the ship is old and tired cabin 6017 noise was like a washing machine filling all night. all the staff are great very friendly and helpful food was ok. entertainment was very good some nights. same songs same time every night. docking points are a bus journey away from port. dress code there is none football tops.shorts and flip flops in buffet restaurants topless sunbathing. its all about sell sell sell spa.servce.photos.dining.shops.excursions. all the staff ask for good reviews. they are all living the dream of working on royal caribbean cruise ships. all in all its a 7 night all inc.booze cruise. and what can i say about the lifts they were probably good in 1986 when new but now they have a mind of their own.go up when you want down and be prepared to wait for an age if you cant do the stairs because of mobility issues. Read Less

We arrived at the ship after our flight from Leeds/Bradford first impressions were wow what a ship how large it was, suppose it had to be with around 1800 passengers, check in airport security style, got a plastic card which was key to cabin, card for drinks food etc, and boarding card, got to out cabin 9100 which was deck 9, reasonable size with a large balcony with chairs table and a hammock, beds were ok, Bottled water-small bottles of wine, biscuits on what we thought was a complimentary tray, later discovered all that was chargeable, at an exorbitant rate. This is where it all started to go wrong, we booked as "All inclusive", turns out not as all inclusive as you think. In the coffee pot lounge you were charged for coffee, several other places, bars and restuarants had a charge, and not cheap. So we set sail had our first nights meal in The Market Place, which was very basic cafeteria food, which was ok, self serve pumps of red/white wine and fosters lager, this was free. had a wander around the ship seemed quite well appointed, eventually went to bed around 11pm quite a tiring day... didnt sleep at all well as above the twin beds was the air conditioning unit very noisy all night slept badly, woke tired. complained to reception asked if it could be turned off, very curtly told no, reception staff not very helpful, after talking to other passengers who also agreed they had problems with reception. tried other restuarants Meditteranean pasta and pizza, average, latitude 53 was ok, but not exactly what we would expect from a restuarant that appeared to be a bit more upmarket than others. drinks were free, rather most drinks were free, could drink oneself silly as a lot did especially on the pool deck Entertainment was somewhat amatuerish, girls and guys prancing around and trying to sing, more like yelling, too loud afoten had no idea what they were singing about, the best night was when they had the comedian steve? terry he was very funny. Excursions to Rome-Florence-Pisa etc were very expensive almost £200.00 per couple, and those places would be jam packed with tourists, All in all for us was not a good experience, could, and should have spent our money elsewhere .not on a cruise, we agreed that it was an experience not a good one and we would never ever go on a cruise again, although there was one guy who had done 54 cruises in 7 years (must have been insane) The plus side was our cabin staff were absolutely amazing Madelyn and ? cannot remeber his name nothing too much trouble. Read Less

Lots of bad reviews noted before travelling but need not have worried. This was our third TUI cruise having previously been on the Dream and Discovery 2. The Explorer was larger than both the previous ships and displayed positive signs of the recent refurbishment. The Latitude 53 restaurant was very good and had enough of a menu choice to keep us occupied over a two week cruise, we dined in the speciality restaurant Kora La and Surf and Turf paying a supplement and both were well worth it. The Balcony cabin was ok, maintained very well by Andrew our steward who was perfectly discreet but kept an untidy bunch from making too much of a mess in our cabin. The kettle and fridge were a useful addition and despite the cabins being 16m sq it was just big enough for us to not be on top of one another. The service delivery throughout the ship was magnificent as always, every member of staff was polite, courteous and couldn't do enough for us wherever we went or whatever we did. Definitely the company's best asset. A special mention for the show cast who were Broadway standard every night and even the guest entertainment was very good. There is not much I could criticise but if pushed Marella should look to improve their ports of call, or indeed stop mooring in commercial locations. We didn't mind this too much initially but on two occasions there was a charge for the shuttle bus which we thought was taking liberties given the cost of the cruise. Propriano in Corsica was a very nice exception to this to be fair however. Our final comments have to go to the bike excursion team, in particular Nico and Ahsleigh for looking after us on our Rome trip - different class!. In addition head waiter Carlos and his team of Chris, Mark, Frank etc etc were amazing. A nice ship with great staff and magnificent entertainment - shame about Marellas first pub the Squid & Anchor which brought an all inclusive hotel clientelle to an otherwise perfect two weeks cruising, if you just don't go there then it doesn't impact on you too much. Read Less

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We were first time cruisers on TUI (now Marella) Spirit last August and were both absolutely smitten. I think after a couple of days we were hooked, and after the two weeks were up we were ready to book the next, this one – departing at the end of July 2018. We used or local TUI store and were sold this two week back to back on Explorer. This time we decided to take our 17 year old with us as she would really have. We paid adult price for her as she is 17 and had a cabin to herself (she was classed as a single traveller, she was issued with an adult cruise card and even had the note left on her bed inviting her to the single travellers reception.) Arrival in Palma was slick, as was boarding, it was very soon apparent that this ship had far more technology than Spirit, more reliance on it! The ship is quite big although it's still dwarfed by the likes of the Aida Prima and some of the MSC liners, it is plush in places. I'm aware that one reviewer picked up on things like scratches in the lifts, yes they're there but they didn't detract from the sparkle that this ship has. The food is great, we feel that some of the restaurants are still struggling at busy times possibly because the staff are all so new, but the food quality is fabulous as was the service of most of the staff, so good that we tipped one or two as they really did go above and beyond what was required. We ate in Latitude 53 most nights, Vista (the Italian) one night and tried on another two occasions, each of those times the wait time was just too long and so we returned to Latitude 53. Breakfast was taken in the self-service (Market Place), the selection of food is good with English cooked breakfast, continental, freshly prepared omelettes etc. fruit and cereal always on offer. The only downside to the Market Place at breakfast time is the queue and the seating. Breakfast in Latitude 53 is a much more civilised affair however the choice of food is not available. The cabins are well appointed and clean, we had an inside to keep the costs down, three of us for two weeks has cost more or less £7000! Had we travelled without daughter we would have had an outside cabin, we would not have an inside cabin again just because they are so dark! We did not notice much sunbed hogging, although we did see some belongings removed after beds were ticketed. TUI should operate the same procedure in some of the bars! We didn’t upgrade to premium as personally we have no need to. The drinks selection is adequate. There have been some issues and things that don't sit right with us: Over the first five days we experienced a series of minor problems... each of these took time out of our day to sort. Wrong people allocated the wrong cabin, boarding cards not working to open our cabin door on several occasions, my debit card swiped but receptionist added my husband's name as card holder, bank subsequently declined (quite right too), safe would not open and had to have someone in to sort this -- twice initially and then again at the end of our first week. When I complained about the series of minor issues the receptionist clearly thought all of our issues were amusing! This was subsequently escalated to the General Manager who felt that a bottle of wine would fix this. The excursions are very expensive (this is common among all tour operators I know). Please be careful! We were made aware of a family group who booked to go to Camp Nou in Barcelona – parents and a young child in a buggy. They were charged by TUI for three… Children under five go into Camp Nou FREE! The premium restaurants are all expensive when you consider this is an all-inclusive ship... the "supplement" is between £25 and £35 per person. You may think different but to me, that's not a "supplement", that's paying for the meal in full! If it really is a supplement then are we saying that steak and chips in Surf & Turf costs well over £50 a head? Despite paying an adult fare for daughter, despite her boarding card starting that she is on here as an adult we had one waitress try to give a 17 year old a baby plastic beaker and straw for a glass of coke. When questioned the waitress advised that daughter was "under age", we had ordered “a coke!!!” I should point out that my daughter doesn't drink alcohol so no comments about legal age limit please. Entertainment is confused to say the least. The cruise director, Matthew, was only really seen on TV and seemed to spend his time promoting Champneys. If comparing the entertainment team to Spirit, then Spirit is first rate and Explorer is dreary. The resident band, The Collective seemed to have more rapport with the guests. Structured entertainment seemed to be nothing more than quiz after quiz punctuated with bingo and the standard sail away parties. We didn’t use the casino which is located between the Indigo Bar and Night Club. We did watch one or two games, we thought it was noisy with hustle and bustle. It appears that despite the signs children are allowed into the casino area. Broadway show was generally very good, some of the jokes from the comedians were recycled, but not the less very well presented. This is very much a family ship and not what we were sold. I did query the family element with our travel agent before we paid the final balance but were assured it would not be overrun with small children (my husband is a school teacher and during our holidays he likes to be away from children), however this was not the case. Whilst we observed a deal of children behaving well there was of course the contingent who were unruly and allowed to be so, the late adult entertainment (another form of quiz) being overtaken by a seven year old – yes, I am sure your son is cute but this is adult time! However, in short we're had a good holiday. We will not be cruising on Explorer again, we may consider Explorer 2 (adults only) although we are also considering that market. Read Less

As first time cruisers we were excited about the prospect of seeing a bit of the med via a family orientated, sparkly new cruise ship. We were disappointed from the start. The welcome was lack lustre and as a result we had no idea where to go or what to do while we waited for our cabin. Our cabin (a junior suite with balcony) was nice until night came. We were directly above the Squid and Anchor “pub” and our bed pulsated until the early hours to the beat of the music downstairs. After much complaining we were moved for our second week. This time to the tenth floor. This room whilst quieter was slightly smaller and had a much bigger problem. Every day, without fail, the toilet would block..... often while we were out..... the shared vacuum system is horrid and I saw over flowing toilets on more than one occasion. The housekeeping staff were fantastic and extremely hard working, some of the bar staff however (coffee port) were pretty miserable. The evening shows were fantastic and a real highlight!!!! The food was good but the selection could have been better, I’ve been on all inclusive holidays with Tui in the past year with much better food selection. Probably my biggest problem with this cruise though was that it is advertised as All Inclusive..... this is not! WiFi is extra and expensive, drinks before 10 are extra, ice cream..... extra. It just feels like they are trying to squeeze money out of you at every opportunity. Please note this ship is not new, it has been revamped, and well, but it is a bit rough around the edges. The gym is run by Champneys and is the best equipped gym I have ever seen in any holiday resort. Some of the classes cost extra. The 45 minute ‘no leave’ sunbed rule is not enforced and finding sun beds on a sea day is very challenging. This is branded as a family cruise ship but as our kids are at private school their summer holidays start 2 weeks before state schools. The first week we were cruising was mostly adults.....OAPs to be exact and there was a distinct feeling the kids were not welcome. The second week was better but I still heard older people joking how there seemed to be a lot of kids skipping school! In conclusion I definitely think I will cruise again but it’s unlikely we will cruise with Tui..... I will be looking for a higher end cruise with less child intolerant fat old people..... if such a thing exists. Read Less

This cruise was suggested to us by our local Tui store so we went ahead keeping an open mind. We didn't realise this was the inaugural sailing of the Explorer, and were pleasantly surprised at the generous promotional gifts waiting for us in our cabin. Embarkation was easy and the systems employed throughout the cruise proved efficient. We had mixed feeling about the increased balcony space at the expense of stateroom floor-space. The hammock and lounger were useful.... but so would have been the space in the room: you can't have everything so it was what it was. Our room attendants were superb - always friendly and helpful and a credit to the ship. It would be remiss not to mention the first morning's confusion, but suffice to say, from then on, everything on the ship appeared to run smoothly. We chose to eat in the dining room and one has to say the food was superb. My only criticism was that although wine and beer were available with the meal, spirts were not. On the subject of wine, the quality of the wine on tap in the Market Place was awful. Not only could I not drink either red or white, I saw countless glasses of unfinished wine on tables left by others doubtless of the same opinion. The theatre and entertainment by contrast, were fabulous (no other word for it). The dancers were so professional and "together", they could have been on the West End stage. The musicians were equally as good (as well as those throughout the ship). The theatre was as good as I have ever been in: the seats were well placed. with lit-up tables and efficient waiter service. The captain was ever present and approachable: we managed a bridge tour where we enjoyed his hospitality and shared some of his experiences. A big thank you the crew who made or cruise as enjoyable as it was Read Less

We wanted to see Gibraltar and this cruise covered part of the Canaries, Madeira, Portugal, Gibraltar, Spain, Ibiza and finished in Mallorca, so it covered a good area and choice of ports. As everyone has said, the ship is showing it's age but the crew keep it as well as can be. Captain Richard, who has a very soothing voice, kept us well informed over the tannoy when we docked each morning. Our cruise was quiet choppy in places and we did feel the rocking through the 'ol girl. We were rocked to sleep at night in an inside cabin that did us quite nicely as we don't spend much time there. The cabin was kept spotless by our housekeeping chap, Erna. Well done to him and very much appreciated. The entertainment was varied. We personally only went to one show done by the show team, they worked hard and it was ok. There was a comedian on board for a few shows, Bob Taylor, he was good and he also gave a talk in the lounge about the Beatles, which was very interesting. The 3 boys as Acoustic Soul in Waters Edge and the 2 in Tides were excellent but we didn't like the band in the main lounge, but that's our choice and they all worked hard. The food was not very good. The Orion Restaurant where there was table service was just about ok but the Lido buffet was awful. The food was sloppy and messed around with, not hot, with awful hard uncooked frozen brussels. There was never anywhere to sit that was clean. On the 2 nights a Captains evening was held, we could not eat in the Orion, so had to endure the buffet dinner. Buffet lunch was fine if you took it on the upper Sirens Deck, and the Terrace grill did burgers, hotdogs and pizzas which were good. The serving staff, both restaurant and wine waiters are all there, look around but never seem to see. More attention needed. One chap who was Employee of the Month for March always managed to walk around with an empty tray and never pick up any dirties!! He was very skilled at doing nothing. The entertainment team did their best but so many quizzes, bingo, cheap noisy stuff that we did not enjoy. Far too gay for me!! We never got to sit on a sun bed, usual reasons, but they all had to be so close together and you wouldn't want to swim in the 'tank', you couldn't call it a swimming pool. The excursions were all fine except at Portimao when we had to be taken off by launch. Absolutely diabolical. From getting a launch ticket in the lounge to reaching shore, took 2 and 1/2 hours!!! They said they didn't expect so many to want to get off!! Well they should surely expect the 1500 ppl to get off and arrange accordingly. When talking to other folk, many had been on other Marella cruises and the other ships sounded far superior to this one. If you want to go on a cruise, choose another ship. Read Less

Chose this as my first cruise and went with two children 11 and 12. Embarking was a long slow process and then the fact I had paid all inclusive wasn’t on my card , so once I realised that it was a Visit to reception, where a very unfriendly woman asked for all my booking paperwork. Finally got it sorted and they reimbursed my money already spent on drinks- although by that time it felt it was all unwillingly. The ship prided themselves on friendliness but I have to say we didn’t feel that at all. Cabin was old and dark. The beds were the most uncomfortable I have ever slept (or not, as the springs were digging in) in. Dining was extremely average, well below really - but I can’t comment about the top end restaurant as we didn’t try it. Entertainment was ok, comedian was funny. Kids not impressed by any of it. They didn’t take part in the kids club as they were just a bit too old. I made use of the gym everyday. It was small and the rowing machine had not been maintained so couldn’t be used. 2 out of the 3 bikes worked. Did tell one of the gym supervisors but nothing changed. Otherwise it was acceptable and always clean. Ports were easy and we made our own way to see sights at them - glad as the trips were very expensive. I would not go again with Tui and I think it has put me off any more cruises. Read Less

As first time cruisers we weren't too sure what to expect but did a little research before hand and decided on Cosmopolitan Classics from Palma on the Discovery 1. As it was all inclusive it was a good deal. The ship itself needs a little TLC - bits of rust here and there and external handrails need sanding down and varnishing. The main public areas are excellent, very clean and well maintained. The Cabin we were allocated was a deluxe balcony on deck 7, couldn't be faulted. Lots of space great bed and a nice sized balcony. A fridge was a bonus too !. Yes as in other reviews the shower curtain is a pain but not too bad. Tea and coffee a nice touch. The steward Swapnil, was amazing. He really looked after us and kept the cabin spotless. Chocs on the pillow every night too. The food was great. We had breakfast in Islands each morning loads of choice and starts at 5.30 am. We ate lunch there too but main meals in 47 each night. We had a table for 2 on a couple of nights but chose to share on others and made some great new friends, so glad we did. The menu was lovely which changed nightly, great choice but small portions. The entertainment in Live Lounge and Venue were great, we didn't go to the Broadway Lounge so unable to comment on quality of shows. Lots of activities daily but again we did our own thing, so cant comment. The service throughout the ship was second to none, you only had to put your glass down empty and you were.approached by waiting staff. The AI is a little confusing at times and a list of what is included in Ai didn't appear until the Thursday of the cruise, by which point I am sure some people were charged for items not included in AI. Bottled water isnt included and is charged at £1.40 for a small bottle, at dinner if you want water ask for the jug or you'll get charged £2. The excursions were good but quite costly at around £45 per person for a half day and then around £75 per person for a full day trip, this didn't include lunch. We did a few but couldn't get to Pisa as it was fully booked, so spent the day in Carrara ( not the port) which was really pretty a free due to the courtesy bus. We would certainly cruise on the Discovery again, but not on this route as we've seen and done all we wanted to do. Great time and would certainly recommend. Read Less

Went on the TUI Discovery as part of a cruise and stay holiday and had a great time. Have heard negative reviews of the ship and spoke to some people who didn’t like the size, too big, food not good etc, but can honestly say it’s one of the best holidays we’ve had. We have cruised with NCL, Carnaval, Princess, Royal Caribbean and Thomson and all have something different to offer, but this ship was easy to navigate, lovely staff and very clean. Room was compact but improved by changing the layout to twin opening up the space in the middle. Shower was dreaded curtain, clinging to bits I didn’t know I had. Room kept clean and the couple of issues we had were quickly fixed. Dining, MDR was very good and we used for lunch and dinner most days, always enjoying the food. Service particularly by Alex from Macedonia and Bobby from Indonesia was very good. The Italian restaurant up the stars was also very good. We used the buffet for breakfast and discovered a couple of issues, namely don’t sleep in as cups run out as does the coffee and juice, although they did eventually get replenished. It’s busy and everyone pushes and shoves. We used the glass house for the deli lunch and a couple of nights for tapas which we really enjoyed. We didn’t use the pay for as there was no need, food was excellent everywhere else. Bars, we used the Atrium, lovely place to sit and relax, the Bar 11 which housed the disco at night and were very well served by Alexsander. Live Bar was busy, it had the casino, and the Venue was quiet when we were there. Drinks were good, but ask for the bar menu and then, as there are few of them, photographer the drinks so you know what’s included in you package at all times Read Less

Thought with the refit, the quality would be better. It was unfortunate the weather was very windy and cloudy, so the boat moved up and down and side to side causing many cases of sea sickness. The seasoned staff who have been on other boats said this boat was the worse for instability that they had ever been on... All inc included three restraunts only. The 'small' surcharge on the other two was £58 per couple. Total ripoff on everything. E.g. Tour of ship £50 per couple. Cocktail making demo £20 per couple. TUI out to make loads of money, when you have already paid L of M. The food was mainly bland and served cool, not hot. Fight every morning for a table in buffet. Due to problems, we didn't get to some of the ports or sightseeing tours we should have, just saw rusty old docks. The entertainment generally was good and the team in the theatre were excellent. Very disappointed and felt waste of money. Read Less

Myself, hubby and our dear friends decided to trial our sea legs on a cruise to the Western Med. Looking through the Tui catalogue found us becoming more and more confused on where to go, how long to go for and which ship. Eventually we decided on The Treasures of the Western Med as we all wanted to do Sorrento (which unfortunately the sea was too rough to get us to port via Tender so we missed it). This did mean we had an unscheduled stop to Naples which was enjoyed with a glass of Pimms on deck - we didnt disembark here as it looked uninviting. The Majesty is an older ship and we were told she was a bit tired but provided everything we needed. Within the first 5 minutes of being in the cabin i hit my leg on the wooden framed bed as there was very little room available in the room. I found out later our friend had experienced the same bruise - both obviously in a hurry to look out of the porthole window. We went for an outside cabin but not a balcony as we did not feel the extra cost was warranted. The staff on the ship were very strict on washing hands and sanitiser which we were very impressed at as we obviously dont ever want to get sick while out in the open waves. All the staff were helpful, friendly and funny - even those who spoke very little English made every effort to be welcoming and friendly. The food was amazing, the shows were very good and the evening entertainment was great in the bars aswell as the main showroom. Some nights there was a struggle to find a seat but that is evidencing how good the entertainment team was. We went all out in the evenings and wore our best bib and tucker - not everyone did but that is the beauty of having the cruise that you want and not caring what others do - if you want to dress up then do it but if you are happy to be neat and tidy then that is good too. Some people went to the buffet for all their meals as the food there was immense and no special dress code applied. Something for everyone! Drinks package was a cheap option for us and we drank what we wanted, when we wanted and how much we wanted - GREAT! The excursions were not particularly great but it appeared that was ore about not a lot being available in the areas. Boarding and preparing to leave was easy and uncomplicated, the Tui reps were great and made all transfers very easy to deal with. The only thing that could have been improved was the excursions - value for money they are not! We loved it so much we booked again with P&O to have a flavour of another provider. This was for a shorter cruise (a taster) as i dont like the idea of accruing more costs on my holiday, i like knowing i have paid for everything already and no one is going to want to hit my debit card with extras. Read Less

7th year with Thomson/TUI. First time I've felt the need to write an review. Quick assessment. Food very good. Island buffet restaurant can get busy and be a free for all at times. Can't comment on Gallary 47. Entertainment. B12 are a very good cover band. Trinity were average. Drinks package. More than ample selection. You would need to be a bit churlish not to find anything to drink on it. We enjoyed cocktails, bottled larger, vodka, mock cocktails and soft drinks throughout the cruise. Cabin had everything and was the best we have had over the years. The big negative was the bar staff and waiter service. Shocking. Eastern European bar staff and waiter service are the way TUI appear to be going. In my opinion the Philapino staff we had on previous cruises were sorely missed. Finally tip jars appeared behind the Atrium bar on the final night. Never seen that before. Tips are included in the price and is mentioned in all the literature you get. Come TUI sort that out. Read Less

Wanted to try a cruise and the travel agent recommended this one to us. Embarkation and disembarkation was well organised. We had an outside cabin on floor 3. Cabin was small but had everything we needed in it. Has a hairdryer. You have one plug in the cabin that takes European convertor. Enough drawers and hangers. We used the dining rooms to eat in. The Seven Seas and the Four Seasons. Really enjoyed sharing a table with others. Great way to meet others. Food was really good. Staff really friendly. Two small pools on deck 10. The entertainment each evening was very professional, so very very good. We used the train to get to Nice, don't follow signpost when you get off tender at Villafrance. Walk along seafront and up the steps to the station. 3.60euros return to Nice and 6 euros return to Monaco.We did Pisa by bus, courtesy bus drops you off near tourist information, they will direct to bus. If you get there early enough you can get a train before 945am. After ten there is a wait for next one. Had a lovely morning in Corsica. There is a free bus to Marseille just a short walk off the ship, otherwise the ship offers a bus for 6 euros return. A small train takes you up to the Notre Dame de La Garde Church. Lovely views of Marseille from the top. Everything and everyone on this cruise was great, only one thing for us was a rough crossing from Marseille to Barcelona this put us off going again. Read Less

Just returned after a cruise on the Thompson Majesty. Before booking had read the reviews and thought I had done the wrong thing how wrong could I be. From landing to getting on the ship took one hour. The cabin was spotless plenty of room for our cases and clothes.the cabin was cleaned twice a day with chocolate and animals made out of towels laid on the pillows. Food in all the restaurants was hot with plenty of choices to choose from you could eat from 6.30 till 1.00 all day even cream teas in the afternoon. The staff on the ship are excellent friendly and cannot do enough for you. The entertainment is of a very high standard in all areas of the ship especially in the main show lounge. Ther is music in all bars throughout the night and they cater for every one. For the money paid for this cruise you cannot fault it. The staff, entertainment team, food, housekeeping, cleanliness, are a credit to the Thompson group. I can not wait to board one of your ships again . Read Less

Saw this cruise on offer on Thomson website and decided to try it as never been on a cruise before and always fancied it. The food was of excellent quality and the staff fastidious and cleanliness was of paramount importance to stop spread of infection. There were hand sanitiser points outside every restaurant and as you got on/off the ship. We booked a basic outside cabin which was a bit small with twin beds but comfortable. The cabin stewards were attentive during the duration of our cruise and we loved the animals they made out of the clean towels on our beds, very clever. If we do another cruise, I would upgrade to a bigger cabin with more space. Enjoyed most of the ports of call and the excursions were well organised and always on time. We particularly dislike Huelva as it wasn't a pretty port but was miles from anywhere if you just wanted to get off the ship and walk. Walking in the port area was prohibited but we could see a nice sandy beach which was inaccessible. The other ports were better as could choose to walk or go on excursions. We started in Palma both first and second week and had time to look around Palma during the middle of two weeks. The excursions were well organised, we went to Guadalest, Spain which was a pleasant little village and Corsica on a mini train/mountain ride was fantastic. Mahon was very very nice too and a lovely port area. Tetouan in Morocco was a great experience and a well organised trip. Erice in Sicily was a good experience up on the cable car but we got separated from the rest of the group and missed the photo stops. The excursions are expensive but does enable you to see the local area. The dolphin watch boat trip in Gibraltar was great and saw plenty of dolphins. We don't like lively cities so chose the quieter excursions to out of town places where possible. There was good variety of entertainment and plenty to do on the ship but drinks are very expensive. We didn't take out drinks package as we don't drink enough to warrant paying the price for one. Staff were pleasant and helpful. The only off put was on the last day at sea, a storm whipped up around the bay of Gibraltar and I was sea sick as the sea had been rough all night, but that hasn't put me of completely. My husband was fine and unaffected. Overall - would definitely do another cruise if we can afford it but bigger cabin and wouldn't bother with the safe as that was £25 for 2 weeks. Read Less

we chose this cruise because of the destinations and it was recommended to us from our daughter and son in law who went on a cruise last year on the Thomsons dream who also came on this cruise with us along with our granddaughter who is 16 who enjoyed it as much as all of us . we found that the entertainment had something for everyone of all ages also the food and drink was more than plentiful excellent service through out the ship the staff always had a smile and was very polite could not do enough for us although there were plenty to do it also was very relaxing I only have one negative thing to say most of the children on board were well behaved apart from a couple of children rolling allover the floors in one of the bars while the parents seamed to be oblivious to it all my greatest concern was for the waiters carrying the drinks it would not have taken much for an accident other than that we all had a fantastic Read Less

Our cruise was a last minute booking and as a result we could only get an inside cabin. These Cabins are very small and where a bit of a let down, the toilet is small but especially the showers, my husband is 6'2 and was unable to fit into it and if you carry any weight there is no way of getting into it, hence we were looking forward to getting home to have a decent shower. We also booked all inclusive,having had all inclusive on previous holidays were everything from food, drink and ice cream is included we assumed the same would happen on board and as we were not advised correctly by our travel agent we were very disappointed to discover all inclusive was not what it meant. Water & minerals bought by the bottle or can was charged to your account. Ice Cream in certain areas was charged and was only free from 12-2pm in the pool area. Coffee / Tea in the coffee port was charged Afternoon Tea Certain restaurants had surcharges and certain alcoholic drinks had surcharges None of this was explained to us. There is no free Wi-Fi in any part of the ship and you will find your mobile data is turned off in order for you to purchase the wi-if on board which was very expensive. Saying all that we had a good holiday. Read Less

Our first ever cruise. What an experience. We choose this cruise for the fantastic destinations on offer, also it was a more relaxed approach on evening wear. If you are expecting full cocktail dresses and tuxedo this cruise is not for you. People got dressed up. Excellent restaurants...from buffets to help yourself snack shack to sit down waiter service. Surf and turf excellent food and service, top tip go to the restaurant to see if any places available as the booking system showed it was fully booked up. All staff extremely hard working and polite, work long hours!! Shows in the Broadway excellent, vibrant and exciting. Always something to do or a band to listen to on the cruise ship. Great day trips organised by Thomson, except Barcelona explorer, ship docks close to Barcelona so use the shuttle bus and do your own thing. All in all excellent first experience of a cruise....can't wait for the next one. Read Less

We choose this ship as a celebration for my mum and dads 50th wedding anniversary and our 25th wedding anniversary with our children (13,19,21) The day the cabins where available we went down to Thompson holidays and booked our rooms so we could have rooms next to each other due to the occasion. We paid additional money to book rooms next to each other. On arrival we were pulled to one side to say that the rooms we booked were not the correct size for us so they had to change them and we were now not next to each other! Obviously we were extremely disappointed with this as it was going to mean we could not share our balconies and spend time with our parents. As soon as we boarded we went to reception to see if there was anything else that they could do and basically met with a really unhelpful lady on reception who said the only thing they could do was offer our allocated cabin booking money back which was £42, which we explained would not help us enjoy our holiday any more as we booked this as a special occasion to be with each other for the duration of the holiday. We then went to our rooms and realised that the only difference was one had a sofa bed and the other a normal sofa! We went back to reception and asked if they could swap the beds over if not my youngest son would be happy to sleep on the sofa, but they said it was to late and that room had been allocated to another couple and there was nothing they could do. We then asked if we could book the Steak restaurant on the Monday for my sons 13th birthday only to be told that they were fully booked on every night so clearly these restaurants are not big enough for the size of the boat. In the evenings you don't get allocated a sit down time for dinner but instead have to check in at the restaurant desk and wait to be seated - if there isn't any tables available you are given a pager and told to come back when it buzzes. Most evenings we had to wait at least an hour which was very frustrating!!! With this in mind every morning for breakfast we were having to fight with loads of other people trying to get a table in the buffet area, on a regular basis people were seen wandering around with food in there hands trying to find a table, which we have never encountered on any other ship so didn't start the day well. The staff all seemed like they were just doing there job and we didn't really get that friendly personal interaction which we have recieved on the other cruises we have been on. Where the money has been spent on the refurbishment I do not know! The rooms are quite large for the size of the boat but were very dated....as were most of the other areas on the boat. All in all this is the worst cruising holiday we have been on and we will not be booking with Thompson ever again! Read Less

Yes it is a new ship,we did 7 nights and had a great time.Obviously there are a lot of new staff on board , after 5 weeks they are finding there way round and some have never worked on ships before.We had to wait 2 times with the pager for about 20 mins, so we got a drink and enjoyed the view out on deck 4.As for no drinks waiters not true,the staff were very attentive and always happy.Our cabin stewards were outstanding and worked around us always,yes Discovery are trying new ideas , but like all new ideas take time to iron out.There wasn't a formal evening but 25+ dinners in tuxedos and evening wear,so if you like to dress up you won't be on your own . If you don't then you don't have to,the Broadway lounge was excellent and yes the drinks waiters we're constantly taking orders.So if you don't like waiting get a drink from the other bars before you go in and order another one, problem solved and before I forget if you don't like tattoos go on Cunard if you can afford.Dont forget tattoos are body art and mean something to that person.Overall cabin spacious plenty of storage,food excellent and yes islands does take time to get know where the buffet food is placed out.Overall a excellent cruise and staff couldn't do enough,only thing I dint like was reception staff in new uniforms, I think dress whites much more appropriate and proffesional.Just my opinion and would cruise on Discovery again.So you proffesional wingers stop it it's not clever and your supposed to adults,my little wing over Read Less

we have never on this ship before, last year we were on the celebration and loved everything about the cruise, with not 1 complaint, right from the start this cruise failed, no one from Thomson to meet us as we got off the plane to tell us that we had to collect our own luggage or even where to collect it from, nor were we told HOW to exit the airport terminal, once we found our way out of the airport we were finally meet by the cruise director and taken to the coach, it was only when we got to the ship we found that WE had to collect our luggage, it then cost us €25 to get our cases from the airport. TV was unwatchable, off more than on, we were woken up at 6:45am 2 mornings by kids NOT being looked after by their parents. cabin crew wanted to clean cabin just after 8am even though we had do not disturb. No UK sockets and no adapters available on board ship. the stuff left in cabin for drinks ( tea coffee etc) made 1 drink each then had to go to coffee bar to order more drinks, the drinks left in cabin to buy were not even in a fridge so red hot as no fridge in cabin. we eat in the buffet all the time building up friendships with a few of the waiters as well the head waiter who set up a wonderful surprise on our wedding anniversary, we always found the staff really excellent, the entertainment was good even met a singer (Benjamin Moss) we had made friends with on the Celebration singing on the majesty, we found the cost of shore excursions to much and a total waste of time so we went ashore when we wanted to and got more enjoyment that way finding our own way around the places we went. Read Less

My friends and I partook our first ever cruise last year on the Thomson Majesty we enjoyed it so much that we booked our second cruise on the Thomson Tui Discovery. We found this ship bigger, and noted that it had a completely different feel to the Majesty. That is not a negative comment merely an observation. We felt that the Majesty was more of a party ship. However the Discovery was fabulous. I unfortunately broke my leg just prior to the trip. A good friend loaned me a scooter type walking aid to enable me to get around. Thomsons were contacted to explain my mobility difficulties and were asked to assist me which they certainly did. The staff including the welfare officer Louise were really helpful and accommodating. They upgraded our room free of charge, they provided me with taxi transfers free of charge too. My only criticism was the seating for disabled passengers in the Broadway tended to be used by fully ambulant mobile passengers who frankly could sit anywhere, I complained to reception about this and following my complaint the Broadway staff enforced the rule about people who have disabilities sitting there only. Overall I really enjoyed my holiday in spite of my mobility issues. The waiting staff in gallery 47 were also excellent I wish to personally thank Vitali who was very funny with his stories. Well done Thomson I will be returning hopefully the end of this year if not next summer. Read Less

Why chose this cruise because of the ports that it was going to. Yes the ship is old but the staff work hard cleaning all the time . The cabins are small but that was to be expected you only sleep and wash there . They kept the cabin very clean and tidy . We mostly eat in the four season the food was lovely and the staff were very helpful and so pleasant. I am on a gluten free diet and the staff brought me the next day menue so I could order my four course meal . The food was amazing. The staff are a credit to Thomson . The enteriment at night was very good the shows put on were brilliant . The band that played before each show were very good singers we really enjoyed them every night. The embrackment and dis embrackment went like clock work well organised and no need to worry about anything . We went on three tours at the ports which all were very good and well organised . We met some lovely people on the cruise from Scotland and south of England all which made our cruise lovely . This was our first cruise and it will not be our last. We would most definitely go with thomsom again. Read Less