We had been on the Marella Discovery before and even cruises on the sister ship Marella Discovery 2 last year. We decided to go on another cruise with my Parents and my Brother and Siater-in-law for my Parents 50th golden wedding anniversary. It started out ok with the only gripe was we were not able to book the Surf and Turf speciality restaurant on the day we embarked (11/10/2019), as we missed out with the speciality restaurant we went to the 47 gallery restaurant and the waiter staff were absolutely fantastic which was a consistent feeling when we dined. But this seems to be the only positive thing about the ship. Throughout the whole week the ship smelt of Fuel and a number of the Toilets were continuously blocked and smelly. The Balcony room was looking tired and used needs another refurb. The cabin staff were friendly but missed things when cleaning. The shows were very mediocre compared to previous Marella Cruises. I’m not sure I could guarantee I will cruise by Marella again. Read Less

Sadly where do I start . We had booked a deluxe cabin and to our shock we saw no deluxe at all, the windows were that bad we could hardly see out of them. The shower was that small with a shower curtain,not deluxe to me. No toiletries apart from a small soap and shower cream canister. we enjoy going to the restaurant , only the first night was the best after that we were rushed every night and the food was not always hot and the plates cold. The staff were rushing around and the tables way to close to one another and the staff were not always attentive. In the end we tried the buffet lounge which I have to say the food was much better and the plates piping hot. Entertainment was awful it was a comedian and then entertainment team no professional dancers. Service in bars were very relaxed , there seemed to be a lack of staff. Found out later that this was coming to end of season and some were going home. We had diesel fumes which circulated around the ship even in our room on deck 8. Later the captain explained there were complaints about diesel fumes , explanation from the captain something about doing something to the tanks to put in an eu directive on fuel. Seems rather strange to do this while there were passengers on board. I had to cancel a trip due to the fumes making me ill because I ahave asthma . This cruise was a very disappointment overall. If it was coming to end of season that should not have made any difference we still payed for our holiday which our ruby anniversary was spoiled all together. Would I go back on this ship no, it was more like a Butlins camp . I would love to hear from other people affected by the fumes. Read Less

We chose this cruise because it's the newest ship of the Marella fleet. It is not a brand new ship. Now to dispel some of the complaints posted on this site about Naples airport. Naples is a very small airport. If several flights land at the same time then expect delays getting your luggage. We flew in from Birmingham and we only had to wait 20 minutes. Someone from Marella was on hand to help us. Marella staff were on hand to help us every step of the way. There is a 10 minute walk to the coach transfer. Those who require assistance will be helped. Transfer to the cruise terminal took 25 minutes. We were processed very quickly and we're having lunch on the ship as our cabins weren't ready until 12.30. your cases will be taken off you in the terminal building and taken direct to your cabin. People have commented on the lack of sockets in their cabins. There is a phone charging socket on one of the bedside lamps, a socket by the kettle on the dressing table and a shaver socket in the light over the mirror in the bathroom. You just pull the flap down and it's under there. There is plenty of wardrobe space and a cupboard with drawers m The cabin is small but very comfortable. The bed is very comfortable. For those who wish to take a tuxedo for the Captain's Dress to Impress please do so. Several men took them on our cruise. The meals are amazing. In fact they are better than some I:be eaten in my home town. I hope this post has helped those passengers vho have some concerns as a result of some of the comments especially about Naples airport. O Read Less

Just returned from this cruise. We booked this primarily for the itinerary as, even though we’ve cruised quite a bit, we had not visited any of the ports on this cruise save for the departure port of Corfu. We also booked to get an experience of Marella’s move to larger ships, with the Discovery being the biggest we have cruised on to date. Overall the cruise was very good. The facilities on the ship are well documented on the Internet so I won’t go into too much detail, suffice to say they were of a high standard. A few pointers for potential Discovery guests and also the good and not so good points: Good: The staff were superb. Quick to serve, helpful and smiling. I did get to have a chat with the Master of the ship, Captain Chris Dodds, and it was apparent that he was proud of the ship and his staff, justifiably so. The entertainment crew were the best I’ve seen and the Broadway lounge is big enough and well equipped enough to allow spectacular shows to be delivered. All inclusive allowed beers and wines to be on draught in the self service restaurants so you could help yourself. As a consequence you weren’t having to wait to be served to have a drink with your meal. When going into the Broadway lounge for the evening show, drinks were served as you went in so you weren’t having to order a drink once in the lounge. This meant you able to watch the show without people waving their cards at the waiting staff and the staff having to serve drinks in the dark. The Galley 47 restaurant serves Italian dishes and was very good. I used it twice and was very impressed. My jury was out about all inclusive. I considered that that this did not allow the possibility of enticing offers for drinks packages etc for early bookers (which I have used before) but I’m beginning to change my mind. The way that some people went mad at the buffet meant that they have some of my share but, nevertheless, all inclusive allowed me to budget with confidence. Not so good: During our cruise, the main restaurant opened for waiter served breakfast at 07:30. For guests going on organised tours this did not generally give sufficient time for breakfast before the tours commenced. Hence these guests had to use the self service on deck 9, the result of which the self service got unnecessarily busy. This may be a bit unfair. The food was excellently prepared and served. I could not fault it but...... it was a bit safe. I though we could have had a bit more of the Mediterranean flavour. “Tailor the menu to the venue” so to speak. No criticism of the way the food was delivered but more Med, less English would have been my preference. Marella provide all guests with the opportunity to download an “app” which connects to the ship’s Internet (at no cost) and provides details of your on-board account, what’s going on, excursions, where to eat, etc and is, overall very useful. They also still produce the “Cruise News” paper which is left in your cabin during the evening turn down. The problem I encountered is that the itinerary on the “app” and the “Cruise News” didn’t always match up so you still ended up at Destination Services or Reception to verify the precise details. Just a bit of co-ordination needed for what was otherwise a very useful facility. Nothing to do with the actual cruise but I was seriously stitched up over the price, with the possibility of saving almost £300 for the same deal if I’d timed it right, having been enticed to book early with a discount code. I did write to Marella head office (as a long standing and loyal customer, of 20 years if you include Thomson), but my loyally and my comments were dismissed as “bad luck”. Marella/TUI didn’t even bother to respond using the same medium as I did, rather just an e-mail. Itinerary: Good (Santorini apart) and I’ve glad I’ve been. Santorini is too crowded and you end up watching out for the next gap in the crowds rather than enjoying the island. The cable car had a two hour wait to descend so I had to use the steps, past the ill-treated donkeys and horses, tied up with no water, one passing you every so often with a selfish tourist on his back, just so he can tell his mates he took part in the Santorini tradition (don’t use them please). In summary: This was our seventh cruise with Thomson/TUI/Marella and I do detect a change in the target clientele and company’s philosophy. Absolutely nothing but praise for the experience I had, but Marella’s move to larger ships, the subsequent escalating cost to support the all inclusive packages and the dismissive way I was treated by head office may cause me to investigate alternatives. Finally, one area that doesn’t get mentioned very often, my local TUI office (Newark-on-Trent). The staff in there are excellent hence I use them rather than the Internet. I pay a small premium but it’s worth it for the assistance I receive during booking and should I need to book any excursions or have any queries regarding my holiday. Well done to them. Read Less

This was our first cruise and was all we imagined and more. The ship has loads of character and yes there us some vibrations but I found it relaxing. The staff and food were fantastic. We could not fault anything. Our room steward Fernand was great and mad us several towel sculptures which I loved.I know it's not for everyone but we are now looking at our next cruise. We visited Malta which was beautiful and we would go back to. Sicily was ok but only as we did a trip to taromina as Catania looked terrible, graffiti everywhere. We loved Argostoli in Kefalonia and would go back there. We had a tender to shore which was very good. We did a trip to Alberbello when docked in Brindisi which was beautiful. Kotor in Montenegro was absolutely stunning and not to be missed. Looking forward to exploring Croatia for our week now. Read Less

I chose this cruise as it was smart casual as we dont like getting dolled up every night , we paid £3500 for 14 days in a balcony cabin , the service we got on board was excellent ie cleaning cabins bars and restaurants, even though we paid £1500 more than people with an inside cabin wegot no additional perks ie premium package was £100 each for 14 days extra all trips were extra we worked it out if you went on a trip every day for your trip you would pay between £1000 and £1500 extra for your holiday . there was no advice on trips that you could do yourself without paying for the trips out , which we thought was unbelievable we asked about a tourist attraction which we thought we could walk to and was pointed in a direction 1hour walking later we asked a local and it would have been impossible only by a car to get to and would take 4 hours. as for the ship there was only 1 bar you could get a proper coffee and that was after 1pm all other bars was coffee in geezers which was absolutely awful even with breakfast we used the free sachets of nescafe that we got in our room to make a decent coffee at breakfast no sachets available in the restaurants .. food and drink was excellent there was a 4 all inclusive restaurants all fab. as for the northern lights well the captain only mentioned once that they had made an appearance and wouldnt broadcast this in the cabins as somepeople didnt want to be disturbed at all so what was the point of going on anorthern lights cruise hence i was in the shower so couldnt hear the announcement. when we did go on deck 11 there was no bar open outside no seating people were just stood outside with a member of staff serving hot chocolate out of a machine in paper cups, its as though the "northern lights" cruise was secondary to being just on a cruise to norway we were extremely disappointed with this , it was just rubbish. the ship is good creaks in the cabins abit but as a ship it is good . we cant say anything about the shows as we didnt go to any as we only got out of restaurant at 9.45 . would have been lovely to go to Stavanger at night instead of sailing off as it looked great for a night out as being on aship for 14 days can be very mononotous all in all it was good but not upto our expectations for the money we paid out , we shant be going on another cruise personal choice for us . Read Less

As soon as we stepped on the ship we really liked it. Everywhere is light, bright and airy. Our cabin was 1130 right at the back and was very quiet. The cabin had more storage than we have ever had before and the bathroom was clean and bright with a good shower, always plenty of hot water. The bed was very firm which were great for us and the balcony was a good size. We mostly ate in Latitude or Vista and never had a bad meal nor did we have to wait long. Liked the Nonnas pizza restaurant for lunch and also the Beach Cove where they did hot sandwiches and a salad bar etc. There was also Scoops which did delicious Italian ice creams. We didn't try the pay restaurants as we didn't feel the need. We thought the shows were very professional and loved them all bar one but you can't please everyone. Liked The Beats resident group but weren't keen on The Vibes (the backing was too loud and you couldn't hear the singer very well, on one occasion she sang with The Beats' backing group and she was much better) We loved Danny and Jack who I think were called Swing Pin. There were also other good musicians around the ship. We thought the entertainment in the Squid and Anchor was very poor so we went up to Indigo where it was a lovely atmosphere. The service on the ship was fantastic, all the crew did a great job. We had lovely cabin stewards, Iyoful,Dindo and Jose who were so polite and always asked if everything was okay. The ports of call were all very good and the weather was mostly kind to us. Read Less

We have been on the Celebration a couple of times before so we new what to expect. The TUI flight was on time from Gatwick on the Dreamliner plane. The bonded luggage should be adopted at all airports as it is in Dubrovnic, where you check your luggage in as usual at the airport, and the next time you see it is outside you cabin door when you arrive on board, The same on return, your luggage is collected from outside your cabin on the last night and you next see it on the belt at the home airport. Last time on the Celebration we checked in on board and it went very smoothly, this time we checked in in a shed at the dockside and it was chaos, queue, queue, and more queues. Our cabin was 203, a de-luxe cabin on deck 6 right at the front of the ship looking foreward and was very quiet. We ate breakfast and lunch in the Lido, and dinner in the main dining room and found the food and service excellent. The waiters now serve the wine as well, and that kept flowing nicely. We were not pestered at all to upgrade to the premium drinks package as the standard package was adequate for us, nor were we pestered to have photos taken we just said 'no thanks' and were left alone. We did dine at the extra payable 'Kora La' restaurant one night and that also was excellent. We only went on one excursion and that was to the Corinth canal trip from Athens, which included a boat trip on the canal which was amazing to think the canal was dug by slaves. We went to all the shows in the show lounge which included an excellent comedian one night, and he returned the next evening for a late night 'adult' session. It's a shame that the Celebration will soon be leaving the fleet, although it has always had its 'wobble' its always been our ( and lots of other people) favourite. Read Less

This is the first time we have been with TUI as before we have tried Royal Carribean once and Norwegian Cruise lines 3 times. TUI is up there with the rest and the holiday was enjoyable. The entertainment team were very professional. The food was good except in the Italian (perhaps we ordered the wrong dish) . The Italian was part of the main restaurant Lattitude 53 and not in a separate venue. The shows were good. The cabin was excellent and the biggest we have had. (we always have inside cabins). My criticisms of the ship would be the Coffee Port and the Golf bar. Both of them having no atmosphere whatsoever. We were on the premium package so we could anything we wanted from the coffee port, however you could only have a fancy coffee with Tia Maria etc. after 6 pm. Why when we are on premium package. We should be able to have a nice coffee when we want one. The Coffee Port is massive and has no atmosphere and hardly any people in it, unless the weather turns and then everyone goes in there. We didnt attempt to go in the golf bar. It was silly and again no atmosphere. To summarise, a good holiday. Will be taking a break from crusing for a while now though as I am tiring of the same evening entertainment which is generally the same format on all ships but having said that, TUI's entertainment was really good. Read Less

We chose this ship because it’s a small friendly ship this was our 4th time and it’s still a good as the first time we booked. The ship is kept spotlessly clean it is an old ship but staff are incredible. The food both in the lido and Orion was lovely always hot and well presented, also there is a hot stones which you do have to pay a supplement for but it was amazing. We stay in an inside cabin on deck seven our cabin was kept spotless by Suaib he was always smiling and so polite a big thank you to him. The show team in the Broadway show lounge were really good. There are lots of different bars to suite every age waiters remember your name after one day amazing. We spent a lot of time in the waters edge as you can sit on deck and waiters come out and serve you. Thanks to Pluto and Carlos who worked really hard. There is lots going on all day games quizzes and music if you want it big thank you to Shayne the cruise director Rachael and David for always having time for a chat and making us all so welcome. Also Aaron who was with us the first week. Also as we were leaving Captain Steve was on the port saying goodbye to every person leaving the ship. Thank you all on the morrella dream for a fantastic holiday Read Less

This was my first cruise. After being delayed by 2.5 hours with a Tui flight we joined the ship 30 minutes before departure. On boarding we made our own way to our room and after paying £48 for a specified cabin with a double bed. We were disappointed to find 2 singles. No time for photographs on boarding. All the restaurants were shut, so after a journey time of 9 hours we went upstairs to our only choice the buffet The captain and team knew some flights would be late joining the ship but nobody at TUI cared. Arriving in the Islands buffet we were presented with 2 stale cold dishes of vegetable curry and o e dish of cold rice. After paying £2300 each for 14 days this was very disappointing. The response from the manager was the snack bar opens at 12 midnight you can go there? The rest of the dining experiences were ok, we ate in Gallery 47 and 47. The food was OK but most nights the service was slow and chaotic. The food was never hot. One. Night we upgraded to the hot stone experience In the Glass House. This was a disappointment, 6 oxo sized cubes of beef on a skewer with some peppers. Our clothing became smelly from the in your face smoke. A good dining experience was enjoyed twice which consisted of six tapas and pizza, this was in the glasshouse. We upgraded to the premier all inclusive, however the drinks were no better than the standard all inclusive , the measures were.never full and most of the drinks were prepared in a back kitchen where nobody but the staff could see what you were actually getting. Each evening the Live lounge, and Atrium bar were full, not enough seats for everybody, this is bad, all passe gets had paid a premium but for.many there was no room at the Inn. The service at the bars was slow, with no order of whose to be served next. There was a nice coffee bar, however again the seats were few and far between and those available were hard and uncomfortable. The cabins are very tired and I would grade at 2 star. Our bathroom smelt of rotten eggs. Twice our floor wasn't hovered in the room. On the second week our sheets were not changed. They needed changing! All of the resorts were miles from the port and the time in the port was too limited to really see anything. Tui destination services are not helpful, they are o ly I tested I selling overpriced tours and that is the legacy of the product. On leaving the ship the coaches were a circus to the airport and the luggage was where's Wally of the suitcase world. The one good thing I can say about TUI is they have the most amazing staff fro. Foreign shores, the British TUI staff are nothing but sales reps. The thing that spoilt it for.me was the boarding, late on board bo food, no welc9.e.drink, no apology and nothing to appease the awful start to this not cheap cruise. Try another cruise company whose ships are not tired and dated instead of.Butlns by Sea. Read Less

Marella have embarcation and disembarcation off to a T in Palma, very smooth well organised. D2 nice ship, immaculate thro out but for us didn't quite flow right from area to area, felt disjointed imo needs some rearranging, eg coffee port needs moving to deck 5 and move reception etc to where it is on 7, get rid of tapas and food in glass house and put Spa in there instead of opposite end of ship? Atrium underwhelming ditch those red lights looks like a road traffic area. Night club area very small. Just very muddled. Staff, very good, always smiling and helpful.Big shout out for Anna and her amazing buzzing pager tree at Gallery 47 as well as Praestyn, Ella and Manfred. All the food we had was good and Surf & Turf well worth the supplement of £30 per head. Our only gripe was service in the atrium bar, from ordering a drink off a waiter it was taking 15-20mins for it to get to us at the table, maybe this was because people were going to queue at the bar to get served like they do on other AI holidays? Shows, excellent as ever with Marella particularly liked Starry Night and Putting on Glitz. Very professional fab costummes. Cabin see below. Ports of call, Naples stayed on ship been 3x already, Sardinia took Tui trip to Porto Cervo which was ok but wished we had stayed in Olbia and done our own thing, Livorno, done Tuscany to death already so stayed in port did very good canal tour and wandered around nice city, Villefranche took the train to Monaco wow and Palamos an unspoilt gem worhty of a land holiday very typically Spanish. loved it. The demographic of people on D2 was completely different to that on Ex2 earlier in the year, lots of groups of 6 -8, very few kids, more tattooes than the Royal Navy and that was just the women! very varied from all age groups. D2 would we go on her again, probably.....if there was an itinerary we wanted to do but think we'll be going back to the Explorer ships as we preferred them. All in all we had a good holiday and enjoyed ourselves and would recommend Marella. Read Less

Just back from a brilliant week on the Discovery 2. This was my first cruise and choose the ship for the itinerary Cosmopolitan Classics which was a great itinerary. Loved all the destinations. I pre booked excursions which were all very good especially the wine tasting in Tuscany which I would highly recommend. The ship was stunning inside and had everything you could possibly want from a selection of restaurants and bars to choose from. You received an information page every night which included the time the ship was in port, a little about the destination, entertainment on that day and a little information about different staff on the ship. The captain was captain Chris who every day talked over the tannoy to give the guest information about the port, which deck you could disembark from, the weather and any other relevant information. He was always very friendly and encouraged guests to approach him if they had a question at any time. The staff are very friendly and helpful through out the ship and made the experience even more enjoyable. Especially the staff in the restaurant 47° who could never do enough to make sure you were happy. There is entertainment throughout the day. The evening entertainment is very good and the entertainment staff very friendly especially Sean he made a effort to always have a chat or get us up to dance. We paid for the premium package which was great you could have anything to drink at no extra cost. We had an inside plus cabin which was spacious however next time we would upgrade to a balcony as it made a big difference to us not having natural light especially at night as it’s pitch black. The housekeeping staff were excellent always friendly and cleaned the cabin to a high standard and always left a towel animal and chocolate at night which was a lovely touch. This cruise was a great first experience and I looked forward to future cruise on the Discovery 2. Read Less

my wife and myself have just returned from a dream holiday on marella discovery 2 as my title says a dream of a life time the ship was very clean our cabin steward alicia was a star there was nothing she wouldn't do to make your trip great the food was out of this world and so many dining places to eat at and so many shows to see over the week the services were brilliant by all the staff on board ship we will definitely be travelling with marella cruising again they do cater for the disable people and the shore excursions were places that we would not normally had thought of visiting the easy pisa tour we both enjoyed and i always wanted to go to monaco the waiters bar staff and the cabin stewards couldn't do enough for you very polite and friendly there is not much more that i can say but to thank marella cruise for a great holiday Read Less

We have travelled with many cruise companies mainly British one US & one Italian we chose this cruise mainly because we have never travelled to this part Europe .We were very impressed with the service in the restaurants mainly the 47 the service and food was excellent in every way as we ate there all the time even for breakfast & lunch times as it was impossible to find any where to sit in the upstairs buffet and also other guest seemed reluctant to share or talk to us (it must be a British thing ).I did notice that other guests reserved seating in the bars and theatre of which I found very frustrating as it is not allowed on the P&O ships as they endorse strict rules of which are enforced by security personel. The entertainment was of a very high standard with a very good selection of shows we only missed one .The only complaint that I have was that in the cabin for some reason there was a double bed in the middle and also a two seater settee on the side of which made it a bit cramped .We will always travel with Marella cruises in the future as even embarkation & disembarkation was simple. Read Less

OUR FRIENDS HAD PREVIOUSLY BOOKED THIS SHIP LAST YEAR TO RENEW THEIR WEDDING VOWS - we only booked on the sat before we sailed on the Thursday and it was the Best ever cruise we have had - we have sailed with P & O to the Caribbean and done three cruises on NCL - which we thought were unbeatable ..............BUT MARELLA CELEBRATION BEATS THEM ALL FOR VALUE FOOD AND ENTERTAINMENT - YES IT MAYBE NOT AS GLITZY AND GLAMOROUS AS PREVIOUS SHIPS WE HAVE SAILED ON ...BUT MY GOODNESS IT MADE UP FOR THAT IN SUCH PERSONAL WAYS .....here's to the next Marella cruise The food was excellent in both the Lido buffet and the Meridan Restaurant - I have never experienced such friendly staff - everyone said Hi or Hello and this made us feel even more welcome - the duty free shops were small but excellent value and finally the entertainment team worked so hard - they were fabulous and the guest singer Richard Hadfiel was truly amazing so much so we attended both the shows he performed on .....All in All well done Marella cannot wait to book the next one Read Less

The only bad thing about the cruise was that we only booked 7 days, I didn’t want to leave and felt envious of the other passengers who had another week. The itinerary was perfect, visiting great places including Venice, Koper, Dubrovnik, Split and kotor. We loved Croatia and will certainly return. On board the service was perfect and all of the crew did a fantastic job from the housekeeping staff to the Captain. We honestly loved every minute, the food was great, the drinks service brilliant and I can’t begin to say how awesome the entertainment was. Katie stole the show, I’m sure she must be solar powered (I’ve never seen anyone with so much energy). Each one of the entertainment team we’re fabulous, Chessie singing as we left Koper was just outstanding, I was a blubbering wreck. We were serenaded out of Venice too. The shows and quizzes were a big favourite of ours, each one such fun. A special mention to Dean too, what a lovely lad, but then again all of the team were. We even managed to get out if the escape room (with lots of clues) it was so well planned. We had the most magical time on board, so a big, huge thank you to everyone on Marella Discovery. Read Less

just back from what was supposed to be a fantastic cruise due to the itinery which was brilliant, pity we cant say the same about the ship, where do you begin, having got to our cabin the dissapointment began although relatively clean the cabin was tired looking and in need of a refurb, this was supposed to be a delux balcony cabin not the words id choose but anyway the next day at breakfast we went up to the buffet restaurant and there wasnt a table to sit at ! we wandered round f or 10 minutes trying to find a table which we grabbed as soon as one was vacated, dont know why we bothered as the bacon was like leather and the eggs void of any taste that resembled an egg, i lived on cereal for the next fortnight, so dismayed at the breakfast we thought we would grab a sun bed with it being a sailing day, boy were we optimistic not a sunbed in sight, with 1,800 passengers there was probably enough sunbeds for a small fraction of that number we couldnt even find a table and chairs in the sun and this was the scenario for the whole of the fortnight. next we thought we would drown our sorrows, chance would of been a fine thing as the alcohol was weak or watered down, and so to the evening meal ... yes youve guessed queues down the corridor and when you got to the front we were told on several occasions oh you will have to take a pager we will call you when there is a table available, one night it was 10.0 clock we were having our evening meal which we complained about to the restaurant manager but we were ignored . this cruise cost us over £5500 and wasnt worth even half that, to sum up the ship takes on too many passengers than what it can cope with and will certaainly not be booking again wiyh them but will be oing back to p&o who are excellent cruise providers. Read Less

We chose this cruise for the itinerary which was very good.We travelled to Southampton with Inter cruises who were very professional with no problems,but on arriving we had to queue to receive the luggage tags then again to get port side with only one desk open even the ladies on the desk were complaining then again to get checked in where there was a "technical" problem with the computers-it took over 2 hours to get on board and it's the last thing you need when you've been travelling for 5 hours. We liked the ship with lots of space it was bright and clean.I booked our cabin 8004 as it looked bigger and we weren't disappointed it was huge.With Steward Prasetyo and team we were well looked after and nothing was too much trouble and surprised us with amazing towel sculptures. We had breakfast and lunch in the buffet and there was a good selection to please everyone,evening meal was in the main dining room and the meals were well cooked and beautifully presented again we were well looked after by Noel,Freddie and Vladlena? "The A Team" Entertainment was varied with something for everyone and we enjoyed going to the cinema a few times as well. Our favourite place for a drink was the Lounge after the show -a special mention for Alice who was a star. All the staff we encountered greeted you with a smile and they're all a credit to the company.We enjoyed daily announcements by Captain Peter -he's certainly got a sense of humour especially when explaining that we'd just got through a severe storm but now it 's just a storm-we were on deck 8 and the waves were hitting our window!! We enjoyed all the ports of call on this trip but again we were plagued with the dreaded queuing getting off and back on the ship Disembarkation was a breeze thank goodness very well organised We will certainly cruise with Marella again if the ports of call are what we want. Read Less

The itinerary and time of year are main reasons we chose this cruise and it did not disappoint. The crew and staff all so kind, helpful and humorous and most importantly skilful whatever their role. Special thanks to Willy and his team who kept our spacious room so tidy and clean and yes the monkey towel sculpture hanging from a mirror did make us jump. We enjoyed our meals in Latitude 53 and the Market Place for snacks. The Italian restaurant Vista came highly recommended by other guests but we only had the chance to visit once as so popular. Embarkation and security checks took a while but disembarkation was straightforward. The only disappointment was slight problems with most of our trips but they did not spoil the enjoyment of the trip...for us but did for some . Plenty going on throughout the ship and we especially enjoyed the evening shows but they did come over as very loud and the music was all very much the same whatever show they were performing but nevertheless, some very talented musicians and dancers. Read Less

First the good points. 1. Terrific stage shows 2. Friendly crew (apart from Zak the barman who thought he was a comedian but, was just annoying). 3. Damjano on reception is an absolute star. 4. Lovely destinations. Now the bad points. 1. Awful smell of sewege in cabin (1014), which could not be resolved, even with a deep clean of the drains. After a week, we were given another cabin, which was directly above the reverse thrust engines, that made the cabin rattle every morning at around 5.30, for about 30 minutes. 2. Sun loungers always reserved. Never saw any towels removed, even though it was threatened. 3. Food, especially breakfast, was never hot. 4. Some passengers seemed to be straight out of Weatherspoons. 5. Can only get desert cocktails when eating in Surf & Turf. Having been on Explorer 1 in March, we feel that Explorer 2, although newer, was much, much better. Read Less

I've cruised once before on the discovery 2 and enjoyed so had high hopes for this "new" ship and could directly compare. On the Explorer 2 there was the same great entertainment, more choice in sunbathing areas (loved the Veranda), bars (loved Flutes) and restaurants (loved Nonnas! + the terrace was a nice extra) and although the food in Latitude was good but it definitely wasn't nearly as good as it was on Discovery 2 which was disappointing as last time that was a real highlight. The coffee choice had been removed from the buffet restaurant (apart from Nonnas) so if you wanted say a latte you had to purchase it from the much expanded coffee port - which was at least an extra € a cup more than the price shown between 07:00 and 10:00!? I couldn't find anywhere that had this information until they told you at the till. Although I had a great time and enjoyed the ship I think I'll be trying another cruise line next as Marella aren't improving overall. Read Less

The Marella dream is a very old ship and it shows and there a lot better more modem ships out there so it dose seem very basis there’s a lot of vibration and juddering when at sea and all sorts of creeks at night which is a bit alarming of your not used to it However value for money you can’t knock it the crew keep the boat spotless clean and could not do enough for you , the food was only ok at best but the was know shortage Morning noon and night as so with the drinks tui do a upgrade drinks package at £50 pp/pw but it’s really isn’t worth it you’d have to be a boarder lone alcoholic to make it worth while to get your money back entertainment was a bit hit and miss but overall not The thing with tui is what pay includes everything there are no extras so no need to spend anymore if you. Choose I’ve been on much better ships which cost a lot but this is extremely good value for money Read Less

Great food,fantastic entertainment ,but above all wonderful staff ! From the captain to the man cleaning brass fittings with a toothbrush , they all had a smile and time for the passengers nothing was too much trouble.We were concerned about some of the negative reviews but after a week of being made to feel special we wonder what some people expect.The Dream may be old but full of character,cabins are clean and comfortable,dining in the waiter served restaurants five star ! The service we received was second to none and equal to five star hotels we have stayed in recently but the shows are excellent and equal to any theatre show I have paid a fortune for and were the highlight of our cruise , the entertainment team deserve a big pat on the back. We booked shore excursions before we left but perhaps should have booked on ship but that's with hindsight,most were good but im sure our Barcelona guide tried to lose as many passengers from the trip before returning to the ship , So to sum up a very enjoyable cruise,lots of plus points and cant wait to go again. Don't be put off by the negative reviews,as a passenger just leaving when we arrived said "You are gonna love it" Read Less

My partner and I had cruised before on one of royal Caribbean ships and said we would give the d2 a shot as it was handy for us to get to Palma and so on we had a balcony cabin it was nice We are in the islands restaurant it’s great for breakfast and lunch but not dinner it’s seemed by the time you fit your food found a table the food would be cold. 47 & gallery 47 the food was very nice and staff were nice The pool area was nice and relaxing except every day the entertainment team would do quiz games and were really loud I personally don’t like that and I thought it was too noisy it seem to be a big hit with the British guests but you should rage into account not all guests on board are British. It was the one thing I hated every day I like to relax. The staff are very friendly and our cabin girl HANNAH we stayed in cabin 6600 from 31/08/19 she was brilliant nothing was any trouble The one other staff member that really stood out too us was MOKA the lounge bar mAn in the live bar by night and pool bar by day I have the say he was brilliant Read Less