never cruised with Marella

[V. I. Cruiser]

We have never cruised with Marella thinking of doing one they have to Norway later in the year. Would appreciate any input on how they compare to RCL, Princess, Carnival.

 

[dronnygirl]

I would say to give it a go and keep an open mind.  The Explorer is a great ship, not as big as many of the ships you may have been on but for us that's a good thing. Explorer is not a new ship but is in good order and has everything you need.  It's a very English ship, the entertainment and food are all geared for the English tastes but we sailed to Norway and Iceland last summer with Marella and we had people from Australia and New Zealand aboard and they enjoyed their trip.    The staff are very friendly and helpful.  There is open dining so you have the choice of a table for 2  or you can share a table, we always share and have met some very interesting people.  The Marella itineraries are very varied and you usually have long days ashore which appeals to us.  The ship is also All Inclusive with the exception of a couple of restaurants and a few branded drinks which have supplements - tips are also included so there are no extra costs like you would have on the other lines you have travelled on.

 

 

[davecttr]

I agree with Dronnygirl except I think the cuisine is international rather than British

[lexdisic]

We did our first Marella cruise in November 2018 and have previously done Princess, RCL, Celebrity, NCL, Hal & Azamara. We couldn't believe the price we got so took the plunge and lowered our expectations comparing the others we have sailed with were US cruiselines. How pleasantly surprised we were. 

Its all about managing expectations and as donnygirl says, keep an open mind. We found the staff just as good as the others, the food, which of course is subjective, was maybe not as high a quality as the others, was perfectly adequate. Judging by our last Princess cruise, I'd say it was a very close second. The buffet seemed to be quite crowded and we found the food there was lukewarm, but there was always something there and we were not going to starve. We were on all inclusive and found  there was no need to upgrade to the premium unless there were specific exclusive brands you wanted - the major names were there. The only downside especially for DW, was the sunbeds. I thought it was days gone by where the Brits and Germans battled it out to get their towels on the sunbeds at the crack of dawn. It was quite frustrating that all the beds, and there were plenty of them, had towels on them, but a large proportion were vacant all through the day. It seems TUI don't police the sunbeds so there were those claiming their sunbed and then going ashore - very selfish.

We are now looking for another cruise with TUI - when you get the right deal especially with the AI package, I think they are very hard to beat where value is concerned. Give it a try.

[DMac1983]

I am also new to Marella and thinking about doing a 14 day Croatia/Greece cruise in May with my wife and two kids (4 & 1). We're experienced cruisers (little man has three under his belt already!) with pretty much all the major US lines but have looked at the European lines because they go to such diverse and interesting places. We lose a little bit in the exchange rate, but overall, inclusive of everything the price comes out similar. All I have to do is get to Gatwick and Marella handles the rest! 

 

I think we're going to book and I assume we'll be some of the few (if any) Americans on the ship when the time comes. 

[dronnygirl]

Hi dmac, you will probably be better off  on Discovery or Explorer 2 if you are used to US ships. Celebration is much older and smaller although a very friendly ship with great itineraries.

[Pensioncruiser]

The Adriatic is a great choice and for the age group of your children with a smaller ship should be fine, the staff will absolutely love them, we fortunately have meet many cruisers from around the world on Marella ships but they are predominantly British who I am certain will welcome you. Hope you and your family have a great cruise😎

[fragilek]

Hi I have just returned from our 1st Marella cruise and have been pleasantly surprised - I am writing a review on here over the next week or so  comparing it with my other cruises with Royal and Carnival.  So if you look at that hopefully it will help you.  Doing the comparison because I couldn't find much info dong that for when we booked.

[JimmyTheSaint]

I'd like to add a note of caution for the original poster. I had an absolutely terrible cruise with this company and in my opinion there is no comparison between it and the like of Royal Carribbean, MSC, Carnival etc.

 

The ships they use are old, in some cases really old, so they lack the facilities you get on modern ships. The quality of food and entertainment provided on board was dire.

 

A few things we found out during the cruise was that they have a very high rate of repeat customers, the average age on board was 66 and only 5% of passengers on board had sailed with another cruise line. What I concluded from this is that this company knows it's target market and luckily for Marella very few of it's customers have a benchmark of what modern cruising is. 

[Vitalsign]

Completely disagree with Jimmythesaint -  ever since the Discovery ships came on board (pardon the pun) I have met many cruisers who had sailed on them when with RCL and they loved their Marella cruises. As seen on this forum a good number of new cruisers to Marella have cruised the Baltic and the Far East and have written good accounts of their cruises

I agree there are a lot of repeat cruisers on Marella - me being one of them but there are now lots of new cruisers who have also become hooked on the smaller ship experience, wonderful crew, great Itineries, AI and usually only one sea day a week

[davecttr]

Everyone has different experiences and opinions. My opinion of Marella is  good, not perfect but good, at least as good as P&O with but a more relaxed atmosphere and no pretension and snobbery you get on P&O. The Discoveries and especially the latest ship Explorer have all the facilities you could want except perhaps water slides etc. With tips included in the fare and a good free drinks package. the food is just fine, the buffet has more variety than the repetitive ones on P&O and the range of food types available on Explorer is brilliant.

 

My worst and most expensive cruise was on P&O, 31 nights in the far east, I ended getting considerable compensation for that one!. I have cruised extensively with P&O more often than Marella, my next 4 cruises are with Marella.

[Brummijam]

On 2/6/2019 at 8:55 AM, davecttr said:

Everyone has different experiences and opinions. My opinion of Marella is  good, not perfect but good, at least as good as P&O with but a more relaxed atmosphere and no pretension and snobbery you get on P&O. The Discoveries and especially the latest ship Explorer have all the facilities you could want except perhaps water slides etc. With tips included in the fare and a good free drinks package. the food is just fine, the buffet has more variety than the repetitive ones on P&O and the range of food types available on Explorer is brilliant.

 

My worst and most expensive cruise was on P&O, 31 nights in the far east, I ended getting considerable compensation for that one!. I have cruised extensively with P&O more often than Marella, my next 4 cruises are with Marella.

 

 

Good morning Dave.

How many times have you sailed with Thomson/Marella and where would you say was the best.?

 We have  done about a dozen so far and I think the Croatia/Dubrovnik itineraries have been the highlights thus far. We did the transatlantic crossing last October and I thought that the Caribbean destinations were ok but still prefer the Eastern Europe destinations myself. What you say about P&O is interesting, their regular customers that I converse with turn their noses up at Marella saying it is an inferior line.

Keep well.

[davecttr]

6 hours ago, Brummijam said:

 

 

Good morning Dave.

How many times have you sailed with Thomson/Marella and where would you say was the best.?

 We have  done about a dozen so far and I think the Croatia/Dubrovnik itineraries have been the highlights thus far. We did the transatlantic crossing last October and I thought that the Caribbean destinations were ok but still prefer the Eastern Europe destinations myself. What you say about P&O is interesting, their regular customers that I converse with turn their noses up at Marella saying it is an inferior line.

Keep well.

22 times with P&O and 21 times with Thomson Marella. For UK based cruise I like Norway and Iceland. In the med it is a toss up between the Adriatic and Greek Islands but only if the ship is one of the newer ones, Celebrations single cabins are in bad locations.

 

Yes, some P&O cruisers can be very 'sniffy'. My advice is if you are a Marella cruiser on a P&O ship, don't tell anyone!. The most amusing incident was on P&O Oceana to the North Cape When the subject of whale watching came up. I recounted my incredible experience where a pod of Orca were feeding on a bait ball not 100 yards from the ship as we sailed slowly past. 'what ship' the man I was talking to said, 'Thomson Spirit' i replied. He glared at me and without saying another word turned on his heel and walked away. That can be P&O for you.

 

IMO P&O are on their way down market and Marella are on their way up.

[Vitalsign]

Well said Dave - can't be doing with these inverted snobs who think Marella is a third rate cruise line and we are a third rate cruisers

[Pensioncruiser]

Only ever cruised with tui but obviously spoken to fellow cruisers who have been on other lines and they have always been complimentary, with the exception of size, of the cruise. I basically agree with Dave probably Adriatic our favourite but fjords are a close second, most dramatic cruise through the Corinth canal on the old Calypso, most emotional cruise the Dardenals on the Spirit, everyone on deck for 2mins silence as we cruised over the war graves some things you never forget. That's cruising. 

[Welshjanice]

I have cruised with Carnival, NCL, Royal Caribbean and Marella and much prefer Marella.  They are older ships but are therefore smaller and we have found, much friendlier.  As I have caring responsibilities, I aim for a relaxing cruise and my last three cruises with Marella have been just that.  The staff are wonderful, the entertainment good and the food as good as any of the other ships. We do some of the trips and they are of good quality and not too highly priced.  The atmosphere is comfortable and you do not feel as if you are on show.  If we do not want to do the Captain's Night, it feels comfortable to just wear normal smart casual and you do not feel out of place. Some people may like the formal elements of cruises but having done that before, we are now looking for a comfortable, friendly and more relaxed cruising. People on Marella cruises tend to be very friendly and the staff extremely courteous.   My husband and I are off to Cuba and the Panama Canal at the end of March and I am really looking forward to it. 

[brian1]

20 hours ago, natjack said:

Do you chat with other cruisers before the cruise? Is there any roll call or site for that? I like to meet new people and plan tours with them.

I find Marella roll calls few and far between.Other cruiselines are a lot more active,must be a brit thing,lol.