Shannock

We had one of the large balcony cabins on Explorer, for the Highlights of the Med cruise, 2 weeks ago. Yes, it had a hammock (which can be easily stored away if req.) sun lounger, 2 chairs and a small table. It was surprisingly spacious, as was the cabin and (I’d guess) the balcony was twice the size of the normal balcony cabins.

As we only booked 2 weeks before travelling, the only cabin option was inside or large balcony cabin, so the upgrade was well worth it. It was our first cruise, but we couldn’t fault the cabin, stewards or housekeeping one little bit.

I did find the gym and chatted with an approachable young man (Lewis, I think it was) who explained what they had on offer. I declined his kind invitation, explaining I was just looking and you don’t get a body like mine by actively using places like this.

It looked quite small, but clean and modern,a cracking view and everything the ‘keep fit’ brigade would require. I volunteered sending my Other Half up there later, feeling he would have more chance persuading her to participate that me, but had a feeling she might beside tracked by the spa, which is positioned right next door.

Yes indeed, MGB, I think I’ve been converted; the only problem being raising the necessary funds to afford it.

I now fully understand why the cruise operator’s add the option of a weeks’ stay in a hotel after your trip, as a way to recover from the exertions of cruising.

Although, on second thoughts, maybe a week in a health farm would be of more beneficial, judging by the way lots of us on the ship were putting away the food and drink.

Had a fantastic time on Explorer for Highlights of the Med, we had a real blast. Yes, we had a few teething troubles, but nothing to overly worry about, or detract from the trip in any way.

I never actually realised how tiring it is, up early to see the ship going in to port, out for an excursion, meals, drinks and shows, late night snacks, etc. I think I must have averaged less than 5 hours sleep a night, so it’s no wonder I grabbed a nap on the coach some days.

The best advice I had was to go with an open mind and don’t get worried or upset about anything trivial. Little things can soon be easily solved, if a bar runs out of your favourite tipple…. go to another; if you don’t fancy the food in a restaurant…..try another one. Same if you don’t see a drinks waiter near you for a while….get up and walk to the bar, it’s no problem.

As for the staff, they were fantastic, always friendly and nothing was ever too much trouble. I walked round the breakfast buffet one morning, and must have received a dozen ‘Good morning, Sir’from every staff member I went near. OK, they had only been employed for a week, so many were still learning, so it was amusing watching them carry glasses, plates, food,etc.

The captain did say that most cruisers put on at least 1lb a day in weight, how right he was, so maybe it was a good thing we were only on board for a week. Now for the hard task of loosing that weight, then finding the money to pay for the trip.

We even managed to get caught it two horrendous thunderstorms and torrential rain showers before arrived back at the ship like drowned rats, but so what. Nice hot shower, clean dry clothes, then off for something to eat and drink and everything seems great again. I loved it!

I used to say that I could never change from my regular land based holidays, and a cruise would be a ‘one off’

However, reading the enthusiasm of everyone on this board, and the excitement that comes with it, I could well be changing my mind very soon.

We’ll see tomorrow, really looking forward to it.

Cheers for that, Ska man, I'm sure we're going have a blast.

Under a day to go now, by this time tomorrow we’ll (hopefully) be on the ship enjoying a spot of lunch with something nice to wash it down. It’s suddenly become very real, even though it was only a couple of weeks ago when we booked it.

Many thanks to everyone who’s posted on here for their kindness, support and information, you’ve been a great help.

Rest assured, I’ll be back here in just over a weeks time to let you know how we got on.

Only another 4 days to go before we join up with Explorer for the Highlights of the Med, I'm starting to get quite excited about it all now.

I’ve just had another booking confirmation from Tui, with a copy of the original itinerary on it (Civitavecchia on day 3, Ajaccio on day 4) so maybe mine was correct all along?

That would probably be better for us, with a long days coach visit to Rome and Florence/Pisa separated by a quieter day on Corsica.

I’m looking forward to visiting them, whatever order they’re in.

We’re on the same cruise as you, JayneyCul, but I haven’t yet received any change of itinerary. Admittedly it was under a week ago when we booked, so maybe the Tui admin hasn’t caught up to us yet.

Like you, I’ve seen it on other sites where day 3 and 4 (Ajaccio and Civitavecchia) are reversed, so guessed there would be a change coming. I’m glad I didn’t book any private trips/excursion based on Tui’s original itinerary!

Only question is, will I fall over, or get chucked over?

I better pack my water wings!

That sounds a great policy to me, Vitalsign, I’ll take that onboard and enjoy myself to the full.

The only problem is I (allegedly) get a bit loud after a few drinkies, and develop a rather persistent ear ache when in the company of the Other Half.

Sounds the best sway to do it, SausPud.

It’s probably a bit like watching a crab walking, if it’s heading forward, they’re definitely sloshed!

Many thanks for all the help and info I’ve been given, it’s re-assuring us that that others are in the same boat (no pun intended) and we all have to start somewhere with cruises.

I’m just hoping we find our sea legs quickly and sea sickness won’t be a problem. Maybe I should moderate my alcohol intake for a while until I get used to it……. say, maybe half an hour or so? Lol.

We’re doing the Highlights of the Med cruise, so now working through what excursions are available and attempting to strike a balance between seeing the sights and not doing too much.

Thanks for the reply, David, it's very helpful stuff to know, only a couple of weeks to go now.

I'm starting to get excited about it, especially now I see the ship has been re-fitted and chugging off to Palma.

Cheers, Simon, that's very helpful to complete notices like us.

Yes, that's a fair point. All this talk of coffee's and All Incl drinks, I'm starting to get very thirsty!

On the lash until 2am?

I better start getting some serious training in, to prepare for this.

If I drank enough coffee to justify an extra 50 quid, I’d never get off to sleep, with all that caffeine swilling around inside me. As for the alcohol, it looks like most of our favourite tipples are on the inclusive menu, so no problems there.

As for cabin grades, I think we’ve booked a large balcony ones, on deck 9/10/12 which looks to suit us best. We haven’t pre booked a room number, as I assumed they’d all be very similar, with the better ones already reserved by now, so we’ll take pot luck on that one.

Yes, the adults only option certainly does appeal to us, that’s the way we normally go with Tui, either Sensimar, Gold or Senatori. As much as we love the grandkids, my partner gets over run with teenagers at work, so it’s nice to have some peace and quiet adult time on holiday. I’ve heard that Explorer 2 will be adult only, so that could be an option from next year, if this one goes well.

From what I’ve read, the All Inclusive drinks offering looks a lot better than the land based hotel ones, where some of the local spirits and wine can often be mistaken for paint stripper! Not that I’m suggesting we’re a couple of alcoholics, but we do find some hotel's local offering as completely undrinkable.

Many thanks, SausPud, it’s certainly very helpful just reading through the threads on here, slowly piecing everything together.

For the past 4/5 years we’ve exclusively used Tui (Thomson as it was then) for our holidays and had very few problems, so trying their cruises seemed the obvious next step. The difficulty we have with holidays is that my partner works in education, so we have to pick school holidays, and pay the premium rates that go with them.

The idea is to try this 7 day break as a taster, then progress to other bigger, more exotic ones, if everything works out OK.

Many thanks for your reply, Vitalsign, I’m sure we’ll have a great time. I’ve been pestering the ‘other half’ to go cruising for some time now, so now I’ve won her over into booking, I hope she enjoys it and has a ball.

Yes, I think that’s the best idea, booking excursions with the ship as we’ve not visited Rome or Florence before. Besides, if we stayed too close to the ship, we’d become alcoholics in a few days! Is Explorer the only Marella ship that’s all inclusive?

Hi there, complete beginner here, just taken the plunge (not literarlly) and booked our first cruise on Marella Explorer, out of Palma, on 26th May for 7 days.

Everything seems a little bit daunting at first, but sure we will pick it up as we go along. I guess the lack of info about Explorer is because it’s in dry dock being re-branded? Any tips for a couple of first time newbies in their 50’s would be very grateful.

Thanks in advance.