I give this cruise, the ship, the staff, the food, everything EXCEPT TUI, full marks. If Tui step up their game, and put customer service instead of money first, then there would be very little to moan about. Yes, my gripes are more like moans. I was determined my first ever cruisewould not be spoiled by a petty nasty Destination Services person. Dear Julie, oh how I will always remember our time together. I travelled with my blind husband. A large ship would have been difficult. So, the ship. Small. Compared to some monsters that moor up beside us, our little clipper was a tiny craft, but, she made up for it by offering the BIGGEST group hug every day. Our cabin was basic, a small porthole window, but, spotless, comfortable, and a happy steward greeted up with big smiles every day. He made our bed twice a day, chocs on the pillow. The next days entertainment itinerary every evening to read. And boy were we entertained. Shows, games, lectures, lessons, loads to occupy anyone lost for something to do. The show team put on energetic performances with lots of song, dance, feathers and sequins twice a night. Guest comedians too. With table service inclusive drinks from smiling staff who never found anything too much trouble. Ok food. Well. It was hot. Plentiful. Tasty. Varied. We began by using the Lido self service restaurant, but by day two, we discovered the silver service restaurant was inclusive and made more sense for us. You were treated to wonderful service, ask for your own table, no need to share if you don’t want to. Breakfast, a served up number of choices, never empty juice, tea/coffee. Lunch. Dinner, all choice of menu, all good, and order what you want, some guests ordered double servings! There are small gripes. The shops on the ship are expensive. And the continued push for diamond international purchases at port. The excursions are expensive. And watch out for Julie. We missed an excursion, it took us 1.5hrs to get off the ship on day one, the excursion left without us. No refund, your fault. She refused further discussion. £76. No way..I phoned their UK office, 3 days later she refunded us. But she wasn’t happy. Another gripe. Sunbeds. Same as in hotels. Never a sunbed to be had, towels everywhere! Oh well, enjoy the quiet of the cafe, bar or reading rooms while the towel folk play sunbed roulette. You will read that the ship is old and tired. Yes...but...not tatty. Always clean. Wonderful cheery staff. And amazing entertainment. Taylor the entertainment manager, knows his stuff, and seems to be everywhere! We have to say, that, we did not enjoy the Caribbean, for many reasons. We took many excursions, taxis, and found nothing worth returning for. But, others found secret beaches and lovely places to go. We didn’t. The ship was our holiday, and the Celebrity was wonderful. We got stuck on our last day while Gatwick Airport dealt with its drones. An extra day onboard enjoying the hospitality, there were worse places to have been stuck. And the crew, staff and Taylor, made us all welcome, and kept us informed on progress. This is where Tui redeemed themselves. Finding planes, and coach transport back in the UK. Our first cruise. Not our last I hope. Would not blink if I find another Celebration cruise I fancy! Read Less

Our reason for booking this Tui cruise was that we booked late and needed a disabled cabin, Tui were the only cruise line that could accommodate this at such short notice. We are not “seasoned” cruisers, this was only our fourth cruise in total and we have only sailed with P&O previously. We were nervous reading the reviews but have to say from the outset that we did enjoy our seven nights on Marella Discovery. I will try to make this review as fair and informative as I can. There are positives in that the ship was very clean, the staff (though mainly young and in lots of cases a bit inexperienced) were polite, friendly and very helpful. Discovery 2 isn’t massively impressive from the outside but the pretty atrium and public rooms on board are comfortably furnished and very welcoming and the vibe in the atrium bar is just lovely. I’m not sure whether this is down to the staff or the clientele but the atmosphere is very pleasant and relaxed. We met some lovely people on this cruise and didn’t find the snobby element you can sometimes encounter elsewhere. I need to say here that level 4 on the ship is the main “entertainment” area accommodating the theatre, a live-lounge (the clue’s in the name), a casino, the very popular atrium bar and the main dining room - BUT THERE ARE NO PUBLIC TOILETS ON THIS LEVEL!! You have to either go up one floor or down one floor to find a loo. Now this is fine if you, like me, are able bodied and can easily manage the double staircases (about 20 steps) to each level but, if you have to wait for a lift, it’s really unacceptable. This wouldn’t only affect the age demographic on this adult only cruise - I wouldn’t like to be travelling with children who, in my experience, nearly always decide they are desperately in need the loo when they sit down to eat. This really is my biggest niggle with Marella Discovery 2. As for eating, we personally used the main dining room, the Italian dining area, the Island buffet and the Snack Shack. The food in all dining rooms varied from perfectly acceptable to fairly good; there was lots of choice and you’d have to be a very fussy eater not to find something you’d like, however, we felt the dining room cuisine was not as good a standard as we have experienced on P&O. The temperature of the food served (on BOTH cruise lines we have travelled with) is never hot enough for British palates - we like hot food to be piping hot and this is something we rarely find in Mediterranean countries. Service in the main dining room can be a bit slow but we felt this could be improved either by better supervision, giving the staff more training or taking on more experienced waiting staff. That being said, the waiters/waitresses were all friendly and helpful. We were a bit worried about the “all inclusive” aspect of the cruise (which was adult only on our trip) and wondered whether people would be drunk by lunchtime. Again, we needn’t have worried, we didn’t see anyone taking undue advantage and going mad with the all inclusive drinks package. As for service of drinks, this was excellent with waiters/waitresses patrolling the pool area most of the day and checking whether you wanted anything from the bar and the same in the lounges in the evening. Drinks were served quickly and measures are European so more generous than in UK. We were asked if we wanted to upgrade to the premier drinks package but this really isn’t necessary and, though I’ve read in other reviews that people were pressured into purchasing the upgrade, we were not and we didn’t see anyone else being given the hard sell either. Our cabin was spacious, clean and comfortable. My only complaint was that drawer space was extremely limited. In an extra large, double cabin we had a wardrobe with plenty of hangers and only three very small drawers (I’m talking about 12” wide) built into a very small dressing table, though there was lots of space for a reasonable sized set of drawers. We do like the formality of P&O cruises (probably because that’s what we’re used to) and I wasn’t sure how we’d go on with a less formal approach. It’s a case of almost anything goes but most people seem to dress smart/casual. I didn’t take any “evening” dresses - I think I’d have felt a bit too “showy” if I had. Several men wore dinner jackets and a few of the ladies did wear evening dresses on the “Dress to Impress” night (equivalent of the Captain’s formal nights on other lines) but, in the main, most guests were smart but less formal. (Some men in lounge suits, some in shirts, ties and smart trousers and others in open neck shirts with smart, casual trousers; ladies in anything from long or short summer dresses, jumpsuits, and smart pants and tops). We didn’t see anyone looking scruffy in the dining rooms in the evening and found the less formal approach very refreshing. The shows we saw (4 in total) were all very professional and your enjoyment of these will really depend on your own taste. The theatre is very comfortable and drinks are not only served there by waiting staff but you can also pick up a drink from the makeshift bar outside each performance in your way in but soft drinks were not available outside the theatre. Poolside entertainment was limited but we didn’t mind that and it may be different in summer months or on family cruises. (To be fair, we only had one sea day and the weather wasn’t conducive to sitting by the pool (November) so we didn’t get to find out whether there’s a bigger range of “entertainment” on sea days). There were quizzes by the pool during the day and you could take part or not, as you wish. On the strength of this experience we have booked to cruise with Tui again later in 2019 - having checked that there are loos close to the main entertainment and restaurant areas first. Read Less

It is an old style ship and quite tired by modern standards. We were on deck 8 front, there is vibration but it was not enough to spoil our holiday. You cannot fault the crew service, friendly, polite and efficient. The food was acceptable but not as big a choice as on most ships these days. There was only a little waiting to get a table for two at dinner. We thought the entertainment was good as is usual with Tui, excellent costumes and they certainly presented it with lots of enthusiasm every night. The ship leaves Tui this year and it is probably the right time as the trend moves to larger better fitted out ships. To the Irish couple who thought they knew us from somewhere else but none of us could figure where from. We checked our holiday photos and it was from a tour of Eastern Canada in 2016, small world - hope you see this. Read Less

Our third time on this old lady,being it's last year of service had to have a final fling on it.It did not disappoint but yes it is a bit shake and noisy in some areas but the staff many who have been on years are just a good as ever Entertainment team work their socks off and the English comic very good ,however this was his last gig on this ship.If you like a good drink throughout the week then all inclusive can be good value ,if not just pay as you go.Cocktails however a bit weak. Tip always ask for the branded spirit e.g. Gordon's or Red Label whisky if not you may get the cheap stuff.Overall the food is good with generous portions in the Compass restaurant. Yes the furnishings and cabins are a bit dated but reflect the ambience when this ship was new.I understand this ship is owned by a Greek shipping line and is the last of the fleet to go.All other ships are TUI owned. My only fear is as the new ships get larger the personal and intimate feel of the Spirit will be lost forever which will be a pity.You will have a good time on the final few cruises of this old lady. Read Less

Just returned on the 5th August after a weeks cruise on the marella spirit. Was very apprehensive about going after reading the latest reviews. I would just like to say ignore all the negative reviews as there was nothing to complain about. Yes the ship is tired in some areas but made no difference to us. Firstly check in at the port was excellent and cabin was ready and luggage delivered to our room promptly. The room had a double wardrobe and plenty drawer space. The staff on board can not do enough for you and are constantly cleaning the ship. The food was of good choice and always hot, not like previous reviews have said about food being cold. There were always a lot of people around the pool area but we always got a sun bed on the top deck, enabling us to see the amazing sites and the sights as we were sailing out of port. We were all inclusive but if you wanted eg corona, magners etc then you had to pay £2.30 and the odd cocktail had a £2.30 supplement. We had the odd drink we paid for but mainly had a/i drinks which were good. There was always a cocktail of the day to choose from. Also if you order soft drinks they are for example pepsi, sprite, fanta etc. The resident band Strum Jam were amazing as were the entertainment team. We went in the show bar a couple times, very good shows. We had an amazing time and compared to the cruise we did in October last year on the discovery I would say they were both on par, apart from a better selection of a/i drinks on the discovery, but made no difference to us. IGNORE ALL NEGATIVE REVIEWS Read Less

This was our first cruise and We Were not sure what to expect. The whole experience from start to finish was memorable. What an amazing ship with the most friendliest staff and crew you could ask for. Food and entertainment was fantastic and our rooms although dated were spotless. Henry and Rocky were fantastic cabin stewards with the most loveliest smiles for you every time they saw you . I can’t believe waiter staff knew our names after only a couple of days . Service was fantastic. Absolutely gutted this is the ships last year sailing . Only downfall was that there was only one charging socket for phones etc .And WiFi not so good although it was £49 for 7 days per person . The entertainment team were amazing as was the compare who was very funny. Shops ok but not much to purchase would have liked a little more choice Read Less

Travelled on this ship approx 8 years ago, it was brilliant, but now the food was poor, cold, and boring, the shows were terrible, I've never heard such screeching, from the singers, had to leave it was that bad. (The English comedien was really good). The cabins were shabby to say the least, and the towels were grey and thread bare. Luckily this ship is going out of service this year, but whoever employs the staff, will be getting a great team, they make your holiday, cheery,and entertaining.also most of the deck furniture is falling apart, the pool is freezing and murky,. We like to go in the resteraunt to be waited on, big mistake, I had to send my meal of lasagna back as it was just a lump of soggy pasta, and tepid, then so it wouldn't be long I just asked for a burger n chips. The burger was mooing, it was so raw, and the chips were cold. The next night we joined some friends who had already started their meal, it took the waiters that long to bring the starter and soup, they had to leave to catch a show, we waited a further half an hour, so we left, it was appalling . Read Less

Facilities were poor. Smoking areas were a joke and people were treated like "the great unwashed". Eventually after a Petition was set up the Captain provided a covered smoking area (weather was not very good). They announced it in the daily paper as an additional area, then proceeded to close the smoking area on the sunny deck Day time entertainment was very poor considering the weather, evening entertainment was not average but could have been so much better if nearly all the entertainment staff were not all their first cruise. They just did not seem to gel at all, they should have mixed it up a bit more. Poor standard of food, never ever warm never mind hot! Daily information about the ports was nearly non-existent, to the stage that a half-hour bus ride to a destination that was closed (bank holiday) was a total waste of time. A bit of a wash-out is the best way to describe it. Read Less

we were intending to visit Spain this month and when this last minute fly cruise to Spain and Portugal came up we jumped at it. I was a little nervous as Fred. Olsen has a bit of a fuddy duddy image and some reviewers have been positively unkind about the older cruisers it attracts. Its true the clientele are mostly middle aged to senior but they were the sprightly kind, who scrub up well and a pleasant, active bunch. There were some smart people on board. After my experience on Brittania last year the complete absence of children was welcome. There wasn't anyone who was too elderly and/or infirm to enjoy the cruise on the ship. We had dreadful weather and were unable to visit 2 of the scheduled ports which was unfortunate but not Fred. Olsens' fault. The Captain explained the situation very clearly during the first Cocktail Party and the ship handled the rough seas well. Boudicca is a smallish ship and its very easy to orientate yourself. It is not glamorous but is extremely comfortable, pleasant and well kept. Cleanliness is an absolute priority and the anti-norovirus procedures are stringent - they do everything they possibly can to prevent an outbreak. The food was outstanding, we had some delicious meals, roast duck, filet mignon, steak bernaise, dover sole and some excellent puddings, including crepe suzette and creme brulee. Drink prices are about the same as in a good pub or restaurant on shore and hairdressing, beauty treatments etc are not expensive. I enjoyed the 2 cocktail parties - the Captain was very entertaining in his dry way and we all felt he was a consummate professional. The ship was pleasantly warm inside. The swimming pool and jacuzzis on deck are kept well heated and people were using them even in the chillier weather. The gym is well equipped with great views as it is right at the top. There were talks, crafting, bridge and dancing lessons to keep you occupied. The dance hosts were very pleasant, mostly a bit older and genuinely interested in helping anyone who wanted to learn a dance or improve their skills. I thought the live music onboard was good and the shows were excellent, songs from the current musicals in London etc. and well known, lively favourites. There is a late night buffet and dance scene later on for those interested - didn't experience it but saw the ice sculptures etc. being wheeled up on the last night. We really enjoyed our holiday and are Fred. Olsen converts. Read Less

'Essential ' maintenance was carried out. Now we'd all agree the maintenance to lifeboats is essential. However, Fred insisted on chipping off the paint on the upper decks of Boudicca during the very brief time that the sun came out when we were trying to relax in the sun. The noise was unbearable. Unbelievable given that the ship was about to go into dry dock for a refit the week after! The weather was against us (no fault of Fred) and so the captain decided that we should miss out 2 stops. Quite understandable from a safety of life view, but the holiday was ruined. The prospect of spending three nights and two days at sea in the forecasted storms made us jump ship, stayed in an hotel overnight in Lisbon and flew home early., at quite a price. We would welcome the views of other passengers. The other comment is that the entertainmment (with the exception of the comedien, who was hillarious), seemed to be aimed at a much younger audience, for instance, 'Get off your feet and dance' shouted over and over again, didn't seem to suit the average age of about 68.. This is the last cruise we shall be booking. Nick Lodge. Read Less

We have done over 20 Thomson cruises and although most of the ship particularly the cabins are tired we have always enjoyed the entertainment and cruise. This one was shocking....the entertainment team spent more time on deck 6 smoking than they did entertaining, they put on a deck party that lasted 35minutes where they just all danced together and did not involve any of the passengers and when were in dock there was no entertainment at all on the decks. All the shows were poor and pretty much everyone felt the same way one of the comedians thought it was funny to tell homephobic jokes and although we are not gay it was very uncomfortable. We were at sea for 6 days and they did nothing extra on the decks, most people had to make their own entertainment. I could go on and on about how disappointed we were and in fact couldn't wait to get off the ship and come home. There was no sail away party and even when the outside decks were full with passengers no extra entertainment was put on. If this is the future of the old Thomson cruises now called Marcella we certainly won't be doing another one Read Less

We chose this cruise as it departed from Málaga Port. We had received our luggage tags from our agent with our documents a week prior to the cruise so they had already been filled in - with the visa and health forms - so it was just a matter of dropping the luggage off to the staff. This was very quick and easy. Embarkation process in the terminal could have been more efficient - there were numerous staffed desks but it took approx. 1 hour queuing to get through the lines to the desks ! It didn't help that the staff "managing" the queues appeared to be unaware of where the queues started and finished...this meant that people who were at the "back" of the queue were directed to a new desk opening while those already queuing ahead of them were "stuck" in the queue and just had to wait.! There was a desk for those who had "checked-in" on line...where you could also choose your embarkation time..but...you still had to go into the queue to get to that desk..so complete waste of time to check in on line..and you still had to repeat check-in process at the desk.!! As cabin numbers are allocated on the paperwork ahead of check in - it would have been a lot more efficient and less confusing for clients to check in to desks or areas by cabin number. The ship held numerous security drills for staff so it felt good to know they were prepared if the worst ever happened..although if you were sleeping it was a bit of a rude awakening to the sound of the sirens! The ship is not new...and there is a slight feeling of it being an older lady of the sea..but the staff appear to work hard and maintenance and cleanliness were not a problem. Just do not compare it to the big luxury cruise ships - it is what it is.. Pullmantur is a Spanish company and so the on-board entertainment is Spanish focused .. however most entertainment could easily be followed (or had reasonable translation into English). The SPA was small and compact but offered a good selection of treatments. There are different offers and discounts available during the cruise so look for those for value. There is a hairdresser available but as they wish to promote their treatments then a simple wash and blowdry is quite expensive and I'm sure more people would use the service if priced at onshore salon prices. (43€ for a shampoo, condition, 5 minute head massage (during the shampoo and condition) and a quick slick of eye cream and a brush with some bronzing powder was a bit much). There was a cooking demonstration on one of the days at sea which was extremely popular..this was really the only time that the presentation could have been better...lots of people meant that it would have been better held in the Theatre but..otherwise a great session..and the food samples were very popular.! The majority of the staff in the bars were very polite, cheerful and helpful. The staff in the main restaurant - at least at our table (number 27) were excellent.. There is a Gluten and Lactose Free Menu for those who require it..and a couple of times other diners wanted to order Gluten Free for variety. (especially the steaks). :) The main menu offered a reasonable selection but at times the quantity of the main course was a bit on the small size for the men with larger appetites. We were on the Zenith last year and the food was better (mainly as sides of vegetables and potatoes were a standard offering..none this year). The buffet and grill offered a selection of cold starters, hot mains and basic desserts each day..you could usually find something but after a week it does get a bit boring.. As usual there was a selection of shore excursions available. Information sheets in English were left in the cabins each afternoon. If no excursion was chosen you could still go ashore and just potter about the local town. NOTE: Do check in time to book coach transfer tickets as except for Livorno they all had to be prepaid and prebooked...not available on the day - some Ports are 30 minutes walk into the nearest commercial area. On this ship there is the possibility to download the Pullmantur App - whilst it is to find out information about Pullmantur Cruises it also provides information on daily activities, the layout of the ship and...something which is not promoted..offers a WhatsApp type service from guest to guest. This is idea to find people if they are not in their cabins as you can "check-in" your location. It works without internet so really handy. Disembarkation was extremely efficient - leave luggage outside cabin before 01.00hrs - receive copy of invoice for any spending on board during the evening - if you have left credit card details and invoice is correct..no need to do anything except wait for your colour code to be called and make your way to terminal..pick up luggage waiting for you and that's it! All in all an enjoyable cruise - if available again from Malaga - and different ports of call (this time it was - Málaga - at sea - Porto Torres (Sardinia) - Cittavechia (Rome) - Livorno (Pisa & Florence) - at sea - Alicante - Málaga) then I would consider it. Ratings are based comparing what I would expect at an all inclusive hotel. 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

Been on Thomson cruises previously and enjoyed the experience the Discovery 2 was to us different value from other Thomson Cruises the ship was clean beds comfortable but most times around the ship was loud music which although i do enjoy music was not at all necessary all of the time.Having previously enjoyed thomsons there seemed to be a bit of a sea change on board discovery2 although it was all inclusive you had to queue at very busy bars as there did not seem to have been as many waiters/waitresses for taking drinks orders on this ship apart from in the show lounge,the ports of call were all very good and the captain gave you a good idea of what to find ashore every morning.Thomson as usual gave you plenty of time ashore which is more than some other cruise lines do allin all we enjoyed the cruise as we were with our family but i would now think long and hard sad tosaybefore cruising with Thomson cruises again, Read Less

To start we cruised on Discovery in June and enjoyed it so much we decided to book another cruise on Discovery 2. There were some differences between the 2 ships but we loved both cruising experiences. Firstly, the organizational skills of the TUI crew at the Malaga Airport was exceptional – this was a vast improvement on our experience with the crew at Palma Airport. It could not have gone smoother! On arrival at the port again this experience was much better than Discovery – Our bags were correctly labeled and we were on the ship in 10 minutes with our bags delivered within the next 30 minutes – no searching ship for lost baggage as per Discovery. Now our cabin was how can I put it – compact but functional. It had half the space compared to our cabin in Discovery, an inside deck 7 as well but we were unlucky with allocation. The beds were very comfortable and slept soundly every night. Bathroom was very small, no storage, in need of upgrade but the shower was great. Very quiet location and convenient to stairs/lifts, entertainment areas and buffet restaurant. Evn though we had over 200 kids on this cruise we hardly ever noticed except that they took ownership of the outdoor pool. Thankfully we had the adult only pool indoors if and when we wanted a swim. The ship is beautiful and cannot really be faulted but comparing the 2 ships – Discovery is styled / finished to a higher standard to Discovery 2. I personally believe it would have been better if it had a bit longer in dry dock to fix and complete the “snag list” but then others would not have noticed due to not having its “twin” to compare it to. The food in all the restaurant was delicious, entertainment outstanding every day & night and the various ports were excellent with lots to do and explore independently. ALL the Crew on board are OUTSTANDING!! Debarkation again was faultless and well organized. Over all we both enjoyed our time on Discovery 2 immensely, will recommend it others and look forward to cruising again on either Ship or even the new ship TUI Explorer in 2018.. Read Less

My wife and myself have been cruising with Thomson for 11 years now, and this was definitely the best too date. We booked an outside deluxe cabin on deck 7, mid ship, without balcony. The room had a large floor to ceiling window, which gave us a lovely view. The room consisted of both round and flat pin sockets, but also had USB charging sockets on the bedside lights, which we found to be a big bonus in charging phones and tablets. The room was spacious, with a fold down sofa bed to sit on, rather than lying on the beds during the short time in the room. The bathroom was adequate, with a shower. As with previous cruises, the cabin boy must have hidden around the corner as we never really saw him, but our bed was always made! We ate breakfast in 47, lunch mainly in the buffet restaurant (Islands), and even meal either in 47 or 47 Italian. Food was excellent, with the Italian meals being exceptional. Service was always very good. The waiters in both areas were friendly, funny and generally entertaining, and were always willing to go that extra mile for you if needed. Special mention to Jesus, the head man in this area, who kept everything ticking on well without any seen issues. There was a food shack on deck 9 as well during the day, serving fish, hot dogs, burgers, chicken wings, as well as sandwiches, salads and fruit pots. We ate here just the once, but the fish was very nice. Entertainment was of a good standard, with the highlight being the beautiful operatic voice of Danielle. However, there were times when getting seats was difficult to watch some of the performances in the Atrium bar. Service for drinks could be slow at time, but not too long. The ladies looking after the Atrium section were amazing. The deck pool area got busy, and there was a large influx of children during the second week, so it became noisy. However, there were other areas to go to step away if needed. The captain was of the new breed, known by his first name, and always willing to talk if you approached him. His first question to us was what we thought could improve the ship and our experience, which was refreshing. We did point out that WIFI was a huge costs at £90, where you could quite often get free WIFI in the ports. He commented that this was outside of his control, but should be commented on the Thomson report when made. One of the new innovations is the interactive display boards around ship, which helped you to look for activities, food, etc. You could also look at the picture gallery through panels on deck 5. The onboard photography was expensive, but worth it if you want memories to take home, either digital or hard copy. We did not do any excursions, but just walked out in the local ports, or took the buses where necessary. Sometimes these were at a small cost, but not too expensive. I did go out on two bike rides, around Ibiza and Barcelona. Callum and Paige were well co-ordinated and looked after our bike parties well. The bikes were new and well maintained, and there was also a choice of e-bikes if needed. There were a couple of challenging hill climbs in Barcelona, but we always knew we had to come down at the end! Overall, we felt the positives well exceeded a small amount of minor issues, which did not affect our overall enjoyment of the holiday. We both agreed that we would go back on this ship again. Read Less

UK local airports available, we flew from Bristol. Good flight times. Transfer to ship smooth, embarkation process friendly, informative and quick. The cabins, we had an inside on deck 6, were nicely refurbished with enough space for what a cabin is intended for. Although all inclusive we decided to upgrade to the premium drinks package purely for the cocktails although the standard package is more than acceptable for most people.The bar staff and waiters in all the bars we used including the theatre were all friendly and efficient. The restaurants were clean and bright,and waiting times for a table in the evening were never longer than 10 minutes, usually being seated straight away. The waiting staff were very friendly and attentative. The food was varied and up to usual cruise standard and we never felt rushed to clear the table for the next person. The entertainment throughout the ship was a credit to the cruise director, Luis, and his team.all the shows were full of energy and fun and performed to a very high standard.I don't think we got to bed much before 2:30 in the morning. Great fun. All the destination ports were well selected but Ceuta was the pick of the bunch for attractiveness.and ease of access. We would definitely book tui discovery again. The step in size has been handled perfectly. Read Less

All in all a very enjoyable cruise but despite being "Fully Refurbished" i dont think enough attention was paid to the actual cabins, the seals around the shower were greying and mouldy but that said the bathroom was kept clean and fresh towels given daily so only a small gripe there. My biggest bug bear was the water, having paid for an all inclusive cruise the bottled water was not included and at the bars was 80cents per 500ml bottle, however when leaving the ship to go on an excursion at 9am i wanted to buy some water to take with me but the little man selling his wares at the gangway wanted 1.40euro for the exact same bottle, i asked why the increase in price compared to the bar price and i was told before 9.30am the inflated price is payable, i find this totally unacceptable and so refused to pay it and chose to purchase water from outside. Another really anoying thing was anti sickness tablets, I have in the past suffered from seasickness. I did take some tablets purchased at Boots called Stugeron, 15 15mg tabs at a cost of £3.19 I was taking them only as a precaution however i run out of them and needed some just for the final 2 nights cruising so i went to reception to buy some, i was offered 2 tablets at a cost of £2.00!!!! bloody extortionate so i politly declined and went to a pharmacy in portugal and purchased the exact same tablets, 60 for 3.40 euro. so be aware if there is any chance you are going to suffer with seasickness then take plenty of tabs with you or you will be stung at reception. I simply hate being ripped off! Read Less

Spanish Sunsets Cruise : Date of Cruising: 28 May to 4 June 2017 Having cruised previously with Princess, Royal Caribbean and P&O on their larger ships holding 3,500 passengers, we were a little nervous about booking a western Mediterranean cruise with Thompson (now rebranded TUI), on their newly refurbished flagship ‘Discovery 2’. The TUI ship is a lot smaller carrying just 1900 passengers. Obviously, on ‘Discovery 2’ you don’t get the feeling of space as on the bigger ships and there is no ice rink, sports court, flowrider, water slides, large promenades, zip wires, etc … that you get on the larger cruise ships, everything is obviously scaled down, but so is the price. This ‘Discovery 2’ is a ship that was previously owned by Royal Caribbean but sold to TUI who then have rebranded it along with a major refurbishment in May 2017. I was presently surprised by what I saw and experienced and in most areas my expectations were exceeded. The cabin was first class and on a par with the other cruise liners we have sailed with. It was spacious and well equipped and had we had no complaints what so ever. The restaurant where we dined for our evening meals (Gallery 47), was also excellent with a varied menu and delicious food. The service from the restaurant staff was also first class. No complaints from me and I’m a fussy eater. Breakfast and lunch was in the Islands buffet restaurant and again the food was very good. It did get busy at peak times but going slightly earlier or later meant you could always get a table. (Peak time for breakfast was around 9am). Generally the look of the various areas of the ship was good and taking into account that it was a ‘refurbishment’ and not a ‘refit’ a good job had been done. Most importantly there was new carpeting throughout which is important as nothing makes a ship look more ‘tired’ than worn faded carpeting. There was a variety of entertainment around the ship and most was of a reasonable standard and some excellent. The main disappointment were the shows in the main theatre. Although the singers and dancers were very talented, their choice of material was disappointing and song choices could have been a lot stronger. The production and scenery was good and the seating was very, very comfortable, it was just a shame the the material chosen for them to perform was not the best. Also TUI could have done better by having more variety with professional artists being brought onboard to perform that were of a higher calibre than the TUI resident dancers and singers, as good as they were. There was one variation during the week when we had a comedy magician who was OK but not the best. Most of the crew were very courteous and helpful and the room stewards good although they were not as visible and as ‘chatty’ as some on other cruises we’ve been on. There were two pools (both with jacuzzis), one indoor and one outdoor. Both were of good quality and the indoor one was not overcrowded, as was the outdoor one, but that probably wasn’t helped with the week of our cruise being Spring Bank holiday week, and so there was a large number of children onboard. There were plenty of sun beds around the ship and if you looked around you could find a variety of shaded areas. In summary: There is an old saying that ‘you get what you pay for’, and that is certainly true here. You just get the feel that things are just not quite as big, as plush, as roomy and of the same quality as the cruise companies I’ve made mentioned previously, but for what you pay it is good value for money. As you can probably tell, I’d prefer to cruise with Princess, Royal Caribbean, P&O etc, but for a cheap one week cruise in the Mediterranean then it’s worth considering if ‘money is not is a little tight’. Having spoken to others that have previously sailed with TUI/Thompson, I think this is a step up for the company and the effort they are putting into raising their image and brand in the cruise market is to be commended. If you’ve booked a cruise on ‘Discovery 2’ then I suspect you’ll enjoy it as long as you don’t expect the same experience as on the larger cruise liners who specialise in this type of holiday. I hope this review has proved useful and if you have any questions please feel free to e-mail me at glyn.day@ntlworld.com. Cheers, Glyn Read Less

We chose this cruise as we could drive to malaga to pick up the ship. we went with our parents who are 80 and 85 years of age and we all love cruising, the weather was ok but not too hot sea was calm all week. we enjoyed the food and the drinks on board and the entertainment. The staff were very friendly and helpful. and we met some lovely people. One bad thing was when in liberties show bar watching the game shows some people who were stood at the bar were talking so loud that you had trouble hearing what was going on and would have been nice if some thomson staff could of told them to please keep the noise down as people are trying to watch the show. The ports of call were good but the shuttle bus from the ports to the towns were a little expensive. Be prepared to be up early on departure day as we all had to be out of our cabins by 7am. but all in all we had a great time and are looking forward to booking another thomson cruise. Read Less

This was our second time cruising and we were celebrating my 60th birthday and our silver wedding anniversary. We flew from Manchester to Malaga and once boarded, we decided to stay and explore the ship and rest up. The ship was very clean, our cabins were cleaned twice daily by very friendly cabin staff who made us feel like it was home from home. The food was plentiful and delicious (I'm sure I gained weight) and we made lots of friends. As part of our celebrations, we were invited to dine at the captains table with other guests, a most enjoyable occasion. We paid extra for a photo shoot, a celebration package, which included flowers, Champaign, basket of fruit and of course a cake. A truly memorable occasion I highly recommend the spa treatment, it was fantastic. Everyone on board made you feel special, however, having requested an outside cabin with a queen size bed, we in fact got two single beds at opposite side of the cabin. We are now taking this up with the travel agency who made the booking. in spite of this, we enjoyed our cruise. Read Less

We have had several cruises on Thompson's ships and have never had a bad or disappointing cruise and this last cruise met all expectations. This is our second cruise on the Celebration and after reading several recent reviews I was a little concerned that the level and quality of service had gone down hill but this in our opinion was not the case. The ship is old and yes it creaks a bit but what do you expect when on the open sea. The staff from the captain down were all excellent and I mean excellent, nothing was too much trouble and our cabin boy Eddie was always on hand and looked after us. The food in the self service and main restaurant was well cooked and well presented. Service was a little slow some evenings in the waiter service restaurant but this actually enhanced the experience because it gave you time to chat with others around the table, constantly making new friends. The nightly entertainment show in the broadway lounge was once again excellent with a smashing group of entertainers all doing ther part to entertain the passengers. No complaints with their performances at all. We went on three of the cruise organised trips and again they were very well organised and we thought reasonably priced and as I said earlier we have cruised with Thompson's at least 14 times before. I must congratulate the captain and his team for the excellent cruise. We followed the cruise with a weeks stay Fuengirola at the Yaramar hotel, one of Thompson's gold hotels and again this was an excellent hotel. We have booked another two week cruise on this ship for July going to Norway and Iceland and are really looking forward to joining this ship for our third time. Read Less

Great cruise holiday overall, First cruise on the Thomson Dream and was pleasantly impressed.First time in inside cabin and would recommend an outside one from previous experiences but if your budget doesn't allow for this the inside cabins are of a good size, well equipped only difference is no window. All staff were first class in every area of the ship and any request was acted on immediately with as little fuss as possible. The Captain toured the ship daily and mixed freely with passengers as did all the senior officers and crew. The 6 days at sea were well managed with plenty of on-board activities and entertainment to cater for all tastes. The Entertainment team were superb. Very friendly and all their shows were most enjoyable. The other entertainment acts were excellent too. The dining on board was also excellent. A great selection of menu choices which catered for all of our needs. All of the dining options were managed well with constant officer observation in them all ensuring everything was kept to standards required. The ships bar areas were all laid out well with various ambience options available to allow any taste in to be catered for. There were very few occasions when queues formed as staff would be reassigned to the nip points when volumes dictated. The drinks menu was extensive on our All Inclusive drinks package with a wide selection of branded drinks and some cocktails included too. The ports of call were excellent apart from one. The "Dominican Republic Port of Romana" should not be the main port for Thomson ships. Our itinerary was changed at the last minute from Port au Prince. I asked at reception if it was safe to walk ashore to the port town. I was informed yes. On leaving the port area I noticed a high volume of local police at ever street corner. They were informing everyone to take of jewellery and to take a secure grip of any bags etc. I was one of the younger (50) passengers venturing onshore and probably went further into town than most. We were ashore for no more than 40 minutes. Basically hit the town outskirts and back post haste. The most uneasy I have ever felt anywhere on holiday. We were informed on board 4 passengers had been robbed and one couple had been held up at gun-point for their valuables. No amount of vigilance or diligence by anyone will stop that happening. Thomson now know this port is unsafe and are using it as their main port of call for the Caribbean season in the Dominican Republic. One reason may be the higher port fees applicable for Port Au Prince. Thomson in my opinion have a "DUTY OF CARE" to all its cruise passengers visiting any port. Port Information must be correct and honest to allow passengers to assess the risks or dangers associated with local areas or customs. The only other criticism I have for this cruise is the amount of passengers who kmoan about trivia.If its something minor don't become drama queens. Enough moaning the cruise was first class apart from Romana. Thank you Thomson's Dream. Kevin Duncan Read Less

We were a party of 6 in three cabins with balcony, the cabins were good, the food was excellent and the entertainment was first class, although Mr Bubbles was probably more for the kids. Great crew all friendly. We read some bad reviews before we boarded, but hey there are always wingers so all was a pleasant surprise.. Full marks to the Zenith crew. The ship is a old but was in good condition, the cabins were clean roomy and bright . Our waiters were a lot of fun, very friendly and ever so helpful. The food was always a great choice , we had vegetarians in our party and there was always a a good choice for them also. There was entertainment in the disco but the best and very professional acts were in the main theater . We took advantage of all the excursionsm Rome, Florence Pisa and Monaco, all well organised and informative. Read Less

We chose this cruise as it had tribute acts we had seen in our local club in Spain. We had what was advertised as a junior suite, apparently it wasn't. The bathroom stank! We were to,d to keep the plug in the bath to stop the smell. The bed was comfy, plenty of storage. Our cabin steward never cleaned it properly. All inclusive! I don't drink alcohol and due to being diabetic don't drink fruit juices. Bottled water NOT included in all inclusive!!! We did the excursions, so we had to pur have our own lunch whete on the trips, no packed lunch or water provided for trips. The disco where we had the tribute acts smelt of sewers in certain places. The good was good, no complaints there. I know it was a budget cruise, but our cabin was not worth twice almost twice the price of the cheapest and I did not expect the nauseating smells. At Malaga port trying to board was a nightmare. We did not have priority boarding as we were expecting. It was like a cattle market Read Less