farewell marella

[paularmstrong]

Well after many years and cruises with marella going as far back as destiny and spirit we decided to give P&O a try this winter and having just returned these are my thoughts . We first clapped eyes on Arvia last winter docked in beside her in Antigua making the Discovery look like a dirty tug boat . Arvia worked out cheaper than TUI . Only thing that was missing on P&O was free drinks pack but with £600 on board credit that took care of that , we still required £360 top up for two weeks for two week cruise but still working out much cheaper . The ship is in a different league to any TUI ship also the food , restaurants bars etc , only downside was ship may be to big for some and itinerary not as good but on a ship as big as this sea days are not a problem . give P&O a try

[Vitalsign]

Prefer a smaller ship and flying with TUI as a package Also most Marella cruises only have one sea day unlike other lines Never had a problem with the food after 45 Thomson/Marella cruises Usually book Surf & Turf restaurant at extra cost every cruise and Nonnas is fabulous and free on Explorer 2

Entertainment is exceptional

[paularmstrong]

They do the whole cruise and flight as a package

[howmuch!]

We also go back as far as Destiny (our first cruise) and have enjoyed them all (and had one or two bargains in the mix). However, looking at recent Marella prices, there are plenty of alternative lines to consider. We did Ambassador last Sept and have another booked for June, so our Caribbean 14N with Marella this March could possibly be our last

[paularmstrong]

Yes we too have looked at Ambassador after seeing their boats on last few cruises , Marella have had loyal past customers me included but think they have priced themselves out also still awaiting phone call or mail regarding two issues last February .

[Andy24v]

Each to their own. We did Arvia last May, hated it. No sunbeds unless you were on deck at 07:00, queues for everything, too many sea days. The worst thing was the virtual queue system they introduced to mask the fact there aren't enough "included" restaurant spaces for 6000+ passengers. 

By the end of 14 nights I was sick of planning and booking. Went back on Discovery 2 in September,  and everything just worked. 

Give me a small dirty tug boat any day.

 

[Brummijam]

4 hours ago, paularmstrong said:

Well after many years and cruises with marella going as far back as destiny and spirit we decided to give P&O a try this winter and having just returned these are my thoughts . We first clapped eyes on Arvia last winter docked in beside her in Antigua making the Discovery look like a dirty tug boat . Arvia worked out cheaper than TUI . Only thing that was missing on P&O was free drinks pack but with £600 on board credit that took care of that , we still required £360 top up for two weeks for two week cruise but still working out much cheaper . The ship is in a different league to any TUI ship also the food , restaurants bars etc , only downside was ship may be to big for some and itinerary not as good but on a ship as big as this sea days are not a problem . give P&O a try

Hi Paul.

The only thing that has stopped us trying P&O or Ambassador is they mostly sail from the UK so  if you were doing a Mediterranean trip you would need two sea days before you get to the sunshine and of course the same to get back home so that’s over half a week at sea and for a one week holiday that wouldn’t be practical.

With Marella fly cruise you can be in your cabin in little over half a day when going to the Med.

[paularmstrong]

They seem to be doing more fly cruises I know they do a two week fly cruise around canaries and sure i have seen med too , as part of the package they used Tui for flights .

[sam49]

Oh no just booked my first Marella cruise about 20 minutes ago!

 

I have travelled with P & O and liked their ships but looking this year we found that lots of the cruises are very sea day heavy. Friend are going on one which is 12 full days on the ship of which 7 are sea days.

 

So we choose Marella as its ports we want to visit and only one day at sea in a weeks cruise.  Also liked the option of adding 3 nights in Corfu onto the end of the cruise.  Hope its okay.

[Brummijam]

11 minutes ago, paularmstrong said:

They seem to be doing more fly cruises I know they do a two week fly cruise around canaries and sure i have seen med too , as part of the package they used Tui for flights .

We are always talking about giving other lines a try but not got around to it apart from last Xmas/ new year and that wasn’t all that good to be honest. I think with us it’s stick with what you know.🤔

A trip on Discovery in June and Xmas/new year on Explorer booked so far.🙂

[paularmstrong]

One of the deal breakers for me was that as part of the cruise pack it flew from our local airport NCL which is a great and rare thing. Newcastle direct to Barbados 

[Brummijam]

6 minutes ago, sam49 said:

Oh no just booked my first Marella cruise about 20 minutes ago!

 

I have travelled with P & O and liked their ships but looking this year we found that lots of the cruises are very sea day heavy. Friend are going on one which is 12 full days on the ship of which 7 are sea days.

 

So we choose Marella as its ports we want to visit and only one day at sea in a weeks cruise.  Also liked the option of adding 3 nights in Corfu onto the end of the cruise.  Hope its okay.

Hi Sam.

I am sure you will have a great time, the itinerary’s are usually quite good and the food and drinks onboard are more than acceptable. Fellow passengers are mainly friendly and the staff are the aces in marellas pack.😉

[Sheera07]

We love marella, as said the crew are great , itineraries are the best for fewest sea days , I suppose we either like medium size ships or monsters. I know what we prefer. But each to their own ,no one is right or wrong.

[dronnygirl]

We also love Marella, had many fabulous cruises and visited so many places that we wouldn't have visited without Marella.  However, we are open to try different things and are booked on Princess this summer as we wanted to visit the Baltic. The price is similar to Marella for 2 weeks (drinks included) but we will have 4 sea days. We'll see how we go but I'm sure we will be back with Marella at some point.

[paulatsea]

2 hours ago, Brummijam said:

Hi Sam.

I am sure you will have a great time, the itinerary’s are usually quite good and the food and drinks onboard are more than acceptable. Fellow passengers are mainly friendly and the staff are the aces in marellas pack.😉

I agree  - marella has always been good for us. All inclusive and always fantastic staff. Good flights and transfers. Very well looked after. Easy to get a nice table for breakfast and dinner in the main restaurant and not cramped.

Edited February 19 by paulatsea

[Jim The Scot]

Dont think this is a one size fits all discussion

 

After many years cruising with Thomson/Marella will still love it.

 

Smaller ships,flying from local airport,good flights and transfers which are well organised,cabins in the main are well kept , clean and comfortable,basically a place to sleep and get changed for us,great friendy staff,many of whom we have got to know as they have been on returning cruises,equally fellow cruisers are extremely friendly and again many we have met on returning cruises,Its the kinda ship after a day or so on board you feel you know all the fellow passengers

Food,yes its not fine/michelen star  dining but as a man of simple tastes very few issues with standard of food,excellent drinks package included in the pricing,excellent intineraries (with few sea days)but having done the majority of them its not a selling point for us,entertainment excellent….Oh,and comfortable with their dress code

 

No doubt Marella prices have increased but what hasn,t.For us its a case of,if we cant afford it we dont go or adjust which standard of cabin we choose,dont select which cabin we want,which deck and dont select seat on flight etc to fit our budget
 

Never say never but no inclination at the moment to try another larger cruise line whos ships carry thousands of passengers,just doesn,t float our boat.Among other things no interest where an Uber is required to get from one end of the ship to the other or where you meet a fellow passenger the 1st day and never see them again 😆

 

We,ll stick with Marella for now,what we know and are comfortable with

 

 

Maybe controversial but dont anybody take this the wrong way as we have nothing against other nationalities but we like the fact that the vast majority of fellow passengers are from the UK.Its difficult enough having to repeat ourselves to our friends down South to multiple nationalities😉😅

Edited February 20 by Jim The Scot

[Sheera07]

Well said , Jim the Scot second that .

[dronnygirl]

Totally agree with all you said Jim.  We like to feel comfortable on holiday,  really don't fancy the new huge ships no matter how nice they are.

However, not sure where you live in Scotland but Ambassador are doing cruises from Dundee!  Reading about them they sound similar to Marella and have some good itineraries 

[Jim The Scot]

Hi D

 

Only 35/40 mins from Dundee.

 

Had a quick squint at Ambassador but intineraries like Norway,Denmark,Uk etc are not for us.We like  a bit warmth…plus they have service and gratuities which are added to your account and two formal nights

 

 

Noticed they do an Amsterdam/Antwerp city break,depart Dundee arrive back in London 🤔

 

 

[Andy24v]

We've just booked a 5 night Ambassador cruise for December as a toe in the water. I also don't like dressing up, but I've been told by their customer services that formal ware doesn't apply in the speciality restaurants on formal night.

Also they do Saver and Ambassador fares. The Ambassador fare includes gratuities and gives you their top drinks package. 

Only issue for us, is they don't do fly cruises, so too many sea days, which is the attraction of Marella.

 

Edited February 20 by Andy24v
Spelling misake

[pennib]

We are just about to go on our fourth cruise on Explorer round the Canaries. We have found their cruises are very good in every respect providing you stay away from the buffet which is pretty dire. However, we were thinking of doing the same trip again in November until DH saw an advert for Princess doing a similar trip for less cost but with all inclusive.  Not been on Princess before so we shall see!!

[Jim The Scot]

3 hours ago, Andy24v said:

We've just booked a 5 night Ambassador cruise for December as a toe in the water. I also don't like dressing up, but I've been told by their customer services that formal ware doesn't apply in the speciality restaurants on formal night.

Also they do Saver and Ambassador fares. The Ambassador fare includes gratuities and gives you their top drinks package. 

Only issue for us, is they don't do fly cruises, so too many sea days, which is the attraction of Marella.

 

Hi Andy,

 

I,m only going on what I,ve read on FAQ on their website regards dress code.Hopefully their Customer Service is more up to speed than Marella 😉.Same regards

gratuities,its only included with drinks package

 

Anyway,enjoy when it comes around

[Andy24v]

1 hour ago, Jim The Scot said:

Hi Andy,

 

I,m only going on what I,ve read on FAQ on their website regards dress code.Hopefully their Customer Service is more up to speed than Marella 😉.Same regards

gratuities,its only included with drinks package

 

Anyway,enjoy when it comes around

Thanks Jim, I hope their customers service is right, as I don't intend taking a jacket. Might be the buffet for me!

 

I'll report back in due course..

[S1971]

Have great experiences with Thomson, Tui and Marella, they have their faults just like most cruiselines, but for me tick the boxes I require, local flights, all inclusive, fantastic crew, food more than acceptable etc, etc, agree the prices have gone up but in my opinion not substantially enough for me to go elsewhere, looking a P&O threads recently doesn't fill me with confidence, especially the newer tower blocks at sea, regular mediocre comments, better the devil you know and all that.

[howmuch!]

19 hours ago, Andy24v said:

Thanks Jim, I hope their customers service is right, as I don't intend taking a jacket. Might be the buffet for me!

 

I'll report back in due course..

We did 10 nighs Ambassador last Sept round UK. I don't posses a DJ, suit, or even a sports jacket, and did not have an issue eating every night including 2 formal nights in the main Buckingham dining room.

Trousers, smart shirt with tie or dickie bow - the same as our last 15 Marella cruises, so don't worry.

Staff, entertainment (Peel), food and drink were all good, and UK passengers also as friendly as Marella.

The main issue we worried abut was fixed dining rather than freedom dining. We chose 1st sitting on a table for 6, and happily it worked out OK

Edited February 21 by howmuch!