Marella Dream Review

4.0 / 5.0
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25th Wedding Anniversary Holiday

Review for the Western Mediterranean Cruise on Marella Dream
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annibear
2-5 Cruises • Age 50s

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Sail Date: May 2013

This cruise was chosen for the itinerary, on the dates we wanted to tie in with our 25th Wedding Anniversary. I had wanted to go to Rome since we were first married and now was my opportunity. We had a deck 9 deluxe cabin which had some free ironing and a free breakfast in bed included but mainly was just lovely and spacious. Some people have complained that these cabins are above the Medussa Lounge and are therefore noisy but although you could hear some noise from around 6pm it was generally not an issue and we never heard any sound after midnight (I hate noise and always request a quiet room so I don't think it would bother most people unless they were in bed poorly!) The sunbeds being placed out each morning around 7.30 might be an issue for those who like to lie in but to be fair we were up most days for trips and the one day we had a lie in I noticed the noise and promptly fell back to sleep! That slight rocking motion works wonders. Our bathroom had not been upgraded in the Platinum upgrade but was very clean and adequate - despite the mix of pink bath, peach toilet and cream basin. On our day at sea we had signed up to do a wine tasting course with Ferdinand our wine waiter - if you get the chance - do it! £7 for 2 magical hours with a passionate, knowledgeable and fun sommelier who was keen to impart his knowledge and help us make better value wine choices. Don't expect to sit and glug wine which they'll then try to sell you - it won't happen! The ports of call on our trip were Corsica, Civitavecchia, Livorno, St Raphael and Barcelona. Starting and ending in Palma. We enjoyed wandering in Ajaccio, Corsica under our own steam but were expecting a slightly more affluent feel. In both Italian ports we took 10 hour trips with Thomson as it was our first visit. Both the trip to Rome and the following day's trip to Florence and Pisa were well organised and very interesting with good local guides but both were very fast paced and tiring. The intention was to have a nice relaxing day exploring St Raphael to recover but as we returned from Pisa a spokesman from the ship made an announcement on the coach that the captain had decided the weather was too dangerous to anchor in the unsheltered waters off St Raphael and we would anchor off Villefrance instead. I did wonder why my husband's face lit up as the south of France is the South of France isn't it? Not on Monaco Grand Prix week obviously! A short walk to the train station and a return ticket for less than £6 each and we were on our way to the practice sessions for our first Formula 1 Motor Racing experience. Granted tickets were expensive and we could only use them for half the session as we had to get back to the ship quite early, but a totally unexpected bonus due to bad weather. "The best day of my life" was heard to be uttered by my husband - so thanks Captain! We did still hit the bad weather on the crossing to Barcelona that night but the crew did a fantastic job keeping the ship stable in the force 10 gale. It was a quiet evening as many passengers seemed to take to bed early and many had apparently taken ill but the night was much less scary than I was expecting and my husband slept soundly. The crew serving food, drinks and entertainment were unbelievable in the way that you wouldn't know anything was different - until you had to stand up!! We ate in the waiter service Orion Restaurant each evening and the food was always lovely, tasty and well presented. We also found the drinks package red wine very palatable and poured in copious amounts during dinner (I had to keep refusing!) I think that 2 things have made us return to Thomson Dream - the crew and the passengers. The crew are always happy, friendly, hard working and eager to please and the passengers are all so friendly. We ate with different people each night and sat with more still in the lounges and enjoyed everyone's company - so different from our experiences in hotels. We had a wonderful cruise to begin our anniversary celebrations and would recommend the Dream to anyone who enjoys good food, entertainment and company.

Cabin Review

Cabin DE

Very spacious with a good size wardrobe with full length hanging and a separate, open hanging rail with space for both suitcases below. 3 large and 3 small drawers, 2 bedside tables with drawers and a open storage space/table.A long settee, two chairs and coffee table.2 full length mirrors and a large mirror over dressing table (with seat and good lighting)Bathroom in need of update - pink bath, peach toilet and cream basin! Very clean and adequate size though.Wardrobe area and bathroom on entry to cabin and separated from bedroom/lounge area by second door.Quiet corridor, convenient for the upstairs of the Broadway theatre, promenade, Lido buffet, pool deck and 2 staircases.Some noise from Medussa Lounge from around 6pm to midnight, but not excessive.Some early morning noise as sunbeds set out for the day.No problems with being on promenade deck as mirrored windows mean cannot see in during daytime.Would recommend.

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