had to eat early as restaurants closed when show ended as late night buffet was average. Staff were mostly pleasant and helpful but service did alter depending on where you sat in restaurant. Nice to return to cabin with towel animal, chocs and next day info. Excusions had a good choice and were well organised. Main issues were the quality of drinks. Cocktails were weak and soft drinks were of poor quality which spoils all the drinks which meant a lot got left which were a waste Read Less

It was the first that I tried an all inclusive cruise and I was pleasantly surprised. I have cruised with several cruise lines and I loved the entertainment The crew did a fantastic job with songs from Broadway shows and they were all so enthusiastic My friends had never cruised before and they enjoyed their week away from Arctic weather so much that they can't wait to go on another cruise The specialty coffees were delicious and the waitress was so kind to prepare them the way we wanted. We had offers of alcoholic drinks in the Broadway theatre while we enjoyed the music and that was a welcome plus The Snack SHACK served delicious fish and chips and Phillip was around serving the beer and soft drinks with his Beep Beep cheery voice sharing the LOVE There was only 1 screening daily of movies which did not fit my schedule The ports were great and we had ample time to discover what they had to offer the tourists The embarkation and disembarkation went smoothly I liked the idea of storing our luggage in the Venue room while we went to the port to look around before boarding our bus to transfer to the airport The tables around the pool were being used by smokers so avoid that if someone is sensitive to the smell of tobacco There was a variety in the Islands Restaurant and the Chef tried to make a different theme every night. All in all I would highly recommend MARELLA 2 discovery Read Less

This was our first cruise, we were never interested in cruising. Our reason for choosing this cruise was we were able to fly out of Toronto, Ontario (1.5hrs from home) and everything was included for a reasonable price. So we thought let’s give it a try. Positives were........The staff made this cruise one of the best experiences we’ve had. All of the staff were amazing, eager to help, polite and very, very accommodating. We have never experienced staff like this in all our travels. There was a great selection of food and a variety of places to eat. We never had to wait long for meals, line ups were minimal. The ship was kept very clean and the public bathrooms were spotless. There were hand sanatizing stations everywhere. The shows at night 8:30 and 10:30 were fantastic. The ship had designated smoking areas which passengers adhered to. Negatives were.......it would have been nice to have longer in ports. We didn’t like the timelines always worrying about missing the ship. The ship has an indoor and outdoor pool. The outdoor pool could have been bigger, however on sea days the ship never appeared or felt crowded. We had a wonderful time, met very lovely people and would cruise again if it was all included from Toronto, Ontario. Also once again kudos to the staff for making this such a memorable experience, the staff all appear to love their jobs. Well done! Read Less

As first time cruisers we were apprehensive at the point of booking as this cruise (Cuban Fusion and Pride of Panama) was costing much more than we would usually pay on a holiday but as we were travelling for a 65th birthday, we decided to stretch the budget for a holiday of a lifetime. Before we even travelled we had countless issues that UK based staff failed to deal with. Firstly, out full Day, evening and full Morning in Cuba was reduced to an evening, a night and we were to set sail early the following morning. Staff at the travel agents were unable to issue any compensation and eventually they had authorisation from head office to credit our onboard accounts with £100. We felt that this was a small amount to only have a few hours in Cuba in a Cuban Fusion cruise (our main reason for choosing that cruise). Throughout the process of complaining about the change we were constantly ignored by Tui, emails were not responded to and calls that they promosed to make back to us never happened. 4 days before we were due to fly, we received an email saying one of our pre booked cabins had been double booked and one of our party had been allocated a new cabin on the other side of the ship with a different muster station. The email stated that they had been trying to call (they hadn’t) and the email was also sent at 17.29 - just as the store closed so we were left panicked and upset as we could not speak with anyone until the next morning. The next morning, we called the store and was told that they would try and get us cabins together. We got a call a short while later saying that they could get us 2 cabins together, but they were twin cabins (maybe bunk beds) and were near the public toilets, lifts and stairs. When booking cabins we researched where to avoid and all the above were mentioned. So we were advised to keep the newly allocated rooms and that it would be sorted onboard. We were very upset and distressed and this was made worse by the rude and incompetent store manager at Waltham Cross telling us that she didn’t have time to deal with it due to January being a busy time and high levels of staff sickness. The flight to Jamaica was fraught with anxiety again made worse by only 4 toilets being available to everyone in economy and one of those being placed out of order within the first hour leaving people queuing down the aisles for over 30 minutes to use the toilets. We were also made to share 1 can of drink between 2 people! Throughout the day of travel we were constantly told us our cabin would be sorted at the next opportunity, when our bags were tagged to cabins at the airport, the port embarkation process and when we boarded, we still didn’t have cabins together. We headed to reception to ask where our cabins were and we were told that we were never getting new cabins, it was a full cruise! We had continuously asked to have a full refund rather than separate cabins but were lured to the cruise ship under false pretences. We were devastated. One of our party suffers with anxiety, which is why it was so important for us to be close by each other but this was totally ignored by Tui. We were left with no option but to go to our separate cabins and get in with our cruise. These are the reasons why we have given the grades below. The cabin, despite the issues we faced, the cabins had a 70’s caravan feel. They were very dated and very small. They did have a lot of storage and were very clean. Sophie, our cabin stewardess was amazing. We loved seeing what animals she had shaped our towels into each night. Dining, islands, lots of choice at all times of day but the menu was quite repetitive, especially at breakfast. Snack shack, was the same food everyday. Surf and turf, limited menu. Glass house was strange- you had to sit through all courses just to get the pizza. We never ate at the other restaurants as men had to wear trousers and closed in shoes which we felt unnecessary as surf and turf and the Asian restaurant were the same. Embarking - when our bags finally arrived at our cabin, they had clearly been left outside in the rain and everything inside was soaked wet through, from close to hair straighteners. It added to our disastrous start. Entertainment - staff who were preforming in the shows were mediocre at best. The daily quizzes very quickly become annoying as they are so loud and are clearly written by a much younger team than your average cruise traveller and the live music is far to loud in the bars. We did see a comedian who was good, 4 tunes were pleasant to listen to but loud, as was Paul Greenwood. We did enjoy DJ Remedi when he was on the pool deck. The gym and running track can not be faulted. Onboard experience & Public rooms there is nowhere near enough space for all guests on board. There is not enough space for sun beds around the pool or deck 10 - people start reserving them before 7am! It’s stated that unused beds with towels will be removed by staff but never were. There were not enough tables in lounges which was made worse when the first show of the evening finished. Also, there is no sitting space without some form of entertainment being forced upon you. Service - this was brilliant by all staff onboard from Lynn Smith, head of guest relations, who helped us with our cabin issue to Tjana in reception, Sophie our cabin Stewardess, Phillip who served drinks round the pool and Live lounge to all the waiting staff in the restaurants. The UK team could learn a lot from the onboard team as they let Tui down. Shore excursions - we have reviewed these separately but in general we found them to be over priced and under whelming. Finally, WiFi, does not have the capability that it should do for £90 for 2 weeks. I rely on the internet to work whilst I am away and it was made impossible due to the internet being so slow and constantly logging me out. We welcome any comments or questions. Read Less

My sister from Canada invited me to go on this Cruise with her friends. The ship was extremely clean. The Shows were awesome. There were many other activities including golf and rock climbing. Every night we enjoyed the entertainment. The stage performances were great. The actors did a wonderful job. I felt as if I was in New York without paying the price for the Broadway show tickets. The crews were outstanding. Food and drinks were delicious and non-stop. I still keep hearing the bell and Mr Spread the love. I met many interesting people. We had great times at Jamaica, Honduras, Guatemala, Belize and Mexico. I highly recommend this cruise for the perfect sized ship and outstanding crew. It was a peaceful and very enjoyable experience. I definitely will take another trip on the Marella Discovery 2 Ship. I thank the captain for a safe trip and the crew for their hard work and outstanding services. Read Less

Do people just go on cruises to moan about things??? Our holiday was perfect from start to finish. The food, the entertainment, the destinations, the excursions, the staff, the cleaners, the ship....everything was perfect! The 2 dancers on board george and alex were lovely, Katie, Harlequin and the young blonde lady who played Tinkerbell in the Peter Pan show were really polite friendly and helpful. The BEEP BEEP man serving drinks at the pool side and in the show lounge is a legend and I think he might have been the most popular attraction on the ship! We tried all the free restaurants...mostly good not perfect but that's the benefit of the buffet....if you don't like it go and pick something else! Over the course of the week I only encountered one person that I didn't find to be friendly and he worked in the Snack shack place, maybe I read him wrong but he didn't seem too willing to pour me a drink and slammed the drink down in front of me after ? Maybe I'm right maybe I'm wrong. Anyway....we loved it so much we have returned home and booked to go again in 2 months time! See you soon Marella Discovery 2! Read Less

This was our 10th cruise with Marella (Thomson) and we have also cruised with NCL and Royal Caribbean. We really enjoyed our cruise on Discovery over Christmas 2017 and I suppose we were expecting this cruise to be as enjoyable. The itinerary was Panama Canal and Cuban Fusion. The change to the port time in Cuba added effectively another day at sea so 5 days in total. The activities on offer were very poor, "medical"/ beauty seminars to sell things mainly. I did enjoy the two Ceilidh dance classes, they were fun. There is nowhere on ship to quietly read, Spirit had a rather nice reading room. Part of the problem was fellow passengers being rather loud with no regard for others so we often retreated to our cabin. The cabin 8076 was fine, spacious, quiet but the toilet stopped flushing every 3 or 4 days. Days in Jamaica were a trial. Food in the buffet was more awful than usual and the snack shack and 47 were not open for lunch. 2 of the main lifts were out of action for 13 days and it was a trial on changeover day to get anywhere with the remaining lifts being crowded with departing and incoming passengers and their luggage. There was also limited evening entertainment, no show or quiz, in fact evening quizes were every other night rather than every night and were interspersed with "Human Jukebox" which was lame. The Broadway Lounge shows were generally good apart from the guest comedian in the first week who would have been booed off stage at any Working Men's Club and the show with "virtual" Anton de Bec which is just a film. I enjoyed the actor hosts games and play, We normally enjoy the buffet but not on this ship, food was cold, tough, unappetising and it was a trial to get a table. We had debated upgrading to Premium drinks but decided against it. If you like a buffet be aware that you can't get Premium drinks there, you would have to get them from a bar and bring them in with you.Same if you want a G&T, Prosecco etc on the All- inclusive. There is no waiter service for drinks in this buffet, there is just a drinks station with John Smiths, Strongbow, Fosters and red and white wine on tap. My Dad drinks John Smith's all the time but he couldn't drink this, he said it was awful. I feel this is a downmarket move by Marella, saving them money on both drinks and waiters. We ate mainly at 47, had great fish and chips at the Snack Shack and enjoyed the Glasshouse, the trio of Tiramisu's at Gallery 47 and one dinner at Surf and Turf. Food outside of the buffet was acceptable, nothing was delectable but we could always find something to eat. Excursions: The flavours of Colombia excursion in Santa Marta was good but there was far too much food. I believe it was authentic for the area but it wasn't really very nice. Cartagena we saw with Dora the Explorer private group trip. Panama tour by ferry was awful. Colon is decrepit, dirty and unsafe. We went by bus across the isthmus to Panama City where we boarded a ferry. the seats were just plastic or metal folding chairs and it was really crowded. Horrible sugary soft drinks included with the poor lunch of 4 tiny bits of chicken, cold pasta and veg and a piece of cake. We went through 3 locks and eventually disembarked at Gatun Lake for the bus back. It was a long, boring and uncomfortable day that was never worth £108. The only saving grace of Colon as a port is that there is a big supermarket very close to the dock where we were able to get drinks and snacks (they took dollars and gave change in dollars too) Costa Rica we did the Jaguar rescue Centre and Boat ride. Be aware that this is a 7 hour trip with no lunch included and nowhere to buy lunch. I can't understand the mentality of Marella contracting with an agency for a tour that doesn't make any provision for lunch. We had snacks and drinks we bought in Panama and we went to the snack Shack the day before the trip and took some sandwiches. There are notices all the time in the buffet & cruise news warning that it is illegal in some places to carry food off the ship and that you can be fined. We didn't take any fruit and the sandwiches were in sealed packets so we took the chance. The only place there could have been a problem was Cozumel in Mexico where all bags were searched on disembarkation. Grand Cayman we had to anchor away from the main town as it was too windy for the tenders. We got shared taxis into town but there were 6 cruise ships that day, there must have been 10,000 people on the streets and the queues to get the tender back to some of the ships were enormous and taking up all the pavement. Cuba was the best stop. I have been before but it was better than I remembered. We did a private tour with Fertours. 3 hours tour by convertible classic car to see Revolution and other squares, the neighbourhoods, the forts, Malecon and the army museum and a park. We went back to the ship for dinner then met our guide with driver and a hard-top classic car. We went to the National hotel and had a tour round and a cocktail on the terrace, this was the highlight of my holiday the hotel has so much history and atmosphere. We then went to the 9pm cannon shot ceremony which was much better than it sounds, the fort is amazing and the soldiers are dressed in old-time uniforms. The next day we had a 2 hr waking tour of Havana with our guide which was really nice. We saw 3 or 4 squares, Hemingway places, the Camera Obscura, churches, sculptures and learned a lot about life in Cuba and the difficulties they had when the Soviet Union collapsed. Havana is a lovely city, Highly recommended Cozumel: couldn't berth where supposed to because of the wind. Our tour to Tulum and Xel-Ha was cancelled as no ferries were running. It was Sunday so most of the shops were closed even at the cruise port because of course we weren't supposed to be docked in that place. Too windy to go to the beach so had a taxi tour round town and to nearby Mayan ruins. Cozumel is perhaps not an ideal port of call especially on a Sunday. Somewhere on the mainland would give more opportunities on shore. Overall the cruise was ok, no major disasters fortunately but I wouldn't wholeheartedly recommend this itinerary. Regarding the ship there were enough niggles to make us question the direction Marella is going (downmarket it seems) and to make us disinclined to travel with them again. Read Less

Arrival at Gatwick did not go according to plan as there was conflict regarding checking our bags in the night before. ON FLY CRUISES YOU CANNOT DO THIs Otherwise embarkation and disembarkation was speedy and efficient This cruise came up to all our expectations with one major exception that is the volume of the entertainment on deck 9 and in the Atrium. In the afternoon on deck 9 it was what they call Trivia which was quizzes, music etc. The compare had the microphone on full volume, to the extent it was difficult to talk to people and too read. The same applied to the music in the atrium in the evenings. In our case there was a guy with a guitar playing and singing. The volume was such that you could not carry out a conversation, we along with others had to move.Again in was a case of the volume being turned up too loud,Music in cases like this should be back ground you should not need to compete with it to talk to people a few feet away. I hasten to add the guitarist was really good. The bar staff on deck 9 in particular Jodi and her brother Christopher was excellent, super efficient and very happy people a real pleasure to be served by them. The classic car trip in Havana was good but Havana itself did not impress us. Would recommend the panama canal excursions,In Montego Bay. I did the Chukka Zip Wire. Superb fun and the instructors in particular namely Gray Goose Oka and Gossy Vernon. Excellent at their jobs. All in all everything about the cruise was superb in particular the food and our cabin boy Ikhsan, he really looked after us.My wife would have appreciated an Act of Worship on Sundays as practiced on other cruise ship. Finally talks or discussions would be appreciated as and alternative to going ashore or in addition too.sea days Read Less

Chose the cruise because of the itinerary. Have cruised the Caribbean before but this cruise visited places we had'nt been. Cuba, Costa Rica, Panama and Columbia to name a few. We were delighted to find we not only had a great itinerary but we also were on a great ship. The entertainment was fantastic , 12 different shows and 2 guest artists in 14 nights. Cabin was ample in size, food was good although very busy at peak times. Staff were very friendly and helpful . All inclusive drinks were of a good quality not rubbish like we've had on occasion. We went on several excursions and were only disappointed in one The Panama Tour. The boat we went on was quite small for the number of people and seating was loose chairs crammed together on deck. People who arrived on first coaches obviously took outside seats near rail and once we started most of them stood up meaning the majority of people could see nothing. The locks on canal are massive and consume a vast amount of water so our boat was'nt allowed in alone and had to squeeze in behind a great big cargo ship the back end of this ship and the back end of people was our view for most of the trip. Certainly not worth the £110 pp cost. Apart from this one thing I can find no fault with cruise at all. Read Less

It was my 60th birthday and I bought packages for me and my three adult children. We are Canadian. I saved for months for this trip. It fell short by a long shot. In no specific order: First, the Santa Marta destination was cancelled without explanation. This is an historic site in Colombia that we anticipated for months. We were given a paltry 40 british pounds credit per person and instead were offered an extra day in Jamaica. As Canadians, we have already seen all that can be seen in Jamaica over the years. This meant essentially we were in Montego Bay for about 3 of the 8 days. Second - the entire Marella entertainment was British based, the assumption being that only Brits were on the cruise. We were only asked our nationality from off-cruise excursion people. All trivia and other fun activities on board were exclusive to Brits: you needed to know their tv shows, their culture, etc. to participate in any activities. We were clearly invisible and insignificant to this cruise line. Third - excursion costs were too much! I can compare excursion rates at Montego Bay with those offered by MSC Divina which we cruised on last year. Way too much. Fourth - the casino slots were a joke - I've never experienced such lack of even tiny wins. Fifth - several times I had to change cutlery at the ship buffets due to filth and crusted food. We were encouraged not to use straws but how else to escape the lipstick stains of dirty glasses. Sixth - the food was bland, and generic. Some Brit curries - also bland and few vegetarian options. I appreciated the attentiveness to germ control. Too bad the Brits continue to cough and sneeze everywhere and perhaps use their hands to then spread germs around. Finally this past Tuesday leaving the ship (April 3), we were warehoused in this hideous hotbox at Montego Bay consisting of hundreds of tourists waiting for one bus at a time. The apology is not sufficient, Marella. We were treated like cattle. I did not appreciate that Brits were "first on the buses" while Canadians were told to wait, even though our departures were of similar times. Read Less

Where do I even begin, This year I was fortunate enough to experience the best holiday imaginable. I booked my holiday through TUI for a two week carirbean cruise on the Marella Discovery 2. This was my first ever cruise and the price and itenary were incredible. The whole holiday was seemless from booking, to flying to arriving to resort to embark the ship. TUI and Marella staff were always on hand to help. We were greeted with the smiliest faces at Montego Bay where we were checked in and directed to board the Cruise. That night we were instructed and reassured on all safety procedures and given a guided tour of the cruiseship to find our bearings whilst our suitcases were delivered to our cabins. Everynight we recieved an entertainment planner for the days entertainment and events as well as an update on the days port, local information, weather for the day, currencys used and things to do. The cruise was all inclusive and having stayed in many 5* all inclusive hotels around the world the food and drink on the cruise may as well have been 10*. The variety, standard, presentaion and flavour were fantastic. There were many retsuarants to use and the only problem i faced was trying not too eat too much or picking where to eat. The staff on the cruise were the best team of staff i have ever come accross on my holidays. Everyone was so warm and friendly and really helped to personalise your holiday and go out of their way to make it special. In the mornings you would have a wake up announcement from Captain Chris and the Cruise Director Martyn who would start you day off with a lovely update on the weather outside, the port, when you could get off the cruise and overall a lovely start to the day. When you go on shore there are so many different things to see and do to experience the fantastic culture and sights. We always booked out excurions through TUI on the cruise and everything we did added value to our holiiday experience and was unique and great for getting out of the country what we wanted to see, do and experience. We never faced any issues with our cabin and never struggled for size. The cabin was cleaned twice a day and two sets of towels also. We were always left chocolates at night and the cleaners were lovely, always said hello when passing in the corridors. TV channels were fab, plenty of films and programmes to choose from and we loved that there were Marella channels to keep you posted with excursions. We always tried to tune into Cruise Director TV to find out whats been on and whats upcoming chilst on board. The pool on the cruise was a great size and perfect way to cool off on a hot carribean day. There was never any issues with sunbeds as there was deck 9 and deck 10 to lay out on. The entertainment team will keep you entertained with poolside games and quizzes as well as laying back to onboard bands and and talented voices to sing poolside. Waiter service aorund the pool was an added bonus as you didnt even have to move to get a drink. The entertainments show team, actor hosts and family hosts really made our holiday. They were all so friendly and always smiling and laughing. The level of enterainment on the Cruise is one of the most professional, talanted and sought after I have ever seen. The entertainment lounge and gameshows venue were always full and you could see from just looking around all of the guests were constantly happy and enjoying as much as us. A big shout out to the whole team and we really hope we get to see you on furture cruises. Your an assest to Marella and TUI and the way you interact and are constanly around your guests socialising and entertaining is incredible. we dont have children but even seeing the childcare team around the pool helping with quizzes and interacting around the cruise was also amazing to see. All of the staff want to inteact with the guests and really go out of their way to make their holiday. The cruise also has a jogging track, a virtual reality room, casino, climbing wall, minigolf, outdoor cinema, nighclub, shops and full spa just to name a few extras. I would 100% recommend a cruise on the Marella Discovery 2 for the best holiday you can ask for. Read Less

We chose this cruise at short notice after returning from a terrible cruise on MSC Seaside.We had cruised with Thomson before on one of the smaller ships and found it okay no better,but this larger ship was much better.Everything on this ship was great,from the entertainment to the food and service.The shows cater for British cruisers,which was just what we liked the most.The breakfasts were the full Monty and drinks in the restaurants were in full flow.Okay the ship is a little old but it was clean and the cruise was good value.We will certainly cruise with Marella again.This cruise visited Belize,Guatamala,Honduras and Cuba,all new countries for cruise ships and so were not too commercialised yet.Most needed an excursion to see anything interesting.But not Cuba,Havana is a great place to visit.Old American cars,old but beautiful buildings and old but crumbling ones too.Overall a great cruise and new countries visited.With more larger ships to come Marella are on the up. Read Less

Having traveled on the discovery 1 last year I was looking forward to this trip, although the ship is identical the standards are very different, the staff working on the acomadation where fantastic and every time you left the cabin they where in there working, it was spotless on each occasion Something had gone seriously wrong with the drinks on this trip as they where nowhere near as good as the 1, they just seems to be thrown together, there seemed far less bar staff on this trip, not that I drank a lot, we didn't upgrade to the premium drinks as most of the drinks on the standard menu seemed ok, and if you wanted anything off the premium list you could pay a supliment of around £2.50 which was more expensive than the discovery 1 Also for the food in the 47 & gallery 47 was ok tho a tad repedative I do understand keeping 2k people happy is a monumental task, ok as for the Asiain and Steak restaurants tui seem to have bumped up the price form what I paid in the summer the Asian (Kora-La) was £24 each and the surf and turf was £29 each perhaps the paint job in the name change cost them a few bob and they where trying to recoup the cost The entertainment was very good and the show team work very hard in delivering complex different shows each night As for the shore trips I felt like I was an audience member in a fourteen day infomercial you couldn't escape the continual sell, sell, sell, on every TV Chanel, they even put it on the jumbo screen round the pool area arghhhhhhhhhhh enough already Overall the holiday was good and this blip has not put me off sailing with tu-rella again Read Less

My family of 6 just returned yesterday from our 1 week cruise. We started our cruise in Montego Bay. The boarding process was simple and the terminal was not crowded, which we were very happy to see. By the time we got a drink in hand to start our vacation, our luggage had already made it to our rooms. The rooms were fine for us. Nothing fancy, but the bed was comfortable, the shower had hot water, and there was plenty of space for clothes. We didn't plan on spending much time in the rooms except to sleep, so we decided to save our money and not get an upgrade. We did look into it once we boarded. I believe the cost was around $350 to upgrade to a outside cabin with a window, and $450 for a balcony. Entertainment on the boat was exceptional. We went to every show in the evening at 9:00. They mainly consisted of dancers and singers, all of which are from Cuba. The dancers were especially talented. We frequented the Eros Lounge often where there was music every night. The piano and violinist were wonderful. We would also spend time there during the day to participate in the various games/entertainment. There were many games of Bingo, trivia, towel folding lessons, etc. Staff on the Crystal was second to none. We were able to spend a lot of time talking to them and getting to know their stories. Vladimir was absolutely hysterical. He hosted trivia often and would always come by to talk to us and make us laugh. Maherlys(sp?) was also wonderful. She hosted Karaoke every night and was able to get every person in my family to sing, which is quite an accomplishment! Alina was part of the wait staff in the lounges/bars. She was our favorite, although all the others were great as well. Our wait staff in the restaurant was led by Wayan. I would recommend asking for his section. Although there is no assigned seating, after the 2nd night on board, he would come over to the Eros Lounge to let us know that he had a table waiting for us. Lastly, I have to say that the excursions into Cuba were very well done. Havana was definitely my favorite location. It was nice that we had a lot of free time there to explore the city on our own. We did not do the Tropicana tour, but instead ate at a privately owned restaurant in the Old Havana district. It was a wonderful meal, and I would recommend that to anyone trying to get away from more touristy type places for a night. Paladar Los Mercaderes was the name of it, and it was only a 5 minute walk from the cruise terminal. Overall we had an amazing trip. I hope to be back on this boat when it sails in Greece! Read Less

I have written to tui 4 times to complain about the holiday but have not had any satisfaction. The dreamliner plane and staff were not good. One person landed without a seatbelt, and the seat in front of us was not in an upright position as it was broken. We were herded from plane to ship. Some staff on the ship were unhelpful, and rude. The food was dreadful. Very monotonous, the quality of food was poor. The cabin was nice, The drinks were good. The entertainment tacky. Overall the staff were inexperienced. We had a issue with the medical team. They didn't examing one of our family after feeling unwell, but it resulted in being sent off to jamacain hospital, only to be told there was nothing wrong. Once back on board, our boarding cards were voided and we were threatened of being kicked of the cruise as it may not be medical safe to travel even though we were given the all clear. The holiday was overpriced and of poor quality. I would never go with tui again. Read Less

This cruise was highly recommended by friends and we decided to try it for our annual Christmas Vacation. I have to say the entire experience was amazing. The nightly shows exceeded my expectations, the staff was friendly, kind, courteous and extremely helpful. The food and service at the restaurants were exceptional. I also liked the photo shoots and the fact that they were able to capture most of our memorable moments. Of course,I spent close to $100 collecting pictures of special moments with my family, but it was worth it. The cabins were as expected and the housekeeping staff did an amazing job cleaning them twice daily. Loved the daily activities, the zumba, yoga and dance classes. The only improvement I would recommend, however, is to the breakfast menu - having the same menu items every morning was not very appealing for a 7 day cruise. But overall, it was a great first time experience. Read Less

To set the scene, this was our 17th Thomson/TUI/Marella cruise since 2010. We hadn't been on a Thomson cruise since autumn 2014 as we were becoming disillusioned with what was on offer (we moved away to P&O and Princess). The itinerary (featuring Cuba, Honduras, Belize and Guatemala, all new places for us) along with the newly acquired ship lured us back. In summary we were really pleased with the cruise and it exceeded our expectations. We were in two cabins (a junior suite plus an inside) on deck 8 and for an all-inclusive cruise for four over the festive period it was excellent value for money. The food in the sit down restaurants (at no extra cost) was far better than experienced on previous Thomson cruises. The head waiters were charming and took the opportunity to speak with us regularly. The service, although not quite as warm and smiley as on previous vessels (Celebration etc.) was good and if you took the time to engage with staff they soon opened up and chatted, remembered drinks preferences etc. Drinks quality was all fine and we didn't feel the need to upgrade to premium all inclusive (regular all-inclusive featured Guinness, Strongbow, Tanqueray, Baileys to name a few brands plus Irish coffee and cappuccino). We had the occasional poor cocktail but we just went to a different bar and reordered, not a problem and an excuse for a bit of a leg stretch. Condition of cabins and public rooms was all fine. There were a couple of maintenance issues in our cabin which were fixed with no problem within a couple of hours. Clarins toiletries and a Lavazza coffee machine were included as standard in the junior suite along with bathrobes, in cabin breakfast, pillow menu and pressing of 3 items per person. Excursions were mostly fine. Didn't enjoy the Stingray City one in Grand Cayman which was disorganised, too short, crowded, not as advertised and expensive for £62 per person. Excursions in Cozumel (Mini Speedboat), Roatan (West Island Tour) and Belize (Airboat Ride) met expectations and were as advertised. Entertainment was good. Really enjoyed engaging with the actor hosts who run the quizzes. Phil is a legend! Brett, Naomi, Helen and Matt all work hard too and are worthy of note. The cruise director (Martyn) who had been promoted due to the previous CD (Ted) being unwell over the festive period was first class and will hopefully get a permanent CD position soon. Captain Chris was very amenable and accessible and we looked forward to his updates every day - good weather = bobby dazzler, bad weather = bobby drizzler! He was from Nottingham and so good to talk to. A tiny proportion of the passengers could do with learning this is a family cruise line and to behave better (not youngsters, people in their 40s and 50s using foul language at many times of day regardless of venue, not that any time of day or venue is appropriate). My husband respectfully challenged this and was given a mouthful for his trouble. I raised this with the bar manager and general manager too, the latter who agreed he would be looking into this issue further. Finally, the general manager mentioned above (Darren) was fabulous, so approachable and helpful, considering feedback, both positive and constructive where improvements could be made. He really is an asset to the ship and the company. So, to finalise, even though Thomson cruises have been off our radar for 3 years they are firmly back in the picture for us now, particularly with some of the newer itineraries - a plea to the company though, please extend to families and not restrict to adults only. Read Less

Overall this was a good Holiday but I booked this last minute and paid half of what some people on board paid, if i had paid the full price I would have been very disappointed. Firstly the ship ex Royal Caribbean,Supposed to have been refurbished a 6 months previously and to be honest the ship looked in good condition a few bits here and there could be improved and tidied up and a few repairs are needed, but don't let that put you off. Staff from almost every part of the ship were very helpful polite, friendly & hard working I never had a bad experience with any of them, service with a smile. Food & Drinks were excellent most of the time there was the odd occasion when a meal may be not what you expected or to your liking but there is always food available at and mainly to a high standard. Entertainment on board was in my opinion to a high standard and the bands and Singers all over the ship were fantastic. The comedian the first week was Don McLean from Crackerjack now in is seventies was Hilariously funny, completely opposite to the one the second week Tank Sherman Mid 50s using material I had heard 35 years ago. To be honest I only had three things that need to sorted to make me go on another Marella cruise again, 1) They don't have no Currency exchange on board unless you carry Sterling with you & they are happy to change that at anytime, but if you go with using credit/ Debit cards there is no way on board or on a lot of the destinations/ ports of call were you can access your money making it very awkward when ashore trying to purchase drinks and food,unless you could find somewhere that accepted plastic, We went from Montego Bay on the second week to Belize, Guatemala, Roatan Honduras & then to Mainland Honduras and at no point could draw any money out of the cash machines as most of them said they did dollars but all the machine said they were empty. 2) Destinations. The First week we went to Cayman Islands, Cuba, Cozumel & Jamaica all these destinations Are fine Plenty to do & see and enjoyed all of these, Second week though we went to Belize, Guatemala, Roatan Honduras & Honduras mainland and to be honest unless you had booked an excursion on board the ship these are not destinations i would recommend, no beaches or Clean ones to be precise other than Roatan which has a purpose made area for the cruise ship Clientele nice beaches, bars and shops. 3) Flight Cabin Staff The Flight out from Gatwick was late leaving but on the whole the experience was fine, the new Dreamliners are a great plane and Very comfortable, But the Cabin staff need to be retrained to inform us all that we do have to fill in the paperwork on board and supply the odd pen, They told us that if we were on the cruise then we didn't have to fill them out, to find out we did, we had to sit on the floor in a crowded airport and fill them out. I Would Like to thank my Cabin Cleaner who worked tirelessly to keep are room clean and tidy and the bar staff & Waiters who work hard to keep your glasses full. Read Less

Been on 34 previous cruises as a professional travel writer, now retired, and chose this Christmas cruise to see what TUI had done to the former Legend of the Seas! After spending a total of almost £8,000 for a Grand Suite onboard, and Premium flight from Cardiff, I expected to get a touch of luxury - and wasn't disappointed. The flight was seamless with an excellent cabin crew, plenty of free drinks, and pretty good food for airline standards. We were whizzed through immigration In Montego Bay, and didn't see our baggage from checking in at Cardiff until we reached our cabin. The ship is elderly compared to some, but spotlessly clean, and great attention to onboard hygiene. The Grand Suite (Cabin 8006) was roomy with plenty of storage space, settee and two chairs, double bed, his and hers sinks, shower and bath, and a huge balcony with two sunloungers and table and chairs. There was even a Christmas tree, sparkling wine and strawberries to greet us in the suite. Heineken (yes that's correct) our cabin steward was five stars, and got a good tip at the end of the cruise, even though gratuities are not expected on this all inclusive ship. Food in the main restaurant could have been served hotter, but there was plenty of it, and very varied and tasty. The buffet was a bit chaotic, but the alternative fish and chips outlet was excellent, with large portions and plenty of variety. We found all the bars were easy to find our drinks and cocktails, and waiters were on hand to bring drinks to poolside and lounge areas at all times. We stayed on the standard drinks package included in the price, and the only thing missing was my favourite cognac, but I could live without that for two weeks. Christmas Eve and Christmas Day was memorable with carols, a visit from Santa for the kids onboard, carrots and mince pies for the reindeer, and SNOW! Realistic flakes falling from the ceiling with the temperature at 30C outside! We never bother with the onboard entertainment, but there seemed to be plenty going on, and we only did one excursion to see the crocodiles in Black River, Jamaica. TUI spend more time in ports than many other cruise lines, and our Captain was certainly more friendly and informative than most. Criticisms? Just a couple of daft things really, like charging for bottled water on an all inclusive cruise, and not providing tenders from remote ports. But on the whole Excellent! Well done TUI! Read Less