MV Discovery. Just returned from 28 nights aboard

[Parapara]

I know there are people like Fran who want to know how this ship compares with the Marco Polo.

Before I begin though I need to mention the engines. I have seen nowhere since returning about the engine breakdown we experienced. We were only one day out of Harwich when the captain announced that a bearing in one of the engines had overheated and so they had shut it down. This meant we no longer stopped at Lisbon ( a big disappointment) and that we would be going to Marseille instead of Nice. I understand that something similar happened last year and no Lisbon visit then either.

So, overall the first leg ( of three) was very disappointing. I had done lots of investigating through this website as to what we would do in Nice and this turned out to be a waste of time, Three shore excursions were offered for Marseile and we decided we had better do one instead of our own thing and chose the one all day one round Provence. It was cancelled the night before as we were arriving too late for a full day excursion. We had to wait list then for a half day one which went to Aix. We presumed the change to Marseille was to fix the engine but it didn't happen and still hadn't when we disembarked in Istanbul on 2nd October.

We were not very happy cruisers up to this point but fortunately everything went smoothly from there. However if the engines can't be relied on it makes a big question mark about further travel on her. A real shame as we really liked travelling on her.

Overall we found the ship very similar to the Marco Polo. Probably we could give it more pluses than the Marco Polo. The crew are great and this was all staff including reception staff etc. Everyone was very helpful and went the extra mile. The ship interior was kept well up to scratch and everything was spotlessly clean. We found the food very good ( except the bacon). This is personal choice of course and as about 70% of passengers were British it tended towards that type of food. The clotted cream for afternoon teas was divine ( and terribly bad for you ).

Dining at the Yacht club once per cruise (3 times for us) was lovely. Excellent menu. Like dining at a first class restaurant with lovely sea views and live music.

The cabins were small but adequate and beds comfortable. Good shower.

No casino. This has been replaced with a Bridge room. A British bridge company seems to take Bridge Holidays on board ( called Mr Bridge), The first leg had 150 players + 50 extras. I am a Bridge player. I could go to their lectures and play in afternoons ( when at sea) but not in evenings. Didn't bother me really as plenty of other things to do. The second and third legs had these groups too but much smaller.

The shore excursions through the ship were expensive. We took some and did our own thing when possible. The ship ( or shore ) usually provided free shuttles. I think we only paid for one and that was in Taormina.

Alcohol was reasonably priced and lots of occasions when it was free.

Ship went out of its way to provide extras at times e.g. instead of going straight in to Dardanelles we went up to ANZAC cove and a very moving service was held on deck as we slowly sailed past.

Any questions I will be happy answer them.

Jean

[OldJerseycruiser]

Thank you for that Papapara. I just hope the engines last until we have done our cruise next year.:rolleyes:

[rotterdam17601]

Thank you for your update, Jean.

 

Last year we crossed the Atlantic on the Discovery and missed a port in the Azores due to her engine problems.

 

This year we join the ship in Barcelona for five weeks (Barcelona/Singapore)........ and it's the engines again!

 

It took forever to correctly fabricate the damaged engine part last time. Since she's in drydock the week before we sail from Barcelona, with luck VOD can get it all sorted out, and the Discovery will be able to keep to her published itinerary.

[franu]

Thank you so much for all of your thoughtfulness and effort to give me the information that I was seeking. I had reservations for the Grand Orient cruise for January but had to cancel for health reasons. I am sad that I will miss this itinerary but it is out of my hands.

 

I have made my reservations for May on VTA's Aegean Odyssey to Greece and Turkey instead. It is the newest venture by Gerry Herrod who did the Marco Polo and VOD among others. My heart is always in the Mediterranean.

Fran

[R&M]

I took the Buenos Aires-Falkland Islands-Antarctica-Ushuaia cruise in December 2004-January 2005. We too suffered mechanical problems which forced us to leave Buenos Aires a day earlier then scheduled so that we would be able to reach the rest of our destinations on time.

[SwissMyst]

Great to find your thread as we leave on a 42 day Discovery trip from Hong Kong to Capetown departing Jan 2010 and it is closer to the time to get serious about a trip lasting this long. Wonder how you approached all packing and dress requirements on board for a trip this long with the limits on airline baggage these days.

 

Our weather will be pretty hot so at least we can pack light, but also wonder about the 42 day supplies of day-to-day things like shampoo and contact lens solutions etc, that add to the weight but might not be available by preferred brands if I run out somewhere across the Indian ocean.

 

Did you make a checklist before you left to makes sure you had everything you needed? Love to see a copy to see if there are things we hadn't thought about. Anything you wish you had?

 

We took the advice of another Discovery poster and got the Coral (?) Deck porthole room next to the doctor's office that seemed larger than most due to its irregular walls.

 

Were their things you wish you had for your room like someone recommended for another ship - one of those hanging shoe bags with all the little compartments for extra odds and ends storage? How did you feel about the closet and hanging space? The storage space - two people in this cabin.

 

How did you handle laundry along the way and could you dry small things in your room/shower? Ahh yes, lighting in the bathroom and ventilation? The hair dryer? The outlet(s) for cameras and shavers, etc? Rooms too hot or too cold? Did you need a wrap for the dining room? How formal are the formal nights?

 

And if you can, can you tell me more about the food and the room service menu (love club sandwiches in bed when the seas get rough - do they have them?)

 

Yes, I have cruised even though it sounds like I am making my first trip here, but have not been on such a long one in a long, long time (60 days around the world 40 years ago on the old Lloyd Triestiono Gallileo Gallilei, which caught fire and sunk as the SunVista off Penang a few years ago.

 

I figure I can get a lot of things that I might forget/need/too heavy to pack in Hong Kong before we depart, but wonder what I might not be able to get along the way in case I run out.

 

Thanks for any tips and love following this thread. Sure hope the engines do get fixed in drydock before we go. I would hate to miss a single port and one of them will be my 100th country for the Century Travel Club - Either the Sechelles or the Maldives I think, if all goes according to schedule.

[Parapara]

Not sure I can answer all your questions. Not sure of your luggage allowance- for us it was 20kg which is pretty limiting. We try to take as large a cabin bag as possible and have it as empty as you can when you leave and then use it for heavy things on your return. Formal night dress can be anything within reason. I took one long black skirt and one pair of dressy black pants and lots of tops to mix and match. My husband took a suit and he wore this for formal nights with white shirt and tie and coloured shirt ( and tie sometimes) for informal nights.

Washing - there is a little liine over the showerand we also took a stretchy line which we hung in the cabin after things stopped dripping. Worked fine. Just did a bit each day. If you are doing more than one cruise joined together which I guess you are ( our cruise was 3 short ones ) then you get 50% off laundry costs.

Depending on the cabin and I am thinking if yours is an unusual shape it may be a cabin for "3" ( ours was, with a bunk fold down bed above ) then we had plenty of room for clothes. Drawer space was pretty limited in our friend's cabin.

Shampoo, hand lotion, soap and body wash are supplied. I didn't use the shampoo but the body lotion was good so didn't take any. There is a shop on board and I think you would be able to buy some necessities there and also on shore. I tried to take the smallest containers of things that I thought would last.

We didn't use room service but I think it was good. Don't know what was on offer though.

Food as I think I have mentioned tended towards British style. We had no complaints.

For the cabin electrical plugs you need Bristish adaptors. Hair dryers are supplied. The one in our cabin died after one use and I was given another and it was a good one ( better style than one attached to wall)

Other than the engine problems we liked the ship very much. Have just had a letter from VOD and they say the engine is now repaired.

Hope this helps. I know it is good to get as much info as possible before you leave.

If you are readers the Library is an excellent one.

[SwissMyst]

Parapara,

 

Thank you so much for the details. Hadn't thought about needing the British plug adaptors and do have some so that is exactly what I needed to know ahead of time.

 

Good news about being able to take care of some of the laundry and love the news about the library. One more area where we won't have to haul extra pounds of books because we love to read too. We just got our welcome letter today plus reading suggestions and registration info form so we are now officially starting our countdown.

 

Great news also about the engine repairs. Fingers crossed. Hope you still check into this thread from time to time before late January if more questions come up. Nothing like hearing things first hand from a former traveller who lived all this out.

 

Swissmyst

[SwissMyst]

Based upon an enthusiatic recommendation on this forum, we booked and got room 3106 on the Coral Deck which looks larger than others and sounds like a good deal, even if it is down in the bowels of the ship, though with a ship this size it looks like everything will be close by.

 

http://us.voyagesofdiscovery.com/id-12650/coral-deck.html

[Parapara]

We were a deck above towards front but inside. Should think your position should be fine unless there are rough seas and everyone needs medical attention! The front is quieter than some places at rear of ship and as you say being a small ship everything is quite close.

Jean

[SwissMyst]

We were a deck above towards front but inside. Should think your position should be fine unless there are rough seas and everyone needs medical attention! mall ship everything is quite close.

Jean

 

Snicker, I thought of that too. Or hopefully we don't get a ship virus either. Looks like their might be a supply cabinet or office between our room and the sick bay so maybe the groans and retches will be muffled. At least I won't have to go far in case I am the one who needs the doc too.

 

How did the Discovery take rough seas? Sometimes I think rocking and rolling with the waves is easier than being in some of the larger ships that "stablilize" so much they throw off the natural feeling of the waves.

 

I used to be good on high seas where everyone else was heading to the railings, but now older I am not so sure I still have my sea legs. I found myself wanting to just lay down for a bit on other cruises when it got a little tippy. And I was gobbling the ginger they offered every night at dinner but it didn't seem to help.

 

Thanks for staying in touch here. I imagine I will have a string of questions after the holidays when it starts getting closer to packing time, so I will appreciate it greatly if you take another peek in late December or so for this thread.

 

And if you want to chat a bit more about your experience, I'd love to hear more about the types and quality of theenrichment lecture and the shore excursions. And naturally, what it means to have "English" food. What were the breads like - that is always something I love when they are done well. Sad when they are not.

 

Swissmyst

[Henrietta]

Greetings SwissMyst I will be coming through on Discovery from Singapore to collect you in Hong Kong and you can drop me off in Singapore as you start your long sea days to Capetown. Was on her earlier in the year from India to Harwich and she is very relaxed and comfortable for a long voyage.

Long black is a good standby and a pashmina or equivelant perhaps an early souvenier as I found ship could be cool inside particularly as will be extra warm outside. You will be 50% laundry discount. Because commercial washers can be harder on clothes I drip dried cottons and then sent them for ironing' Crew excellent, string quartet a pleasure and useful to have the lectures repeated to cabin TV and can catch them changing for dinner if daytime has got too crowded. Food good and the once a fortnight opportunity to go to the Yacht Club for dinner is a chance to catchup with other friends perhaps from different sitting.

Happy planning

Josie from Sydney

[SwissMyst]

Fantastic Josie, we will be in touch. We just got our excursion books today from Discovery and are getting so excited. More later.

 

Swissmyst

[RicoPaz]

Any opinions on the Cape Town/South Africa itinerary for this ship in March 2010? It looks like it could be fun.

 

Can one survive without taking formal clothes for those nights? How casual is the ship overall?

 

Thanks, Rico.

[SwissMyst]

Rico, we are getting ready to leave in a few weeks and will be saying goodby to the ship when you get on. DH is bringing a tux as we will be on for 42 days and he feels he has to wear something on those formal nights, so why not a tux. Takes up as much space as anything else. I'll give a good report when I get back but this will be too late for you.

 

I am wondering if I end up wearing pretty much the same things over and over again once this trip gets going or if I will need all the little separates I am putting together to break up the boredom. If you look at the video from the ship (sometimes they show scenes not using actors) you see a "smart casual" look is pretty common. I see more skirts on women than pants, more ensembles than just shorts and tee-shirts.

 

Bottomline: I think on a ship this small and non-routine itinerary one dresses more for their own comfort levels and the types of activities one expects to encounter. Yet, I suspect there still is more "British" formality among the passengers who routinely dress more formally than US passengers might ....just because this is what they do at home.

 

The clock is ticking ...... I will soon find out and will also have to learn on my own how much closet and shelf spaces I have for all those "little outfits" I am dragging halfway around the world.

 

BTW: we got very nice flights that were included from the West Coast USA. Cathay Pacific non-stop to Hong Kong and Emirates Air Capetown to Dubai and then their new non-stop long haul to LAX also on Emirates Air.

 

That Boeing 777 200 LR should be an interesting adventure in its own right. Was able to secure one of the few two row seats in the back of coach so that will give us a little more movement freedom than their typical 3-3-3 configurations.

[kcincam]

I'm also on Discovery Singapore to Capetown Feb, March 2010. Have been on Discovery before, but going as a single this time. As a Discovery Club member, I'll get discount on laundry. How much does it cost ? Are there irons for passengers to use on their own? Didn't have to worry on shorter hauls, but 33 days on board I'll need to wash, and press. I don't get to Singapore till 1:00 am on the day of embarkation..not too happy about that. Anybody else flying LAX to Singapore on Singapore air ?4 days left. Excited !

[Geordieboy]

I'm also on Discovery Singapore to Capetown Feb, March 2010. Have been on Discovery before, but going as a single this time. As a Discovery Club member, I'll get discount on laundry. How much does it cost ? Are there irons for passengers to use on their own? Didn't have to worry on shorter hauls, but 33 days on board I'll need to wash, and press. I don't get to Singapore till 1:00 am on the day of embarkation..not too happy about that. Anybody else flying LAX to Singapore on Singapore air ?4 days left. Excited !

 

 

no irons for use just give it to the cabin steward when I was there

[SwissMyst]

I'm also on Discovery Singapore to Capetown Feb, March 2010. Have been on Discovery before, but going as a single this time. As a Discovery Club member, I'll get discount on laundry. How much does it cost ? Are there irons for passengers to use on their own? Didn't have to worry on shorter hauls, but 33 days on board I'll need to wash, and press. I don't get to Singapore till 1:00 am on the day of embarkation..not too happy about that. Anybody else flying LAX to Singapore on Singapore air ?4 days left. Excited !

 

Hey, what did you think of our last passage between Mauritius and Capetown - gulp, pretty rough for me but what wonderful things we saw. Here is how we ended up dealing with our laundry matters.

 

We did our 42 days of laundry in our sink. It worked out fine. We found this fantastic, two tier folding umbrella type drying rack in a cheaper, working class department store in Singapore and it served all our needs. That was the best thing we bought and it broke our heart there was no room in our luggage to take it home.

 

We added a small room fan we also bought at that department store to give it a bit more air circulation, but most things dried in one day. The small room fan was also helpful when getting ready to dress up for dinner after the room got a little steamy from the shower.

 

I occasionally touched things up with a portable travel steamer, but we mainly just smoothed things out while they were wet, hung them on some nice foamy hangers, had good enough travel fabrics, and didn't need to press anything.

 

Some had also recommended "pressing" items with a hair dryer and the good old, hand in a steamy shower can often be enough to get rid of packing wrinkles. Rolling groups of clothing, rather than folding each item and then putting the rolls into slippy plastic bags so they did not crush against each other so much also helped too.

 

Day time dress was very casual - travel logo tee shirts and shorts seemed to be the most common and was always a good conversation ice breaker since this is such and exceptionally well travelled group.

 

The tourist office in Penang gave all of us Penang teeshirts and not a day went by for the entire rest of the trip to Capetown that we did not see at least 3 of them on deck during the day. One can pack very, very simply for daytime.

 

Discovery passengers really enjoyed dressing up at night and that is where you would want the packing emphasis, yet it was mainly lovely, more formal tops over simple skirts or pants and traditional jackets for men with our without ties. Simple sun dresses were the other choice for women, for both day and evening.

 

Formal nights meant tuxes for most of the men and a little more elegance and formality for the women. But even on casual nights, women would usually sparkle and it looked wonderful. I didn't bring enough simple sparkle and brought way too much casual.

 

Linen remains my favorite hot weather, easy care, travel fabric as it dries so quickly and wrinkles can be smoothed out when wet and it lets you get away with a slightly rumpled look in the first place. Plus damp linen is a great air conditioner when you are wearing it. Probably should have hosed it down before I put in on for some of our hundred degree weather port stops.

[SwissMyst]

More bump up for the new poster who is looking for MV Discovery information.