Does this seem like a good or bad deal on Marella Fly Cruise ?

[gavman99]

Marella Fly Cruise in April/May 2025

Return flights from Edinburgh to Dubrovnik

7 nights round Adriatic sea so visiting Croatia/Slovenia

Inside cabin where we get to pick which one

Standard drinks/wifi/tips included (no upgrade to Premium Drinks)

No excursions

Cost for 2 people is about £2,900

 

If you had £2.9k to spend on a cruise, would you do it on Marella or can you get more/better for your money ? We've never cruised before so trying to get a feel of whats considered a good deal or not.

[Brummijam]

Eastern med is always slightly more expensive than western med so it’s about right.

you can do a western med cruise called “Highlights of the med” on 6 of May with a seven day stay in Majorca  included for £1521 each base price,Worth a look if you haven’t done the western med before. The same trip with a 4 night stay in Majorca is £1444.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited March 27 by Brummijam
Spellink

[S1971]

 

I can't see the cruise you mention, Eastern med cruises start in Corfu and visit Dubrovnik prior to disembarking back in Corfu, is it the Adriatic Explorer below?

 

ITINERARY

• DAY 1

  Corfu Town, Corfu

   Departs: 23:00

   

   
• DAY 2

  at sea...

   

   
• DAY 3

  Koper, Slovenia

   Time in port: 09:00 - 19:00

   

   
• DAY 4

  Zadar, Croatia

   Time in port: 08:00 - 18:00

   

   
• DAY 5

  Split, Croatia

   Time in port: 08:00 - 17:00

   

   
• DAY 6

  Kotor, Montenegro

   Time in port: 08:00 - 18:00

   

   
• DAY 7

  Dubrovnik, Croatia

   Time in port: 08:00 - 16:00

   

  Corfu.

 

No inclusive wifi either, can't say I've ever seen this as part of any cruise.

 

What's Included

Edinburgh - Corfu

1 x inside cabin(other cabin types available)

All Inclusive cruise

Transfers

All Tips and Charges

ATOL Protection

 

 

 

 

[dronnygirl]

Explorer 2 sails from Dubrovnik,  it's a beautiful area to visit. We really enjoyed it in September 

[dronnygirl]

22 hours ago, gavman99 said:

Marella Fly Cruise in April/May 2025

Return flights from Edinburgh to Dubrovnik

7 nights round Adriatic sea so visiting Croatia/Slovenia

Inside cabin where we get to pick which one

Standard drinks/wifi/tips included (no upgrade to Premium Drinks)

No excursions

Cost for 2 people is about £2,900

 

If you had £2.9k to spend on a cruise, would you do it on Marella or can you get more/better for your money ? We've never cruised before so trying to get a feel of whats considered a good deal or not.

Hi gavman, if you are comparing cruises you need to take everything into account. For example flights,  amount of port days etc. It is not usual for excursions to be included but it's very easy to DIY the ports. WiFi isn't usually included but you can use it in the port buildings and cafes. You don't need to upgrade to the drinks package unless you like the branded spirits etc.  It's possible to not spend anything  if you don't want to, you can come back to the ship for lunch and go ashore again if you want to.  We've done many Marella cruises,  I'm sure you will enjoy it

[S1971]

7 hours ago, dronnygirl said:

Explorer 2 sails from Dubrovnik,  it's a beautiful area to visit. We really enjoyed it in September 

Ah right, it's just that I checked for April/May 2025 from Edinburgh as per opening post, nothing for April only May and no itinerary starting from Dubrovnik only Corfu on Explorer.

[Andy24v]

There are some airports which are only used between May and October, Edinburgh is one of them. I don't know your location, but Glasgow and Newcastle are in use year round.

One thing with Marella, they usually have one sea day, and five ports in a week long cruise. Some other cruise lines pad their itineraries out with more sea days.

Another thing we like about Marella is the flight times are stated when you book, so you are able to plan airport parking, hotels etc. Some other lines don't release flight times untill "some point near the criuse"

With regards to the drinks, all the beers and spirits are branded, the standard package gives you Gordons/Smirnoff/Teachers/Bells etc. The premium package gives you Bombay Sapphire/Grey Goose/Glenlivet etc. You also get coffee and soft drink cans from the Coffee shop.

WiFi is now a purchased as a package of data, £12 for 200 mb, £35 for 1Gb etc. but as most people have said just use data in the ports.

We've done a few Marella cruises now, and enjoyed them all.

 

[gavman99]

Thanks all. To be honest, still not 100% sure on Marella. For every good review I read, I see another saying it’s like a Butlin’s holiday camp where the buffets are more like a cafeteria. 
 

Can get 7 day celebrity around same time and similar ports with drinks and tips for a lot less than £2.9k. When adding in flights, brings it online with Marella. I assume the Celebrity experience is a step above Marella. 

[suech1970]

Marella is a great way to start cruising without a doubt, flights, transfers, all inclusive all neatly packaged but wow the prices atm!  
The reviews will have you running yourself in circles, so take them with a pinch of salt. Instead take a look at you tube for some ship and cabin vlogs. See if you like the look of the food,  cabins, entertainment etc, there’s plenty out there! 
 

We’ve never found Marella like Butlins, maybe too fun or casual for some, but that’s the way we like to cruise. Yes, I’d say nearly 3 grand is a bit rich for Marella for a week but if the cruises are selling they won’t drop the prices.  I’m having trouble getting my head round one of their 2 weeks cruises around Greece &Turkey costing nearly £5000😖😖😖 but after comparing other lines, it’s in the ball park.  
 

Yes, Celebrity is a step up on Marella.  We’ve done 3 Celebrity  cruises and the ships are a little more glitzy, cabins more modern and the food was generally better but we enjoyed Marella just as much.  If your looking at celebrity’s Infinity, she’s on the smaller side of their ships, great for a first timer. I wouldn’t have no problems booking any of their inside cabins for sure, just check there is no public areas on deck above, ie pool deck, bars or restaurants.  There drinks/Wi-Fi package is definitely worth it🍹

 

If you are considering Celebrity, remember to cost in your own transfers and fly out the day before you sail, so overnight in hotel too. 

[S1971]

9 hours ago, gavman99 said:

Thanks all. To be honest, still not 100% sure on Marella. For every good review I read, I see another saying it’s like a Butlin’s holiday camp where the buffets are more like a cafeteria. 
 

Can get 7 day celebrity around same time and similar ports with drinks and tips for a lot less than £2.9k. When adding in flights, brings it online with Marella. I assume the Celebrity experience is a step above Marella. 

 

Comparing cruiselines and prices is very subjective, it comes down to individual opinions.

 

Yes, some will say Celebrity are a step up with its newer ships etc, etc but having sailed both lines I'm not totally convinced they are that far apart, but that's just me.

 

For me Marella have upped their game somewhat in recent years and the overall experience is a good one, in general the MDR, buffet and other food areas are good overall, entertainment excellent, crew are the best I've ever experienced.

 

The other stand out things for me are port intensive cruises, all inclusive drink packages, flights from local airports etc, which you don't always get with other lines.

 

Either way, whoever you choose just go and enjoy it, one things for certain, you'll be hooked on cruising afterwards.

 

 

[pennib]

We have done 4 Marella cruises all on the Explorer(which, incidentally is an old Celebrity ship!). Loved the ship, the staff are amazing, the place is clean and the food is more than acceptable PROVIDING YOU STAY OUT OF THE BUFFET which is the most boring uninspiring restaurant you can imagine serving extremely average food. Even the staff working in there look uninspired. We probably won’t do any more Marella now as they are all fly cruises and as we need assistance in the airports due to the vast distances you now have to negotiate to get from entry to the gate, we have had some really bad service at overseas airports where TUI fly into recently. So it is coach to Southampton for our next 2 cruises, and I must add that we are not the only people saying this.

so if you can cope with long distances in airports, I would say look carefully at Marella but they have raised their prices somewhat and you can now get better deals on other lines.

[S1971]

2 hours ago, pennib said:

I would say look carefully at Marella but they have raised their prices somewhat and you can now get better deals on other lines.

 

Indeed there are better deals out there with other lines, this is just my opinion, but other lines have lowered their standards to get a more competitive base price, P&O in particular are far from their best.

 

Marella, I agree have raised their prices but not overly significantly in my opinion and they do now have a better fleet, compared to 10yrs ago, albeit still with somewhat older ships.

 

The real benefit of Marella for me is, I live 3 miles from my local airport, all inclusive works for us, port intensive, but we are fortunate enough that we do not need assistance and can understand why it no longer works for you.

 

I wish you well for your upcoming travels, whoever it be with, it's on a ship the best way the travel.

 

 

[2BACRUISER]

Price like food is always subjective. Its depends on your outlook. We are going with Marella end of May for 7nts cost £3498 for 2 of us and yep it stung a bit £££😲 as we could have done 11nts with another cruiseline for the same money but when we factored in having to schlep to Southampton the day before a hotel and parking plus diesel from northern England and drinks to pay for the marella price from.our local airport wasn't so bad.  

If you think it's a good price go for it, it's only a deposit now anyway and if u find something better so long as you cancel.before 90 days you get your deposit back. 

[smilesonfaces]

That works out at over £200 pppd so that would be far too much for me for an inside cabin.

I keep looking at Marella but it is the all inclusive that is putting me off booking. If you are a big drinker then it may be good value. If you are happy with one glass of wine with dinner and soft drinks/ coffee in the day then Marella works out very expensive. If I had £2900 to spend I would be looking at Princess or Celebrity. 

[S1971]

13 minutes ago, smilesonfaces said:

That works out at over £200 pppd so that would be far too much for me for an inside cabin.

I keep looking at Marella but it is the all inclusive that is putting me off booking. If you are a big drinker then it may be good value. If you are happy with one glass of wine with dinner and soft drinks/ coffee in the day then Marella works out very expensive. If I had £2900 to spend I would be looking at Princess or Celebrity. 

 

Yes agreed, it can seem expensive as all inclusive cruising doesn't necessarily work for everyone.

 

 

 

 

 

[insidecabin]

On 3/28/2024 at 8:24 PM, gavman99 said:

Thanks all. To be honest, still not 100% sure on Marella. For every good review I read, I see another saying it’s like a Butlin’s holiday camp where the buffets are more like a cafeteria. 
 

Can get 7 day celebrity around same time and similar ports with drinks and tips for a lot less than £2.9k. When adding in flights, brings it online with Marella. I assume the Celebrity experience is a step above Marella. 

Marella is way overpriced these days.

The cheerleaders make up reasons they like paying more.

 

It's never been worth £200pppd we rate Marella at £70pppd a bit more with long hauls flights.

[insidecabin]

10 hours ago, 2BACRUISER said:

Price like food is always subjective. Its depends on your outlook. We are going with Marella end of May for 7nts cost £3498 for 2 of us and yep it stung a bit £££😲 as we could have done 11nts with another cruiseline for the same money but when we factored in having to schlep to Southampton the day before a hotel and parking plus diesel from northern England and drinks to pay for the marella price from.our local airport wasn't so bad.  

If you think it's a good price go for it, it's only a deposit now anyway and if u find something better so long as you cancel.before 90 days you get your deposit back. 

 

Check where your local airport flies(Inc uk to save the drive) and make up your own all inclusive package.

 

We are still finding under £100pppd AI.

Would be getting 2 week for that sort of money.

 

 

 

[Dinglebert]

Your quote is very expensive.  I enjoy going on Marella.  I definately enjoy Ex2 as its adult only.  I must enjoy them as we are off tomorrow on Ex2 doing Western Med.  I really like the Croatia iteneries.  Did them twice last year.

 

All that said your price is just too expensive.  You will get P+O going out of Malta at that time from Edinburgh for £800 at the same time going to Croatia..  No drinks package but the drinks are quite reasonable on P+O.

[S1971]

2 hours ago, insidecabin said:

Marella is way overpriced these days.

The cheerleaders make up reasons they like paying more.

 

It's never been worth £200pppd we rate Marella at £70pppd a bit more with long hauls flights.

 

I don't consider myself a Cheerleader for Marella and agree £200pppd seems relatively high, given the somewhat older fleet etc, however I have an August cruise booked out of Corfu, 2 weeks all inclusive, local early flights etc for £145pppn at time of booking, you can add another £50pppn now so clearly popular with some people.

 

I factor in the whole package and compared to other non inclusive lines and all things considered I find them on a par with other lines of similar standard.

 

I fully understand that the Marella style of cruising is not for everyone, I've sailed other lines that are considered a level up from them and have enjoyed them, but they are totally different experiences, Marella wins hands down on some, especially crew and entertainment and the overall experience.

 

Cost isn't the be all and end all for me, if at the end of the cruise I've got some wonderful memories then that's where the money is.

 

 

[2BACRUISER]

3 hours ago, smilesonfaces said:

That works out at over £200 pppd so that would be far too much for me for an inside cabin.

I keep looking at Marella but it is the all inclusive that is putting me off booking. If you are a big drinker then it may be good value. If you are happy with one glass of wine with dinner and soft drinks/ coffee in the day then Marella works out very expensive. If I had £2900 to spend I would be looking at Princess or Celebrity. 

it dOes but its a balcony wouldnt be caught dead in an inside but as i said it called choice and it depends what you want nd what you are prepared to pay for it. . 

[2BACRUISER]

1 hour ago, insidecabin said:

 

Check where your local airport flies(Inc uk to save the drive) and make up your own all inclusive package.

 

We are still finding under £100pppd AI.

Would be getting 2 week for that sort of money.

 

 

 

all very well if youve got the time and inclination to put it all together, going on holiday for us is akin to a military operation due to work, caring responsibilities, animals etc and having to do all that work building a holiday just adds to it so Marella for us ticks all the boxes for convenience and that for us is the deal maker. 

[Mike.S]

On 3/28/2024 at 8:24 PM, gavman99 said:

Thanks all. To be honest, still not 100% sure on Marella. For every good review I read, I see another saying it’s like a Butlin’s holiday camp where the buffets are more like a cafeteria. 
 

Can get 7 day celebrity around same time and similar ports with drinks and tips for a lot less than £2.9k. When adding in flights, brings it online with Marella. I assume the Celebrity experience is a step above Marella. 

We've cruised both Marella and Celebrity, in our view the food was better on Celebrity, evening buffet on Marella was poor, service similar on both, entertainment was better on Marella. Other major difference was the makeup of the passengers, Marella mainly British, Celebrity much greater mix of nationalities. We happily go on either but for us Celebrity shades it, especially if the prices are similar.

[insidecabin]

2 hours ago, S1971 said:

 

I don't consider myself a Cheerleader for Marella and agree £200pppd seems relatively high, given the somewhat older fleet etc, however I have an August cruise booked out of Corfu, 2 weeks all inclusive, local early flights etc for £145pppn at time of booking, you can add another £50pppn now so clearly popular with some people.

 

I factor in the whole package and compared to other non inclusive lines and all things considered I find them on a par with other lines of similar standard.

 

I fully understand that the Marella style of cruising is not for everyone, I've sailed other lines that are considered a level up from them and have enjoyed them, but they are totally different experiences, Marella wins hands down on some, especially crew and entertainment and the overall experience.

 

Cost isn't the be all and end all for me, if at the end of the cruise I've got some wonderful memories then that's where the money is.

Product has been fine its the price, while we can get AI with extras at 1/2 the £145pppn on the likes of NCL and Princess Marella won't get a look in.

 

[Andy24v]

1 hour ago, insidecabin said:

Product has been fine its the price, while we can get AI with extras at 1/2 the £145pppn on the likes of NCL and Princess Marella won't get a look in.

 

Genuinely intrigued by this. £145 pppn is just over £2k for 7 days.

Had a quick look on Princess website, they are asking £2200 for a 7 day med cruise in May for inside cabin with drinks package. Flights from Manchester are another £700, and there's no mention of transfers?

 

Where have you found this bargain?

[howmuch!]

19 hours ago, 2BACRUISER said:

If you think it's a good price go for it, it's only a deposit now anyway and if u find something better so long as you cancel.before 90 days you get your deposit back. 

Is this something new from Marella. I thought you lost your deposit even if you cancelled well before sailing date? Final payment date is now 12 weeks (84 days) before departure