Reviews
![Caribbean Cruise]()
This was our second cruise on Marella Explorer and everything was perfect.
Outstanding entertainment every day. It was amazing.
Our cabin was spotlessly clean on arrival and we were looked after so well during our 2 week stay.
The food was great with a wide choice of venues to eat. The variety of drinks on the all inclusive package was brilliant.
All the staff were friendly and professional.
Well done Marella.
Already looking forward to our third cruise in 2 years.
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![Brilliant cruise from start to finish]()
Done the reposition cruise from the Carribean to Palma and it was the best cruise we have ever been on.All staff were friendly and we loved the sea days,just relaxing.Would highly recommend Marella.
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![fantastic itinerary]()
We enjoyed visiting Corfu, Slovenia, Croatia and Montenegro. Dubrovnic and Kotor are two of the "must see" European highlights.
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![Caribbean]()
Words cannot explain how good it was
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![Good itinerary and smooth organisation on a nice sized ship]()
Travelling as a solo passenger, this was a 7 night itinerary to the Caribbean starting and ending in Barbados and visiting a nice selection of varied islands, including some old favourites such as St Lucia and Grenada, but also some lesser featured stops such as Guadeloupe, Bequia and Tobago.
There was only one day at sea at the beginning of the cruise with a new port of call every day after that and plenty of choice of shore excursions, one to suit all preferences or level of mobility.
Food was plentiful and restaurants varied - some waiting for a table required at peak times in the more popular ones however a pager system meant that waiting could take place in a bar or lounge nearby.
Entertainment of a good standard and, with 2 performances most nights, timing suited both early nighters and night owls. The silent discos were a welcome addition to the programme and, as ever, good fun.
The TUI flights and transfers went very smoothly, luggage tagged for the ship at the airport and delivered to your cabin door. Ship passengers taken directly from the plane and transferred to the port for smooth and painless embarkation process - holiday could get started straight away which was much appreciated when only cruising for a week.
All in all a very enjoyable cruise which I would not hesitate in repeating in the future.
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![Disappointed]()
Too noisy , at sea for far too long , cattle market comes to mind , 2star all inclusive
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![Couldn’t be happier!]()
A fab way to explore more than one destination whilst always having somewhere nice to sleep (and eat!)
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![Greek islands in all their glory.]()
We chose a balcony cabin on the 9th deck for this cruise. It was portside and slightly aft of mid ship. The cabin was smallish and no longer has a fridge which disappointed some passengers.
The cabin was ample for us with a table and chairs on the balcony along with a subbed and hammock. The bed was very comfortable and shower easy to use.
The entertainment throughout the ship was excellent especially the shows in the broadway showroom. There was also a cinema and several bars to choose from.
There pool was lovely although often very busy with more entertainment. Quieter areas away from the pool could also be found.
Several choices of restaurants ranging from pizza and tapas through the usual extensive buffet service all day. Treats were also available in restaurants with extra charges which we didn’t try this time as we were happy with the 4 table service restaurants provided in the package.
The premium package we purchased included premium drinks and specialty coffee which was lovely but not necessary as the basic all inclusive plus a few extra charges for the odd upgraded drink would probably have been cheaper.
All the staff were helpful and friendly.
We chose to do our own shore excursions with the exception of Santorini. This worked well for us as we saw Oia without the stress of trying to get there in the crowds. Every other port was easily accessible and lovely.
The scenery was beautiful wherever we went and it met all our expectations. Marella are much cheaper than other cruise ships and we don’t want a large ship with lots of bells and whistles we won’t use. The gym and spa looked great too but we didn’t avail of them this time.
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![Nice food on board but a bit boring at night]()
The cruise I went on was a bit boring in the evenings but the food on board was really nice and exceeded my expectation
If the entertainment improved and it had more varied like magic shows included I would go on this cruise again
Also the room person kept blocking the toilet and was weird making rats out of towels to to put on the bed and monkeys and the room stunk of highly powered urine smell and bleach together
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![2024-02-09 16:19:19]()
Excellent value for money. its my second Marella cruise and again it was brilliant. Very smooth transfers , crew very helpful and friendly. It feels like a family on board and on trips every one talks to you. Iv met some very interesting people. I think you could easily go on one on your own. They facilitate events for people to meet each other. The food is always good even in the buffet style restaurant they have a gorgeous healthy selection of food at each time of day. The afternoon teas are just like any cafe that does them. The entertainment is better than the west end shows with it being intimate you feel like they are performing just for you. Its lovely meeting the dancers after and around the ship. You can learn to dance from them. They have other activities. There are plenty of sun beds available around the ship in quiet areas, or around the pool. I think the spa treatments are expensive but you can get offers and free trials. The rooms are very comfortable. I always get a balcony room but had a good look around this time and if I wanted to cut down on my money to fit more cruising in i would get a room with a window but the inside cabins are just the same but without the window. So they cater for all budgets and what everyone prefers. You get the same 5star plus plus value for everything. Iv booked another one. Im addicted to cruising now. The port of calls are a good choice to get the best out of your visit. The excursions are great and the reps are very friendly and informative. I could go on. I cannot fault anything about Tui they are helpful from the start even in the shop or on the phone if you have any questions.
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![2024-02-08 10:16:44]()
Went on this ship in October around greece for our honeymoon.
Ensured before booking that latex free gloves would be used as i have a severe latex allergy that's results in anaphylaxis and i carry x2 adrenaline pens. I suffered a severe allergic reaction which resulted in taking both my adrenaline pens. All the cleaners/restaurants used latex free gloves however the maintenance men were going around the ship using the lifts wearing latex gloves which caused the reaction. There is a medical centre onboard the ship however the Doctor was off the ship and i had to wait 3 hours to be seen when he returned and prescribed further adrenaline pens. The experience was very frightening and the staff on board the ship did not understand the severity of what happened, the only apology i received was from the maintenance manager who admitted they had been wearing latex gloves even though they were informed about my allergy and not to wear them. Since returning home i raised a complaint with TUI however they refused to take any responsibility for the negligence and said that they can not confirm latex gloves were used on the ship even though i provided a photo of the maintenance manager holding the box of latex gloves. There is not enough awareness around latex allergies but equally this allergy is as important as any other and my case was not taken seriously even though this was avoidable and the outcome could of resulted in death.
I will not be travelling with TUI again, they are not open and honest or reliable and the customer service after travelling is shocking! This was our first cruise and it ruined our experience and our honeymoon as well.
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![2023-06-02 21:47:01]()
A Marella re-location cruise from Tenerife to Corfu of 11 days (10nights). 6 ports & 5 days at sea including start & end days. Our 12th Thomson/Marella cruise, all have been great. We have been with other cruise companies, Viking (Ocean & River), Holland America, Riviera & MSC, that have been excellent & 1 poor. We keep returning to Marella as they always give excellent value for money. We never feel we have been ripped off with them. Will book with them again but feel we need to try others that are available.
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![2023-06-02 15:43:22]()
I love the Marella cruises they are amazing value for money and excellent food and service.
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![2023-06-02 14:15:18]()
Didn’t use shore excursions, did our own thing. found the ship very good for everything. The only criticism I would say is beware of deals in the beauty spa, got talked into buying products which were very expensive
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![2023-03-28 18:55:12]()
We did a canaries cruise, the ship was lovely and the crew were very friendly, the entertainment team were great with some very talented singers and dancers, the food was excellent although as always the buffet on the day we embarked was a bit underwhelming the rest of the time the food and waiting crew were wonderful, the wine on the standard all inclusive was OK, we have had a much wider choice on other cruise lines, but it was acceptable for the cost of the cruise. The public areas were kept very well in all I would recommend Marella
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![2023-03-28 15:38:00]()
We have been on the Canaries osnds cruises a few times. This time we were a little disappointed with the formal night in particular but also the meal options. The wine options were also very limited. We will not do this cruise this year.
