MV Discovery

[dougnewmanatsea]

The good people at Discovery World Cruises (US arm of Voyages of Discovery) have brought to my attention some small changes that have been made to DISCOVERY (ex ISLAND PRINCESS) this year.

 

Specifically, the Casino has been eliminated in favor of a dedicated Bridge Lounge (a very smart move - the previous Card Room, on the upper level of the Discovery Lounge, also remains, creating a great deal of card-palying space) and the Nightclub has become the Hideaway Pub with a large-screen plasma TV and a few slot machines (a partial replacement for the casino).

 

This December she goes into drydock for regular maintenance (soft furnishings and regular mechanical work). In addition, after the drydocking, the ship will be smoke-free except for certain open deck areas.

 

It is nice to see that they are continuing to invest in this ship and that there are still smaller independent operators out there with small(ish) ships, interesting itineraries and reasonable fares!

[Druke I]

Never sailed on the Island Princesss, but did sail three times on her sister, Pacific Princess, and enjoyed it very much.

 

Glad to hear that IP is being kept up in her new role as Discovery.

[sable1]

Doug,

Thank you for this info. We are sailing in Feb. and I am even more excited for the experience to begin.

Joanne

[sable1]

Did you notice the post by snoopy which has a very negative report?

I am wondering if this is just a fluke or should I be concerned. I realize sometimes people just aren't satisfied with their cruise experience, but he seemed to have many areas that are not what he expected for a high priced 4 star ship.

Have you heard any more recent feedback from others or from Discovery directly?

I would appreciate hearing your thoughts. Should we just go and hope for the best?

Thank you.

Joanne

[dougnewmanatsea]

I really can't tell you what the ship is like, as I've never been on her. I certainly can't address what someone else's cruise was like as I wasn't there.

 

Most people I know who have have liked her, but you have to remember that this is an old, small ship with fares that are not all that high if you compare with other ships on similar itineraries.

 

If you are expecting a big, modern ship then this will not be the choice for you.

 

But as for things like food... That is rather difficult to comment on unless one has actually eaten it :) .

[snoopyontrinity]

Hi Doug

I'm sorry that you haven't cruised on MV Discovery. Have you cruised on Marco Polo? We have and even though the ship is 7 years older and smaller than Discovery it offers value for money.

 

We have sailed on many ships and I have never felt inclined to post a review of any of them until we cruised on Discovery.

 

We joined the ship expecting it to be older but well maintained - which it was - because we were interested in the itinerary. You say that it does not charge as high as other ships on these itineraries but those ships are 5 star.

 

The glossy brochure we received from Discovery described it as being '4 star comfort' - it wasn't. Now I look at the cruisecritic review site and see that it is only rated at 2.5 stars! That sounds right but how do they justify the pricing?

 

The whole setup was either very amateur or very clever. I don't think I have ever gone to bed at 8.30pm on a cruise ship before. Entertainment was so minimal that there was no reason to stay up. When the singers/dancers performed their repeated weekly shows they were supported by the orchestra. So there was nobody left to entertain in the public lounges etc. No wonder everybody went to bed early and I wonder if that was the intention.

 

We sailed through the Suez Canal on our cruise - a great experience although we were 5 hours late entering the queue so it was dark by the time we reached the lake in the middle. Still, it was a lovely, balmy evening and the moon was bright. We could see towns and activity on the banks - as long as we were happy to stand and watch. All deck seating had been packed away before dark! And we had been silly enough to think that there might have been some sort of 'sail along' party or BBQ on the deck!

 

In short, the ship is cheap skate.

[dougnewmanatsea]

The glossy brochure we received from Discovery described it as being '4 star comfort' - it wasn't. Now I look at the cruisecritic review site and see that it is only rated at 2.5 stars! That sounds right but how do they justify the pricing?

To be fair, that review is pretty old - from before Voyages of Discovery bought the ship. I understand there have been improvements since then, and the ship is going to be re-reviewed sometime soon. Will the rating go up? All we can do is wait and see.

 

"Star ratings" are very difficult because everyone's ratings mean something different. I don't know where Discovery got their ratings from - I do recall seeing this in their UK brochures (not the US ones) and I think it cited whose ratings they were, but I don't recall who.

 

But no doubt, this is not a luxury ship - nor are the fares luxury fares.

[snoopyontrinity]

The brochure I have which describes the ship as 4 star comfort was sent to me from the US - not the UK - and all prices and conditions are for passengers booking in the US.

[dougnewmanatsea]

The brochure I have which describes the ship as 4 star comfort was sent to me from the US - not the UK - and all prices and conditions are for passengers booking in the US.

Come to think of it, the last US brochure I saw was from before Voyages of Discovery bought Discovery World Cruises.

 

It's possible their US brochures now mirror the UK ones in content (aside from currency, booking information, etc. of course).

 

Previously they were completely different.

 

The brochure I'm remembering (and still have - somewhere!) had a chart showing all different ships that they considered competitors, and the various "ratings" of each ship.

[Geordieboy]

Hi Doug

We sailed through the Suez Canal on our cruise - a great experience although we were 5 hours late entering the queue so it was dark by the time we reached the lake in the middle. Still, it was a lovely, balmy evening and the moon was bright. We could see towns and activity on the banks - as long as we were happy to stand and watch. All deck seating had been packed away before dark! And we had been silly enough to think that there might have been some sort of 'sail along' party or BBQ on the deck!

 

In short, the ship is cheap skate.

 

the ship arrived at the anchorage on time, the delay in the canal was due to the pilots and the rest he requested when he got on board.

 

deck chairs were available when requested, the deck crew walked around and were happy enough to pick a chair up

 

the entertainment lacked direction from the cruise director and I have heard he has since departed, but the dance shows were entertaining.

 

for a night transit of the canal there were not that many people on decks like us so, as they have done it before they must have decided a bbq would not be worth it, plus it was freezing cold as well.

 

I quite like the smaller ships and enjoyed this particular cruise, each to their own I suppose, the crew were very good as well.

[lagunaman]

Did you notice the post by snoopy which has a very negative report?

I am wondering if this is just a fluke or should I be concerned. I realize sometimes people just aren't satisfied with their cruise experience, but he seemed to have many areas that are not what he expected for a high priced 4 star ship.

Have you heard any more recent feedback from others or from Discovery directly?

I would appreciate hearing your thoughts. Should we just go and hope for the best?

Thank you.

Joanne

 

I can tell you that apart from interesting itineraries, the ship has nothing going for it/at all !

 

Tiny cabins, poorly furnished public areas, gloomy bars and a VERY depressing dining room.

 

Lido buffet presentaion and food the worst I have ever encountered.

 

As long as you go with extremely low expectaions,then you may be pleasantly surprised, I sure hope so and wish you a wonderful travel experience, rather than a cruising one.:)

[lagunaman]

I can tell you that apart from interesting itineraries, the ship has nothing going for it/at all !

 

Tiny cabins, poorly furnished public areas, gloomy bars and a VERY depressing dining room.

 

Lido buffet presentaion and food the worst I have ever encountered.

 

As long as you go with extremely low expectaions,then you may be pleasantly surprised, I sure hope so and wish you a wonderful travel experience, rather than a cruising one.:)

 

OOPS/ PRESENTATION AND EXPECTATIONS/ MERRY CHRISTMAS !

[snoopyontrinity]

A reply to Geordieboy's post.

If you reread my post I didn't blame the ship for being late into Alexandria.

As for asking a crew member to pass out a deckchair, I can only assume you never went out on deck after 5pm. The deckchairs were piled up, wrapped in tarps and lashed to the deck - I can just imagine the reaction if anybody asked for one to be unwrapped!

And, like you said, you weren't on deck in the evening of the Suez transit as the temperature was lovely.

Yes, the dancers were good. But were you on the back to back 3 week cruise? Did you watch the same programme every Monday night etc?

Yes, each to his own. I will continue to say that if the cruise was priced appropriately I would have no complaints.