Brummijam

I am working class and 100% proud of it, how anyone could find it derogatory to be called such is beyond me. Do you or have you ever Worked in your life? If so like it or not you are working class.🤷‍♂️

Sounds perfectly reasonable to me.😂

I assume you are from Birmingham, we are from Birmingham as well Yes Mark. English by birth,Brummie by the grace of god.😉👍

Hi Mark. the majority of sun loungers are reserved usually before breakfast finishes, The British thing of putting a towel and book on them and then disappearing until noon is very apparent.Tui say they will remove towels if they are unoccupied for more than fourty mins but this is very rarely carried out🤷🏻‍♂️ Ther are sun loungers on the higher decks which are sometimes less busy. All bars are waiter service and the staff are pretty good. When I embark I usually let one of the waiters know I am onboard for whatever duration and promise them a tip at the end of my trip. The service goes from good to amazing.😉 The indigo is open til late but not sure if it’s one or two o clock. Tables for two are plentiful but if there is a wait they will give you a pager that lets you know when your table is ready. Book yourself a meal in the surf and turf it’s chargeable but well worth it.(if you like steak) Anything else that you need to know just ask away, they are a pretty good bunch of people on this forum with decades of knowledge.😂😂

The post that I put up as an example (post no5) does mention Scottish and northern English passengers, but not in a derogatory way as far as I can tell. I have enjoyed many cruises meeting other pax from all over the United Kingdom and never had any problems whatsoever. (Apart from some understanding some very broad accents)😂 We are so lucky to live in the UK in that wherever we go we can always find friendly aproachable people. The original post was regarding Marella /TUI standards rather than its guests.😉

Comfortable seats would be a bonus.😂

Hi Jim. what aircraft will they be using? I am assuming this is a long haul trip.

I feel your pain regarding airports.🫣 Eastern Europe is my favourite part of the world, hoping you have a great trip.😉

When is your trip?

Was just about to post that for you,it was towards the bottom of the booking confirmation email .😉

From the TUI airways online site. Bonded luggage If your cruise is sailing from the Caribbean or Dubrovnik, your luggage will be transported from the airport to the ship as part of our bonded luggage service. If this applies to you, it’ll be noted in your booking confirmation – it’s important to check, as it’s only available at certain times. You’ll receive a luggage label 14 days before you travel, which you’ll need to secure to your luggage. Once you’ve checked in, it’ll be security sealed and transported for you – you won’t need to collect it at the airport, as it’ll be delivered straight to your cabin. The last time that we cruised from Dubrovnic this was the case.

Hi RR. We did the trip from Tenerife to Corfu so it was straight off the ship to the airport, we never got to see much of the place.🤷🏻‍♂️ Something to look forward to another day.😉

Hi Prestonscotty. Boarding passes and luggage labels are usually emailed to you after online check in about seven to ten days before your flight. When your coach drops you at the port cruise terminal you usually check in before you get onto the ship. Once you are onboard you have to confirm that you have watched the muster video and you will get your cabin key card, The buffet restaurant is usually open and also the snack shack and maybe other eateries. Some bars are open on deck and also the onboard pub. You can get off the ship for a wander outside as long as you return in Time for sail away, the security officers at the gangplank will confirm sailing time. Hope this helps. Hope you enjoy your trip.

One of the positives from that review and quite correct.😉

One of the reviews off this board from January this year on Explorer.🤷🏻‍♂️ Oh dear. A disappointing experience. The ship is kept very clean. The balcony was large and the hammock was a nice touch. Muster drills are now on video and are faster than before. But: Tui/Marella has now sunk so far downmarket that I am surprised they don’t market this as a submarine. The ship is now so mediocre and lacking in character, charm or features that it now resembles a floating Travelodge at best. The food on board is purely functional. With the exception of the steak restaurant, don’t bother paying for premium restaurants as the food and accompanying service is clueless and scripted. The “Dining Club” was almost hilarious in its incompetence and we felt it was like attending a cooking evening by well meaning but untrained primary school kids role playing a fine dining setup. Terrible! The staff often lack initiative, confidence or experience and I witnessed some worrying bullying behaviour between them. We sat next to crew meetings held in the coffee bar where this was being discussed a few inches away. Unprofessional in the extreme. Weird really. Most staff mean well but many seem to be to be frightened of showing any independent thought. Amazing deterioration post-Covid. Since we last travelled on the Explorer, all signs of luxury have disappeared. The former Champneys Spa is now an anonymous sales-led treatment business and there are no cabanas on deck to rent any more. The wine selections are pitiful and the named choices absent while the choice and quality of the food onboard now resembles that found in a typical motorway service station. The accountants have taken over and there is a meanness everywhere in our opinion. It is like a low-rent wedding party really. A week spent in an airport terminal. There is a lack of joy on this ship. Guests seemed muted. Long waits at under-staffed bars too. The bean counting is sad. Food portions outside the buffet are tiny (2 prawns in a paid for premium prawn cocktail for example!!!) They even charge £5 for shuttle buses now to get you out of ports where it would be a 25 minute walk to just get out of the industrial docking areas. Mean. You get what you pay for I guess, but this is now almost a third-world experience compared to the past. The library (The Attic) had literally zero books left and the deserted gamer’s zone features some broken Playstations and derelict seating. Several areas of the boat seemed unused compared to last time and the entertainment consists of a couple of lounge singers and the theatre shows are threadbare imitations of the past efforts. Most of the guests seemed to be first time cruisers and seemed happy (relieved even) with the free booze and pile it high burgers, sausages and chips. The cruise attracted a 60+ crowd of almost entirely British people who seemed friendly and quiet and who hailed predominantly from a Northern English/Scottish working-class background. Embarkation was efficient, the cleaners are very swift and good and while the cabins are old, they are clean and offer some great balcony space for the money. It feels like Ryanair have gone into the cruising business and I guess that’s fine. It’s a cheap cruise but we were sad to see the decline in standards. We did not enjoy the experience, hated the food and it was a joy to get off the boat. Cabin Review Ok. Knackered. But nice terrace with hammock. Fridge.

What are your thoughts regarding the current standards on Marella ships. On our last trip we were of the opinion that cost cutting was taking its toll with poor food, sub standard drinks/ mixers and poor quality house wines. The Explorer was looking grubby and the staff were overstretched. On this board there seems to be some discontent from contributors regarding poor service etc. I was reading reviews for Explorer at the top of this board and they don’t paint a very good picture with poor ratings. Whats your opinions?

Just had a look online and it’s ten pounds per person per night, I believe that all adults in the cabin have to upgrade if you decide to go for it.

Fair point.👍

On the last trip that we did we took the upgrade and to be honest it wasn’t value for money for us, the beers and the vodka that I prefer are on the included package anyway and the few cocktails that my wife ordered that weren’t on the included list only had a small upgrade price per drink. We did drink more coffee port drinks than we would normally but only because it was included in the upgrade. As for the bottled water in the cabin we used it for making tea and we’re giving bottles away to the housekeeping staff.🤷🏻‍♂️

You are correct Paul. But if all of the drinks that you like are on the standard package except for cans of fizzy drink they can be purchased for one pound per can.🤷🏻‍♂️

HimPJs good advice from Dronnygirl. 👍 Also on the last couple of trips TUI sent electronic boarding passes to my email on my phone a couple of days before embarkation. Enjoy your holidays.

This is the correct per person allowance.👍

Which is why I said “ Cans of coke are charged at a pound each if you Aren’t on the upgraded package.“😉

I purchased rolling tobacco at the duty free shops at corfu airport, They had a good selection of tobacco products at decent prices. Ok as a last resort if you don’t get them onboard or on your travels. I am assuming that you are flying to and from Corfu.