howmuch!

They were still providing daily printed copies with the turndown service on Discovery in the Caribbean 2 weeks ago.

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

If you decide to do the Tui trip 'Rome on your own' it will usually drop you off fairly near the vatican at Castel St Angelo. If you look at google maps fpr Trevi and Spanish steps, its about 30 min walk, and on the way, its worth visiting Piazza Navona.

Unfortunately not. Been on deck 4, 8 and 9 inside midship in last 2 years, but no fridge.

18 hours ago, Tipsy252 said:

I drink a lot of water, particularly if it is warm or I have been exercising. Can you get bottled water from the bars on board and is this included in the Premium AI package? I am not fussy about branded water like Evian, Perrier or such, just plain bottled water. We also usually grab a few bottles of water to take back to the cabin and use these to take with us on excursions.

Be aware that although you get 1.5 L bottle delivered to your cabin each day with premium, you may not have a fridge to cool it in, depending on which ship and what cabin grade you book.

1 hour ago, Grandad John said:

No but half your backside did😳.

There was that much ink on the Barnsley Chronicle in the 50's, you could read last weeks news on my backside.

On 2/21/2024 at 10:16 PM, Eglesbrech said:

And even when the toilets went indoors there was the dreaded Izal toilet paper. Those who know what I mean, know what I mean!

At least the newsprint didn't come off Izal 😂

7 hours ago, Lyndylou57 said:

Having only booked a couple of weeks ago we are very excited for our upcoming March 1st cruise on Explorer. Please can you advise if dinner suits are acceptable on ‘dress up’ night? Also, what times are the nightly shows in the theatre? Any other advice or tips would be very welcome. 
Since our last cruise with P&O in 2023 we have cancelled both cruises booked with them for this year. What a downward  spiral! 

The evening shows are 8.30 and 10.30, with doors opening 30 mins before (there's often a queue). There is a drinks table inside the entrance with glasses of house wine, some bottled beers, Prosecco and some soft drinks. If you prefer G+T etc, grab one from a nearby bar before entering. Shows are normally 45 mins.

I see they will not be charging a supplement for the over 70s, as Uk nsurance did, but does anyone know if the new Aviva/Nationwide policy has an upper age limit?

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

3 hours ago, A.C.H said:

Re Nationwide change of Travel Insurance Underwriter.

Good news!

The restriction applying to obtaining extra cruise Cover for missed ports etc being applied only to CLIA members does not appear in the new Nationwide Travel Insurance policy document due to be underwritten by Aviva! 😊👌

Is the new policy document available on the Nationwide website somewhere?

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

For 2024

Voyager is repositioning in April from Barbados to Palma in April - 17 nights

Discovery from Barbados to Marmaris in April - 18 nights or 25 nights

Explorer 2 from Jamaica to Palma in March - 17 nights or 24 nights

The Asia repo cruise is likely to suffer an itinerary change due to the Houthi attacks

5 hours ago, AlanCruise said:

We like Marella (which is part of the TUI holiday company).  They are not up to the quality of the main (mainly US) cruise lines but are normally significantly cheaper.

That used to be the case, but prices have risen significantly in 2023/24 in my view, meaning other lines are worthy of consideration.

For any US territories and islands being visited you need a US Esta via their online portal - 21  USD, (beware of other websites that charge extra). If you have visited Cuba since 2021, you probably need a full Visa only obtainable from US embassy in person (so probably too late to get one).

The Barbados entry is done online 3 days before entry and I believe its mainly a health questionnaire

On the Caribbean cruise we are doing in March, a Grand Suite on Discovery is £1816 more than inside on 6/7/8 (currently). As you missed 2 nights/3 days, but had other parts of the cruise, I guess Marella will argue £687 is proportional (ignoring all the paddling in sewage, inconvenience etc). I would certainly want cash not a voucher and a more on top for what you suffered.

In my experience, you will often see some of the more senior (white uniformed) crew in the buffet around noon (when it opens). Perhaps grab one of those.

On 1/9/2024 at 2:00 PM, itonlyrains said:

...And almost certainly to pay full extortionate price for it.. For this January they had good sale back in October and, especially if you are not looking for the cheapest cabin, you are guaranteed to grab a deal closer to the sail date...

I'm not sure that guarantee works any more with Marella. I have followed the 2 week Caribbean cruises since November hoping for a bargain. If you look at the prices within 2 or 3 weeks of sail date, they haven't fallen, and balconies have sold out in many cases earlier. 

We have just finished our 14th Marella cruise, (Explorer round Canaries - for 3rd time!). No real issues to report. I get the impression they are 'squeezing' the standard product to encourage passengers to purchase premium drinks package and use the speciality food venues, but the standard product is still acceptable.

The 'cost of living crisis' hasn't hit the cruise market as Marella ships appear fuller than ever, hence they aren't price cutting in the way they had in the past (did a 10 night reposition in Oct 22 for £860), so prices have risen compared to previously.

Did Ambassador Ambience last September and will be returning to them soon as we found the staff and entertainment were very good and the food better, at a similar price point.

On 11/29/2023 at 7:52 PM, dronnygirl said:

I believe it's £160pp for 7 nights to upgrade. Whether or not to upgrade is for you to choose, we're not big drinkers and find the basic package okay for us, we just pay the extra for the odd drink or coffee.

I think its actually £160 per couple (£80 pp) as both have to take the package

Reading The Marella sections on 'facecloth', being told you aren't getting the cabin you booked is becoming a regular issue. In the last week, somene had the same happen, and on contacting reception on board, they had a list of 15 cabins that required a refund of the booking fee.

I know I'm tight, but good luck to Marella finding people to pay £1500+ for 7 nights in a deck 2/3 inside cabin on Discovery 2. I for one will be looking for better value as £200+/night is a joke!

Thats good to here as we are on her for 2 weeks from the 17th Oct.

3 hours ago, dronnygirl said:

I've also read about a tax imposed by the Spanish on food and drink. It seems this is being passed onto clients by NCL, even those who have prepaid for a drinks package. Let's hope other cruise lines don't follow suit, although the prices Marella are charging It's probably already been factored into the total price

and a bit extra for good measure, but apparently Simon Calder is the source and it relates to NCL, something to do with a 'free at sea' deal NCL must be offering

https://euroweeklynews.com/2023/09/22/tax-warning-issued-for-cruise-passengers-when-in-spanish-waters/

On 7/18/2023 at 5:15 PM, A.C.H said:

Actually, up to 3 weeks ago some people calling Nationwide to renew their travel insurance were still being told Nationwide wouldn't give cruise cover to Ambassador cruise passengers. The message hopefully has now got through to the call centre.

I rang today as we are currently switching accounts to Flexplus and they are still saying Ambassador aren't covered by any part of the policy - until I quoted this thread. After being put on hold, they came back and said the main policy applies to Ambassador cruises, but not the upgrade - cabin confinement etc