dronnygirl

1 hour ago, paulatsea said:

FYI - We had to collect our luggage at Dubrovnik airport (very slow) and then take it to a truck to transfer to the ship.

Going home the luggage goes straight to the aircraft from outside the cabin.

Luggage labels and boarding passes are delivered to the cabin.

Thanks for letting us know. Although we usually like to slip last minute bits in the case before leaving but won't be able to do this. Hope you enjoyed your cruise 

Sorry I wasn't clear,  all freedom dining except for speciality restaurants which you have to book. We prefer to eat around 7ish and it's not busy but I think it gets busy around 8pm. The MDR known as 47 is on one deck and the Italian known as Gallery 47 on the above deck .  Menus are shown outside so we usually check before we decide.  Otherwise the buffet is similar to other cruise lines. Lunch time the Snack Shack offers burgers, fish n chips, sandwiches and salads.

For us the itinerary is the most important but Marella does suit our needs. Unfortunately they no longer sail from the UK so we may be tempted with Fred in the future as they have flexible departures. 

Good luck and enjoy your planning!

We sailed on D2 in October and had a lovely cruise. The ship was refurbished a few years ago so is not by any means new but it is well kept and we found everywhere clean. We love the layout of the ship with a nice atrium in the centre.  The staff are fabulous and always friendly and courteous. 

The ship is similar to P&O ships (not tried Fred) but we always preferred the entertainment on Marella,  however the show team has changed and we didn't find the shows so good this time, but there were some very good musicians on board.

We find the atmosphere very good, I've read lots of bad reviews about Marella but we always travel away from school holidays when it's quieter and have never seen any trouble. You can choose a table for 2 or share a table in the MDR, we always share and have only a couple of times sat with people who have been disagreeable.  Almost always we have sat with very interesting people.  The food is good, always find something we like but we are not fussy eaters.

Dress is not as strict as P&O but smart casual in the evenings and most people onboard make an effort.  There are occasional 'dress to impress' evenings but these days only the minority wear tux, the ladies dress up though.

Drinks and tips are included and, as we aren't big drinkers, we always find the drink selection perfectly ok without upgrading . We did find service slow in a couple of bars but that doesn't worry us.  We do however tip the steward and anyone who goes the extra mile but that is our choice.  Speciality dining is extra and I've been told it's very good but we've never felt the need to try it.

Your itinerary sounds wonderful, I'm turning a shade of green! 

I'm sure you would have a lovely time but, of course,  you would need to go with an open mind.  Please let us know what you decide.

Yes we were really lucky to get 2 says in Ashdod to visit Jerusalem , Bethlehem etc. A week after we were there trouble broke out and they cancelled Israel for quite a while. 

The one thing we've found with Marella is that they usually quickly find alternative ports of call whereas I've read about a competitor cruise line that seems to be cancelling ports with no alternative. 

So pleased you had a good time, thanks for letting us know.

3 hours ago, Tizzy-Jo said:

We did the Ancient Wonders cruise on Celebration in 2013. It was our first and we were hooked. Sailing through the Dardanelles was so thought provoking. Wonderful times.

Yes we did Ancient Wonders and loved it.  But does anyone remember the Red Sea cruise on Celebration?  That was our first Thomson cruise in 2009. Fabulous to see Petra and also the Pyramids but I must admit we never want to go to Egypt again. But that's why cruising is so good,  you can love a place or it can totally put you off a place .

On 5/6/2023 at 1:23 PM, Martha1974 said:

@BlackBox DH and I are relatively new cruisers (6 so far) but haven’t sailed with Marella yet. We’re planing a trip to the Eastern Med for next year so would be very interested to know your thoughts about your experiences.  I hope you have a great time… they do say that cruising can become addictive so be prepared 😁

The Eastern Med is our favourite.  Look for Istanbul, Athens,  Israel - all amazing!

10 minutes ago, Jim The Scot said:

Pity Marella dont do Instanbul

Look at Ottoman Odyssey on Discovery between May and September 2024.

Istanbul is amazing, really loved it. Very interesting sailing through the Dardanelles on the way there 

15 minutes ago, Brick1 said:

Looks a great itinerary and like you say a nice contrast to Adriatic Affair.

 

We are booked to do Aegean Shores next July on Explorer 1 going from Corfu to Crete, Santorini, Kusadasi (Turkey), Piraeus (mainland Greece) and Kefalonia. Then a weeks stay in Corfu. We love the Greek islands. It was meant to be our first ever cruise but we decided we couldn't wait that long so booked the one for August.

Fabulous itinerary, you'll have a great time!  I believe Marella are going to sail from Marmaris again next year which means some lovely cruises coming up!

28 minutes ago, Brick1 said:

Are you doing Greek Mystique first week?

Yes, Greek Mystique followed by Adriatic Affair. We're very lucky to have done many cruises so we usually have some ports we have been to before but absolutely love Greece.

14 hours ago, Brick1 said:

That is a great point. On our two week in August we are doing: Dubrovnik (Croatia) Kotor (Montenegro), Ravenna (Italy), Trieste (Italy), Koper (Slovenia), Split (Croatia), Dubrovnik (Croatia), Valletta (Malta), Messina (Sicily), Taranto (Italy), Corfu and Bar (Montenegro). I couldn't get as good an itinerary as that with P&O around that part of the world (Adriatic, Ionian, Med).

21:00

Your first week will be our second week in September, we are doing the Greek Isles the first week so will be a contrast.  We've already done the Greek ports but they are all lovely so quite happy to visit again.

14 hours ago, davecttr said:

With 6 or 7 sea days 6 to 7 on a cruise to the Canaries or western med from Southampton. i like sea days so it suits me fine. Also trying MSC to the Canaries next year.

I'd be very interested to hear how you find MSC,  it's always good to hear other people's views. I know you enjoy both Marella and P&O cruises.

For us it's mainly about the itinerary.  Out of interest  how many ports of call are there on the P&O 2 week cruise? Usually they don't compare with 12 ports of call on Marella and this should be taken into account when making comparisons . It's not just about the overall cost.

If you want to do a gondola trip the best time is in the morning. It gets busier later so they charge less in a morning. Also, unless you want to be ripped off, don't get a gondola on the grand canal. You can walk into the back streets and negotiate with the gondoliers. 

Enjoy just wandering around Venice, it's beautiful!

Hi BB,  Well done - I think this is your first cruise?  This is a great itinerary and it's very easy to book trips all over the place but many of the ports are very nice so you don't always need to go further (unless there's somewhere you really want to see)

When you arrive you can go into Corfu town, it's quite a walk so I would get on the bus that will be waiting just outside the port. Corfu is a lovely town to walk around, have a drink etc

Koper we haven't been to yet and will visit in September.  We absolutely love Slovenia and will have a look round the town, however if you feel confident you can take the bus half an hour down the coast to Piran/Portoroz. Both lovely but very different, Piran is a small place with lots of fish restaurants and lovely whereas Portoroz is bigger and more modern with a lovely walk along the front.

Trieste - if you've not been to Venice then that's the place to see. Fabulous? but if you don't want to go there Trieste is lovely to wander around with lots of shops and cafes

Split - not been here yet but will just have a wander round - let us know how you find it please

Dubrovnik - beautiful city. Catch the bus to the city gate and just wander around the town and the walls or you can take the cable car to the top of the mountain for beautiful views. If you walk around the town and follow the walls, you will find an opening in the wall by the sea. Go through this and it brings you out to Buza Bar, it's basically a bar built on the rocks. Lovely place for a drink and watch the locals jumping off into the sea.

Kotor - again one we are looking forward to seeing in September

The main thing to remember is the time you need to be back on board.  Never, ever be late as the ship won't wait. Always leave plenty of time, and if you do get into difficulties the ship's phone number is on the back of your cruise card.

Good luck and let us know how you go on!

Plenty of taxis available at the port but we took a tuk tuk which was fun and, as it was a very hot day, we had open sides.  The driver made suggestions where to see but also asked what we wanted to see. Really enjoyed it.

Olbia is a pleasant small town, okay for a wander. There are shops and plenty of cafes to people watch. There's also a small port where you can wander around the expensive yachts.  

We left the ship quite early and there were double decker buses outside the port. They were taking trips to the beach on the Costa Smerelda . We bought a ticket (think it was about  10 euros) and they took us down the peninsula which had lovely scenery . We got off at a beach and then got a later bus back to the ship.  If you don't want to get off it was a lovely round trip of about an hour .

7 hours ago, Brick1 said:

Thanks @Tony1878 there is one port (Ravenna) that we are going to on a Sunday and everything is apparently closed and the excursions we don't really fancy so we may well stay on the ship that day and just chill out/use the facilities. 

I believe the mosaics are open Sundays if you want to see them.  Also the Italians all go out for Sunday lunch so the cafes and restaurants will be open. We find it interesting to people watch so would definitely go ashore if only for a short time 

To take home as a souvenir or present you will find everywhere boxes of Turkish Delight.  It's a type of sweet that's covered in icing sugar with different flavourings. 

Delicious when fresh.

Hi Brick1, there are usually plenty of sunbeds to be found around the higher decks.  Personally we prefer to find somewhere a bit quieter as it can get a bit noisy by the pool with music and quizzes.  We also sometimes move as we can't sit in the sun all day and like to find a shaded area. It's also nice to sit on the balcony with a drink for a bit of quiet.

You don't need to tip but it is nice if someone has gone above and beyond, usually the cabin staff.  I once tipped a toilet attendant who was always there keeping everything spotless,  I was convinced she lived in the loo!

Please let us know how you go on, it's always good to hear what others think.

It all comes down to personal choice but I would definitely choose the first cruise. Rome and Athens are brilliant but Istanbul is amazing. 

Both itineraries are great and you will enjoy them but I feel the first has more to offer.

It's actually further to walk into Corfu town than it looks.  There is a bus just outside the port which runs frequently 

1 hour ago, Flopsy said:

Not been cruising for years now- hubby got dementia and so cruising was off the agenda. But he died in 2021 and now I’m starting to get the cruising bug again!

So sorry to hear that but hope you get back into cruising soon. Take care

9 hours ago, Flopsy said:

Well said dronnygirl (from another dronny girl lol)

Goodness Flopsy, not seen you post for a long time. Hope you are well and still cruising!

That's ok because we're the northern working class 60+ that the ship is supposed to appeal to 😂😂