Last minute Marella deals

[BlackBox]

Thinking about trying a cruise and thought Marella's "Adriatic Explorer" might be interesting. I see there's a sailing that's quite heavily discounted, presumably because it's less than a week to departure. I'm new to all this so I don't know how things normally work - are later sailings almost certain to be similarly discounted as they get closer? If they all tend to come down to similar last minute prices then a June sailing would be more convenient. I could make next week's sailing if it's going to save me a few hundred pounds per person though. Would appreciate the insight of regular price watchers...

[Pensioncruiser]

Not a price watcher but after nearly 60 cruises can certainly recommend the Adriatic you would not be disappointed 😎

[ElmaLee]

If there are unsold cabins then there are likely to be price reductions near departure date.  However you need to watch that there are matching flights available from your preferred airport(s).  There will be fewer cabins to choose from but if you are out to save as much as possible, just let TUI allocate one for you.

[BlackBox]

30 minutes ago, Pensioncruiser said:

Not a price watcher but after nearly 60 cruises can certainly recommend the Adriatic you would not be disappointed 😎

Thanks, that's nice to hear. Do you mean the Adriatic generally, or Marella's Adriatic Explorer itinerary in particular?

 

Sixty cruises is impressive! Our only cruising experience was a Caribbean cruise (with Celebrity) but that was more than 20 years ago.

 

Trawling through some of the posts in here there seems to be a bit of an impression that Marella have deteriorated over time and aren't particularly good value any more so perhaps I should be looking around at offerings from other lines. One thing I recall from our sole previous experience is having found the tipping custom rather awkward, so Marella's all-inclusive approach appeals.

[BlackBox]

32 minutes ago, ElmaLee said:

you need to watch that there are matching flights available from your preferred airport(s).

Good point, but I'm resigned to travelling to one of the London airports anyway. 

 

32 minutes ago, ElmaLee said:

if you are out to save as much as possible, just let TUI allocate [a cabin] for you.

I was probably going to leave it to Tui anyway, I wouldn't have a clue which cabin to pick. If we discover we enjoy cruising then I guess we'll learn what to look out for as we build experience.

[Brummijam]

44 minutes ago, BlackBox said:

Thanks, that's nice to hear. Do you mean the Adriatic generally, or Marella's Adriatic Explorer itinerary in particular?

 

Sixty cruises is impressive! Our only cruising experience was a Caribbean cruise (with Celebrity) but that was more than 20 years ago.

 

Trawling through some of the posts in here there seems to be a bit of an impression that Marella have deteriorated over time and aren't particularly good value any more so perhaps I should be looking around at offerings from other lines. One thing I recall from our sole previous experience is having found the tipping custom rather awkward, so Marella's all-inclusive approach appeals.

 

Trawling through some of the posts in here there seems to be a bit of an impression that Marella have deteriorated over time and aren't particularly good value any more so perhaps I should be looking around at offerings from other lines. One thing I recall from our sole previous experience is having found the tipping custom rather awkward, so Marella's all-inclusive approach appeals.

 

REGARDING THE ABOVE

 

The post about Marella’s standards slipping was primarily aimed towards the regular cruisers who read and post on here. Lots of things are being altered/changed compared to what we used to enjoy a few years back. As a new cruiser I don’t think you will go wrong choosing Marella the all inclusive setup plus included tips is a game changer for a lot of people.

 

Regarding late bookings you can bag a bargain if you are able to go at very short notice.

We had a Canaries cruise with a junior suite for the price of a balcony cabin albeit with only one weeks notice.  The Adriatic trips are amazing, you won’t be disappointed.😉

[Jim The Scot]

We did a late booking last October on a heavily discounted price and flight availability from our local airport which was unusual

Booked on the Tuesday and flew out on the Friday.On our many Marella cruises we,ve always selected our cabin but on that occassion we didn,t get the choice due to lateness of our booking so Marella allocated our cabin.Couldn,t have picked a better cabin myself

Edited April 30, 2023 by Jim The Scot

[Pensioncruiser]

2 hours ago, BlackBox said:

Thanks, that's nice to hear. Do you mean the Adriatic generally, or Marella's Adriatic Explorer itinerary in particular?

 

Sixty cruises is impressive! Our only cruising experience was a Caribbean cruise (with Celebrity) but that was more than 20 years ago.

 

Trawling through some of the posts in here there seems to be a bit of an impression that Marella have deteriorated over time and aren't particularly good value any more so perhaps I should be looking around at offerings from other lines. One thing I recall from our sole previous experience is having found the tipping custom rather awkward, so Marella's all-inclusive approach appeals.

Hi BB for your info we have only ever cruised with Thomson /Marella and in the main have found them great for us, yes things have changed, not always for the better ie it was five course meals, fantastic west end shows and a lot more staff but times have changed and its still an enjoyable holiday and for us the Eastern Mediterranean /Adriatic is our favourite, and we have cruised in most areas, it's unfortunate that the port of Venice is no longer available as that's one of the best approaches and departures you could experience. 

Enjoy your cruise. 😎 

[dronnygirl]

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!

 

[oscarshep]

Dubrovnik old town is a must. We did an organised tour before and you learn much more about the place with a guide.Going back to Dubrovnik on the cruise you are doing on Friday but own our own this time for a wander around.

Venice is nearly as much time on the coach there and back as it is in the city but might be worth it if you haven't been before.

And get up early to go up on deck to see the sail into Kotor Bay. Stunning.

Just my own recommendations obviously, one cruise isn't enough to see it all.

[BlackBox]

1 hour ago, dronnygirl said:

I think this is your first cruise?

We have been on just one cruise before but that was so long ago (23 years) that this might as well be the first.

 

Thanks very much for the tips, I'll try to put together a list of things to squeeze in.

[BlackBox]

17 minutes ago, oscarshep said:

Venice is nearly as much time on the coach there and back as it is in the city but might be worth it if you haven't been before.

Had a short day trip there once, but that was getting on for forty years ago. I'll check out the timings before deciding whether to go there again - thanks for pointing it out. That's the only place on the itinerary that we've visited before though.

[Martha1974]

@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 😁

[dronnygirl]

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!

[tring]

On 5/9/2023 at 6:27 PM, dronnygirl said:

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

 

I agree about that being a good itinerary, but I know if at least two cruise lines cancelling Israel port calls recently because of the "unrest" there.  Sadly things do not look likely to improve either so those ports could well be cancelled for the foreseeable future.

 

 

[dronnygirl]

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. 

[Dinglebert]

On 5/13/2023 at 2:23 PM, dronnygirl said:

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. 

This causes me a bit of an issue.  Looking to book for next October which includes two nights in Israel.  The single reason we want to do this cruise is those two nights.  Going elsewhere is not what we would want to do.   Now there is no-one who can predict the future of unrest in the middle east other than there will be some somewhere at all given times.!

 

Does cancelling ports before the cruise allow customers to choose a different cruise instead?

[dronnygirl]

No it doesn't I'm afraid. Our other ports of call were Turkey, Rhodes etc which we were happy with. The only thing you can do is wait until last minute but you may not get your choice of cabin or flight.

 

[nancyneptune]

On 5/13/2023 at 11:35 AM, tring said:

 

I agree about that being a good itinerary, but I know if at least two cruise lines cancelling Israel port calls recently because of the "unrest" there.  Sadly things do not look likely to improve either so those ports could well be cancelled for the foreseeable future.

 

 

 

Hi, We have been on the Israel and Egypt cruises four times. Always been lucky enough to have our two days in Israel. Have had Egypt cancelled once and other ports substituted. Friends had Israel  cancelled due to unrest and were taken to Turkish and Greek ports instead. Very disappointing when this happens but it is the risk you take when you book knowing that trouble can flare up at anytime in the region. Marella will always put safety first. 

Hope all goes well for you.