dronnygirl

We were on D2 in October and had a lovely time. The theatre entertainment wasn't as good as previously but we enjoyed our time on board. Having read threads on rival cruise lines it seems that cutbacks are across the board, no-one seems to be happy. However we like the Marella itineraries and that's what brings us back time and again. Many other cruise lines seem to be cancelling ports but this only happened to us once with Marella and that was due to very high winds and the captain managed to find us another port at short notice. Back on E2 in September so fingers crossed all will be well

We once sailed to Olbia in Sardinia and took a bus to a beautiful horseshoe beach. Can't remember the name but it was on the Costa Smerelda. Could that he the place?

We aren't big drinkers so opt for the included drinks package rather than upgrading. However, I prefer proper Coke so buy the odd can as and when required. I also go off piste with the odd cocktail and just pay the difference. Much cheaper than going for the full upgrade package which we just wouldn't use.

Hi PJs, don't worry. We were the same when we went, just turn up at Palma airport on your return and they will print off the boarding passes for you. You only need to show your passport at check in. Everyone was the same. It felt a bit strange not having the pass already printed but it worked well. Enjoy your cruise!

Thank you aitch, already done Dubrovnik and Venice so may do something local. Looking forward to the other places and will definitely look for the walking tour in Split. We loved Piran and Portoroz so might think of taking the bus from Koper. Thanks for your help.

Pleased you enjoyed your cruise. We have done many cruises but not the Adriatic so we will be doing that on Ex 2 in September. Can't wait, if you have any tips please share.

Hi PJs, on our cruise we printed off everything just to be on the safe side. When we arrived at the ship they did check, albeit very briefly, that we had everything. As we had all the papers in a folder it took us about 2 minutes to be processed. Enjoy your cruise!

Hi rvoice, if you Google Marella Discovery balcony cabins you will see that all balcony cabins appear to have been upgraded. They look quite smart. Enjoy your cruise.

Hi Nancy, we were on Discovery 2 in October after 3 years. We were a little apprehensive but had a great cruise. Everything was pretty well back to normal and the crew were as friendly as ever. Sometimes we had to wait for drinks service but the food was as it had been before. The shows weren't quite as good as before but there were some really good musicians on board. We've booked Explorer 2 Adriatic in September and yes it was expensive but it's an itinerary we've always wanted to do so decided to go for it . Have you looked at other cruise lines on CC? You will find plenty of negative comments about them too, I guess things have had to change for all the cruise companies. Go on, take the plunge and go with an open mind!

Cheeky 🤣🤣

Pompei is very easy to walk round on your own, however it's very large and there is much to see. A guide really makes the place feel alive, I would recommend a guide if you can.

Can't understand why anyone would want to spend their holiday in a launderette, unless they were on a very long cruise.

For Reykjavik check out Iceland Guided Tours. They are excellent, pick you up at the ship in buses that take 8 or 10 people. Their Golden Circle tour takes you to many places and you will see geysers and lots of amazing sights. They are very reliable and get you back in plenty of time.

Venice is a beautiful city and well worth visiting. However, like Jim, we've been able to visit on previous cruises. All I can say is that I'm so glad we visited when we did. You would need a few hours to walk round, if you think you have long enough then I'd go for it while you face the opportunity.

The main dining room menu changes daily. There are 4 starters, mains and deserts to choose from and coffee/tea served after. Drinks are served by the glass at the table. You can choose whether you prefer a table for yourselves or share a table which is quite sociable. As well as the MDR there is an Italian restaurant (not charged) which we find very good. There is also the buffet which serves similar food choices and other food options depending on which ship you are on. The snack shack near the pool is always very popular during the day. Personally we haven't tried the speciality restaurants but have heard good reviews of them. Don't worry, you won't starve. Enjoy your first cruise!

We arrived at the cable car to get back to the ship and there was a 90 minute queue. Concerned about this we walked down the pathway to the bottom, it took us half an hour but was really bad on the knees!

If you want a larger balcony, you can book these on Explorer. There are 2 chairs, table, sunbed and a hammock. However we found that room is taken off the cabin to make room for the larger balcony, personally we would prefer the room on the inside rather than the outside. Also, it's a personal thing, but I couldn't use the hammock while sailing as it made me feel sick with the movement !

24th April, Greek Getaway 2, 11 night cruise £962 from Gatwick. There might be a few bargains coming up if people can't get their passports in time.

Just had a quick look and our cruise has now come down in price by £200, although only about 3 balcony cabins left so at least we got our choice. I also just noticed that they are now charging £55 to choose your cabin! Better stop looking now!

Wow, I'm envious! Fabulous itinerary. Check out the casino in New Orleans (even if you don't gamble it's worth popping in to look, it's huge) and the aquarium too. And take a trip on Natchez river boat, great atmosphere and don't miss Bourbon Street. Enjoy!

If you look at CC Ports of Call/ Europe you will find lots of info. If you ask a question about a specific port I'm sure you will get lots of feedback

We have holidayed in Slovenia a few times and love the country. If you have time for a longer day trip I would recommend Lake Bled and Ljubljana, both lovely to visit. You can walk round the lake and there are plenty of cafes in the town as well as the castle and Ljubljana is a lovely city. It's compact and easy to walk round. For a shorter day visit Piran by bus or taxi, it's only small but brilliant if you want lunch out as there are lots of fish restaurants by the sea. You can then walk to nearby Portoroz, about 30-40 mins walk, it's a seaside place totally different to Piran and bigger. You can then take a bus or taxi back to Koper. You would need to check bus times obviously but you would see 2 very different places

We booked the Adriatic for September a couple of weeks ago when there was an offer for £300 off. Checked recently and the cost of the cruise is around the same as we paid, even though the £300 has finished. I'm sure they adjust the prices to make it look as though you have a bargain . Also don't just check the price showing as the cabin supplements change too, you need to do a dummy booking to check the end price

Agree Arvia does have some bargains but it really does not appeal to us. For us the most important part of a cruise is the itinerary but also the 5000pax on board really puts us off. We've been alongside RC ships in the Caribbean and everyone getting off together swamps the town with massive queues for buses. However, each to their own but we prefer to stick with the smaller ships.

We also like Marella for the freedom. We can eat meals whatever time we like and in which venue we choose, we can even choose whether we wish to eat alone or as a mixed table. Most other cruise companies don't give this freedom, we have had set dining on both P&O and Princess and this can be hit and miss especially on a 2 week cruise, we get on with most people but it can sometimes be awkward. Also Princess have high drinks prices charged in $US, they seemed to be constantly pushing extras I.e. fancy Princess glasses with liquors after dinner (very easy to get carried away and end up with a huge bill at the end of the cruise) although P&O and Princess now have drinks packages. Marella prices have gone up but you really need to take everything into account when making comparisons . Especially flights, we like to fly and be in the Med straight away whereas sailing from Southampton limits hiw far the ships can travel in a given time. We also feel that Marella have great itineraries which suits us.