Toiletries on MV Discovery

[Parapara]

Can someone tell me what toiletries are provided in the cabins please?

Many thanks.

[Princess2]

Can someone tell me what toiletries are provided in the cabins please?

Many thanks.

 

your kidding, right...this is not a real cruise actually heard they will be finally out of business by the fall.

[Mel]

Do you mean Voyages of Discovery M/V Discovery, or Discovery Cruise Line that goes to the Bahamas? There is a big difference.....

We were on the M/V Discovery twice in the last year, to Iceland and the Antarctic and the toiletries included shampoo, conditioner, soap and body lotion.

[Parapara]

Thanks, Mel. That is what I wanted to know. Didn't realise there would be confusion as to ship.

[franu]

I believe that the currency on board the Discovery is the pound sterling. They accept our payment in $US for the fare. How does this impact on the prices. What were the average prices for excursions, etc?

 

The suggested amount for tipping is in $US. Please help. I am loosing my mind. I have given a deposit for The Grand Orient trip in the New Year.

Fran

[OldJerseycruiser]

Franu,

 

Just reading my Voyages of Discovery brochure. The currency during the winter cruises are in US$ and only the summer cruises are in Sterling. We are on the Malaysia to Mauritius cruise next February and really looking forward to it (bit worried about Somali pirates though!). We have been to South America and Galapagos with VOD and the cruise and staff were excellent.

[Mel]

Hi Fran,

I see you are a fellow Torontonian. Doesn't it drive you crazy trying to figure out when is the best time to pay for your cruise when it has to be paid in US dollars? We have been on two Discovery cruises, one last May to Iceland (when they were having problems with the engines and had to cut out our stop in the Norwegian Fjords and the Faroe Islands because of this), and one to the Antarctic this past Dec./Jan. From the time we paid the deposit on our Iceland cruise in Feb./08 to the time we had to pay our final payment for the Antarctic in Oct./08, the exchange rate went from almost at par, to $1.35 at one point or another! You win some, you lose some, as they say.... We bugged them enough after the problems with our Iceland cruise, that they gave us a good discount and upgrade on the Antarctic cruise - if you don't ask, you don't get! All of our payments had to be made in US dollars and charges on the ship were in US$. The shore excursions in Iceland were quite pricey, compared to other cruises we had been on - for example, a 4 hour bus trip with snacks was around $150. US, a 6 hour with lunch was $190. In Santiago, Buenos Aires and the Falklands, they weren't quite as expensive, but we chose to do our own thing anyway. All that being said, we totally enjoyed our experience with VOD. The staff, food, entertainment were great, so I'm sure you will have a great time. If you have any other questions about VOD, let me know. Mel

[Parapara]

Very interested to read Fran's and Mel's messages. I had been wondering about US$ versus pound sterling on board. This has clarified things. Doesn't make much difference for us poor Kiwis we get hit badly with exchange rates for both currencies! The trips ashore do sound expensive. We were on the Marco Polo in August 2006 and went to Iceland. Shore excursions there were very expensive but not as bad as what Mel paid. Hope they are not too bad round Mediterranean. Odd that they should be charged in $ and yet the currency on board while we are there will be pounds. Maybe with 4 of us we will have to look at alternatives.

Really looking forward to the trip. Four months time and we will have been on board for a couple of days! Turning cold here so can't wait!! That is not really fair- it was a coldish night but beautiful sunny day today. The sky is blue and the sea is sparkling and I am in bare feet!

[franu]

Mel and I are both Canadians which also means that we have to exchange our money for another currency; one that fluctuates. I still do not understand why there should be a question about which currency is used.

 

I am a former fan of the Marco Polo now looking for a new home away from home. Since the final voyage in March 2008, I have been on two cruises and do not feel any closer to finding it. My first one was NCL on a cruise that I won while on the Marco Polo. The second was on HAL. The circle Hawaii. Still searching.

 

OldJerseycruiser, It seems that we will be sailing together during part of our cruise. My cruise ends on Feb 11/10. I look forward to meeting you in person.

Fran

[Paulchili]

Very interested to read Fran's and Mel's messages. I had been wondering about US$ versus pound sterling on board. This has clarified things. Doesn't make much difference for us poor Kiwis we get hit badly with exchange rates for both currencies! The trips ashore do sound expensive. We were on the Marco Polo in August 2006 and went to Iceland. Shore excursions there were very expensive but not as bad as what Mel paid. Hope they are not too bad round Mediterranean. Odd that they should be charged in $ and yet the currency on board while we are there will be pounds. Maybe with 4 of us we will have to look at alternatives.

Really looking forward to the trip. Four months time and we will have been on board for a couple of days! Turning cold here so can't wait!! That is not really fair- it was a coldish night but beautiful sunny day today. The sky is blue and the sea is sparkling and I am in bare feet!

 

We are taking the cruise to Iceland & the Faroes this June (our 2nd MV Discovery cruise). If we pre book the shore excursions at home, they are payable in US $. When booked on board, they will be in GBP. It makes sense for me to pre book them and not deal with conversions/foreign currency fees. That was also the case on our Black Sea cruise in 07 (the excursion were also more expensive if booked on board).

[ariellejesse]

I have been trying to get some sense of the Discovery cruises. I am looking at the interesting routes not covered by the other cruise lines. I do not need the "luxury" of some of the lines doing similar locations ( Africa, etc.). Is this company reliable and are its cruises worth the money?

[Mel]

My husband and I have been on two Discovery cruises as noted above, and we thoroughly enjoyed the experience (except for the problem with the engines while we were on the Iceland cruise but this has been fixed). It is not a deluxe experience and not for people who like the huge ship thing. I definitely think that people go on the ship for the first time because of the itineraries which are fabulous, then continue to go on other cruises with them because they enjoyed the ambiance, food (which is at least as good as Princess, etc.) and especially the staff who are lovely. It is the old Island Princess, holds less than 700 passengers, and is not glitzy and I think is geared more to the British traveller, since it is a British company. However, on both the cruises we were on with them there were quite a few Americans and Canadians on board, all of whom said they would travel again with them. I would recommend them (look at some of my other postings) and if you have any specific questions, please ask and I will be totally honest. Mel

[Paulchili]

I have been trying to get some sense of the Discovery cruises. I am looking at the interesting routes not covered by the other cruise lines. I do not need the "luxury" of some of the lines doing similar locations ( Africa, etc.). Is this company reliable and are its cruises worth the money?

 

If you are anything like us, i.e. choosing a cruise for itinerary, you should give them a try. If I had a choice between Princess & Discovery (i.e. W. Africa cruise) I would chose Princess. Conversely, on E. Africa side I would chose Discovery over Costa.

If you like the itinerary, I say, give Discovery a try. They are reliable but more expensive than, say, Princess (because they are British). But if no one else is doing the itinerary they are doing - that makes it worth the money in my book.

Good luck.

[ariellejesse]

Thanks so much, Mel and Paulchili. I do agree the itinerary is most important but only if the ship can fulfill it. I found another review site from UK (through Google) that was very informative and candid. Hopefully I will be able to book for next year.

[merrilyanne]

I am so glad I found this thread. I am thinking of going on the Feb. 11 trip from Singapore to Maritius but not sure about an older, smaller ship. However, someone in another thread mentioned it is the old "Love Boat". ?? If this is true, I went on it in 1978, at that time with my ex-husband. I found it okay as I had nothing to compare it with. Since then, I have travelled the world but on the large luxury ships. I do remember the washroom being impossibly small, as were the rooms. But now I worry more about the stabilizers - or lack of them. I have never gotten seasick (knock on wood), even in rough seas.

 

I don't think there are many other cruise lines offering this itinerary, except for expensive world tours on Silversea and Seabourne. I go alone, so have to pay double, so to take an $8,000. pp cruise, and then double it and add air fare from Canada, it gets very expensive. I thought this Discovery cruise was extremely cheap considering it is for 19 days and considering the area and distance travelled. Also, there are very few that go to Mauritius, the Seychelles and Maldives - most cruises only do two out of the three.

 

My other option is to take a Costa cruise, again on an older ship (1993 compared to MVDiscovery which was built in 1972). I have heard the food is terrible on Costa. It is similar in price to MV Discovery and the itineraries are very similar. Anyone care to compare the two?

 

Any input would be appreciated. (Actually, I was pleasantly surprised when I read it was the old Love boat, as I at first thought the ship might be horrible small inside and unbearable. But 1972 is pretty darn old. Even the ships built in 2000 are noticeably tacky. And I thought that SOLAS was forcing older ships greater than 10 years old, to retire?????

 

Comments please.

 

Marilyn

[rotterdam17601]

Well, not THE "Love Boat"....that was her sister ship the Pacific Princess. The Discovery (ex Island Princess) was used from time to time in the TV series when the Pacific Princess was not available for filming.

 

SOLAS does not require that ships over ten years old be retired. SOLAS sets levels of safety standards that must be met by older vessels. The Discovery meets the standards required to continue sailing beyond 2010.

 

Not "glitzy" or overly formal, the Discovery has a friendly crew, a VERY good lecture series, average to good entertainment (depending on who's onboard), and rather good food. Although older, you'll find that she's clean and kept well maintained.

[Mel]

Hi Marilyn,

I totally agree with everything 'Rotterdam' said. As you can see by our other posts, we have been on the Discovery twice in the past two years and would go again with them - no problem! Another thing we really liked about them was the service - all the staff were so warm and friendly - when we went on our second cruise with them, our waiter from the previous cruise recognized us in the hall immediately, and showed us pictures of his new baby who had been born while we were on the ship the last time! It was so nice, you really felt like 'friends'. As others have said, the main reason I think people go on this ship is for the itineraries and the lecturers. They are both outstanding. By the way, the first time we were on the ship, we were in cabin 3106 on the coral deck. If you are looking for value for your money, this is an excellent choice. It was at least 50% larger than our friends' cabin 4278 on the Bali deck which was more expensive. If you have any specific questions, just ask and I'll be glad to give you our opinions.

Merilyn (with an 'e')

[franu]

Not ever having been on the Discovery, but having had 6 longer cruises on the Marco Polo and having experienced Costa, I feel somewhat able to make comparisons.

 

The Discovery and the Marco Polo were both ships which were refurbished by Gerry Herrod. He always has all Filipino crew interacting with the passengers. They have only the highest opinion of him. I believe when Discovery first started sailing, a number of crew members from the MP switched to Discovery. I am hoping that I will see some of them.

 

Mr. Herrod's requirements from the crew as to the level of service are really wonderful. I look forward to seeing if this will be a match for me.

 

A few years ago I sailed the Costa Tropicale in the Adriatic with my Italian friend. She had some health issues and we needed to sail from and to Venice as she lived an hour away.

 

Although there were passengers from a number of countries there were also many from Italy. This meant that children were everywhere and not always being supervised although the parents were right there.

 

This ship had numerous announcements being made throughout the day. Each one was done in seven languages. There was loud music on at all times. The PA systems were tinny. The only quiet place that we or others that we met were able to find was our stateroom. I do not go on a cruise to remain in my stateroom.

 

The food was pedestrian. I must say that my friend was a great Italian cook. We also dined at very special restaurants in the mountains around Padua, small places in Ferrara, Ravenna and Montova and enjoyed the regional specialties with local hosts. After that level of dining, no ship would ever match it.

 

Food is not what I base my cruise experiences on. If it is not OK today, tomorrow there will be another meal. Of importance is ambiance, itinerary and interesting passengers.

 

Frou-frou does not impress me. Honesty does.

Fran

[Henrietta]

A nostalgic browsing, having done Mumbai to Harwich this year, brought me to the email on toiletries provided and to read the other responses. Pleased to see you will also be doing Grand Orient in Jan Franu. I also came to MV Discovery for long voyages after the changes to Marco Polo.

Toiletries already listed and OK. However I take a more fragrant soap and bought stronger shampoo ( Salon cut and blowdry is GBP45). Liked moisturizer and took away an extra for my future travels :).

Was fun to see film of the Love Boat on board. The green mermaid is still on the edge of the pool on Lido and the tiles look the same.

MV Discovery has resident Roumanian string quartet and port lecturer/s and a theatre group. The longer world cruises are divided into fortnight segments with up to three days in a particular port so passengers can leave and fly in. Some of course do longer - 38 did the 105? days from Ushaia via Antarctic. Can then choose how many Captain's formal welcome/ farewell receptions to do! At these changeovers new entertainers come on plus new lecturers - historians, diplomats, archeoligists, bridge teachers and artists.

Filipino crew warm, efficient and just wonderful and found some from Marco Polo. I enjoyed the meals and their service preferring the dining room and late sitting to the Lido buffet unless in a hurry. During the day can take buffet choice into the Yacht Club which at night becomes the specialty theme restaurant, no extra charge but limited to twice per fortnight. The Lido buffet not available in the evenings so the few who want to stay casual throughout voyage are left with option of dining in the cabin.

Of course the main attraction of MV Discovery is the amazing ports and I couldn't manage the intense cultural impact and happy tiredness without a ship that is like one's favourite slippers rather than the high maintenance of Cunard, HAL etc . Excursions seemed more expensive but sometimes 14 hours to Damascus or Allepo and some reduced by option of a box lunch from the ship. Cheapest and one of the happiest was USD30 for a day to Turkish villages. Problem depends on local agents rather than ship profit.

Ship was well organized to do the Somali pirate corridor and when incidents in Yemen and earlier in Madagascar, those visits cancelled and substitutes added.

As you can see I like her and have booked to go again. Happy to answer any other questions.

[franu]

Henrietta, It is nice to meet you before the cruise and am glad to meet you here. It does not say where you are from. I don't mean that I want a micro-answer. Country and state or province or county are sufficient.I have met many wonderful people on the boards prior to cruises on the MP.

 

I will be doing the pre-cruise in Singapore. I travel solo and enjoy the wonderful people that I have met. This is certainly an interesting itinerary and a busy one. Thankfully there are many sea days.

Fran

[ebim]

A nostalgic browsing, having done Mumbai to Harwich this year, brought me to the email on toiletries provided and to read the other responses. Pleased to see you will also be doing Grand Orient in Jan Franu. I also came to MV Discovery for long voyages after the changes to Marco Polo.

Toiletries already listed and OK. However I take a more fragrant soap and bought stronger shampoo ( Salon cut and blowdry is GBP45). Liked moisturizer and took away an extra for my future travels :).

Was fun to see film of the Love Boat on board. The green mermaid is still on the edge of the pool on Lido and the tiles look the same.

MV Discovery has resident Roumanian string quartet and port lecturer/s and a theatre group. The longer world cruises are divided into fortnight segments with up to three days in a particular port so passengers can leave and fly in. Some of course do longer - 38 did the 105? days from Ushaia via Antarctic. Can then choose how many Captain's formal welcome/ farewell receptions to do! At these changeovers new entertainers come on plus new lecturers - historians, diplomats, archeoligists, bridge teachers and artists.

Filipino crew warm, efficient and just wonderful and found some from Marco Polo. I enjoyed the meals and their service preferring the dining room and late sitting to the Lido buffet unless in a hurry. During the day can take buffet choice into the Yacht Club which at night becomes the specialty theme restaurant, no extra charge but limited to twice per fortnight. The Lido buffet not available in the evenings so the few who want to stay casual throughout voyage are left with option of dining in the cabin.

Of course the main attraction of MV Discovery is the amazing ports and I couldn't manage the intense cultural impact and happy tiredness without a ship that is like one's favourite slippers rather than the high maintenance of Cunard, HAL etc . Excursions seemed more expensive but sometimes 14 hours to Damascus or Allepo and some reduced by option of a box lunch from the ship. Cheapest and one of the happiest was USD30 for a day to Turkish villages. Problem depends on local agents rather than ship profit.

Ship was well organized to do the Somali pirate corridor and when incidents in Yemen and earlier in Madagascar, those visits cancelled and substitutes added.

As you can see I like her and have booked to go again. Happy to answer any other questions.

Hi,

Not sure when this thread was started, we are new to Cruise Critic - off on celebrity cruise in a couple of weeks and that was the first thread we joined or indeed had even seen. Question do you know whether there are threads for forthcoming Discovery cruises, we are on india and east departing heathrow on l9 december 09. Evelyn

[Henrietta]

Franu, the pretours look interesting. I will be flying direct to the ship. Hadn't noticed my profile doesn't give home which is Sydney, Australia, will correct. My travel email is jct345@yahoo.com.au