We needed to go to Barbados and this cruise came up - 7 day cruise - 7 day hotel stay - at a good price. Tui's organisation was fantastic. From check in at Gatwick to disembarking - all superbly organised. We had an inside cabin which was in fact bigger than the one we had on the QM2! Yes there is a bit of a rumble when the engines are going but it actually rocked us to sleep! Deck 2 midships was a good location as not right over the engines. Captain was awesome - so approachable and freely gave his knowledge of the ship and our destinations. Staff very positive. Food average. Seemed to be a budget per course?? Can anyone tell me why ships run out of prunes?? They come in tins for god sake!! Sorry but found the entertainment a bit basic but on a 7 day cruise not really an issue. Read Less

Everything was perfect, You walk off the plane and onto a coach where you’re taken straight to the ship where our bags were waiting for us at our cabin. On return you see the immigration officers onboard, the queues move very fast, no standing still. Then we were taken from the ship to the airport and our cases were sent to the plane ahead of us so we didn’t have to carry them around with us, they will also look after your hand luggage for you from when you leave your cabin until you depart the ship, they give you clean towels and an option to use a cabin to freshen up before your flight. Completely hassle free. Cabin was very comfortable and quiet, spotlessly cleaned twice daily and the cabin stewards were so friendly and kind. Fantastic staff, so attentive, friendly and really make you feel valued. Delicious food with plenty of options. The restaurants were very nice and in the buffet you have tons of options, you have fresh food cooked to order including omelettes and create your own stir fries, pastas and pizzas where you can choose exactly what ingredients they put in your meal. The fresh salad bars were so good too with freshly made potato salads, coleslaws and bean salads to name but a few. They had branston like pickle, piccalilli, chutneys and all the usual condiments including HP sauce, Branded drinks and a great choice of cocktails. Even without the premium drinks upgrade. Twinings breakfast and Yorkshire tea and many other kinds of herbal teas, delicious fresh sweet pure orange juice. The snack bar by the pool had freshly prepared salads (Caesar, Greek, Asian, curried chicken, avocado, salmon and more) sandwiches, wraps and burgers, hotdogs, fries etc to grab and go. Excellent entertainment with so many different options to choose from each day and night, something to do whatever your mood. The Collective were absolutely fantastic and got everyone rocking! Plenty of fun, lively areas with great music and entertainment and also calmer areas if you want some peace and quiet to just chill out and enjoy the moment. Didn’t feel at all overcrowded, even at the busiest times there was always somewhere to sit in the shade or in the sun. You can dress to impress if you like which meant I got the chance to wear some evening dresses but if you don’t feel like dressing up you don’t have to. You’re treated beautifully whatever you wear. Unlike other holidays I’ve been on (where drunken idiots have spoiled it for everyone else with their bad behaviour and they’ve been allowed to remain in the hotel and carry on their behaviour for the whole holiday) if someone gets out of hand they are promptly removed from the ship, they have zero tolerance of violent or abusive behaviour, Brilliant! Like staying in a 5 star hotel where the view changes daily. I can’t see how they can improve this ship and it’s staff. We don’t know how they manage it but even on a ship with so many other people on board you are made to feel special, the staff remember you and treat you very well. We will definitely be booking with TUI / Marella again. Everything really was perfect. Read Less

Previously cruised on the Royal Clipper (twice) and Norwegian Star (not the best experience), so we have been on small and larger vessels. Tui package holidays have always been consistent for quality, so it was interesting to try their cruise option. Flights - very good, the system of leaving luggage at Manchester airport and not having to handle it again until it arrived at the cabin worked extremely well. The Dreamliner is an excellent aircraft, in our opinion better than Airbus offerings. Apart from some slow service on the plane (don't think there were enough cabin crew) and not much variety in inflight entertainment all went well. Very comfortable flights both ways. The ship - excellent all round. Large balcony cabin has plenty of storage and well laid out. Didn't find the small number of power points too much of an inconvenience, we always seemed to keep our smart phones and iPad charged. No other reviewers have mentioned a super innovation on this ship - the Navigate app. for smart phone or tablet. Much better than reams of paper daily news letters cluttering the cabin. Reception service was excellent, always attended to quickly and with a smile. Not many children on this cruise, almost adults only. No issues with food and drink on board, mainly used Lattitude 53 for breakfast and dinner and the Market Place for lunch. Tried Vista one night, the only time we had to wait for a table, but no real inconvenience, the food was worth the wait - the Parpadelli Carbonare was superb! Visited Surf and Turf once, again a real treat, the fillet steak and lobster combination was to die for, well worth the extra. Generally the food was far superior to Norwegian and on a par with Royal Clipper ( a totally diffent cruise experience). Didn't bother with the Premium upgrade, didn't spend anywhere near the £100 it would have costs, the standard offerings were fine. Service was always quick and efficient, we had no problems on this cruise. Entertainment was good, with enough variety for us. No problems with sunbeds as we don't like being too near the pools (too noisy). Always found a quiet spot, the Veranda wasn't all that busy and we could retreat to the cabin and the large balcony if we wanted. Just a mention for Alan and Linda - you've stirred my interest in ballroom dancing and am looking to take some lessons ashore, many thanks. Shore excursions - only tried two. St. Maarten got off to a bad start, over 30 minutes late starting and the tour didn't show off the island in its best light. We walked into the town in the afternoon and we saw a much better side. The Tortola land and sea exclusion was in total contrast, gave us a real taster for the BVI. Otherwise we did our own thing at the other ports (have been to St.Kitts, Antigua and Bequia on previous holidays, so knew our way around). All in all an excellent holiday, Marella must be doing something right as we are about to book another cruise on the Explorer 2 next March to see some other islands we haven't yet visited. Read Less

We chose the cruise to celebrate some special birthdays somewhere hot and sunny! We have previously travelled with Marella on their other ships and with P & O. Embarkation was super quick - off the plane in Barbados, straight on a coach and to the ship. The Explorer is a nice ship but lacks any wow factor. There is no central atrium which other ships have and we found this ship awkward to navigate as you have to go up/down a floor to get to some areas and remember what colour staircase you need to take! All areas of the ship were kept clean. Staff were always friendly and polite. Food in the dining rooms was absolutely lovely with a good variety and waiters were friendly. Only niggle with dining in the main restaurants was if you had to have a pager and wait for a table to be ready you could only wait in a small bar area as we were told the pagers would not work further away. This was crowded at times with very little seating so mostly standing while waiting for a table, so not overly comfortable. We have no problem waiting for a table but on other ships you could take the pager anywhere, so not all herded together! The Market Place was often really crowded at peak times (breakfast) and not always easy to find a table but food was generally good. Our balcony cabin was comfortable and kept really clean by our cabin stewerd who was always ready with a greeting and smile. The shows were very good but a little 'samey'. Felt there had been more of a variety on other ships. We booked some excursions through Marella which were as described and we were happy with what was offered. At some ports we took taxis which were a lot cheaper than a Marella excursion. Overall Marella offers really good value, you can do as little or much as you like, all staff generally seem happy and we would definately book again. Read Less

This ship is a real asset to the Marella line. It is really well run, spotlessly clean and comfortable. The crew are happy to help with a smile. There is a great choice of food, my only criticism is that a lot of the beef dishes were a bit chewy and tough. Having said that anyone who can't find something good to eat must be the most picky eater ever. Such a wide variety. We had a balcony cabin on deck 9, it was spacious with plenty of wardrobe and drawer space. The balcony had two chairs of reasonable comfort and a small table. There was a kettle and fridge in the cabin. Bath, hand and pool towels were provided along with face cloths. There were two pools, not large but big enough and quite deep. There was also 3 jacuzzi's. Plenty of entertainment to suit everyone. Good variety of drinks and cocktails included in the drinks package. Didn't bother upgrading to premier for more choices. There was enough. The premium cocktails were not that expensive at £2.50 a time. The champneys although expensive were fabulous. Paid to keep a room on last day at a cost of £ 35, wasn't really worth it, only allowed to have it from 10 til 1.30. better to pay £15 each and book into the spar where they have lockers sauna's steam rooms, hot seats, fresh air room and sleeping room. Fabulous place. Loved every minute. The shore excursions run by the ship were over priced. We tended to get the tours on shore from official operaters and taxi's. Much cheaper and really good value. The people on the islands we visited were really friendly. The only island we found that tended change prices at a whim was St Lucia but even there we enjoyed the tour. Read Less

We booked this cruise based on our experience on Marella Discovery which we really liked, and although we were aware that this was an older and smaller ship, thought that services and food would be of similar standards, how wrong we were.There was evidence of penny pinching(or nickel and diming)as our American friends would say, as soon as we entered our cabin, which I must say was quite spacious (outside and upgraded) there was no hand soap only a soap dispenser, no face tissues and the usually free safe was chargeable, in my opinion the company did not operate a "duty of care" in respect of security as the door key was clearly labelled with the cabin number to which it related. We had purchased a cruise with an "all inclusive" basis-drinks and gratuities but found the choice very limited, the wine available was a house red, white or Rose with the former being particularly dry and vinegary, if you preferred a bourbon whisky the only option was Canadian Club, Jim Beam or Jack Daniels was not included. We did not enjoy much of the food on board, breakfast was the usual fayre, there was good variety but the quality was poor, lunch and dinner again offered a wide choice of vegetables but some strange combinations of dishes and it is not everyone's preference to have the vegetables al dente, we were surprised no salad cream on an English ship!. Service from the waiters, assistant waiters, and head waiters was excellent- polite courteous and helpful. I would like to single out Gamal one of the head waiters who was most diligent in accommodating requests and always delivered what you requested. Entertainment options were quite limited with a main show lounge, a cabaret type lounge and a piano bar, the production shows were average, the band who played a blues/rock type of music in the cabaret lounge were very loud and on one occasion so loud I found it painful, they also played on deck reggae type music which I found quite pleasant. We have visited most of the ports before and have our favourites this was our first visit to St Barths and found it very pleasant but relatively expensive. We took only two excursions one in Antigua - Sun and rum which was not as good as the previous one with Marella at this resort-very poor facilities! and the Rhum Runner which is our favourite party trip, happy-great atmosphere and good music and dancing. I am aware that this review may be seen as a litany of complaints, however it reflects our perception of this cruise, the point that I am attempting to make is that given the cost of this cruise which was very similar to others with similar itineries and inclusive arrangements but offers significantly less in terms of food quality,entertainment and facilities. We did speak to a few other passengers who did like what was on offer which illustrates the point that you can't please all the people all the time. Read Less

1st time with tui excellent service from start to finish The flight from Gatwick was ok the food onboard was nice and we were constantly offered drinks Ship was clean In all areas Cabins were spacious and kept well by the stewards tea and coffee making in room No iron so pack your travel iron as they don’t lend you one they do have a laundry service I didn’t use it Shows were fantastic as were the singers in bars We had one night in the night club in bar eleven good night Staff were always attentive Waiters were plentiful and so friendly Food was of a good standard and always plenty to choose from The pizza in bar 47 was excellent There was even a barbecue on deck 9 and it was great The ship was spacious Late night films up on deck Something for everyone We didn’t go to gym or spa just peeked In The indoor pool area was really tranquil plenty of beds and seating areas The mini golf course and climbing wall was a great feature for kids and adults alike We met people from all over uk and Canada The smoking areas are outside on deck 4 and deck 9 We thought the staff were all very nice and friendly they spoke and smiled to everyone We didn’t do any excursions we went ashore and did are own thing Embarking and disembarking were smooth and efficient The duty free shop was really great value a lot cheaper than the airport My only complaint would be internet it was £15 per day I paid for 2 days but found It really slow I would recommend this cruise my partner and I really enjoyed it Read Less

My partner and I chose this cruise/ship to celebrate my 65th birthday. Lovely, clean ship and could not fault the crew. Our outside cabin on Deck 5 was of ample size for the two of us and was kept clean twice daily with towels changed etc. We ate in the Market Place buffet restaurant on our first evening which, as with other Marella cruise ships, had very average fare. Our intention was to eat in the main dining room, Latitude 53, for the rest of our cruise. Oh dear. What a letdown. The service was appalling both nights we went and didn't go back. Therefore, we were limited for choice. As for the Broadway show lounge, we found the entertainment rather poor compared to other cruises we have been on. And the two guest acts - "comedians" - were woefullly dire. But the sun shone (mainly) and we didn't allow the downsides to mar our holiday. Read Less

Background: We usually go with all-inclusive holidays, mostly with TUI First Choice. Lately we have thought that we spend too much time on the resorts and miss out on seeing much of where we are - hence the decision to go with a cruise. We chose marella as we are used used to TUI, and know their standards and the all inclusive is important - we didn't want to get hit with unexpected costs. The itinerary and ship were the result of research - we liked the small number of sea days, and a mid-sized but newly (partly) refurbished ship seemed ideal. Arrival and first impression: First impressions were fantastic - dropping luggage at the airport to next see it onboard was great, as was the get off the plane and straight onto a bus. Our flight was late (and was last of all the flights) so we were rushed on board and straight to muster drill, it was all well organised despite this. Cabin: We chose 9107 based on reviews (and paid to choose - but as a deal with booking extra space seats) - we wanted a large balcony so that we could use it if the ship was very busy on sea days, and its central position was ideal for stability. Central location meant its never too far to go up to pool deck or Market Place, and same not far down to bars and restaurants. I was very happy with 9107 - everything worked, it has enough room and storage, and got 2 cases out of the way under the bed. Cabin steward Prasetyo was brilliant, always friendly, greeted everyone by name, and learnt our routines to make sure the cabin was always cleaned and tidied while we were out. Dining: Market place buffet was just what I would expect from an all-inclusive buffet. There was always plenty of choice and I was happy to see staff always cleaning, and checking food temperatures etc. They also really try hard with sanitisers everywhere and strongly encourage guests to use them. Latitude 53 was fine, we ate here on dress to impress night and it was busy but we were given a pager and just had a few drinks while waiting. Again the staff were very attentive although busy, and my wife's drinks just magically kept being replaced without asking. The Italian in Latitude was great also, which a good choice, and attentive service. Kora La was a nice change and the food and service was worth the upgrade. The same was true of surf and turf - it was a very nice relaxed dining experience, and well worth the extra. The steak was brilliant - though the beef onboard everywhere was excellent - the sirloin I had in the Italian was gorgeous. The only slight niggle is pre-dinner drinks in aperitif - everything in aperitif is cost extra if you are on the std drinks package - just a small niggle. Bars: All the bars were excellent - I only ever had to wait a bit in the lounge on dress to impress night when it was really,really busy. Just about everywhere a waiter appeared as soon as you sat down and had drinks quickly. Even on the pool deck the waiters were constantly circling with trolleys of booze. I stuck with the std drinks package as it covered 90% of what I wanted and was happy of pay for the occasional cocktail (mudslide) and other drinks - like in the coffee port. I ordered what I felt like, and the bit extra I had to pay was still well less that the £200 to upgrade - but you may feel differently - read the menu online as make your mind up! Entertainment: This was the least impressive bit of the cruise. The team work hard, but the main shows were a bit lacking - Vocalists and the many voices of LIss Jones were very poor. Though rockology was great - so they can do it! That said the other bands and singers in the bars were great for the most part - especially the duo who were often in the lounge. It certainly didn't spoil my holiday - just a minor niggle that could be improved. Service: Service onboard was fantastic everywhere, staff were always happy to help. All the staff I interacted with from embarking/disembarking, shore excursion team, waiters, cleaners etc were all great. Ports / excursions: The choice of ports was good, though I think the paradise islands itinerary was a bit weaker. We did a mix of TUI excursions and DIY. To be honest I would do less TUI ones next time, as all of the ports had lots to do, and only the Antigua Lobster Lunch and Aruba Sea and see were really worth the extra cost of the TUI - they were the two stand-out excursions. Overall: A fantastic holiday, and now my wife wants to always cruise in future - so that says it all really! (And probably with Marella again as they match what we want/expect) I'd certainly cruise on the explorer again or any of the bigger Marella ships... Read Less

I think the Marella Celebration should be renamed the Marella VIBRATION!!! Its 37 years old and should be decommissioned . Stayed one week on the Cruise ship on deck 1 at the back of the Ship and am convinced the Engine room was all around us and on average got 3 hours sleep per night , we did complain and tried changing rooms but was told the ship was at full capacity so had no spare rooms , even in the lido restaurant you could see a few of the Tables vibrate. Besides the vibration everything else was good, the food and especially the staff whether they were the Cleaners or bar staff were brilliant. The entertainment eventhough not professional singers was good and certainly hard working. Only booked one excursion through TUi before we left but sadly that got cancelled so quite a frustrating week. The Captain of the Marella needs a special mention as he was a real nice person and very jovial. Read Less

Went on the Cuban Fusions followed by Pride of Panama cruises on the 29th January. After a rather farsical check in at Birmingham, with 12 available check in desks and only 3 people working it resulted in a rather long wait. Flight out again wasn't great as one of the toilets was broken which seemed to cause chaos! We were very lucky with ur landing as the weather was awful when we arrived in Montego Bay, however the Captain managed to land at the second attempt, unlike a flight from Gatwick that had to divert to Kingston! From here in the process was smooth, through immigration in Jamaica, on the bus, through the port check in and on the ship in circa 1 hour 25 minutes, despite the traffic being bad due to the weather. We were show to our cabin, a Junior suite on deck 8 starboard side, and were very impressed with what we saw. Bathroom to the left, with a bath and shower, then a large bed (2 singles joined together), a settee, 2 arm chairs, a foot rest and a coffee table then leading out onto the balcony which had a sunbed, 2 chairs & a table. We noticed most other balconies had 2 sunbeds however Im sure we could have got a 2nd one of we asked. Our cabin steward Nonet was fantastic for the whole cruise, always calling us by our first names preceeded by Sir & Miss, his towel folding was great and he was a credit to the ship. Now comes my only real complaint of the whole holiday, the life jacket drill. Scheduled for 18.30, then moved to 20.00 due to late flights, which is understandable. Our cases arrived by 19.00 (about 1.5 hours after getting on the ship), so we decided to unpack, go to the life jacket drill then eat. so we arrived where we were supposed to be at 20.00, got told eventually to go to Venue to wait. By now it was 20.15 and no sign of the drill commencing, around 20.25 an announcement was made saying it would commence 'shortly', finally at around 20.50 the drill commenced, which led to a rather hangry grumpy passenger who hadn't eaten! Ports - The first day we were at sea but managed to easily get a sunbed, then day 2 was Grand Cayman. Little tip here, as its the only port using tenders on the whole cruise it was very busy between around 9.30 & 12.30 to get of, so Id advise you hang around till about 12.30 (unless you are on an organised trip). Grand Cayman was beautiful, clean, lovely bars, vibrant but be aware, very expensive! 25 dollars for a bottle of cider & a daiquiri!! Next 2 days was Havanna, again the queues to get through immigration were crazy for the first couple of hours so we waited until around 4.30 then sailed through. You are right in the middle of town so can easily do your own thing. Final port of the first week was Cozumel, again you are right in the middle of a huge shopping complex, however we did the speed boat/snorkel trip off the boat. On arriving back in Jamaica we decided to make the most of the ship being very, even eerily quiet, to enjoy some downtime. Week 2 and first stop was Santa Marta in Colombia. Again you are around a 5 minute walk into the town, its a bussling town, you will get pestered lots however I didn't feel unsafe, there are a lot of armed police around. Its an ok town however my least favourite port we visited. Next to Caragena. Little tip here, if you don't want to do a trip or venture in a taxi to the old town, then go to the little zoo/gardens place right in the port, its amazing, with parrots, flamingos, lizards, monkeys, birds, and best of all free!! Theres a lovely little bar and gift shop there, and we had a great couple of hours there. Next stop Panama. I strongly advise you do an organised trip here or stay on the boat, as Colon is very very run down and there were warnings in the Cruise news to be careful. We did the aerial tram/Eco Gardens trip, and on driving through Colon its the only place we went were I really wouldn't have wanted to walk around! The trip was great, got to see the Panama Canal, a sloth in the wild which was the highlight, and also sloths in a rehabilitation centre. The trip is a must for animal lovers. The main trip they do here is the Panama Canal Ferry, however be aware this trip leaves at 6.30am and is around 8 hours long. Finally on to Costa Rica where we did the 3 hour amazon river trip, again saw loads of wildlife, more sloths, crocodiles, monkeys. Trips off the ship are pricey but in general very good. Entertainment - The shows each night were fantastic, and Nashville was one of the best shows I have seen on a cruise ship. So please make an effort to go. Guest comedians both weeks. Also live music in Live room after the shows, in the Atrium there was often a singer too. so plenty to keep you entertained & of a great standard. Food - Plenty of choice. Islands was great for breakfast, Snack Shack perfect to grab a burger, salad, sandwich, fish & chips on the go or sit down. The main restaurant is 47 degrees, with the upstairs Gallery 47, which also has an Italian section. The food was on the whole great. If you want a table for 2 you may have to wait upto 30 mins in busy times but they give you a buzzer so you don't have to hang around. The Italian has 2 menus which it rotates so we tried both of them and theres a different menu each night in 47. We also ate at Kora La, whoch was lovely but £22.95 per person, and in surf & turf which was absolutely amazing. £28 pp, however I had the steak and lobster which wa sout of this worl, so please treat yourselves if you like a steak! Bars - Plenty of bars to choose from however our favourite was Bar 11, up on deck 11. wed go there before dinner for a drink. They do 'smokey' cocktails which are great, and come served in either smoke filled glass boxes or jars. They are free if on premium AI or £2.50 if not. The atrium bar was also nice and busy, an we used to go to the Live Room after the show. Cabin - we had 8554, slightly further back than wed usually choose however due to the over hang, which stops at around 8544, we decided to go further back. Quite a bit of vibration at times however we got used to that, and also occasionally heard sunbeds being moved above us but nothing to disturb us. All in all a great cruise, a lovely ship, fantastic entertainment, amazing staff, including Phillip who will entertain you all day with his 'beep beep, room service, no card no charge' drinks trolley on the pool deck, great food and all in all great ports Read Less

We chose Marella Explorer as it was a medium-size ship, and our very first cruise 20 years was with Thomson and we were very pleased with that. Sadly our experience of Marella Explorer was very disappointing. The service in the restaurants was generally poor though better in the Vista restaurant. Rarely asked if we wanted coffee after a meal. The quality of the food was OK, with Vista being much better than Latitude 53. The buffet food was fine, but the background music was often intrusive. The surcharge for the speciality restaurants seemed exorbitant so not used. The entertainment in the Broadway theatre was not very good; the performers worked hard but with poor material, and it seemed that playing everything loud was the solution. Quite a number of people left because of the loud music. Alternative entertainmant on the sea day was sadly lacking. The captain was obviously keen to be "one of the boys" but daily apologies became an irritation. On the positive side, our junior suite was excellent as was the service from our steward, and all the crew were always helpful and polite. The carafe system of fresh water in the cabin was excellent and should be copied by all the cruise line to save plastic. Read Less

the ship was lovely ,the crew were friendly ,couldn't do enough for yuri ,the food was hot and always plenty of it, we stayed in cabin 901 deck one which at first i thought we was in the lowest grade but after talking to people on upper decks e,g deck 5 upwards we probably had the better cabins ,there was not a lot of noise at all ,you could hear the engines but not enough to disturb your sleep ,yuri the cabin attendant was so nice and nothing was to much trouble for him as soon as you left your room he was in there cleaning it up ,felt very looked after ,chocolates left on the pillows every night .the local people were lovely too,if you get off in the port they will offer tpp take you on the excursions at sometimes half the price ,we did a mixture of tui excursions and using the locals. highly recommend the st lucia all day land and sea excursion .entertainment was good for a smaller ship ,everyone who we spoke to who was experienced cruisers also said they much prefer the marella celebration it was a more friendlier ship ,yes some things need modernising but on the whole our cruise was so good we are going to book again for next year , Read Less

This was our first cruise and it certainly won't be our last. After a great flight on the dreamliner we were whisked from Barbados airport to our ship - the Marella Celebration. Everything was extremely well organised and we were in our cabin in no time. We had a balcony cabin on deck 9 - absolutely fantastic. It had everything you would need : toiletries, hairdryer, robes. Bed was very comfortable. The shower worked perfectly. Ronaldo our cabin steward was exceptional. He works very hard to keep everything in order. The restaurants were of really good quality. In the day we used the Lido - something for everyone here. In the evenings we mostly used the Meriden which is waiter service. Absolutely no complaints. It was great. Tried the Kora La once and it was OK. This restaurant has a supplement - probably wouldn't dash back. The bars are all well manned so depending what mood your in you can either dance the night away or watch a show or have a quiet drink. There's an outside bar on deck 6 outside Liberties which was a lovely place to sit and watch sail away. A big thank you to Bektur for keeping our glasses topped up!! The ports we went to were : St. Maarten, British Virgin Islands, St Kitts, Guadeloupe and St Vincent & the Grenadines. We took an excursion with Tui from St. Vincent 'Mustique Magic' wow wow wow - well worth the money. It was fantastic. Wish we'd booked the Death in Paradise excursion whilst in Guadeloupe as this was the only disappointing port. Never mind there's always next time. The weather was amazing. Yes there is vibration on the lower decks but to be honest you do get used to it. I have absolutely no complaints - so much so we're booked on the same cruise next Jan but for 14 days this time - can't give a higher recommendation than that. Read Less

My sister from Canada invited me to go on this Cruise with her friends. The ship was extremely clean. The Shows were awesome. There were many other activities including golf and rock climbing. Every night we enjoyed the entertainment. The stage performances were great. The actors did a wonderful job. I felt as if I was in New York without paying the price for the Broadway show tickets. The crews were outstanding. Food and drinks were delicious and non-stop. I still keep hearing the bell and Mr Spread the love. I met many interesting people. We had great times at Jamaica, Honduras, Guatemala, Belize and Mexico. I highly recommend this cruise for the perfect sized ship and outstanding crew. It was a peaceful and very enjoyable experience. I definitely will take another trip on the Marella Discovery 2 Ship. I thank the captain for a safe trip and the crew for their hard work and outstanding services. Read Less

Initially we chose this because it seemed like a good deal being a first cruise for thee both of us. We were very pleasantly surprised. The ship is not the newest, best, or the largest and quite frankly I’m glad. Our room was a balcony suite, good size and clean. Our room crew were so nice and helpful and that goes for every one of the crew we came across. The bartenders at the Atrium were fabulous and our entertainment there(Paul Greenwood) was very talented. There were more entertainers and all were good, but Paul was my favourite. The buffet was very good with choices for every palate. We did dine at the international and Italian and both of those were excellent. The service at both was impeccable. All the staff seemed to be happy at their jobs and paid attention to detail. We did not do the steak and lobster restaurant as we ran out of nights. We did talk to one person that was not chuffed by the food saying that — cruise line had lobster on the buffet every night and we did respond that I’m sure that cruise was a lot more expensive. Some will complain about anything. I however found absolutely nothing to complain about and will definitely recommend this cruise line to anyone! Read Less

This was over Christmas 2018 & New Year, from Jamaica with stops to Belize, Guatemala, Roatan and Mexico. Upon arrival at the cruise ship terminal in Jamaica, we found out there was a mix up with a lot of the Sunwing bookings. There was no room reservation for us, there must have been over 50 of us who had to wait to get rooms. We waited over 4 hours, and some waited much longer. At least they let us on the ship and had us waiting in a room instead of the terminal. Except the room they had us waiting is not big enough to hold all of us. The alcohol was flowing, I'm sure the drinkers appreciated it but we needed real food. All they had was some stale cookies and nuts. After we finally got our rooms which was not the ones we paid for we head down to Gallery 47 in the hope to sit down for dinner, only to be told the next sitting was at 9:00 and we needed some kind of invitation which we did not have. Anyway, the head waiter Jomar was kind enough to reserve us a table for 9:00 sitting (Thanks Jomar). In the meantime we thought we'll check out the buffet at The Islands to snack a bit but we couldn't find anything decent to eat there. The buffet was pretty disappointing. Sadly the 1st meal at Gallery 47 was not much better. I was thinking maybe I was just too exhausted and disappointed with our rooms to appreciate the meal. In summary, the food at Marella Discovery2 is mediocre. The Islands buffet did not get any better. Same spread every single morning, it got pretty tiring. For a ship with mostly Brits on board the fish and chips at Snack Shack was very disappointing. My daughter and niece had a bite of the burger and gave up on it. The wings and fries were good but you can only eat so much wings. We ate once at 47 Degree (Italian), it took over 2 hours for the whole meal which was also mediocre. The rest of the dinner were all at Gallery 47, it wasn't bad, but really have lots of room for improvement.. I didn't want to risk paying extra for the other restaurants, as I was afraid it'll be mediocre as well. Overall the food was quite disappointing. Us Canadians, are blessed to be so close to the Caribbean and have plenty of options including All Inclusive Resorts, with Cuba being the least expensive of all. It is a common tag line to see "you don't go to Cuba for food". Food in Cuba would have scored a 5 star in comparison to Marella D2 Exotic Explorer's food. All the cruises and resorts I have done I would say I would re do, except I don't, only because there are so many to try and experience. Marella Discovery 2 is the first one to NOT do again. Cabins #7119 & #7121 were not good cabins, we felt all the vibrations and ship's swaying and a very long walk from the center of the ship. #7121's AC did not work properly even after it was checked and supposedly fix. There is also a sewer smell that comes and go. Probably caused by the toilet flooding from the cabin across from us. Very thankful though that we did not have that problem, as they were never moved to another room. Room attendants were very good, they kept the rooms clean and always with fresh towels. Thanks Gogo. The itinerary was good. Excursions we did were all great, which I booked privately. All Inclusive drinks were plentiful, good and not water down. Entertainment was also good. Well, this is my take. Having said all that we still had an awesome time. Read Less

This was our 14th cruise and as we liked the look of the itinerary decided to give Marella a go after previously being loyal to P&O and Cunard. We did back to back Cuban Fusion and Exotic Explorer cruises so first the good points; The Premium flight outbound was very good. The nightly shows were excellent. The staff were very good, especially Tamara , A Macedonian bar waitress. Negatives- where to begin? Cuban Fusion should have been called Fusion as we didn't actually get to Cuba - apparently the port was flooded and despite the annoyingly self-congratulatory captain Jason Ikiadis announcing he was confident we would get there, his next announcement overturned this and we were condemned to another boring sea day - more of those later - and an extra day in the sinkhole which is Jamaica. The food was distinctly average especially in the 47 degrees main restaurant where there was very limited choice. Even the Christmas Day gala dinner was disappointing - we were rushed in and out in an hour and didn't even get a mince pie! There was very little to do on board unless you were interested in seminars about back pain, metabolism, wrinkles, bad feet etc - all ending with a hard sell of course. No guest speakers, no lectures, very few quizzes and those that were put on were hosted by staff with excruciating senses of humour and an apparent inability to pronounce the simplest of words. There was a carol service on Christmas Eve but even this was ruined by some baffling readings/poems which bear no relation to Christmas. No religious service as the planned Boxing Day occasion was cancelled owing to a 4 hour anchored stop while the ship picked up 13 Colombian 'refugees' who were drifting in the sea. All well and good but there was an appalling lack of communication while this was going on - my wife suffers from anxiety and for all we knew these people could have been pirates. Still it was another excuse for a 'look how good I am' tannoy announcement from the captain. Worst of all was the behaviour of some fellow passengers. There was a fight on the pool deck on the first night then on Christmas Day we had the pleasure of the arrival of 2 families of what I am apparently forced to call 'travellers.' These people behaved like savages, 1 of them threatening to 'break the bloody back' of a fellow passenger by the pool, and the teenagers terrorising bar staff by swearing and shouting at them and demanding alcohol. Unfortunately 2 of these people were in the cabin directly above us and sleep was at a premium because of the disgraceful racket they created. Complaints to reception led to warning letters being sent to them but these had little effect as we had 4 security guards visit our cabin at 2 am on the final morning. The cruise director and his assistants were juvenile throughout and the shop staff were unhelpful and unsmiling. The shops stocked neither deodorant or toothpaste. I could go on but I'm depressing myself remembering it! If you're considering cruising with this line do yourself a big favour and think again. Read Less

We chose this cruise for two things , first that it covered Christmas and New year, secondly it was going to Cuba. Flight from Gatwick to Montego Bay was good no problems , arrival was chaotic , wrong forms for immigration given out so had to fill new ones while standing in a long line. Embarkation at port no problem. Cabin allocated was on deck 2 with a large window. Good size with a sofa lots of storage space, good size bathroom with a shower , just shower gel and soap in there. Lots of hangers in wardrobe and able to hold full length evening dresses so no creases. good size safe , though this one need ed you to use a credit card to open and close it which meant you had to keep card out at all times. Kettle and tea and coffee provided also carafe which meant you could fill this at water stations near lifts meaning that you did not have to buy water. Water is not included in the all inclusive product but is if you upgrade to premium at an extra 99 pounds per person per week. we did not do this as the normal package was adequate. Ate in main dining room for most breakfasts and dinner, food at night was a bit boring, steaks when offered were not good, best steak was on last night. short on vegetables Could do better. Gallery 47 (italian) was good but service hit and miss. Glass house tapas good , pizza good, service again hit and miss also a lot of vibration here. Buffet ok but hate looking for a table only had a couple of lunches here and 1 dinner. Snack shack good for quick breakfast and lunch. used Veranda on deck 9 most days as had comfortable sunbeams (adult only) nice and quiet. Noisy round pool . Indoor pool area good but a bit stuffy on a hot day. Entertainment was the best a different show every night with very good performers . Venue had a good variety of acts with 4 actor staff all good , Katie, Jenny,Josh and Adam kept us amused every night . Live bands every night in different places plus piano players, guitarists etc all good. Staff in bars excellent especially Boris and Dejen who looked after us on the Veranda deck Information desk staff were not the best could do with more training they did not know their product , learned more from other passengers. Destination desk handed out maps of ports which were useless had to wait to get off ship to find out more. Felt that they did not want us to know more so that we booked tours through the ship. Do not book and pay for internet as its not good and expensive for what you get. Most ports have a bar etc with wifi etc. We missed Havana completely as there was a storm and ship not allowed to dock . If we had managed to get into port Havana was under 4 feet of water and we may not have got out again. Costa Maya was excellent pool, bars , shops etc all at dock Dolphins Flamingos to watch for free. Guatemala was one of the best ports , we took a local river tour for 40 Dollars fantastic experience , good guide (Herman) Roatan , again problems so did not go into Mahogany bay instead went into old port took taxi to West bay , spent day at beach @ 20 dollars each to include beds , umbrellas and wifi good value. Belize , went to St Johns cathedral as had been before and wanted to revisit, also Governers house which was still not open to public, was not 12 years ago either. Cozumel just wandered the seafront Ochios Rios spent day at beach as had been before. Montego Beach shade on ship had been before. Over all do not think we will visit this side of the caribbean again. Would go on Discovery 2 again if price and Itinerary ok Read Less

We were recommended by some friends who had previously been on Marella before it became all inclusive. Unfortunately it has now become like a cheap holiday camp that caters for grossly overweight chav’s that like to booze from the moment they get up and they made up about 40% of the passengers. The Pool deck was like a walrus colony and best avoided as was the buffet at the Market Place were most of the them ate as much as they could of the 3 star food served there. Money doesn’t make you a better person but manners do and most of these people didn’t have any. The good points were the TUI and ship staff who were mostly excellent, the efficient airport and transfer to the ship, good itinerary. There is generally plenty of space on the ship and quieter areas such as the veranda which has better sun beds with pads, however certain people would be up early to reserve even if they weren’t around all morning and no one enforced their policy of removing towels if left for more than 45 mins. The ship was refitted this year but it looks like a lot of areas were not touched. We had an executive cabin which was very spacious with separate lounge area, double shower and walk in wardrobe. There was a large balcony with sun loungers, hammock and table and chairs. The bed is quite firm and we did ask for a topper which was quickly provided.Our room was on deck 10 which is below the pool deck and there used to quite a bit of noise from the sun loungers being stacked or people running around in the evening. Our cabin steward Irena was excellent and always eager to help. The restaurants are not up to the standard you would expect, Latitude 53 serves the occasional good dish but generally average fare. Vista served one of the best lasagnes I have had but the bruschetta was terrible and the steaks were tough. The tapas and and Mediterranean were reasonable but the restaurant felt like a cafe. The Kora La and Surf and Turf are good but then you have to pay £24.95 or £28.95 extra per person extra so should be. Breakfast at Latitude was good apart from the long life juices. The sail away Caribbean BBQ was awful. The Head Chef really needs replacing with someone who can improve the standard of catering on the ship. The shore excursions were a mixed bag some like St Kitts scenic railway good but the Bequia coastal cruise awful as catamaran is really a small motorise catamaran ferry not one with sails which expected. After a trip to snorkel we were then dumped on a crowded beach with no sun beds or anywhere to sit for 3 hour and given a cheap lunch in the local cafe. The beach transfers were a waste of money and you are far better organising yourself. The shows are alright but spoiled by the female singers thinking that screeching as loud as they can adds to their performance rather clarity. The guest comedian Steve Terry was very funny and would of been better to see more comedians. Embarkation and disembarking is very slick and well organised. The Champneys spa is good although the gym is quite limited. With all inclusive most drinks are included but the cocktails are more like slushy’s as so full of ice and although you can drink unlimited alcohol you have to pay for bottled water or a special coffee which is really irritating. Based on our experience TUI seem to be catering more for the 3 star holiday brigade and we won’t go again which is sad as they do put in a lot of effort and have some aspects which are very good. However if you like to eat and drink for 19 hours a day baste yourself in the sun until lobster red lying right next to other overweight people this is the holiday for you. Read Less

We chose this cruise for my wife's 50th Birthday. Looking at some of the reviews beforehand we were a bit worried, but these fears were allayed by our own personal experience and we couldn't find any faults whatsoever. I would not dream of making derogatory comments on fellow passengers as everyone is entitled to spend their holiday as they see fit. I can certainly say that I saw no behaviour from anybody which affected my enjoyment of this cruise. So when looking at reviews I would recommend focusing on the average person's expectations, not specific gripes. I can quite honestly say that the food was fantastic everywhere, from the Market Place to Vista, Latitude 53 and even the burgers in the Snack Shack. Of course there were occasional minor issues with service, but immediately rectified with humble and sincere apologies each time. The staff all over the ship were excellent, very polite, helpful and friendly. The singers and dancers on the shows were amazing, especially the girls, no screeching to this musical ear! Both comedians were great, borne out by the fact that 99% of the audience were laughing. Special mention to Ellie, who sang to my wife on her 50th. Go and see Ellie and Ross, singer and guitarist - they are brilliant and have big futures ahead of them. We went on half a dozen excursions, all great. The Bequia cruise was a laugh with the rum flowing and Bohemian Rhapsody sung throughout (the boat was named Scaramouche). The Carbet Falls in Guadeloupe were amazing. My favourite Island was Martinique although it does have a traffic problem. We ate at the Surf & Turf on my wife's 50th - again a wonderful experience. The Explorer as a whole is a very comfortable ship. Couldn't see any signs of ageing, although we have nothing to compare it to, being our first cruise. So the message is if you are Mr, Miss or Mrs Average then you will enjoy this ship immensely and what it has to offer. We are already looking at our next cruise in May 2020 for my 60th and this will almost certainly be with Marella. Read Less

This was my 33rd cruise and by far the worst , food was very poor the main restaurant very slow and presentation was like a cafe, quality of food like a back street pub, reception a total joke 5 times we requested certain things and was completely ignored, but the most alarming thing was the attitude of the general manager who accused me of cheating at the casino even after cctv showed I wasn’t and made of with £80 of my money ,i also got food poisoning on the 2nd day and was confined to cabin for 24 hours after the doctor was pretty sure it was food poisoning but again the general manager didn’t agree ,I sent a letter to the CEO of Marella Chris Hackney nearly 4 weeks ago, and still no reply, as I said in the heading ....Butlins at Sea ....but that’s probably unfair to Butlins Read Less

We choose this cruise as it was available at the right price and the timing suited our schedules, we were not disappointed with any aspect of the cruise, there can always be improvements, check in at the ship on day 1 could be better but have had worse, cabin could have been a little more spacious, the all inclusive package offered a quite acceptable range of drinks, would be nice for bottled water to be included though, did not hear many people complaining throughout the cruise (there are always some) but having to pay for bottled water was mentioned. Good selection of places to eat with by and large good quality food, did not try any of the pay extra restaurants as was very happy with the others, the buffet tends to get a bit busy at lunchtime found it best to avoid at peak times. Could do with an earlier breakfast option as the first one opens at 7 am, 6 would be better to cater for early risers, could do with some improvements in the standard tea & Coffee making facilities Shore excursions are quite expensive and probably not worth the money, did find that the dress standards were lower than previous cruises with this company, not a move in the right direction in our opinion. Staff very good and helpful in all areas, based on our experience on this ship for the first time we will have no hesitation in returning to this ship, provided excellent value for money. Read Less

We chose this cruise for our honeymoon as it started in the Mediterranean and sailed across the Atlantic to the Caribbean. Can honestly say it was the best holiday of my life, however it was my first ever cruise so I have nothing to compare it to. We had an inside cabin on deck 4 which was quite small but I wasn't expecting any larger and we barely spent any time in the room anyway. The cabin was kept pristine by our cabin steward Isaac who was fantastic. There was a TV and coffee / tea making facilities. Shower wasn't great, kept going between hot and cold on the same settings, we didn't complain about this at the time but in hindsight that might have helped. At the time we just put up with it. Didn't get a great sleep on the beds either, they weren't uncomfortable but I think I was missing my own mattress. Plenty of choice for food and every restaurant we went to served great food, even in the marketplace (buffet style). Loved latitude and vista for our dinners, went to surf and turf once but didn't try other speciality restaurants. Loved having lunch in the Mediterranean, their pasta was lovely. Boat was a good size and there was always plenty to do around the boat which was important during our 6 sea days. They even put on some tournaments over the 6 days like shuffleboard and table tennis which was nice. Went to a couple of the shows and they were good, the cast seemed really professional, loved the movies show and had a few guest comedians which was up my street. Put off the pool deck as it was always really busy and I can't swim anyway. There was no children on our cruise but looked as though there was plenty there for kids. Service was generally good, sometimes meals and drinks were a bit slow but all the staff on board were really helpful and I have no complaints about any of them. All ports were great and had plenty to do, went on a couple of excursions organised by TUI, tour guides were very knowledgeable and made sure we had a great time. Came off this cruise and immediately wanted to book another, so we've booked a baltic cruise in July for the same ship. Can't recommend highly enough. Thankyou to all the staff who made it exceptional. Note - This cruise was perfect for myself and my husband as it was slightly more casual than expected, for those that prefer luxury cruises, this was luxurious by my standards but from what I've heard from experienced cruisers this was not as formal as others. Read Less

This was our first cruise and we were a bit worried what to expect. However we had an amazing time, From embarkation with the welcome and the organisation at Gatwick airport we thought it was excellent. The ship was immaculate, we had upgraded to a suite on deck 8 which was fab and we had a lovely girl looking after us every day cleaning our room, ironed clothes for us and had chocolates on our bed every night. The staff work so hard cleaning the ship, in the restaurants and entertainment, I could not fault it, we we really impressed. The all inclusive option is really good for all the drink and food options. There was plenty of entertainment and shore excursions if you wanted it, we tended to do our own thing when we went ashore, with water taxis, trips etc. One trip they sold in port on St lucia I thought was expensive for being left 2 hours at a beach with not much to do and a quick stop at marigot bay, and they only had a bit of cheap rum punch to give you. I would not recommend this trip ( this was nothing to do with Tui it was one we did independently) It was a great experience going in and out of port, leaving port in the evening with a glass of prosecco and the sun going down is perfect and exciting waiting to see where you are off to next. Grenada was lovely but a bit pushy when you got into port selling tours. Bonaire was a lovely island and probably the best for snorkelling. Overall would recommend the cruise, we also did the 7 day stay in Barbados at the Waves hotel which was amazing to top off the holiday again a beautiful hotel and would recommend Read Less