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Marella or P and O for East med cruise?


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My husband and I want to do an East med cruise next year. We have looked at both Marella and P & O but can't decide which cruise company to go with. We have never travelled with Marella but have been on the P & O Britannia which was lovely. The ships which seem to have the best itinerary for East med are the Marella Celebration and the P & O Oceana. Can anyone help with a recommendation for either?

 

Thank you :)

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Firstly how many sea days do P & O have? Would you get all inclusive drinks package on P & O? No tips on Marella. Great entertainment. Friendly crew. Informal friendly cruising. TUI cruise and TUI flight from local airports. Only you can decide

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I've been on P&O (lost count of how many) and Marella (twice) P&O have nicer ships and better facilities. More of a "Wow" factor when you get on board and food tends to be better. However, I like Marella more. Nicer passengers, great crew, less sea days, all inclusive, no tips (but I do), free ice cream generally more fun - spa treatments seem to cost a little more (but I'm beyond help). So it depends on what you are looking for really.

 

 

A bit more luxury and pay a bit more on board, go for P&O. Less luxury and cheaper at the end of the cruise (no nasty bar bills) and more fun go for Marella.

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I suppose you need to decide what the most important factors of the cruise are to you. Is it the itinerary or the ship?

 

The ships are very different. Celebration is 34 years old, 33,000 tons and takes around 1200 passengers. Oceana is 18 years old, 77,000 tons and takes around 2000 passengers.

 

I have not been on Celebration but have been on Oceana. She has great open decks for sunny sea days and a beautiful atrium. For what it is worth, she seems to have a reputation of being the friendliest ship in the P&O fleet.

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I suppose you need to decide what the most important factors of the cruise are to you. Is it the itinerary or the ship?

 

The ships are very different. Celebration is 34 years old, 33,000 tons and takes around 1200 passengers. Oceana is 18 years old, 77,000 tons and takes around 2000 passengers.

 

I have not been on Celebration but have been on Oceana. She has great open decks for sunny sea days and a beautiful atrium. For what it is worth, she seems to have a reputation of being the friendliest ship in the P&O fleet.

 

 

When I was on Oceana, the avg. age must have been 180 and it seemed like mobile scooter rage every day :D

Passengers did nothing but complain. I guess its just luck !

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Britboys having only been on Discovery you seem to think you have a lot of knowledge of Marella ships but unfortunately you don't

Only ever having been on the P&O Ocean Village ships I only give advice on Marella and factual info (not opinion) on P & O Perhaps you should do the same

 

Thomson Spirit Oct 2005 Repo Palma to Sharm el Sheikh

Thomson Celebration Jan 2007 Red Sea Magic

Ocean VillageFeb 2008 Western Caribbean & Central America

Ocean VillageAug 2008 Eastern Med

Ocean Village 2 Feb 2009 Eastern Caribbean

Ocean VillageMar 2010 Eastern Caribbean

Thomson Dream Feb 2011 Eastern Caribbean & Cuba

Thomson Celebration Aug 2011 Eastern Med

Thomson Celebration Apr 2012 Red Sea Magic

Thomson CelebrationApr/May 2012 Repo Sharm el Sheikh to Marmaris

Thomson Dream Feb 2013 EasternCaribbean

Thomson Majesty​​Nov/Dec 2014 Colourful Coasts Canaries

Thomson Dream Jan/Feb 2015 Western Caribbean Panama & Cuba

Thomson Dream Apr 2015 Transatlantic Sunset

Thomson Majesty​​June 2015 Hellenic Classics

Thomson Celebration Sept 2015 Adriatic Affair

Thomson Dream​​Jan 2016 Mayan Treasures/Cuban Revolution

Thomson Dream​​April 2016 Atlantic Adventure

Thomson Dream​​June 2016 Iconic Islands/Adriatic Explorer

Thomson CelebrationJan 2017 Cities of Gold

Thomson Dream​​April2017 Atlantic Daydream

Thomson Spirit​​June 2017 Classical Greece

Thomson Majesty Sept2017 Med Medley/Treasures of Med

MarellaCelebrationJan 2018 Caribbean Gems/Coral Islands

Marella Discovery 2 April 2018 Cuban Fusion

MarellaDiscovery 2 April 2018 Atlantic Discoveries

Marella Dream May 2018 Spanish Delights

Marella Discovery 2June 2018 Aegean Meze

MarellaDream​​Sept 2018 Mediterranean Medley

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Britboys having only been on Discovery you seem to think you have a lot of knowledge of Marella ships but unfortunately you don't

Only ever having been on the P&O Ocean Village ships I only give advice on Marella and factual info (not opinion) on P & O Perhaps you should do the same

 

Thomson Spirit Oct 2005 Repo Palma to Sharm el Sheikh

Thomson Celebration Jan 2007 Red Sea Magic

Ocean VillageFeb 2008 Western Caribbean & Central America

Ocean VillageAug 2008 Eastern Med

Ocean Village 2 Feb 2009 Eastern Caribbean

Ocean VillageMar 2010 Eastern Caribbean

Thomson Dream Feb 2011 Eastern Caribbean & Cuba

Thomson Celebration Aug 2011 Eastern Med

Thomson Celebration Apr 2012 Red Sea Magic

Thomson CelebrationApr/May 2012 Repo Sharm el Sheikh to Marmaris

Thomson Dream Feb 2013 EasternCaribbean

Thomson Majesty​​Nov/Dec 2014 Colourful Coasts Canaries

Thomson Dream Jan/Feb 2015 Western Caribbean Panama & Cuba

Thomson Dream Apr 2015 Transatlantic Sunset

Thomson Majesty​​June 2015 Hellenic Classics

Thomson Celebration Sept 2015 Adriatic Affair

Thomson Dream​​Jan 2016 Mayan Treasures/Cuban Revolution

Thomson Dream​​April 2016 Atlantic Adventure

Thomson Dream​​June 2016 Iconic Islands/Adriatic Explorer

Thomson CelebrationJan 2017 Cities of Gold

Thomson Dream​​April2017 Atlantic Daydream

Thomson Spirit​​June 2017 Classical Greece

Thomson Majesty Sept2017 Med Medley/Treasures of Med

MarellaCelebrationJan 2018 Caribbean Gems/Coral Islands

Marella Discovery 2 April 2018 Cuban Fusion

MarellaDiscovery 2 April 2018 Atlantic Discoveries

Marella Dream May 2018 Spanish Delights

Marella Discovery 2June 2018 Aegean Meze

MarellaDream​​Sept 2018 Mediterranean Medley

 

I'm sorry you feel that - it is not my intention. I merely contrasted the age, size and passenger capacity of the two ships, making it clear that I had not been on Celebration. I gave no advice about Celebration and only commented on Oceana, which I have been on. The OP asked for any recommendations from anyone who had been on either. I feel that is how I have responded.

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We have done both - little to choose between either, yes P&O ships far grander but with more passengers, food we found to be more or less the same quality. With Marella, I am sure you will have more ports of call and longer days in port. Not sure if P&O cruise is a fly cruise - if not you have lots more days at sea and the Bay of Biscay to encounter.

I would always do Marella for the other reasons mentioned on other posts.

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It wasn't just the comment you've just made but all the others since you came back from the Caribbean

 

I can only comment based on my experience and I have frequently pointed out my experience with Marella/TUI is only the one cruise. I would however like to think that my cruise history on 8 different cruise lines over a number of years might be helpful to others.

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My husband and I want to do an East med cruise next year. We have looked at both Marella and P & O but can't decide which cruise company to go with. We have never travelled with Marella but have been on the P & O Britannia which was lovely. The ships which seem to have the best itinerary for East med are the Marella Celebration and the P & O Oceana. Can anyone help with a recommendation for either?

 

Thank you :)

Hello Ponsettia

we have done eastern med from Corfu on the old Majesty which is now transferred back to her owners louis cruises for this year you have Discovery 2 doing Athens Santorini ect, have cruised on both Celebration and discovery and in my own opinion Discovery every time , so much we are joining discovery this year again in the Caribbean, i hope this helps.

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My husband and I want to do an East med cruise next year. We have looked at both Marella and P & O but can't decide which cruise company to go with. We have never travelled with Marella but have been on the P & O Britannia which was lovely. The ships which seem to have the best itinerary for East med are the Marella Celebration and the P & O Oceana. Can anyone help with a recommendation for either?

 

Thank you :)

 

I found this an interesting question.

We've cruised quite extensively over the past 25 years with 11 different lines but predominantly with P&O, with whom we've visited some fantastic places worldwide.

Our first P&O cruise was on Oceana and we've sailed on her several times since.

The only P&O ship we haven't been on is Britannia.

In 2016 we tried TUI Discovery (now Marella Discovery) because we had enjoyed her as Splendour of the Seas under RCI. We loved it and then cancelled a cruise on Aurora in favour of a Caribbean cruise on Discovery to celebrate a very significant wedding anniversary in 2017.

Having been impressed with the service on Discovery we then opted for Greek Island cruise & stay on Marella Dream in June 2017.

I'm afraid, even though the service was again superb, we found the ship so old and dated that we vowed we would never go on such an old ship again. Cabins and main restaurant were dark and gloomy, and external areas were tired and unattractive.

We haven't been on the Celebration so are unqualified to comment on her, but we wouldn't chance it.

We've since been on Discovery 2 for 18 nights and really enjoyed that.

One of our reasons for moving from P&O was the limited availability of fly cruises which Marella has in abundance.

So to answer the question which would we choose?

I think, with the itineraries that are available on Oceana fly cruises in the Eastern Med we would definitely opt for her because she is a perfect ship for that area with her open decks.

If the choice was between Oceana and Discovery it would be more difficult because because we prefer the junior suite cabins on Discovery to the balcony cabins on Oceana.

We have more confidence in P&O customer service overall than Marella who have made such a mess of itinerary changes in past months that no one is sure where they are going.

This Is purely our opinion based on our experience and preferences. I hope it helps.

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We have done a lot of Thomson cruises, just back from second cruise with P and O on the Azura and have to agree with what is said above, everything is at a higher level, food fantastic quality choice of 5 course menu, waiters in dining room smart with waist coats on, the breakfast is to die for and so much choice. Entertainment far superior with many walk on British acts in the entertainment lounges, have to pay for drinks but reasonable prices but quality of beers superb. We have booked a cruise next year with Marrella because of the itinerary to Vietnam and Cambodia but have to say much prefer P and O now. Marrella need to up there game!

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 2 weeks later...

We've done several East Med cruises with Thomson/Marella and would highly recommend the company for cruises operating in the area. Flights and transfers have worked well and the itineraries (e.g. Ancient Wonders, Adriatic Explorer) are varied. We'll likely be organising a big family cruise later in the year to this side of the world in September and it will almost certainly be a Marella trip.

 

 

I would say that Marella has the edge where friendliness of service and (in the past) cost is concerned. I really have to emphasize this, on Marella ships I have found drinks service and MDR waiters to be a lot more personable, P&O staff are professional and polite for sure, but I've had a lot more chats with Marella staff. P&O ships usually offer slightly more varied entertainment (not just musical-style shows but other evening shows as well). Marella don't seem to ever have guest speakers anymore which is a shame. Food is great on both in general, we've had the odd bad meal on ships with both lines but never enough to spoil a holiday.

 

 

Personally I much prefer not having the "hidden" tip tax - when comparing cruise costs I always have to remind myself that other companies charge a specific amount per night, whereas Marella has this included in the price. Other than these general points I would also consider the specific ship for each cruise as others have stated above. We've had a number of bad experiences with tender ports not going well (on Marella and Fred Olsen), so would avoid any itinerary with more than one tender port if at all possible (these seem to be very susceptible to delays disembarking or outright cancellation).

Edited by ThePauls
grrr, bad wifi swallowed half the post...
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We have done a lot of Thomson cruises, just back from second cruise with P and O on the Azura and have to agree with what is said above, everything is at a higher level, food fantastic quality choice of 5 course menu, waiters in dining room smart with waist coats on, the breakfast is to die for and so much choice. Entertainment far superior with many walk on British acts in the entertainment lounges, have to pay for drinks but reasonable prices but quality of beers superb. We have booked a cruise next year with Marrella because of the itinerary to Vietnam and Cambodia but have to say much prefer P and O now. Marrella need to up there game!

 

We too have done a lot of Thomson cruises then tried Fred, went back to Thomson / Tui / Marella & then tried P&O. In our opinion, P&O knocked spots off our last Marella cruise that was on Discovery.

 

The food & service in the MDR with P&O was far superior to Discovery, the entertainment was better, the choice of venues & entertainment in the evening was a huge improvement on the Discovery.

 

Quite saddened that Discovey didn’t live up to our hopes with it being one of the newer ships; yes, she’s a lovely ship but they seem to have less staff than they used to making it a lot harder & more stressful for the ones who are working onboard.

 

I think we will stick with P&O & Fred in future & maybe also try other lines but Marella no longer offers what they used to when they were Thomson!

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  • 2 weeks later...

Do not go with TUI lots of Hidden extras The dream is like going on a ship from the 60s it is very old and shabby and always they seem to want to do is charge you extra money for things like upgraded to premium for the drinks which you are not aware off before you go also things like charging you £10 to go on the bridge which is a rip-off

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What hidden extras on Marella? It is all in the brochure and in my opinion having done 19 Marella (Thomson) cruises and 21 P&O there are good and bad points on both. My 3 worst cruises have been on P&O. Britannia Norway, got real norovirus. Aurora far east, got severe stomach upset and nearly abandoned in Singapore. My last cruise on Oceana got severe upset stomach TWICE. I have cruised on Oceana 10 times, no more, she is a sick ship. My next 3 cruises are Marella and I will be booking more soon.

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Hidden extras??? Apart from a charge for the safe (on some ships) which everyone should use everything else is personal choice and is not necessary to having a great holiday we have cruised 29 times with Marella and never needed to upgrade to the premium drinks package Have chosen to pay a supplement a few times for a preferred nightcap liqueur and once or twice for a coffee and cake in the coffee port - You should also note that many P & O cruisers have posted here that their excursions are more expensive than Marella and Marella usually only have one sea day per week, arrive early in port and leave later than most other lines

Have you ever cruised BrandySam on Marella? You seem to have just appeared from nowhere on this board!

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We all know that a couple of Marella ships have seen better days - but they still have the charm of a smaller ship, great staff and having paid £3000 - £4000 for the cruise what is the problem with small charge for safe, at least you don't have the daily service charge that P&O inflict on you. We have done many cruise lines, and admit that Marella ships are not as grand as some, but I have said in other posts that there is little difference in the price bracket mentioned. To all the moaners - just book with Silver Seas - then look at your bank balance !

And now, of course, Marella have three new ships, which we have not tried yet.

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New to Marella but I have had 2 cruises on Discovery and she looks good, just as flash as the mid sized P&O ships. don't go in Bar 11, it belongs to me! also stay away from the snack shack and the glasshouse. ;p Off to north cape in june on her, might even see a whale or 2 :D

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