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nancyneptune

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About Me

  • Location
    Scotland
  • Favorite Cruise Line(s)
    P& O, Thomson
  • Favorite Cruise Destination Or Port of Call
    Mediteranean

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  1. All good here Jim. Hope same with you and yours. That's good that the balcony cabins have been upgraded. The only problem we had with our cabin was the lack of storage otherwise it was fine. Had a balcony cabin on the good old Celebration. Those cabins were quite bit bigger than the ones on Discovery. They had a sunbed, table and two chairs. Discovery only had table and two chairs. Still we enjoyed sitting out with a coffee in the morning and a drink before bed. Hope you are lucky and get a good deal on board. Enjoy!
  2. Just stating the facts Brummijam. No need to be so touchy. It was my friends from Walsall who showed me the results of the poll. Quote " And it seems the Scots also top the list when it comes to trust too with 14% of people surveyed saying they find that accent most trustworthy. The Yorkshire accent is a close second at 13%" I love a Geordie accent. Could listen to that all day long.
  3. In a poll on British accents, Scottish accents were at the top and Birmingham accents were at the very bottom, lol!
  4. We are Scottish and drink very little. Terrible observation on your part but typical of some people from the south who think all Scots are drunks and are mean. You need to get out more. By the way you said they picked up free drinks. The drinks on Marella are not free. They are included in the price of the cruise and paid for up front.
  5. Have read very similar reviews on several cruise forums on FB. Very sad as we loved our Thomson / Marella cruises but the decline started with the change of name to Marella and the AI. Surprised that there was a high proportion of guests from Scotland and the north of England as Marella have reduced the number of cruises available form regional airports. The few that are available are generally a lot more expensive than say Gatwick or Birmingham. We are really struggling to find something at the moment. P&O have great deals but can't be bothered with the journey down to Southampton any more.
  6. Marella cruises are more expensive than many other lines now. Not the good value it once was I don't blame you for looking at other lines. We are doing the same. Well done on getting a great deal with P&O. . It has been said that Marella don't meet the criteria for UK and Scandinavian cruises with their ships being older, but Fred and Ambassador also have older ships and don't have a problem. Tui Mein Schiff was in Greenock yesterday. Her third call there this month and she returns again in June for cruises round the UK and Ireland. Would love Marella to be doing the UK again. Marella seem to have a shortage of planes and are using other airlines for their cruises. Some good others not so. Have heard about a few horror stories with some of the flights. We had a very disappointing flight with Alba Star for one of our Marella cruises a few years ago and the Marella are using them again for some cruises flying from Edinburgh. Will give that a miss. Like you Dave we aren't big drinkers and don't like that Marella no longer give the choice to have the AI drinks package or not. Too many people only there to drink from morning till night giving Marella a booze cruise reputation.
  7. Hi, We have been on the Israel and Egypt cruises four times. Always been lucky enough to have our two days in Israel. Have had Egypt cancelled once and other ports substituted. Friends had Israel cancelled due to unrest and were taken to Turkish and Greek ports instead. Very disappointing when this happens but it is the risk you take when you book knowing that trouble can flare up at anytime in the region. Marella will always put safety first. Hope all goes well for you.
  8. Hi Jim, I think the cost of an upgrade would be the same price as the day you booked your cruise. At least that has been my experience in the past. We did upgrade from an outside to a deluxe once on the ship. Reception gave us a price and took us to have a look at the cabin. We didn't think it was worth the extra money. The receptionist said leave it with me and a short time later offered us a better price. Which we accepted. If there is still a number of unoccupied balcony cabins on board when you sail you may be able to negotiate a better deal Having had a balcony cabin on Discovery I have to say there is very little storage compared to inside and outside cabins. I would say if you get the chance to upgrade on board ask to have a look at the cabin first to check out the storage space and the location. Our balcony cabin was just along from the Coffee Port. Good location and very quiet. We loved having the balcony but struggled with storage space.
  9. Hi Jim, all well thanks. So sorry that you were unwell on your cruise on Discovery. Glad to hear all went well on Explorer and you got a great deal. It is a US cruise we were looking at. Decisions , decisions. Need to decide soon as not a big choice of flights from Scotland. Don't know why we are hesitating. Not like us as we usually make up our minds on itineraries very quickly. We shouldn't let the negative posts put us off. Enjoy both your cruises. Great to something to look forward to.
  10. Not been on the forum for a while but been reading reviews on other cruise forums. We would love to be back on Marella but been reading lots of negative reviews about staff shortages, slow service, poor food, boozy passengers and disappointing entertainment. Has anyone who has been on any of the Marella ships recently experienced any of this? The prices have really shot up since we last cruised with Marella. They seem to be more expensive now that some other similar cruise lines even if they do have an AI drinks package. We are not big drinkers and much preferred the old way where you had the choice to add the drinks package or not. Always loved our Thomson / Marella cruises but something holding us back from booking. Mainly the price I think. Lots of great deals with some lines. Confused. com !
  11. There is a shuttle bus from the ship to the town. Used to be free but may be payable now. You get dropped off next to the castle which has free tours We did this tour then just had a wander around the town. Just cross the bridge and there are some nice shops and cafes along the pedestrian precinct. Lovely to sit at a pavement cafe and enjoy a very reasonably priced coffee Some nice architecture. Cathedral & museum worth a look.
  12. We always purchase a meal deal airside to eat on the plane as they often run out of food and snacks on the plane or their is a limited choice.
  13. UK would be great. Being able to embark and disembark at different ports around the UK and Ireland would be a bonus. Other cruise lines do it but it's as if Marella can't be bothered to make the effort. The itineraries for 2004 are similar to every other year. Lets hope they haven't reduced regional flights for cruises any more than they have done for many cruises in recent years. Several cruises we have done from our local airport in the past are now only available from Manchester, Birmingham and Gatwick. Having looked at another cruise line similar in size to Marella, with Peel entertainment, which is cruising from the UK. Their ship is in Alexandria, Egypt today. Their itineraries are much more imaginative than Marella's. We have done Egypt and the Holy Land in the past when it was Thomson but Marella seem to have abandoned that Itinerary. Having cruised with Thomson / Marella for about 20 years We have done all the itineraries several times apart from the US ones. Considering booking the US but will wait till nearer the time as Marella have been known to change ports and they do not always keep people up to date with the changes. Communication isn't their strong point.
  14. That's the problem with insurance for the Caribbean. You have to have Worldwide including the USA. Can be very expensive if you have medical conditions to declare or are over a certain age.
  15. Hi Jim, A few years ago we booked just one week before departure. We already had annual travel insurance in place. Booked at the TA so had confirmation, did API and got boarding passes on the same day. Unfortunately things are a bit more complicated these days. There is also the chance that your choice of airport could sell out and you may not get the cabin grade that you would like. Good luck whatever you decide.
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