Marella Explorer Review

A disappointment

Review for the Mediterranean Cruise on Marella Explorer
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MikeDoncaster
6-10 Cruises • Age 70s

Rating by category

Cabin
Value for Money
Embarkation
Dining
Public Rooms
Service

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Sail Date: Sep 2018

We chose this cruise because of the ports of call, either those we had not previously visited or those we wished to see. The ship was new to the fleet and so we had anticipations of a new experience, having previously sailed on several older TUI ships. As it transpired our experiences were almost all negative. Marella have gone 'all inclusive' and our feeling is that they have cut staff to balance the books. Whereas on previous cruises with them, the self service area at lunchtime had waiter service for wines/lagers, not any more, self service stations fill this function. At dinner in the main dining area (Latitude 53), the waiters gave the impression of inexperience, wine waiters were inattentive and had to be called to refresh glasses, indeed I am unsure if there were wine waiters, it seemed totally disorganised. The food was often a disappointment, there were dishes I enjoyed but overall my memories are not 'wow'. My wife was served carrots and cauliflower that were impenetrable to either knife or fork. The theatre, an experience we have always looked forward to on previous cruises, on this ship if you have any walking issues, arthritis etc, forget it. The aisles are all stepped, so folk such as my wife simply could not cope. Apart from that the spacing between the rows of seats is designed for the petite, also there are tiny, I do mean minuscule, oval tables on which to place your drinks. Any drinks are a hostage to fortune of those trying to navigate the row. If you were to sit in the Lounge bar during the day, by day a quiet area where you may wish to read a book or play cards, you could absolutely guarantee that there would be no service, you would have see to your own needs. On previous sailings on their other ships in a similar area, service would be available. The bathroom in our cabin was small, opening the shower door, it opened outwards, meant navigating the small remaining space between the edge of the door and the toilet. Drying yourself nearly always meant cracking your elbow on something. I'm not a big guy, just shy of 6ft, bigger guests I'm sure would be frequently unamused.

Cabin Review

Whereas on previous cruises the cabin stewards have always been very good, on this occasion, maybe because there numbers have been reduced, our overall assessment. I don't know, what I do know is that the carpet frequently looked as though vacuuming had been skimped. The same pieces of detritus would still be there at bedtime as had existed on going for breakfast.

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