This was my first time as a solo passenger so that's why I picked the 5 night and am so glad I did I found the ship to be very tired with not much happening for a solo passenger. I usually cruise with P&O and will definitely go back to them. I was in cabin 5211and although it was quite spacious it was very noisy, the shower room had an unpleasant odour and only one socket worked so had to boil the kettle and change to charge anything else. The food was ok nothing special the only redeeming thing was the staff were very pleasant, would I go with Marella again that would be a definite no there was no ship map in the cabin which would be very handy as the signs around the ship only told you what was on that deck but not direction you should be heading. Read Less

Booked this as a quick break before Christmas,as we live 15 minutes from the port it is ideal, Boarding quick and easy on board with in 10 minutes,boarded early afternoon for a eight o'clock sailing First impressions,ship smaller than we are used to , pools didn't have any water to begin with so took advantage of jacuzzi, afterwards were too busy with young children and babies Cabin very good size more room than usual plenty of storage space etc Really think they should upgrade bedding as looking warn and not as white as should be Restaurant irían good for breakfast and dinner Special Indian Thai restaurant good food and value Plenty of different bars with music, quite corners if you wanted, Always managed to get a seat. Drinks included in the price were good and you could upgrade if you wanted We didn't get involved in actives but there seemed to be enough to do As only four days first stop was Cadiz with is a nice and easy city to walk around Shame it was a cold and windy day. Next was Lanzarote a quick car hire and trip to the fire mountain, Always works out as cheap to hire a car and do it under your own steam Disembarking in Tenerife was again easy and no rush Summary all in all a good trip and great value for money Will see what Marcella have from Malaga next year Read Less

We have sailed on this ship about 7 times but this was the worst one ever, we have taken around 15 cruises with Thomson never know it this bad. Maybe it the take over I don't know but they are cutting back on everything. Never know such small meals served in the restaurant, was always a five course meal now down to three (very small at that) choice so poor and quality not good. All meals served either just about warm or cold, people sending meals back left right and centre. I have never been hungry on a ship before., yes I know that I could have gone up to the self service( cash cafe as I call it) its like school dinners fight for a table, up and down every few minutes to get next course not for me I'm afraid. Drinks package that was something else, first time we have ever purchased drinks package and may be the last, once on board they pushed and pushed to upgrade the package to include everything, would not have purchased in the first place if I had known it did not include certain things. We found it very difficult to get a drink, service was very slow except for the last night when they were all over us like a rash (tips night I guess). the early part of the cruise you had to chase a waiter or go to the bar yourself it was like they didn't want you to have a drink (and we are not great drinkers) others made up for it though. Entrainment well more like what entrainment, the shows are a cringe factor very poor I do wonder who does the auditions (it ain't Simon Cowell that's for sure) the rest of the lounges its full of passengers entertain yourselves quiz's all night one after the other. On this cruise no comedian no crew show nothing. I have a lactose issue no help at all no lactose free milk, (unlike P & O who we sailed with in July they carry lactose free and head waiter was able to tell me where at certain ports to buy goats milk from, also chef made lactose free desserts ect on request) but I did take my own milk with me from the UK on both ships. I think this will be the last trip on the dream its showing its age and TUI don't spend the money on the British Fleet. Strange how in one port a TUI ship was in port Brand New Shiny ship unlike our old tub. They spent the whole of the cruise painting, hammering, drilling and washing down life boat as we sat under them, passengers where just a pest really we got in the way of the work of the men in white overalls, I was sick of seeing men in white overalls with pots of varnish, paint and tools through out the cruise. Its a shame we have had some great cruises with Thomson over the years maybe its time to walk away now. Read Less

We chose this short cruise a a sampler. Just in case we weren't fussy it would not be too long. How wrong were we? My wife didn't want it too end and we both could easily have gone on for months. The balcony cabin was all that was left when we booked late so we took it. It was nice but we didn't use it very much as there was so much to see and do around this lovely ship. There were always plenty of seating everywhere on the decks or in the lounges. When something special was on in a lounges the old time cruisers soon filled up the seating but we did learn from that. The entertainment was great, even the amateur night when the crew gave a smash hit with more enthusiasm than skill. It was still a good bit of fun seeing the working staff having a go. All the restaurants were good; the posher ones were better, of course, but the choice is yours to take. Wherever you eat we found the food good and varied and plenty of choice. Although the cruise was all inclusive, I was unable to have a drink because I was on antibiotics, I enjoyed the bars and had several fruit cocktails which were OK. Strangely enough if you had coffee in the separate coffee lounge that had to be paid for, when all the hard drinks were free it seemed odd. Also the small bar of chocolate and the small pack of Pringles in the cabin were classed as minibar items and had to be paid for. Another thing we noticed was although all the drinks were free we didn't see any boorish drunkenness which might have spoiled things. Drinking was going on, obviously,but not in any way did it cause any problems, other than I was a bit jealous because I couldn't have one. That said I was glad to have a pint when I got home. The staff must have a special mention. We spoke to many of them and all were lovely people, there must be horrible ones somewhere but not on Discovery 2. They could not do enough for us. We were amazed at the attention given to our room, not once a day, but twice it was attended to. They all seem to be working flat out and smiling with it. Sufficient to say we would definitely recommend this ship and hope to take another trip in the not too distant future. Read Less

We were on the last tour before the ship goes into dry dock for refurbishing. Although the decor was dated and showed some wear, the ship had a sort of retro charm about it and everything was in working order. As others have mentioned, the ventilation system in our cabin was noisy requiring me to wear ear plugs at night. We had an ordinary inside cabin on Columbus, the lowest passenger deck. It was surprisingly comfortable with ample closet and drawer space and a good sized bathroom. I am not sure it would be worth the extreme price increase to get an outside or balcony cabin. The food and service were excellent, and Richard Sykes, the cruise director, is a one-man entertainment guru. He made the trip a lot of fun, especially for us single female travelers. Overall, I give high marks for comfort, service, and food. The captain threw a Greek barbecue one night as a celebration of the last voyage of the year, and he was out and about socializing and dancing with the passengers. That was a highlight of the trip. We found the hotel manager to be very accessible, and he helped us make a phone call to sort out a credit card problem. Now for the down side. As Americans, we are used to a bit more activity on a cruise ship, and although we understood the limitations of a smaller ship, we were not prepared for the bridge players taking over the entire observation lounge or the readers turning the entire ship, inside and out, into a reading room, including the cocktail lounge. We felt rowdy and out of place trying to play games and socialize among all the readers. Somehow we thought that was what the library was for, but no -- it was taken over by the jigsaw puzzlers. Fortunately, we didn't have many sea days -- most of the sailing was done at night, so it wasn't a major problem -- but I often found myself thinking about how well suited the ship would be to an Agatha Christie novel. Would I go again? Maybe. I would be curious to see the refurbishment of the ship when it returns to service next year. But probably not, mostly because of the inconvenience of embarking the ship in Europe. I may seek small ship experiences at ports more convenient to my location in the United States. Read Less

This was my first cruise ,we had a fantastic time the staff were great the food in all restaurants was very good ,we had the drinks package again great value , the ship is a little tired but very clean , the only place i would not go to again is Casablanca, you get a lot of street traders who won't leave you alone and its not very clean, we did not go on any organised trips , i like to explore on my own, the shows were very good a different theme every night, the comedy was a little dated , the bar staff in the horizons bar were very good we had a good laugh with them all , the thing about this boat its not too large so you get to know the staff and crew ,also you have more of a interaction with the other passengers , i will be booking another Thomson cruise very soon . Read Less

We embarked in Malaga 2 days ahead of the main embarkation in Barcelona. We flew in with Ryan Air from Liverpool and arrived in Malaga at 11.15 am. We took a taxi to the port which cost 24 euros and we were at the port by 11.40 pm. We dropped our suitcases off outside and were given our stateroom number. As we had booked last minute we were guaranteed an inside cabin and that was all we knew! We then made our way to check in and were the only ones waiting to do so. We were checked in, usual welcome on board photo taken and on board by noon. As this wasn't the main embarkation port, we felt a little let down that there was no welcome committee so to speak that you usually get and which happened 2 days later for the majority who boarded in Barcelona, as this is the main start to the holiday...first impressions. We quickly got our bearings found our cabin to find we had been upgraded to a porthole window..the cabin was adequate, clean and functional our suitcases were delivered by 1 pm. We had the muster drill in the theater which was painless. Food and service in the Garden restaurant was excellent. As we did anytime dining we didn't have the same waiter once but the standard we received was consistently good. We tried Windows for breakfast on one occasion but had to wait over an hour for our food so never went back but the staff were very friendly. The Bistro - not so good. The service was slow with no atmosphere. We waited over 40 minutes for our order to be taken and then a further 40 minutes for our starters to arrive. My husband who never complains had a really bad meal. We didn't bother with desserts as we were totally fed up by now and just wanted to leave. The manager promised to refund the cover charge as a goodwill gesture but we were still charged. Cagney's - good but not amazing. We felt a bit rushed as we had booked at 7 pm by 7.45 pm we had left having had 3 courses in less than an hour. Tappanyaki - starter and dessert disappointing but the main course was lovely and of course the added attraction of the chef cooking it for you was good although not sure if it warrants the larger cover charge. We only used the buffet restaurant now and again as it was always crowded with no where to sit unless you went out onto the back of the ship which would've been fine if it wasn't blowing a gale. The Blue Lagoon - good for munchies after the nightclub. The chicken wings were excellent. Also had fish and chips here during the day which were also very good. We found all the staff who served us in the bars to be friendly and efficient. A big shout out to Alfredo who works in the Beer Garden during the day and the Galaxy of the Stars at night. Go find him...he's such a joy and a credit to NCL. Also Philly in the night club, bless her she must have one of the hardest jobs on board dealing with the "rowdy ones" until silly o clock each morning. the staff in the champagne bar were excellent too. The entertainment staff were very good. They even managed to get my husband up for dancing like a Norwegian which was brilliant fun for me, he's still in hiding now ;) The pool was closed for 5 days whilst we were on board, mostly due to rough seas but then a crack appeared. We were fortunate to meet some lovely people on board who made the holiday for us as without them I think we would've been bored by day 4. We plan to cruise with them again next year. So in a nutshell... A very old ship which could do with a major refurbish, excellent staff, good food and good entertainment. After 6 cruises with Princess and 7 with celebrity we loved the freestyle idea. Would we sail with Norwegian again? Definitely but on a newer ship. Many thanks. Read Less

Only our second cruise & must admit we'll cruise again. Booked this with a cruise travel agent: Flights from/to Malaga was with a low cost airline which was pleasent enough & arrived on time Transfer both ways via air conditioned taxis was good. Note" leaving the port at Malaga to return back to the airport, the taxi was booked too early & we had to stay at the airport for several hours prior to departure....next time, we'll ask for a later time so that we could have time to look around Malaga. Embarkation / disembarkation was easy enough as only a few hundred of us was arriving on that day, the main embarkation / disembarkation being at Barcelona two days later. Staff were happy & welcomed us on board & waved us away upon leaving. We had Speciality Dining which meant that we could dine in several diners onboard , all of these were really good....the food really fantastic. We did try both the dining rooms, however although adequate they couldn't compete in taste against the speciality diners on board. Breakfast had a good variety about it, we ate every morning at the open aft area. Comfort food during the day in the Blue Lagon / Raffles & BBQ were good. Entertainment ranged from mediocre to excellent in the theatre, the seats were really comfortable & you could have a drink in the theatre. When we sailed during the duration, the sports tv channels concentrated on the English Premiership & US Golf. Someone needs to tell whoever organises the channels to remember that other sports are played. No rugby...missed the 6 Nations Final Weekend & El Classico (Barcelona v Real Madrid)....probably the biggest disappointment of the cruise. Plenty to do on "Sea Days" with numerous activities going on during the day. The gym was well equipped, which I used a few times. Was interesting to be having a workout when entering a port! Jenny used the saua & had a pamper afternoon which she enjoyed. Enjoyed the bars onboard, especially when entertainment was on. One excursion to Rabat (Capital of Morroco) with the ship, which was good & had lunch provided as well. Stopped off at Casablanca for some sightseeing at the Mosque & Rick's Cafe. Had the inevitable stop off to tempt us into buying oils, rugs, etc...bought some oils & scarf was good to haggle though! Both of us on the last day were ill with dizziness, stomach cramps, etc..however this can't be entirely blamed on the ship, as they did a good job keeping the Overall, a good cruise & value for money. We kept our gratuities on as all the staff provided good customer service. Jenny & Steve   Read Less