Marella Cruises - why do passengers return?

[Wee Magoo]

Now just to make things clear before I begin - we haven't actually been on a cruise as of yet, let alone a Marella one but we're due to go on our first on November 24 onboard Explorer 2 doing the Paradise Islands and Seven Shores back to back itineraries

 

We have read reviews of the Discovery, Discovery 2 and Explorer before & since we booked our cruise, read threads on here & TripAdvisor as well as watching videos on YouTube

 

Now the general consensus is that the majority of people enjoy their experiences aboard whether that be the cabins, entertainment, the itineraries, the food etc enough to return time & again but there will always be those who dislike Marella cruises due to the perceived image of guests only being interested in drinking & eating as much as possible, cooking themselves in the sun and it's only chavs who go on these floating Butlins camps

 

So to all of those repeat cruisers, can you please enlighten me as to........

 

What's your favourite parts of the cruise & why ie cabin type, restaurant, entertainment, sail away party, itineraries & cruise director?

 

Now remember this is only for fun but please be honest, brutally honest if needs be, but just be honest

[2BACRUISER]

Seen this post on trip advisor cruise forum. We chose Marella after recommendations from friends. 

We used to always holiday with Thomson Gold & A la carte but felt when TUI took over they lost their way and wandered off to Riviera, Newmarket & Jet2 so it will be interesting to see how they operate in the sphere of cruising. 

[Vitalsign]

TUI bought Thomson in 2000 but only changed the Thomson name to TUI in 2017 followed by the rename of the cruise ships to Marella

[Jim The Scot]

1 hour ago, Wee Magoo said:

Now just to make things clear before I begin - we haven't actually been on a cruise as of yet, let alone a Marella one but we're due to go on our first on November 24 onboard Explorer 2 doing the Paradise Islands and Seven Shores back to back itineraries

 

We have read reviews of the Discovery, Discovery 2 and Explorer before & since we booked our cruise, read threads on here & TripAdvisor as well as watching videos on YouTube

 

Now the general consensus is that the majority of people enjoy their experiences aboard whether that be the cabins, entertainment, the itineraries, the food etc enough to return time & again but there will always be those who dislike Marella cruises due to the perceived image of guests only being interested in drinking & eating as much as possible, cooking themselves in the sun and it's only chavs who go on these floating Butlins camps

 

So to all of those repeat cruisers, can you please enlighten me as to........

 

What's your favourite parts of the cruise & why ie cabin type, restaurant, entertainment, sail away party, itineraries & cruise director?

 

Now remember this is only for fun but please be honest, brutally honest if needs be, but just be honest

 

For me favourite part is drinking and eating as much as possible,cook myself in the sun and behave like a chav 😉

 

 

 

Having done double figure Tui/Marella cruises itineraries dont bother us anymore although its nice to get the odd port or two we havent been to.We just love cruising....entertainment,food,drink,fellow passengers,ambiance on the ships( some better than others)and of course the laziness

 

 

 

[Pensioncruiser]

Ditto Jim couldn't have put it better, also for us it is nice to be greeted on arrival as returning cruisers by someone you know. 😊

[ormy]

The arrival of new ships over the last few years have made a big difference, although not the monsters some lines have built they are significantly an improvement on the older vessels, having said that we have had many very enjoyable cruises on Celebration, it does seem to be a favourite of many cruisers.

[davecttr]

I have completed 21 Marella cruises and 22 P&O and enjoy both, they are more similar than different especially with Marella's latest ships which IMO are every bit as good as the P&O ones.

 

differences for me will include:

P&O more formal, Marella less so

More talented show teams on Marella

P&O crews are more reserved, friendlier on Marella

P&O older clientele or those who won't fly

Marella more port intensive, no long sail around Spain to get to the warm areas

Marella are basically fly cruises

P&O passengers can sometimes be a bit snobby, somewhat pretentious

Marella have a much better social programme for solo cruisers of they want to take part

 

Both lines get drunks but no more so on Marella. The worst drunks I have seen have been aboard P&O

 

Go with an open mind and do not listen to the moaners you will meet, make your own mind up at the end of the cruise

 

Happy cruising

[dronnygirl]

For us Marella itineraries are so much more varied than other companies and we also like the long days in port.  We love the friendly crew and passengers that we meet and also the entertainment is to our liking. Basically Marella suits our needs, although we have cruised with other lines we keep returning to Marella.

[okavango]

Well so far the score for me is Thomson/Marella 70+ ,the rest 0  so i reckon they have been doing something right all these years

[anchorweight]

The butlins comment generally comes from cruise snobs, or those who are not keen on tattoos being on show (I've seen this on a few reviews!). I've done 5 and have loved them all but then again have nothing to compare to as I've only done Thomson/Marella. I like the friendly staff and easy going attitude of all on board, newer ships are really nice, food is good and drinks are all Inc. 

[nancyneptune]

We have been cruising with Thomson / Marella for almost 20 years and have seen many changes.  

 

What kept us going back was the complete package. We could fly from our local airport to many destinations.  That is no longer the case as since they have changed to Marella they have really cut back on regional flights. Many of the cruises now seem to be available only from Manchester, Gatwick and Birmingham,  lot less choice now especially in winter.

 

The crew are really friendly and always remember you and welcome you back with a big smile.  Not so Marella as they don't have a loyalty scheme.

 

Food is quite basic unless you pay a supplement for the speciality restaurants, but you won't starve , you will always find something to eat. Service can be a bit slow unless you chose to dine early. Waiting staff do a great job and are always pleasant.

 

The AI drinks package as standard from May is fine if you like a few drinks, if you are not much of a drinker you may feel you are subsidising those who do as the prices of the cruises has risen to cover this.

 

The entertainment is generally good but round the pool can be a bit Hi de Hi type. 

 

Cut backs over the years are quite noticeable for long time cruises but new cruisers probably won't be aware of this.

 

Marella are quite port intensive.  Having said that we have visited some pretty awful ports at times and thought to ourselves no wonder Marella are the only ship in port.  Other cruise lines just wouldn't go there. 

 

We have had some great cruises with Thomson / Marella and hope to continue but it would have to be an itinerary that we really wanted to do at the right price.

 

 

[Wee Magoo]

Thanks guys for all the replies so far - much appreciated

Keep them coming folks!!!!!!

[GOQ]

As a widower I suppose the reason I keep returning to Thomson/Marella is because it is familiar, comfortable, most cruises are from my local airport (or Gatwick), it’s a package so I just have to get to the airport then relax.  And, when it works, they introduce solo travelers to each other, so it’s not quite so lonely.

 

However it’s not perfect, sometimes the food is off, the service can be bad and problems occur.

 

But until I can gain a bit more confidence and try a different cruise line every 4 months, I can’t complain too much.

[nancyneptune]

Aww Bless.  I have friends who also travel solo. They recommend FO.  They say they really look after their solo travellers. Perhaps a bit more expensive than Marella but definitely better food. Service and entertainment also very good. They  sail from different ports around the UK and have great itineraries. 

 

Perhaps it would be a good idea to try a FO short break just to see if it's to your liking. 

 

Marella definitely not as good as Thomson used to be before all the changes.

 

Thing is FO and many others are proper cruise companies.  Tui Marella are a holiday company that happen to do cruises and don't always get it quite right.

 

Hope you enjoy all your future cruises.  Don't be afraid to move on.  Many people in your position had to take that first step and are so glad they did.

[Somerset Cruiser]

On ‎3‎/‎26‎/‎2019 at 3:31 PM, davecttr said:

I have completed 21 Marella cruises and 22 P&O and enjoy both, they are more similar than different especially with Marella's latest ships which IMO are every bit as good as the P&O ones.

 

differences for me will include:

P&O more formal, Marella less so

More talented show teams on Marella

P&O crews are more reserved, friendlier on Marella

P&O older clientele or those who won't fly

Marella more port intensive, no long sail around Spain to get to the warm areas

Marella are basically fly cruises

P&O passengers can sometimes be a bit snobby, somewhat pretentious

Marella have a much better social programme for solo cruisers of they want to take part

 

Both lines get drunks but no more so on Marella. The worst drunks I have seen have been aboard P&O

 

Go with an open mind and do not listen to the moaners you will meet, make your own mind up at the end of the cruise

 

Happy cruising

Spot on Dave. Can I add, people on Marella don't seem to moan as much as P&Oers. Also given our recent experience on Explorer I would say better dining with more options. 

[Calton]

We will be going on our fifth cruise in 5 weeks. All our other cruises have been with Thomson/Marella. The reason we opted for this company is, you do not have to opt out of anything. Everything is included. 

 

The staff are fantastic and I have never really had cause to complain about the food. 

 

I was basically press ganged into going by she who must be obeyed and I have never looked back. It will be our first time on the Discovery 2 and really looking forward to it.

[jefa]

Wee Magoo, following this with interest as we are thinking to do the exact same cruise but in March 2020.

 

We have only cruised Princess in the past, but this itinerary goes to so many of the Caribbean Islands that we haven't seen yet. Plus the All Inclusive is an added bonus.

[Juno1162]

We like the fact that the ships are small, and we can be as laidback as we like. We don't dress up for dinner - we usually don't use the bookable restaurants anyway. My husband will have a glass of wine, but I don't really drink. For us, we want a friendly base where we can unpack our bags once, but see the world without the hell of airports. The whole family can just do their own thing - but I know they are all enjoying themselves, but near at hand if needed.

 

The reason we keep coming back to Marella? We look at other lines and other cruises, but, so far, only Marella have gone to the locations on the dates we want. And that is why we're here yet again LOL

 

[jake 26]

We used P&O fairly extensively for some years, as well as other lines, and were intrigued when Thomson acquired Splendour of the Seas and Legend of the Seas (now Discovery 1 &2). So we tried them both and were quite impressed with the set up and friendly staff.

That was for 4 cruises in 2016 & 2017. 

Somehow last year we began to notice changes, with seemingly fewer waiters which made service rather manic, fewer cabin stewards who seemed harassed at times, and other changes. Then we had ports cancelled only weeks before the cruise, Havana, Bahamas and Lisbon. Last autumn we flew to join Discovery in Jordan. Halfway through the cruise she broke down and we limped to Dubai missing 4 more ports. There didn't seem to be any real backup we didn't know what was happening on a daily basis.

We were given compensation of 50% of what we paid but we were disappointed at missing the holiday we expected.

So we opted to spend the money on a cruise to the Canaries on the Dream in January. While the itinerary was good the Dream was awful, our outside plus cabin was very tired, it creaked and groaned, the air con was uncontrollable and even the toilet bowl was cracked. I'm sorry to say even the service was not up to normal Marella standards as we encountered some quite surly eastern European staff who could be quite rude.

So maybe we've been unlucky after a really good start with Marella, but those latter experiences put us off and we decided to go back to P&O and try a big ship (with some trepidation as we had avoided the biggies previously like the plague) and so we went on Britannia for a week. What a difference, fantastic accommodation, top notch service (no queuing at a bar like on the Discoveries) and all round a fabulous ship which never felt crowded. OK not all inclusive, but the drinks prices were very reasonable, and to be honest I felt when Marella went ai something changed.

I have written of our Marella experience as a different view on this topic, and I hope people will see it as a contribution rather than a Marella moan, as after all it is just our perspective.

 

[Essexlass2]

On 4/7/2019 at 11:48 AM, jake 26 said:

So maybe we've been unlucky after a really good start with Marella, but those latter experiences put us off and we decided to go back to P&O and try a big ship (with some trepidation as we had avoided the biggies previously like the plague) and so we went on Britannia for a week. What a difference, fantastic accommodation, top notch service (no queuing at a bar like on the Discoveries) and all round a fabulous ship which never felt crowded. OK not all inclusive, but the drinks prices were very reasonable, and to be honest I felt when Marella went ai something changed.

I have written of our Marella experience as a different view on this topic, and I hope people will see it as a contribution rather than a Marella moan, as after all it is just our perspective.

 

We've cruised with P&O, Royal Caribbean and Thomson.  We didn't like the Britannia at all, far too big and impersonal.  We loved the Dream and sailing on her again this coming October but getting a bit concerned now having read this thread.  Certainly our previous experience was P& O it was not but the food was just as good, crew just as good and entertainment was better than P&O.  It will be interesting to see what we think of the Dream this time!

[jake 26]

17 minutes ago, Essexlass2 said:

We've cruised with P&O, Royal Caribbean and Thomson.  We didn't like the Britannia at all, far too big and impersonal.  We loved the Dream and sailing on her again this coming October but getting a bit concerned now having read this thread.  Certainly our previous experience was P& O it was not but the food was just as good, crew just as good and entertainment was better than P&O.  It will be interesting to see what we think of the Dream this time!

We all like different things, and while we found Britannia to our tastes I can why others find her too big.

We went on the Dream with a positive attitude although we knew she is elderly, but we didn't expect such a tired vessel. We counted 14 little wooden wedges which had been hammered into the edges of the walls to stop the clicking and creaking in our cabin, plus numerous paper wedges inserted into the ceiling edges (obviously by passengers). It was an outside plus, midships deck 6. It was always too warm, our clocks both showed a temp of 22 - 23 C and we couldn't control it. Our cabin steward agreed it was rather warm! Other issues, as mentioned previously, didn't help.

The food was good, perhaps not as good as Britannia in choice or quality, the staff (with a few exceptions) worked hard and were very friendly. Entertainment is a personal taste, and we found Britannia to be far better.

Deck 8 on the Dream is a very good public area, which has clearly been refurbished, and provides an excellent choice of venues. However, for us, the rest of the ship is quite tatty.

As I said initially perhaps we've been unlucky after enjoying 4 good cruises with Marella we had some bad experiences to follow.

I really hope you have an enjoyable cruise, and don't let our experience cloud your judgement.

[Jim The Scot]

On 4/11/2019 at 4:52 PM, Essexlass2 said:

We've cruised with P&O, Royal Caribbean and Thomson.  We didn't like the Britannia at all, far too big and impersonal.  We loved the Dream and sailing on her again this coming October but getting a bit concerned now having read this thread.  Certainly our previous experience was P& O it was not but the food was just as good, crew just as good and entertainment was better than P&O.  It will be interesting to see what we think of the Dream this time!

Hi Essexlass,

 

We love the Dream also even though we have been on The  Maj twice,the Discovery twice and previously Ocean Village 2 numerous times

 

Were going back on the Dream for the 6th time,might be 7th in a couple of months.We know what to expect,yes its not an all singing all dancing type ship  and could be described as dated and tired but expect the usual.Clean,good/decent food,good entertainment ,friendly staff,good atmosphere/ ambience/ fellow cruisers.. .Get that and we,ll be happy

 

Will let you know on our return

Edited April 12, 2019 by Jim The Scot

[Pensioncruiser]

Hi Jim like you we just love Dream and have just returned from a great cruise on her, can't remember how many times must be over eight Inc Caribbean many times, and it was one of the best, entertainment was the best for many years, as it was in the good old days, food and service was good but we were spoilt as the head waiter remembered us from other visits. We do however have a but, we always have the same cabin its just perfect for us but found this time it was unbelievably noisy and as someone has posted lots of wedges had been to placed in areas but we good still not sleep well, I do however believe they are refurbishing her soon. You will have a great cruise but take some ear plugs, they did have them free at reception as it was a whole ship problem. 😎😎😎

[Jim The Scot]

Hi Pensioncruiser

 

Good to hear you had a great cruise and great to hear that the  food,entertainment  staff etc are still the same.We have the same cabin as last time so will look out for anymore wedges than last time 😂....To be fair,we take ear plugs on every holiday we go on,cruising or land based but never been used,YET! 😁Saying that,i,ll just have a few “one more for the roads” at the bar before retiring to my cabin.

 

 

 

Yeah was reading thats shes going in for a refurb(2020?)Look forward to cruising on her once refurb is completed

[Pensioncruiser]

Forgot to say Jim if you like to eat at the same table seek out Yudi and head waiter Hatif, they are in the main section just next to the enterence by the boarding area, can recommend them for fast efficient service they remembered us and our likes from two  years ago 🎉happy days.