BlackBox

@ScotsTravellers I thought it was the standard package that was limited to 10-02, with the premium providing drinks 24/7

17 minutes ago, oscarshep said:

Venice is nearly as much time on the coach there and back as it is in the city but might be worth it if you haven't been before.

Had a short day trip there once, but that was getting on for forty years ago. I'll check out the timings before deciding whether to go there again - thanks for pointing it out. That's the only place on the itinerary that we've visited before though.

1 hour ago, dronnygirl said:

I think this is your first cruise?

We have been on just one cruise before but that was so long ago (23 years) that this might as well be the first.

Thanks very much for the tips, I'll try to put together a list of things to squeeze in.

Thanks all, cruise now booked without the premium option. 

I was assuming we would go for the Premium drinks package but having seen this thread I'm not so sure now. We're not heavy drinkers - like a few glasses of wine but aren't fussy about it, and don't usually drink fizzy soft drinks like Coke. I used to enjoy the occasional malt but rarely drink spirits thse days. Might try a daily cocktail I suppose, but is the greater range of those worth the extra?

I do like decent coffee but presumably I could pay for Lavazza by the cup instead of whatever instant stuff is available as standard? We both enjoy fruit juices though, and I think I saw somewhere that these are only on the Prmium package but a list I saw somewhere only seemed to show J2O, no "plain" fruit juices. Is that so?

32 minutes ago, ElmaLee said:

you need to watch that there are matching flights available from your preferred airport(s).

Good point, but I'm resigned to travelling to one of the London airports anyway. 

32 minutes ago, ElmaLee said:

if you are out to save as much as possible, just let TUI allocate [a cabin] for you.

I was probably going to leave it to Tui anyway, I wouldn't have a clue which cabin to pick. If we discover we enjoy cruising then I guess we'll learn what to look out for as we build experience.

30 minutes ago, Pensioncruiser said:

Not a price watcher but after nearly 60 cruises can certainly recommend the Adriatic you would not be disappointed 😎

Thanks, that's nice to hear. Do you mean the Adriatic generally, or Marella's Adriatic Explorer itinerary in particular?

Sixty cruises is impressive! Our only cruising experience was a Caribbean cruise (with Celebrity) but that was more than 20 years ago.

Trawling through some of the posts in here there seems to be a bit of an impression that Marella have deteriorated over time and aren't particularly good value any more so perhaps I should be looking around at offerings from other lines. One thing I recall from our sole previous experience is having found the tipping custom rather awkward, so Marella's all-inclusive approach appeals.

Thinking about trying a cruise and thought Marella's "Adriatic Explorer" might be interesting. I see there's a sailing that's quite heavily discounted, presumably because it's less than a week to departure. I'm new to all this so I don't know how things normally work - are later sailings almost certain to be similarly discounted as they get closer? If they all tend to come down to similar last minute prices then a June sailing would be more convenient. I could make next week's sailing if it's going to save me a few hundred pounds per person though. Would appreciate the insight of regular price watchers...