Marella Discovery Review
Rating by category
Additional details
We had a super holiday on the Tui Discovery which we had selected based on the ability to directly fly to Barbados and the itinerary of the islands we visited over the 14 days. I was initially a bit worried that is a 20 year old Royal Caribbean ship that had been modernised however the ship was really nice, modern and well kept. In fact it was a slightly smaller ship than we have been on previously with other cruise companies which meant it was easier to get around and you didn't have to bother waiting for lifts etc.
Another big plus from our perspective with this ship was that the drinks prices were very reasonable indeed (almost UK pub prices) which unlike with other cruise companies you didn't have to pay through the nose for your drinks. This meant we didn't have to go through the rigmarole of trying to smuggle bottles of wine like we have done on our past cruises!!
We mainly ate in the 47 Degrees and Gallery 47 (the Italian) restaurant and the quality of the food was on the whole very good. There was however the occasional course for which the portion sizes were either a bit on the small size or not quite up to standard but this was in the minority. We also ate in the Hot Stone restaurant which was very good and one night we ate in Kara Le the Asian restaurant which was excellent. The service in all the restaurants was good with some excellent individuals but there were a few waiters who probably needed some extra training in my opinion.
Cabin Review
Very nice balcony cabin with double bed and small en suite. Kept immaculately clean by our room steward who threw in some novelty towel animals from time to time. My only very minor criticism would be there needs to be some extra shelves in the bottom of the wardrobe. But this is hardly a showstopper!
Port Reviews
Tortola
Took a taxi to the lovely beach of Cane Garden Bay with its beautiful sandy beach and giant pelicans flying around. One of my favourite ever beaches!
St. Maarten
Took a taxi the the French part of the island and visited Marigot which is a nice quaint town with a lovely harbour, ramshackled buildings and a colurful little market selling the usual old tourist tutt!
Antigua
We took a taxi to Shirley Heights/Nelson's dockyard which was very interesting and then onto the lovely beach at Long Bay. On return to St Johns we also stopped at the Viv Richards Cricket Ground which we had a quick look round
Bequia
A charming little island with a lovely beach. The local market here really does sell home made souvenirs which is a nice touch. Again we took a taxi to the beach
Barbados
We went to the Boatyard in Bridgetown which was really good value: $20 (Barbadian dollars) and you got a free drink, sunbed/brolly, taxi back to the ship and a trip out in the bay to snorkel with the turtles. Great value and a nice beach too!
Bonaire
If you want an amazing snorkeling experience then go to Eden Park/Beach. Tropical fish like you have never seen them!