Wouldn't Rush To Book Another Marella Cruise

This was our first cruise, so not sure what to expect, and obviously nothing to compare with, so these are just our personal thoughts . . . . .

Our Junior Suite (8078) was really lovely - see below review

Islands Buffet we didn't like at all and tried to avoid at all costs! Never seemed to be enough seats at breakfast, and if you were lucky enough to find two - you had to take it in turns to go for breakfast so table was never left unattended and 'taken' by somebody else!

Gallery 47 & 47 Degrees were nice, and the Surf and Turf was well worth supplement - you felt as though you were on a totally different cruise, just lovely such a nice, peaceful and calm atmosphere!

'Dress to Impress Night' felt a bit flat - we saw some couples where the ladies had dressed up and yet their partners were in t-shirt, trackie bottoms and trainers?! Some people (including ourselves) did make the effort, but really we just thought it felt pointless overall.

The day at sea was predictably a case of wandering round trying to find two sunbeds without towels 'reserving' them! Pool area / deck just felt really cramped, soooo many children on this cruise that you could be mistaken for thinking the pool was a kiddies one.

Other couples we spoke to said they had never seen so many children on a cruise!

Staff we found to be a mixed bunch - the Filipino staff an absolute delight, they always spoke and had a smile for you, the 'Eastern European' staff rarely cracked a smile and came across as it all being a bit of a chore.

I get that Marella /TUI are trying to make cruising appeal to a wider market, but it just didn't feel quite right to us, almost one step away from a 'Butlins At Sea' Maybe for our first cruise we chose the wrong ship, the wrong time or the wrong itinerary and should have gone for something slightly more formal, but we won't be rushing to book another Marella cruise again!!

Anybody who knows me, knows I love my holidays, but honestly I couldn't wait for the week to come to an end and get off!

So sadly Discovery 2 was not for us, and in all honesty I would be very careful who I would recommend it to!

Really lovely, a lot more spacious than expected, loads of storage space.
Slippers, robes, coffee machine, fridge and safe provided - but any mini bar items were charged to acc even if AI.
Balcony had table, two chairs and one sun lounger.
Kept absolutely spotless by Salhini, and he even had time to do some 'towel art' a couple of times, which made us smile!