Booked the cruise as a package through the Tui website two weeks before we sailed. The ship is old and dated, but was clean. There was a lack of space to sit inside the ship that did not have music blaring out through the speakers. It would have been nice to have somewhere to sit and read other than in our cabin. Apart from deck nine all the outside space also has music blaring out. It was near impossible to get a sunbed in the sun. passengers were putting their towels on them when we first came into port sometime as early as 7.30am. At one stage when my husband and I were looking for somewhere to sit we counted 34 sunbeds reserved, we photographed them and an hour later went back and they were still empty of passengers just covered in towels. We made a member of staff aware on more than one occasion but nothing was ever done. On the open deck there was also a problem with people smoking outside the designated smoking areas. On one occasion a female passenger lying by the pool smoking and another time a gentleman smoking using his mug as the ash tray. This was unfair for non smoking passengers. We raised our concern with staff at the time but nothing was done about it as it was still happening on the day of our departure. We paid extra for an outside cabin on deck seven, spacious, a shower over a bath and a comfortable bed. The only downsize was the noise from the Broadway show lounge. Our cabin steward was amazing. The food was very pork orientated. When my husband had some chicken it was not cooked, still blood inside when cut into it. Sometimes the self service restaurant would run out of plates or cutlery and marmalade and was served with the cream tea as they had run out of jam. The restaurants also ran out of hand jel and the soap dispensers were found empty in the public toilets on more than one occasion. There were not enough lifts on the ship and I was repulsed when I came across a lady cutting her husbands toe nails on the sun deck leaving the nail clippings to blow in the wind! We did not book any shore excursions due to the cost, we organised our own. In Agadir the crew were not allowed of the ship and we were warned that it was too dangerous to walk through the port so we got a taxi into the town. I asked why a coach was not organised to transfer passengers to be told that when they had the taxi drivers blockaded the port. Why doe Tui go to this port, well its because it is the destination that it makes the most money on shore excursions. Profit comes before passenger safety. This was my fourth cruise but if it had been my first it would have been my last. Why is the ship called the Dream, because passengers on it dream of being on another ship. Read Less

Have been on a similar cruise with the Thomson Spirit a number of years ago, my wife and I fancied doing it again as all ports don't require tender and are close to facilities. Pros:- 1) The ships entertainment team is FANTASTIC ! The shows are west end quality. 2) The food is excellent both in the buffets and the Orion restaurant. 3) The cruise is fairly good value for money. Cons:- 1) The ship is a little tired and has no central atrium so difficult sometimes to find your way around. 2) The training of reception staff could be improved (except Vic who was brilliant). For example, we found an overcharge of 87 euro's one evening on our account. We had been charged for a spa treatment not taken. After speaking to someone on reception, we were asked to return the next day when it would be resolved. We had to go back the next day, be escorted to the Spa, where the problem was resolved. However, we feel that 1 stop should have been enough. We should just have been informed the next day that it had been corrected. The worst issue though was with the laundry package. We booked a bag of wash and fold for 14.95 and it clearly states returned on the same day. When we returned to our cabin late in the evening our laundry was not returned. I telephoned reception just to advise that it had not been returned (not because I needed it returned) and was told by a staff member that it was not returned the same day as I had not booked same day service on the other side of the form. I tried to advise that this was a separate service, but he was insistent. I was made to feel as though I was stupid, so decided to go to reception and show him the form. He compounded the issue by stating that as well as the 14.95, I also had to pay each of the individual item prices on the other side of the form. I was furious at his condescending and patronizing manner in trying to explain something that was clearly incorrect. It was at this point that another member of reveption staff intervened and told him he was wrong and found that my laundry had been inadvertently left in a locker and it was back in our room within 30 mins. Better training of staff definitely required here. 3) 8am check out is unreasonable. Especially when you have to leave your luggage outside your room the night before. Reduce the room services from twice a day to once a day freeing up housekeeping staff and let us check out a little later. 9am would be a little more civilized. 4) And finally, please fix the air-conditioning in the Orion restaurant. It was stifling all week. Read Less

We booked this cruis Edith high expectations as we have been on previous Tui cruises. Embarkation was quick and easy and staff were pleasant and helpful. Our cabin was clean and plenty big enough for us. Our luggage was delivered quickly. Onboard the restaurants both the self service and table service were good and the food was presented nicely and it was tasty and plentiful. Staff were excellent. The evening shows were good although drinks service was slow at times. The shore excursion to Agadir was awful. The market we went to was dirty and really didn’t feel safe. My friend & I have been on lots of cruises but specifically chose this one as we had never been to La Palma & it was the one place we really wanted to explore!! The captain decided we were not stopping there and blamed the weather although other cruise ships did dock there. We also concluded that some flights to the boat had been delayed and felt this had impacted on his decision!! We then had to spend 2 days at sea instead of the 1 stated in the itinerary!! We felt this was unacceptable and complained. We were told we would not be receiving any compensation at all!!! I do not think this is a satisfactory conclusion as this was no fault of the passengers and left a lot of us upset as it was disappointing and 2 days at sea was not what I wanted or indeed what I had signed up for!!!! Read Less

Well having read previous reviews we booked this last minute cruise with some trepidation. However, we were pleasantly surprised to spend a weeks break from the dreary, cold English weather on a lovely ship, (yes, it's old) but the staff on board are fantastic. There was a great selection of food every day and the Marella show team (a group of 10 singers/dancers) were amazing. Every night we were treated to a fabulous show in the Broadway lounge. On 2 nights there was a visiting comedian and also a very professional opera duo. The entertainments team worked tirelessly to keep us all amused and the resident bands were also very hard working. The pools could do with updating and yes, the ship did creak a little when we hit some adverse weather conditions! Our cabin was an outside plus cabin on deck 7 and was quite spacious and the bed was very comfortable. The bathroom could do with an upgrade, but that said there was no shortage of hot water and the shower which was set above a bath worked very efficiently. Don't be put off by the negative comments. We honestly would describe our experience as very enjoyable and value for money. Read Less

The ship is old, but kept clean and maintained by a hard working crew, no one boards this ship expecting anything like the ‘bells and whistles’ you get on lots of other cruise lines, that is reflected in the price, a good example of you getting what you pay for. The food is mediocre at best, the chefs do an ok job with the budget they must work to, its mainly buffets, so usually something you can pick, but fussy eaters will struggle, the waiting staff are often under pressure but work well together and distract from the poor quality of the food in the main dining room. If you throw extra money at your cruise then the speciality restaurants are worth a visit as is the upgrade to premium drinks. On the plus side the cabins are very clean and comfortable, the room attendants are excellent. Entertainment is very old fashioned, think quizzes, 70’s game shows etc, but again delivered with enthusiasm by the team on board. The pool area is dire, the hot tubs are so chlorinated your eyes sting and your swim wear fades. Read Less

The staff very friendly and tried their best. In the Restaurant, (Orion) service was hit N miss, food choice was poor (we were supposed to be AI) surprised you had to pay extra for Steak (standard on other cruise lines)). Buffet was a nightmare so only used twice! Never used any of the other restaurants or had the speciality meals. The Captain was a real character and could probably go into Stand-Up if he gets fed up with the sea. Bars & Entertainment were good but watching the same acts night after night got a bit boring. Drinks, we upgraded to AI only to find there was yet another level you had to fork out to get the really decent drinks. Daytime activities were pretty poor unless you like a quiz bingo or watching them rehearsing for their game shows that you're going to be watching that evening. We found the WATERS EDGE to be the best for entertainment and service. One of the main problems we had was seating! There were ever enough during the entertainment in the Bars, so you either stood with drink in hand or waited to pounce when someone left. The other was cold, it was very chilly in the main lounge so make sure you keep some warm clothing handy The formal was a stand out for us, You begin in the theatre where you're entertained by The captain was of form as usual before going into the restaurant. Read Less

We haven’t cruised before and wanted to celebrate our anniversary so we went for a low end weeks cruise as a taster with Marella Dream, with no exaggeration from the airport going to the airport coming home it was fantastic, boarding the ship on the first night we were really impressed with the friendly staff and condition of the ship, every day after just got better and better with super entertainment, friendly staff, top restaurant food, we met lots of new friends and thought the whole ship had a great atmosphere, we would have a great day on shore then always look forward to getting back on board. We especially liked the Orion restaurant, tides bar and waters edge, all very fancy and drinks are lovely, we didn’t need to upgrade to premium from all inclusive. Our cabin was larger and nicer than expected and very comfortable indeed. We assumed we were booking a inferior cruise maybe being a bit snobby but we couldn’t be more wrong it was exceptional value for money and a top experience. How this cruise would compare to p&o or Royal Caribbean I don’t know but cannot wait to find out as there’s no going back from this. Read Less

We decided to shorten the British winter with a cruise to the Canaries . However when boarding the ship we realised just how old and underwhelming she is . The public rooms were fine . The cabin we had on Deck 4 (outside) was dark , and the carpets looked dirty . The window was rusty on the inside and looked like it had been glued back in and never been painted for years . Our steward was sometimes available but we never really saw him . We certainly did not have any "towel folding" in our room . The shower had a mind of it's own , either too hot or too cold . The bathroom is old and needs some updating . Food in Sirens was good and plentiful as was the Lido . In the Orion restaurant it was too loud , too jam packed with people and the service was slow . Public area Gents toilets were flooded especially on the Gala night . The ship had a 5 degree list when we had bad weather and large swell . Even though we were told the stabilisers were used , they were not too efficient . The elevators were slow and inefficient . We paid the extra upgrade to the AI which we used mainly in the Coffee lounge . All staff in there were excellent , friendly and polite . Nothing was too much trouble and they were very efficient . Our spirits were lifted when we went in there . On the whole , as experienced cruisers with other cruise lines as well as Marella Discovery 2 in 2017 we were very disappointed with the Marella Dream . To add to our cruise we stayed a week in Tenerife Costa Adeje which was good . Read Less

We booked a 7 night Canary island cruise. We flew from Bournemouth to Tenerife. Everything went smoothly. Once we got on our ship we were shown to our room. It was a good size inside cabin. We had 2 suitcases and it was a bit of a struggle to get the cases stored without tripping over them all the time. We always had a good night sleep. Hardly any npise from other passengers or cabins. Entertainment was brilliant. The Broadway shows were very professional. Other bars had different entertainment throughout the evenings. Finding a seat was a problem most nights. I find on sea days there could have been a bit more activities planned. The restaurants and buffets were very good. Most nights we dined in the Orion, with table service. The food was very delicious. The pool areas were busy but there were always free sun loungers. All staff was very friendly and always smiling and saying hello. The destinations were also very nice. Agadir is a very very busy and somewhat dangerous port to walk through so be prepared to take a taxi( we did too) All in all it was a really nice trip. Captain Alan has a great sense of humor Read Less

After reading a lot of negative reviews we thought a lot of them to be different to the time we spent on board Every member of staff from the Captain down to the bar staff waiters cleaners we found to be polite friendly and very helpful The Food was lovely always plenty of choice and tasty The ai drinks service was excellent you didn't have to wait very long to be served in any bar even at night when ship was full The Entertainment was spectacular all the young singers and dancers were fantastic The visiting comedian was excellent also Our cabin was lovely always clean with plenty of Tea and Coffee and clean Towels We had a Fantastic week and would definitely recommend this cruise We did speak to the odd person who wasn't happy about something but we think people expect everything these days Thank You Marella dream Excellent Read Less