We had been on the Marella Discovery before and even cruises on the sister ship Marella Discovery 2 last year. We decided to go on another cruise with my Parents and my Brother and Siater-in-law for my Parents 50th golden wedding anniversary. It started out ok with the only gripe was we were not able to book the Surf and Turf speciality restaurant on the day we embarked (11/10/2019), as we missed out with the speciality restaurant we went to the 47 gallery restaurant and the waiter staff were absolutely fantastic which was a consistent feeling when we dined. But this seems to be the only positive thing about the ship. Throughout the whole week the ship smelt of Fuel and a number of the Toilets were continuously blocked and smelly. The Balcony room was looking tired and used needs another refurb. The cabin staff were friendly but missed things when cleaning. The shows were very mediocre compared to previous Marella Cruises. I’m not sure I could guarantee I will cruise by Marella again. Read Less

Sadly where do I start . We had booked a deluxe cabin and to our shock we saw no deluxe at all, the windows were that bad we could hardly see out of them. The shower was that small with a shower curtain,not deluxe to me. No toiletries apart from a small soap and shower cream canister. we enjoy going to the restaurant , only the first night was the best after that we were rushed every night and the food was not always hot and the plates cold. The staff were rushing around and the tables way to close to one another and the staff were not always attentive. In the end we tried the buffet lounge which I have to say the food was much better and the plates piping hot. Entertainment was awful it was a comedian and then entertainment team no professional dancers. Service in bars were very relaxed , there seemed to be a lack of staff. Found out later that this was coming to end of season and some were going home. We had diesel fumes which circulated around the ship even in our room on deck 8. Later the captain explained there were complaints about diesel fumes , explanation from the captain something about doing something to the tanks to put in an eu directive on fuel. Seems rather strange to do this while there were passengers on board. I had to cancel a trip due to the fumes making me ill because I ahave asthma . This cruise was a very disappointment overall. If it was coming to end of season that should not have made any difference we still payed for our holiday which our ruby anniversary was spoiled all together. Would I go back on this ship no, it was more like a Butlins camp . I would love to hear from other people affected by the fumes. Read Less

Just returned from this cruise. We booked this primarily for the itinerary as, even though we’ve cruised quite a bit, we had not visited any of the ports on this cruise save for the departure port of Corfu. We also booked to get an experience of Marella’s move to larger ships, with the Discovery being the biggest we have cruised on to date. Overall the cruise was very good. The facilities on the ship are well documented on the Internet so I won’t go into too much detail, suffice to say they were of a high standard. A few pointers for potential Discovery guests and also the good and not so good points: Good: The staff were superb. Quick to serve, helpful and smiling. I did get to have a chat with the Master of the ship, Captain Chris Dodds, and it was apparent that he was proud of the ship and his staff, justifiably so. The entertainment crew were the best I’ve seen and the Broadway lounge is big enough and well equipped enough to allow spectacular shows to be delivered. All inclusive allowed beers and wines to be on draught in the self service restaurants so you could help yourself. As a consequence you weren’t having to wait to be served to have a drink with your meal. When going into the Broadway lounge for the evening show, drinks were served as you went in so you weren’t having to order a drink once in the lounge. This meant you able to watch the show without people waving their cards at the waiting staff and the staff having to serve drinks in the dark. The Galley 47 restaurant serves Italian dishes and was very good. I used it twice and was very impressed. My jury was out about all inclusive. I considered that that this did not allow the possibility of enticing offers for drinks packages etc for early bookers (which I have used before) but I’m beginning to change my mind. The way that some people went mad at the buffet meant that they have some of my share but, nevertheless, all inclusive allowed me to budget with confidence. Not so good: During our cruise, the main restaurant opened for waiter served breakfast at 07:30. For guests going on organised tours this did not generally give sufficient time for breakfast before the tours commenced. Hence these guests had to use the self service on deck 9, the result of which the self service got unnecessarily busy. This may be a bit unfair. The food was excellently prepared and served. I could not fault it but...... it was a bit safe. I though we could have had a bit more of the Mediterranean flavour. “Tailor the menu to the venue” so to speak. No criticism of the way the food was delivered but more Med, less English would have been my preference. Marella provide all guests with the opportunity to download an “app” which connects to the ship’s Internet (at no cost) and provides details of your on-board account, what’s going on, excursions, where to eat, etc and is, overall very useful. They also still produce the “Cruise News” paper which is left in your cabin during the evening turn down. The problem I encountered is that the itinerary on the “app” and the “Cruise News” didn’t always match up so you still ended up at Destination Services or Reception to verify the precise details. Just a bit of co-ordination needed for what was otherwise a very useful facility. Nothing to do with the actual cruise but I was seriously stitched up over the price, with the possibility of saving almost £300 for the same deal if I’d timed it right, having been enticed to book early with a discount code. I did write to Marella head office (as a long standing and loyal customer, of 20 years if you include Thomson), but my loyally and my comments were dismissed as “bad luck”. Marella/TUI didn’t even bother to respond using the same medium as I did, rather just an e-mail. Itinerary: Good (Santorini apart) and I’ve glad I’ve been. Santorini is too crowded and you end up watching out for the next gap in the crowds rather than enjoying the island. The cable car had a two hour wait to descend so I had to use the steps, past the ill-treated donkeys and horses, tied up with no water, one passing you every so often with a selfish tourist on his back, just so he can tell his mates he took part in the Santorini tradition (don’t use them please). In summary: This was our seventh cruise with Thomson/TUI/Marella and I do detect a change in the target clientele and company’s philosophy. Absolutely nothing but praise for the experience I had, but Marella’s move to larger ships, the subsequent escalating cost to support the all inclusive packages and the dismissive way I was treated by head office may cause me to investigate alternatives. Finally, one area that doesn’t get mentioned very often, my local TUI office (Newark-on-Trent). The staff in there are excellent hence I use them rather than the Internet. I pay a small premium but it’s worth it for the assistance I receive during booking and should I need to book any excursions or have any queries regarding my holiday. Well done to them. Read Less

We have travelled with many cruise companies mainly British one US & one Italian we chose this cruise mainly because we have never travelled to this part Europe .We were very impressed with the service in the restaurants mainly the 47 the service and food was excellent in every way as we ate there all the time even for breakfast & lunch times as it was impossible to find any where to sit in the upstairs buffet and also other guest seemed reluctant to share or talk to us (it must be a British thing ).I did notice that other guests reserved seating in the bars and theatre of which I found very frustrating as it is not allowed on the P&O ships as they endorse strict rules of which are enforced by security personel. The entertainment was of a very high standard with a very good selection of shows we only missed one .The only complaint that I have was that in the cabin for some reason there was a double bed in the middle and also a two seater settee on the side of which made it a bit cramped .We will always travel with Marella cruises in the future as even embarkation & disembarkation was simple. Read Less

The only bad thing about the cruise was that we only booked 7 days, I didn’t want to leave and felt envious of the other passengers who had another week. The itinerary was perfect, visiting great places including Venice, Koper, Dubrovnik, Split and kotor. We loved Croatia and will certainly return. On board the service was perfect and all of the crew did a fantastic job from the housekeeping staff to the Captain. We honestly loved every minute, the food was great, the drinks service brilliant and I can’t begin to say how awesome the entertainment was. Katie stole the show, I’m sure she must be solar powered (I’ve never seen anyone with so much energy). Each one of the entertainment team we’re fabulous, Chessie singing as we left Koper was just outstanding, I was a blubbering wreck. We were serenaded out of Venice too. The shows and quizzes were a big favourite of ours, each one such fun. A special mention to Dean too, what a lovely lad, but then again all of the team were. We even managed to get out if the escape room (with lots of clues) it was so well planned. We had the most magical time on board, so a big, huge thank you to everyone on Marella Discovery. Read Less

This was honestly the worst cruise I’ve ever been on. It was truly awful. I had my two children with me as we couldn’t get away during the summer holidays due to work commitments. This cruise is not family friendly at all. 1. Not once was the climbing wall open 2. The indoor pool bans kids between 2-5pm covering a good part of the hot part of the day. I pay the same amount of money as everyone else, I should have the access to the same facilities. 3. The kids food at the buffet was rock hard and quite frankly absolutely bogging. It had obviously been out for a very long time. On the final day you can expect no kids buffet. 4. The pool tiles are broken and one of them actually cut my sons foot.. it’s very obvious it’s about a foot wide. The staff are friendly but the entertainment is like butlins. It’s really loud, you can’t sit at the pool and have a conversation with someone without some game show rubbish or having to listen to some pub quiz. If butlins is your thing, this is for you. Also, as a footnote, I not only saw the cruise director speak to a member of staff like crap but also the deputy cruise director do the same.. uncomfortable. Much of the entertainment was awkward and just so over the top it was ridiculous. I witnessed bar staff being rude to kids when they were asking for things at the bar. Just no need. It was overall a really poor experience and despite cruising with TUI 7 times now I won’t be going with them again. I certainly would never recommend this for a family. Read Less

From start to finish this cruise was for my wife and i was superb, the ship, the staff, the food, every aspect of the ship was very well managed, from the pool side to the very high class restaurants nothing was to much, the staff in all the bars and restaurants could not do enough for you and were so pleasant, the cabin we had was very spacious clean and tidy, when we returned each night it was spotless, we will be going back for another cruise, no matter what time of day there was always a different activity going on around the ship, something for everyone no matter how old or young you are, from mini golf to rock climbing learning to dance to been in a choir, in the atrium every day there an artist performing, in the theatre there was always a great show to watch, so something for everyone. Read Less

Having sailed with lots of other cruise companies in the past, we were a bit apprehensive about booking this cruise but we loved it. It was a short 10-15minute journey from Corfu airport followed by an efficient check in. You had the option of a shuttle bus or 5minute walk to the ship. The itinerary was wonderful with several memorable sailing in & out of ports such as Kotor in Montenegro and Venice ( leaving at night was magical). We went on a cruise tour to the beautiful Krka waterfalls and also half day gondola tour. There were plenty of other tour options/activities available on the dockside. The staff on board were friendly, efficient and seemed genuinely happy. The Entertainment staff led by Katy were great and the Captain was a star! There was no heavy sales pressures and unless you wanted to, you weren’t harassed by ship photographers. There were various dining options to suit everyone. Yes, the ship is a bit tired looking but it didn’t affect the service you received. We were warned about the potential wait at Corfu airport when we departed and the process was managed as well as it could be. We would definitely sail with them again. Read Less

This is a review of Idyllic Italia on Marella Discovery from 16th - 23rd August 2019. My wife & I have travelled on P&O 6 or 7 times and my wife has also travelled on Cunard however this was to be our first experience of Marella. It was also our first experience of an inside cabin having previously only been in a balcony or outside cabin. Inevitably therefore this review will feature a number of comparisons to P&O. This review focusses on the ship, Discovery, rather than the ports we visited. We had an early morning flight from Bristol (5:15) which left on time and landed in Corfu at 10am local time. Our cases were amongst the first to come through on the carousel and then we made our way onto one of the waiting coaches. There followed a smooth transfer to the port and we were onboard and in our cabin by 11:20am. The boarding process however felt rather disjointed, for example, we had to collect our own luggage at Corfu airport and carry them to the coach. Once we arrived at port our cases were taken off the coach and lined up whilst we queued to collect a luggage label which we then had to attach to our suitcase. Once we had done this we then had to queue again to register a payment card after which we had to walk to the ship which was about 400 metres away (in 30C heat). We were told there was a port shuttle bus if we wanted to use it but we saw no sign of a bus. The walk to ship was certainly exciting and gave us a lovely view of the ship but the whole boarding/registration process felt a bit haphazard. I don’t know if this is mostly due to facilities at the port or due to the way Marella operate. Once we had settled into our inside cabin on deck 7 we went to explore the ship and soon found ourselves in Islands Buffet where we had an eclectic mix of salad, pizza & chips. We were impressed by the space in the buffet and the ease with which we found a table. The range of food was exactly what you would expect for a mass catering buffet operation and was certainly no worse than the buffets on P&O ships. Following lunch we completed our tour of the ship before settling into the Atrium bar for a couple of drinks. We didn’t wait long at all to get served which was great although this also gave us a false impression of how the rest of the week would be. As we had been awake since 2am we both needed a little snooze so we retired to our spacious and comfortable inside cabin. We ate in 47 restaurant on our first night and were keen to see how the restaurant and food compared to P&O. The restaurant itself is lovely. Two tiered with floor to ceiling windows provide a light, airy space which creates a perfect atmosphere in which to dine. The food was perfectly pleasant however we felt it was let down by the presentation. On more than one occasion during the week we were presented with food that looked distinctly unappetising however it always tasted very good. The portions are definitely smaller than P&O to the extent that some nights we basically filled up on the cheeseboard. We were very surprised to see that the Islands Buffet closed at 9pm with only a few snacks available at the Glasshouse bar until the early hours. The buffets on P&O ships are open 24hours (or close to) and provide a much wider range of options for a late night snack. One of my favourite parts of any cruise is breakfast on the first day. We (nearly) always eat breakfast in the MDR rather than the buffet as we enjoy the waiter service so we were surprised to find a mixture of self service and table service in the MDR. The hot food was waiter service and everything else was via the buffet in the middle of the restaurant. We both thought this worked well as it meant that you could help yourself to rolls, pastries, fruit and yoghurt without having to order everything from the waiter (unlike P&O). We had decided not to upgrade to the premium package however on the first night I asked for a pint of John Smiths in the MDR and it was basically undrinkable. I am a keen home brewer and have worked in the craft beer industry so I know a thing or two about beer and I know what I like. John Smiths is far from my favourite but I felt that it would be fine to drink that for the week as I certainly wouldn’t drink mass produced lager such as Fosters or Heineken that they also sell onboard. The pint of John Smiths tasted like it was oxidised which can happen if the beer has been on tap for a (very) long time. I literally had one sip and left the rest. We noticed that Live Room had an extended range of bottled beers including two Belgian beers (Chimay and Duvel) so we decided to upgrade to the premium drinks package. In retrospect this probably wasn’t a great idea as I had two bottles of Duvel and was then told that they had run out. So in essence we upgraded but only had 2 bottles of a decent beer!! Anyway, the range of cocktails was good and they did have bottled beer from a UK 'craft' brewery called Meantime which was fine. On a cruise ship it is always enjoyable to walk into a bar/lounge and be promptly attended by a waiter asking for your drinks order, at least it is on P&O. With the exception of the Atrium Bar if we wanted a drink on Discovery we went to the bar to get it ourselves which of course meant queuing with everyone else - which is not what we come on a cruise for. We once waited 30 minutes in the Live Room for waiter service. Basically if you want a drink on Discovery you need to go and get it yourself due to the chronic lack of staff. The evening entertainment on P&O ships is a combination of guest performers and the inhouse entertainments team called The Headliners. We have found that the quality of this team varies from embarrassingly awful to mediocre at best however we know that other passengers have really enjoyed shows that we have hated. Given this experience we had low expectations of the Discovery evening shows. How wrong we were. The production quality and, most importantly, the individual talent in the team was exceptional. This meant that unlike on a P&O cruise we found ourselves scheduling our evenings around attending one of the shows. As has been mentioned by many other people the staff on Discovery were, mostly, excellent, Whilst there were one or two notable exceptions which were confined to the bar staff in the Live Room and the Pool Bar, the staff were friendly and helpful, it was just a shame that there weren't enough of them. The captain was highly visible throughout the ship. We have been on previous cruise on P&O where we saw the captain once or twice over a fortnight. In this cruise however we saw him 2 or 3 times every day. We found his tannoy announcements to be much more informal and friendly that we have experienced on P&O. Which brings us to his sidekick, Katie, the cruise director. Now we now lots of people love her style and have even commented that she was the difference in their cruise but for us she was reminiscent of an over-active duracell bunny. Everything was brilliant, amazing or fantastic. Everything was cranked up to 11. For us this was just over the top and at times annoying. There is no doubting her talent and commitment but for us it was just too much. A feature of the ship that I would like to comment on is the lifts. Given that there was no aft lift well (unlike most of the P&O ships that we have been on) we had assumed the lift situation would be bad however this was not the case at all. If we compare the P&O Ventura which carries a maximum of 3192 passengers and has 14 lifts this gives us a ratio of 1 left per 228 passengers, however each time we have been on Ventura there were always at least 2 lifts out of order meaning the ration was more like 266:1. The ratio on Discovery is 183:1 (1830 max passengers with 10 lifts - all of which were working all week). This may seem like a trivial point but I can genuinely say that on Ventura one of the primary annoyances, and persistent topics of conversation, is the waiting time for a lift. On Discovery this simply wasn’t a issue. We pressed the lift button and a lift came - simple!! No need to factor in how long we would be waiting for a lift when planning when to go to dinner! Additionally the two glass lifts that run the full height of the ship were fantastic. Going form the ground floor of the Atrium up to the outside pool deck was great. We spent most of our time in the indoor Glass House pool which was much quieter than the outside pool deck. We were also able to find shade in the Glass House unlike the outside decks, however the main reason was that in the Glass House we were not assaulted by loud music and the hyper active Katie and her team arranging 'fun' activities. The pool in the Glass House was fantastic. It had proper steps going into the pool which made it nice and easy to get in and out, and acclimatise to the cold water on the way in! Before we left I had read a number of comments about occasional sewage smells on Discovery. We experienced this 2 or 3 times. Once in the Live Room and once in the Atrium which was rather embarrassing as the Captain was being interviewed by Katie at the time. Both of these were unpleasant and caused us to the leave the area asap however this was nothing compared to the forward lift about half way through the holiday. Once we entered the lift there was a gut wrenching, overpowering and disgusting stench of raw sewage. There is no other description I'm afraid. We were only in the lift for about 20 seconds but we both had to cover our faces and hold our breath. It was deeply unpleasant however when we used the same lift the following day the stench had gone. All in all we felt that Marella compared very well to P&O. It has a slightly different offering to P&O (or at least this ship does) and is probably more family focussed, although bear in mind that this cruise was in August. We felt the evening entertainment team were far and away better than anything we had experienced on P&O and the food was more plentiful, though not necessarily better, on P&O. We were pleasantly surprised by our inside cabin and would be happy to have an inside cabin again. Overall we would be happy to travel with Marella cruises again although I think we would try the adults only ship next time. Hope this review has been helpful to someone !! Read Less

Marella Discovery 16/08/2019 to 23/08/2019 This is our eleventh cruise and the fourth with Tui but first time on the Marella Discovery. Flight from Leeds & Bradford 15.35 was 30 mins late not too bad, landed in Corfu 21.05 (19.05 Bst). Corfu airport waiting 45min for luggage then 30min bus ride to port after checking in 15 min walk to ship. Arrived on board at 22.30 and after finding our cabin just had time before safety drill (23.30) to get a drink. Safety drill finished at midnight and this was the fist time we could have a full meal that day. With the late flight we felt that we had lost a day of our holiday and we would now try and get an early morning flight in the future even if we have to travel from a different airport. The cabin outside with sea view (3514) not the largest cabin we have had but room enough for two. With a shower and plenty of wardrobe, cupboard and draw space, the only thing missing was a fridge. (this the first time in sea view cabin as we usually have a balcony) there where two EU plug sockets and two US sockets along with a hair dryer. The cabin stewards did a very good job and got everything we asked for. The food what can I say! not up to the stranded we have had in the past, it did not very that much over the week, the cold meats were the same every day all day, the deserts much the same all week and the main meals not that much choice and not always piping hot. Most of the veg was frozen not fresh. Would recommend getting the premium drinks package if you like good wine and spirts. The ship is now after 24 years looking a bit tired in places. It may be just us, but it didn’t feel a happy ship, even last year on the Marella Spirit which was going out of service at the end of the year (2018) and the crew had not been told where they might be going it felt a much happier ship. The Captain did make his evening announcement’s light-hearted. Read Less

After having a brilliant time on the Discovery last August we decided once again last minute to try the Idyllic Italia itinerary. As before this ship did not disappoint us, we had an inside plus cabin on deck 7 which was very spacious and kept spotless clean by the cabin staff. We did think about a balcony cabin as one was available but didn’t think the extra £600 for 1 week worth it. Maybe if we were on the ship for 2 weeks we would have thought about it. In all honestly we didn’t miss having a balcony as we only used the room to sleep and change in as there were plenty of excursions/ports to see. We had no problems with the food, used the Islands for breakfast and lunch, 47 and gallery 47 for dinner. We also tried the Glasshouse one evening for the tapas which was excellent. Only had to use the pagers twice and the wait was only about 10 minutes, didn’t even have time for a drink !! Went to Bar 11 every night after dinner, really enjoyed the ambiance there and all the staff were great. Always ended up sitting up at the bar chatting and having a bit of a laugh with the staff. Manuel, Maria and Ericka were delightful. Drinks were good and plentiful but slightly disappointed this year as the all inclusive cocktails had changed, last year there were a few rum based ones but this year only one, had to order a couple off the premium menu but only an extra £2.50 so not too bad. Went on 2 excursions with TUI -Pompeii and Taormina which were both very good, although when visiting Pompeii it was much to hot and there’s not a lot of shade so we were exhausted at the end but still worth doing. We met some nice people and never saw any rowdy or bad behaviour even the small amount of children on board were no trouble. The only time we struggled for a sunbed was on the sea day which was to be expected but we did see staff going round the decks putting notices on any sunbeds that were being reserved but no one on them. Loved the adult only veranda and that the Glasshouse pool also became adults only in the afternoon. Disembarkation was well organised but Corfu airport is still a bit of a nightmare, 45 minutes to check in, then 1hour queuing for security only just got through and the plane was ready to board. Not a fault of TUI but can only hope security can improve. Already looking at Discovery’s itinerary for next year but will do a last minute again. Read Less

I have been on over 20 cruises mostly with NCL, MSC, RCI and P&O. In April I sailed on this ship on the repositioning cruise via Suez canal. I booked it again in August for my recently widowed friend and her son as I had enjoyed the previous cruise in April. The friendliness of the very hard working crew is phenomenal. The performers in the Broadway Theatre are the best I have seen on a cruise ship, the standard of the shows is excellent. They really should be in west end shows. It is a smaller ship that is very easily navigated from bars, theatre to dining rooms and cabins. We are mainly in the main dining room as the food and service was so good we didn't want to go anywhere else. Captain Chris and Katy the cruise director work so hard to ensure that all guests are well looked after. We will certainly be booking the Marella again. Read Less

I have been on a Royal Caribbean cruise, was a bit wary of doing a Tui cruise, we didn't have to worry. Captain Chris and his team were brilliant. Vey clean, plenty of food choice. Entertainment was first class as were Katie and her team. Loved the way the captain interacts with everyone. The sail away from ports were amazing. we could not find fault. ignore negative comments see for yourself will definitely go on the Discovery again. The captains part was a brilliant night had everyone dancing the Captains dance. The Venice sail away parade was lovey to watch with most people had masks on. Have to mention Katie and crew for a brilliant end of cruise party. Husband on the dance floor a well. Brilliant cruise every crew member was outstanding from housekeeping to bar staff. definitely go again. A big thank you to everyone we had a fab time on the Discovery. Read Less

A great two week Aegean cruise. Wonderful destinations, fantastic food and attentive staff. Cabins were kept clean at all times and the beds were turned down at night lovely touch. Chris the captain walked the ship every day and would often stop and chat sometimes show people to their tables the restaurant. This was a lovely touch, he even got involved in entertaining us one night with an officer Cupid dance! Entertainment was amazing always something to watch. We loved the daily afternoon quiz it became a ritual. My two teenagers had a great time at the hideout teen club. Housem the club leader became a true friend to them. They met some lovely friends and had a great two weeks. I couldn’t fault this Cruise we had an amazing time. I would recommend a stop in Venice as we left we had one of the entertainment crew singing opera it was amazing, I will remember it forever brought me to tears. Read Less

Met up with friends for this cruise. We all felt standards have dropped. Undercooked and cold food in islands. Much better in 47. Less staff so cleaning in toilets was less often also running out of toilet paper . Too much of demonstrating and upselling of spa treatments. Sunbed reserving time limits not enforced. Music volume too loud in all venues. Smoking areas too small. Let smokers back on one side of deck 9 so they can join in with deck 9 entertainment. Increase tables and chairs smoking area on deck 4. Special praise goes to Alster and Rosemarie waiters from the live room. Kept everyone topped up with drinks and chat. Was impressed by bath towel size but sometimes they were stained. No need to upgrade to premium drinks package. Excursions too pricey. Aircon not working properly in both cabins. Had cruise cough when returned home. Corfu airport disabled area not big enough and not enough seats. We also had a couple of the same shows the second week. Read Less

We had a fantastic cruise on board this ship the staff the itinerary were all great , all staff work hard to make ur cruise enjoyable the restaurants are great with great food and service we always went to the same tables round where Charles and Arg served us they were brilliant Charles sorted out for my husband to have a menu delivered to our cabin each night to make sure my husband got his food free of cheese which was a great help to us they were pleasant friendly and went above and beyond to look after us . Great cabin staff reported a blockage in the bathroom and it was sorted with in 10 minutes couldn’t fault the response , shows were good ,entertainment in the atrium was great too . At the ports everything ran smoothly ,captain and his staff were approachable. Over all really enjoyed the cruise . Read Less

Staff food cabins shows everything exceeded my expectations all the places we visited were amazing cudnt have asked for more will def do it again loved every minute the entertainment was fantastic the food was amazing the only negative thing I wud say is they need sort out sun lounge situation cud never get one near the pool as people filled them every morning and left the ship all day so that was a night mare ant the pool is small for size of ship the all inclusive was great no need to up grade to premium there was plenty to do on sea days like the spa was fantastic and mini golf and table tennis also great climbing wall the teenagers loved that and the escape room wat else can I say only had fantastic experience for my first ever cruise and really glad we choose tui they were great from start to finish we done 2 wks and never got dored Read Less

We wanted to visit Slovenia, Croatia, Montenegro that is why we chose this cruise. We were over the moon with the ship, it is stunning, the entertainment is outstanding, I would have paid to see these shows. The food, every member of staff were simply outstanding. We paid the extra £50.00 to upgrade our all inclusive package and we felt it well worth it. Excellent quality cocktails, top grade spirits and cans of soft drink and bottles of water delivered to our room. We upgraded to a larger cabin on 7th floor but did not have a balcony or window but we did not miss this we used our room to get ready and sleep. There is so much going on around the ship from Morning to very late night I cannot wait to book again. We booked trips in Slovenia - caves and castles our only disappointment was we would have liked an hour or two longer We booked Krka waterfalls trip in Split - just simply breathtaking beauty again I wish we had longer We booked speedboat and beach trip in Montenegro- this was just amazing, the views spectacular. Then we had a walk around the town of kotor, this is also very beautiful and sells the most delicious pizza and ice cream In Venice and Dubrovnik we did our own thing, due to very high temperatures we only stayed in Venice until 1 pm, but we have visited Venice for a holiday. In Dubrovnik we shared a taxi into old town with another cruiser. We chose open side bus tour at €20 each and boat trip at €10 each. This was a great way to see Dubrovnik, due to temperatures of 37 we didn't do the wall walk, but will return to Dubrovnik to do this. Do not miss sail away from Venice Happy to answer any questions Read Less

First cruise so have nothing to gauge it on but found it wonderful. Nightmare start with over a 5 hour delay but as soon as we got to Corfu airport at 2:30am staff were great getting us on coaches then embarkation just as good even though flight had delayed ship we were swiftly put on ship so could sail asap. All the staff were very attentive and Julio our cabin steward was so nice and helpful. Only ate in the buffet restaurant once for breakfast and for lunch after visiting Split but otherwise ate in Gallery 47 for breakfast and the Italian upstairs is lovely. Also ate in Surf and Turf and Kora La as well as the glass House well worth the extra payment for all. We were worried that we would felt a little trapped on the ship but not at all plenty to do and all the excursions we did through TUI were well organised. Cabin number 3568 was great able to unpack everything just and no noise only issue same as others was the shower curtain, but hey if that’s all you can complain about not bad. We did a cruise and stay and the only disappointment was coming off the ship no one telling us where to collect coaches and people setting off and dragging suitcases towards the terminal until stopped. Read Less

Sailed on the Explorer 2 in May this year, and despite this being an older ship we preferred it in all respects except for the cabin. The weather was fantastic all week, and we opted to do our own excursions courtesy of research on cruise critic reviews. We travelled as a couple in an iinside cabin on deck 3. The ship's public areas are well maintained, and whereas the Explorer is more of a wooden decor, the Discovery is more brass and glass. The atrium is the main difference as the Discovery uses it as a focal point with lifts, balconies, a bar and performance area for musicians, so it is the heart of the ship whereas the Explorer just uses it as a reception area. Most of the nighttime activity is on deck 4, but this does mean that the entertainment from each room does compete with that in the adjacent room at times. The main restaurant 47 is on 2 levels with an Italian section upstairs, and the speciality restaurants are well away on deck 11. The food is of a good standard, but to us the variety is always limited in that you will always find something that appeals, but you won't be spoiled for choice. The buffet restaurant Islands is on deck 9, and the selection comment would be the same, but we thought the layout and viewing area was as good as we have experienced. Our main disappointment was that the quality of the full English breakfast was nowhere near that of P&O. The service on the ship is one of the standout aspects, as often we find the barstaff to be functional only, but on here they were good fun and speedy. The all inclusive drinks package is great value, as it includes decent brands as standard e.g Famous Grouse, and for £50 pw more you can get eg Glenmorangie if you want. The entertainment in the evening is of a high standard with kids fresh out of drama school, but they are all talented. The solo musicians and singers are also good and focussed in the atrium. Where things could be improved is the daytime entertainment schedule is very limited, and even accepting that most will be on day trips, they could lay on more for mid afternoon onwards when people start to return. There is a basic mini golf course albeit a bit worn, a climbing wall, table tennis tables, and a breakout room for hire. We didn't go on any ship excursions as we find them overpriced, but we did similar trips under our own steam in most ports and a third of the price, so it's worth doing some research. The ports were good except for Taranto which I could only see that this ship stops there once a month and nobody else bothers? The age profile was 50 to 60, and the all inclusive booze probably makes people more approachable and chatty, especially come late afternoon leaning on the railings at sailaway time. There weren't many kids onboard at the time, but we left on 28/6 and there were lots embarking then. Without doubt we will sail with Marella again, as its good value, and the age profile is a good fit for us, making it friendlier and more fun. If you want a plusher environment and higher food quality then I would go with P&O. Read Less

We are four friends and chose this cruise because of the. There is no disputing that this is a nice ship however there is also no hiding the fact that it is 25 years old. The refurbish has been tastefully done however there are just a couple of niggles. We both had balcony cabins and it is quite obvious that the glass panels at one point had all the edges were protected with some kind of bezel and these have been removed and not replaced leaving a 50mm exposed edge with the remains of the adhesive showing, its not dangerous but it just looks tatty and shoddy. Both of our toilets also having problems with the engineer having to be called out on at least six occasions. The cabin refurbish looks ok but looks a little on the cheap side. So the question is why spoil the ship for a halfpenny of tar. My next niggle concerns the buffet lounge on the 9th deck and the plastic glasses. Now I understand the use of plastic glasses but the state of the wine glasses were a disgrace, they were scratched, cloudy, and generally looked if they should not go near anyone’s mouth, either find a plastic friendly detergent or change them on a frequent basis. I repeat they look disgusting. My third niggle, sack the sound engineer/mixer he just does not have a clue. The crew performers were virtually having to shout not sing into the microphones to get themselves heard and most nights it just finished up as a shouting match, either that or they are such bad singers that he had to drown them out, I prefer my first option sack him. Now that I am over that,we really enjoyed the cruise, the atmosphere on board is lovely the crew are a delight and we loved the open dinning. I suppose the question is would we cruise with Marella again, we have been with Cunard, Princess, and Celebrity in the past, and whilst it is not up to their standards re luxury etc,Marella cruises are excellent value for money and we would sail with them again if the itinerary was right. Read Less

20+cruises with thomson,1st on discovery great ship ,staff,and entertainment, one gripe Broadway lounge next to live room the noise could be heard in the atrium we're a singer was trying to perform right next door to the live room ,3 venues right next to each other crazy!.the slug and lettuce pub was only used for quizzes and sometimes a group, good bar to meet and have a talk with people instead of daft quizzes and noise,perfect for background music and relax. Plus disappointed with no group or singer on stage in the afternoons when people get back on the ship ,we used to look forward to hear them on deck before the afternoon trivia questions. All in all great time had by all nearly!we must mention our room cleaners Rhea and Eddi very polite and always smiling made everyday a happy one thanks to them and all the bar staff and waiters for there hard work .corfu airport is a joke,waiting outside in a queue about 100 yards long in the heat waiting to put our cases in to the check out,sorry but not much help or info from tui staff.the much liked crew show was pathetic the backgroud pictures of the singer/artist took longer than the person singing,we are all for a bit of background on their lives but come on! maybe thats why there was only 4 crew members chose to sing,usually they put on a great show and receive the loadest cheers of the night.i hope this is a fair review and we will pick marella cruises again, thanks again to all the staff for a great cruise. Read Less

The good, the bad and the ugly... This was our 3rd cruise with Marella. I almost cancelled going on the Dream due to the reviews I read, but had a great time. We were on the maiden voyage of the Explorer last year and there were the inevitable teething problems but the junior suite with large balcony was worth the money despite the terrible service and food. This time we opted for the family suite on Discovery and it was everything I hoped it would be. A twin bed room, a shower room (shower curtain is the only criticism) a sitting room with 2 chairs and a sofa, a double bedroom, a bathroom with tub and shower (again dreaded shower curtain!) and what would have been a decent size balcony but 2 sunloungers cramped the table and 2 chairs. Perhaps a table and 4 chairs would have made more sense? Bambang the steward and the rest of the cleaners/housekeeping were tireless, always cheerful and polite and the suite was always immaculate. No problems at Corfu Airport getting the cases and the transfer went smoothly. It was a bit of a hike to the boat from the port terminal for those who are disabled though. On arrival I had pre-ordered champagne and strawberries as a birthday surprise for my husband which were not in the cabin. Julia at reception apologised and reordered them for the day we were in Venice, but the surprise was ruined. Also noticed I paid an extra £4.00 than the price listed but hey ho. Food in the Islands were reminiscent of school dinners and had a "canteen" feel to it. That said, the food was hot as were the plates and the stewards were efficient in clearing plates and detritus quickly. Often in the children's section, the burgers and hot dog sausage were raw or undercooked. Wouldn't allow the child to eat chicken all week as it was pink as well. The 47 restaurant... an hour wait with a pager. Fast service once seated but food wasn't even body temperature. Portion size was laughable. Wouldn't fill a child. Was ill after eating there and wouldn't go back again. Snack shack food was tasty but the queues were hectic often. Felt sorry for the servers, they did their best. Smoking sections were a joke. The non-smokers kept taking the chairs. If it had been the other way round something would have been done! They had the whole of the ship and the poor smokers only had a half dozen tables! Only smoking section was deck 10 and deck 4 on the port side (left). It kept being moved to starboard now and again (for maintenance?) Also have a critique of some smokers who insisted in putting rubbish in the ashtrays instead of the bins provided. I saw two on two separate occasions on fire! No sense or just laziness who can tell. Bar staff did an amazing job even though they could have done with 4 hands at times. Absolutely slammed but still had a smile, apart from one guy on deck 9 serving at the bar outside the islands. He looked like someone had stolen his last bun. Bad day? Husband enjoyed the comedian and went to the show twice. Kids club staff were absolutely amazing. No other words to describe them. They went above and beyond and were fantastic. Spa staff were lovely and actually were able to make me look presentable! Husband didn't know me! Great experience I highly recommend them. The ports were great and I really am glad we chose this itinerary. Wish we'd been able to stay longer in Venice and Montenegro instead of leaving early evening. Didn't seem to be enough hours in the day to visit those 2 in particular. Cases left out the night before disembarkation and everything went smoothly. Corfu Airport is about the same size as my living room. Something really needs to be done instead of vast queues of people outside worried about making their flight. Perhaps Tui should consider leaving this airport in favour of one capable of taking the capacity? It's a sour taste in the mouth after having a holiday. Basically our family enjoyed the cruise despite my grumblings above. It cost us just over £7000.00 for 3 adults and one child. Hardly what I'd call a "budget" cruise but the all-inclusive is a great idea. We will try again (forever optimistic!) , possibly next year, but if things haven't improved even slightly we'll go back to Royal Caribbean or NCL. Couldn't face the same problems with food and airport again. Read Less

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The price, the ports, the all inclusive package and the fact that we could stay on in corfu all lead us to pick this cruise. The ship was beautiful, and easy to find our way around. We had balcony cabins which were great, and our steward was very attentive and looked after our needs. We ate alot in the mdr, including the Italian option upstairs and service was excellent as was the food. Many times we ordered a number of starters to be able to sample different dishes, portions were not huge which suited us well. We had an issue one night with our table and did not feel it was handled well however we gave feedback and the dining room manager listened to us and apologized profusely.we also ate at the tapas restaurant in the glass house on 2 occasions and this was a very good experience, much quieter than the mdr but still waiter service. Captain Chris was from Manchester and it was very entertaining listening to his announcements! A real character!! We did the ship transfer to Rome which was straight forward. Naples was chaotic but we headed up to castle st Elmo and escaped the madness. Messina has an amazing clock tower both inside and out, be there at 11.30 to go inside before the display starts at 12. Valetta was our favourite place, we enjoyed the British quirks around the town, even a George clothes shop!! very easy to do on foot. Taranto- was a great disappointment. Nothing to see there, not even a coffee shop...definitely do a trip out of town if you go to this port. We stayed on in corfu at hotels bono, highly recommended. Lovely hotel, supermarket nearby and buses around the island were very good. No sandy beaches was a disappointment, kassiopi was our favourite place. Read Less