GlenLivet

Deck 3 midship is a good location. We have previously been in cabin 3548 and found it very quiet and in a good location for our requirements. 

Update - with one week to go.

The only cabins left on Discovery 2 for Iconic Islands departing on Friday 15th June, are inside on decks 2 and 3. The only departure airport left is shown as Gatwick, and the price was 1179 pounds when I checked today.

Based upon my own experience (flying from Aberdeen), booking about a month before the cruise date worked out pretty good in relation to price and cabin availability. The price from Aberdeen did further reduce about a week ago, to it's lowest point which was about 75 pounds less than I paid. However there were no cabins available on the deck I had chosen, therefore I am content with this trade off. Furthermore, a day or so after that there was no longer availability from my chosen airport.:eek:

It has also been very interesting and helpful to read others observations on their own booking strategies.

Previously done six consecutive cruises with the company, and I normally always book around August for the following summer as I like to choose our cabin due to its position on the ship etc.

However due to the rising cost of recent years cruises (and all-inclusive now being standard on most of the ships), I decided this year to leave it a bit nearer the time before booking as I now have more flexibility with dates. I also wasn't sure if I was going to go on a cruise this year.

With this in mind I recently started tracking prices on Discovery 2, with a possible June or July sailing.

The one I had in mind was Iconic Islands for a week. I don't know what the price was last year, but when I first started monitoring the cruise, it was around £1350 for mid-June. At that time mid-July was cheaper at £1296, so July was the one I focused on.

As July was still some time away, I was confident the price may come down…

However last week I noticed the June price had dropped to £1107, while the July price had increased to £1341. I normally book a standard outside cabin, but they were all sold out when I enquired about availability. Therefore I mulled things over for a day or two (as you do!), before making a decision.

After a bit of further research, I eventually decided to pre-book an inside cabin for the June cruise, as I reckoned July would prove harder to get a better deal.

I am glad I did as the following day the June price increased to £1179. It doesn't often happen like that...

While recognising that July is a peak month, I was particularly surprised that all the outside cabins (of any type), were booked for both the June and July cruises.

In future when choosing a cruise, I personally intend to book as early as possible to ensure a wider choice of cabin.

From a news article this morning.

With Tui being the parent company of Marella, best to check the small print on yourbooking well in advance…

The consumer group Which? said it believed holiday companies should be providing updated terms and conditions for customer cancellations and refunds in the event the UK leaves the EU without an aviation deal on 29 March next year. British holidaymakers booking trips within the EU for after Brexit are being urged to check the small print amid claims travel firms are failing to clarify their rights.

It found Tui, Jet2 and On the Beach "failed to provide anyreassurance that any information would be communicated upfront".’

Tony1878

After 6 consecutive cruises with the company, sadly I have to echo your sentiments regarding the changes you experienced on-board. It's very similar to my own experiences and feel Marella may be alienating long term loyal customers by charging premium prices while offering an increasingly second rate product.

I have always booked well in advance but due to the general state of the UK economy and pressure on people's incomes and rising living costs etc., I reckon there will be quite a lot of unsold cabins leading to plenty of bargains to be had this summer. Particularly in view of the poor exchange rate affecting sterlings purchasing power abroad.

After 6 consecutive cruises with Thomson/Tui (with the last two being on Discovery 1), I must admit last year was the first time I felt the cruise did not represent as good value as previously. To my mind there appeared evidence of cost cutting, particularly in the main dining rooms where the portion sizes and choice seemed to be less. I also felt the entertainment in the Broadway lounge fell short of our previous experiences. The programme on both cruises on Discovery 1 was pretty much identical, although they were a year apart. I would have thought they would have had a completely new line up of shows for each summer season in the Med. Maybe it's just cheaper to stick with the same costumes, sets and routines?

To put things in some kind of context, we actually first sailed on D1 just a couple of months after her maiden voyage, and we fully accepted there were staffing issues with new crew settling in etc., but still enjoyed it more than last year's cruise.

Still undecided whether to go with them again this year. Previously I have always booked well in advance, usually when the new brochures come out. However due to our experiences, this year they look a tad expensive for what's on offer...

For the last couple of years I have used International Currency Exchange (ICE), pre-loaded cards. There are no charges on overseas ATM withdrawals. I have used both the Euro and Sterling versions, and each worked perfectly whether using them to withdraw cash from an overseas ATM, or as a debit card for shop purchases (which incidentally also generates 1.5% cash back).

I tend to favour using the Sterling one (around 2.85% commission fee), as I can simply withdraw any remaining cash in my holiday account on my return. With the Euro one the company will 'buy back' up to a certain amount (currently around 100 Euros I think), at the same exchange rate the Euros were bought for.

I find them very convenient and like the peace of mind they provide. Back up cards are also provided in case they get lost or stolen. Once the initial commission fee is paid, there are no further ATM transaction fees etc., so you can relax and enjoy your holiday :D

Hi Derek, we have been on Deck 7 (midship cabins) twice on the Dream, and found no issues with noise or any other problems. The first time we had an outside plus, which was larger than we really required for the two of us. The second time we had a normal size outside cabin and found it had plenty of space. Personally I would not pay the extra for an outside plus cabin again. The Dream is a great ship.

Hope this helps.

Hi Jim

Thanks for the kind offer but it's our 30th anniversary trip, and we have our itinerary pretty much planned out during the first week when our anniversary falls. Do you have any excursions in mind yourself yet? I met a lot of Geordies during my time in the Army many years ago, and always found them very good company! Good to hear you were impressed with the ship during it's time as the Splendour. This is our first time on a two week cruise as we have previously done a cruise and stay, which we have always found very enjoyable.

We stayed in Cala Millor last year and had a great time. Although we had been to Majorca many times before, last year was the first time we had ever went on the Soller train trip and western mountains excursion. Didn't realise what we were missing as it was absolutely brilliant.

Glen

Hi Jim, 18th of June for two weeks. I just posted a reply to this on another thread but pleased I have now found the original one, confirming I didn't imagine it after all! :o

Glen

I can't recall who asked earlier what date we join the Discovery, but it's June 18th for two weeks. Apologies to whoever it was as I read the post earlier but have been unable to reply until now.

If I imagined the whole thing, then apologies also! :o

We sailed from Palma last summer on the Dream which left around midnight, and got a fantastic view of the lit up cathedral. We are sailing from Palma again this June on the Discovery and as it's a 2 week back to back cruise, looking forward to experiencing it twice again!

Thanks to everyone that's responded so far, it has been very helpful. Prompted by some of the replies, I have had a look at Thomson's online December 2015 cruise brochure, and it does show Marina di Carrera as a substitute port instead of La Spezia. I still haven't received any email etc., confirming the change but I anticipate it will arrive in due course. It's our fourth Med. cruise with Thomson and the first time this has happened. It won't affect our holiday experience, but I fully understand it could impact on other cruiser's plans and feel Thomson should have been a bit more pro-active in updating passengers. After all, people are paying a lot of money and should be treated with courtesy and consideration.

Thanks alli234 - I have checked on Facebook and as you point out looks like another port, Marina Di Carrera, has been substituted for La Spezia. We visited La Spezia in June this year, therefore the change does not cause us any undue problems. Having said that, it would have been reasonable to expect Thomson to have advised us of the change. In June we did the Cinque Terre trip from La Spezia. Be interesting to see what excursions may be on offer from the new port.

Just noticed on the Thomson website the two week cruise I am on in June (Cosmopolitan Classics/Highlights of the Med.), now has an extra sea day with the port of Spezia no longer featuring. Anyone know of the reason for this?

After a quick check the extra sea day appears to apply only to the Discovery routes.

:confused:

Hi mansej,

We have used both 'outside plus' and 'standard outside' cabins on deck 7. We found the standard one had plenty of space for our requirements as it was quite spacious. Personally I would not pay the extra for a plus again, as I did not find the larger cabin necessary. Both cabins were very comfortable.

We always choose specific cruise insurance for total peace of mind. When looking for quotes many insurance websites have a cruise option. A company we have used couple of times are Explorer Insurance as we find it is reasonably priced and to my mind provides a good level of cover. However we have never had to make a claim, which in my experience is when you find out just how good or bad the company are. :eek:

It's easy to do the Cinque Terre independently from La Spezia. We've done it three times visiting all of the villages on different occasions. I agree GlenLivet, you were short changed in the trip you did. Vernazza is indeed the best village to spend time. My choice would be train from La Spezia to Vernazza, spend time there, ferry to Manarola, walk the Via del Amore to Riomaggiore then train back to La Spezia. All very doable in a day - get the ferry times before you go and get off early to make the most of the day. One of the best destinations we've done! If you want more advice on doing this as a DiY just ask.

Hi Kruzeeka - we will be back in La Spezia next June and would like to visit Vernazza by train. I would be grateful for any practical advice or tips you may be able to provide regarding this, such as;

How often do the trains run?

How are the tickets obtained (ticket office or kiosk etc.)?

How long is the journey from La Spezia to Vernazza?

How user friendly are the trains for non - Italian speakers?

I am aware it's a relatively short journey but we had a very trying 'never again' type of experience on Spanish local trains a few years ago, hence my need for reassurance! :)

Thanks

Glen

It depends on a number of variables, the most likely reason being how quickly the particular ship in question is booked up etc. For the past three years (Dream twice and Majesty), we have went all inclusive and have generally found June, July and August to have been the best months to book to ensure the package remains available. After that it can be a hit or a miss, depending on demand.

We booked in June for the AI. offer on Discovery next year, as we reasoned it may be a popular choice due to it being the first summer as a Thomson ship. However the overall cruise price in our case has reduced by around £20 since we booked, therefore it's very hard to judge when the offer may be removed. But it can be removed on any ship without any prior warning, and not re-appear.

We did the Mediterranean Secrets this summer and were in cabin 7035, which is near the front right hand side of the ship. Having previously been in an outside plus cabin on the Dream, I found there is plenty room in the standard size cabins, and wouldn't bother paying the extra for an outside plus again. We found the front of the ship was very quiet and the cabin was in an ideal location for our requirements. I like to choose a cabin very carefully, even down to which side of the ship is likely to provide the best views of the coastline as we sail past land! As for the itinerary, we found it better than we expected.

ELBA - took the small tourist train around the town and found it quite good. We went quite early and did not have to queue too long. However later on it became very busy as we saw from the cafe across the road from the pickup point, where we enjoyed a welcome refreshment before heading back to the ship.

SETE - was the only slight disappointment from our personal point of view. Although the canal area was nice enough, we didn't care for the busy traffic and didn't find much of interest in the town itself. Another passenger later told us there was a small tourist train which took you around the town, but I do not think it started operating until around 11am.

LA SPEZIA - went on Thomson's Cinque Terre excursion which was good, but for some reason it was different from the published itinerary which we had originally booked, as there was no stop at Vernazza, which is reputedly one of the most picturesque villages. Instead as I recall, there was some time spent at Manarola and Portovenere. The local tour guide was unable to explain the reason for this, but I suspect it was possibly due to changes in the ferry timetables. I did not feel the need to take it up with Thomson and just enjoyed the day's experiences. However it may be worth confirming beforehand which villages etc., are included in the trip to avoid disappointment.

SAN REMO - went on the Thomson's excursion to Monaco which turned out to be very good indeed. I was pleasantly surprised by the quaint old town area, as I did not expect it to be so picturesque. The walking tour also included a visit to the beautiful Cathedral where Princess Grace is buried.

TARRAGONA - another real gem, and for us the unexpected highlight of the cruise. It's very easy to do it yourself and there is an excellent tourist train which meanders around the town and through the narrow streets of the historical centre. It's a very compact town and the majority of the places of interest are relatively close to each other. There are also fantastic views along the seafront which provided some great photo opportunities.

We chose the Mediterranean Secrets itinerary mainly because we had quite specific departure dates, but have to say my wife and I were both very pleased we did and thoroughly enjoyed it. :)

A couple I spoke to on the Dream in June said they had booked for next year (not sure which ship) while onboard, and had received on-board credit and also a cabin upgrade.

Just thought I would post some details of the trolley train that runs through Tarragona, making it a great port for doing it yourself.

At 7 euros (with a set of earphones included) it's great value. The earphones plug into the sound system jack just in front of your seat. The commentary is very clear and there is also music played between sections of the commentary. Make sure a green light is showing at the plug in jack, to show its operating ok. The one in front of my seat wasn't working, but luckily the seat next to me was unoccupied so I just used that one.

The trolley train starts right beside the bus stop where the port courtesy bus drops off. The tour lasts around an hour and you can hop on and off at one of the frequent stopping points. It goes along the beach/seafront and through the narrow streets of the old town area.

Tarragona itself is an absolute gem and very compact, meaning it's also easy to get around on foot. Just down from the point where the courtesy bus drops off, there is a pedestrianized 'ramblas type' avenue which is very pleasant for a stroll along. The roman ruins are also worth seeing and there is a lift to a view point at the top of a tower, which provides panoramic views of the city and the seafront.

A few minutes walk from the drop off point there is also a viewpoint that lets you take in the views along the beach area. I have to say Tarragona was one of the unexpected highlights of our 'Mediterranean Secrets' cruise.

I have - and yes it is a bit pricey!

But I get to fly from Aberdeen (with its very limited number of flights), and we also plan to spend our 30th anniversary on the Amalfi coast.

What's not to like? :)

We did the Adriatic Explorer last year on the Majesty. Fantastic trip and found Kotor in Montenegro an unexpected gem. Straight off the ship and you are right into the old town, which was a lovely place for a leisurely stroll.

I also liked the overall ambience on the Majesty. Looking forward to two weeks on the Discovery next year.