Once again, another great Marella Cruise. This was our third with Marella having previously been on Discovery 2 and this ship the year before. As always we were well looked after by a very good and competent crew. The food and entertainment was of the usual high standard. The ports of call were all good with the exception of Taranto which we felt was still catching up with tourism -although some would say this is a good thing. Our main gripe was with the TUI flight to Corfu for embarkation which was delayed from 05.15 t0 08.00. Although we were notified the day before, we were still expected to arrive at the airport at the original check-in time. This meant an unnecessarily long wait at the airport and made for a very long day.
Overall it was another good trip with Marella and exceptional value for money being all inclusive.
Would recommend to anyone.
Embarkation
4 out of 5
The service was good once we took off for our embarkation point on Corfu. However, our 05.15 TUI flight from Bristol was delayed until 08.00. Although notified the day before, we were still expected to check-in at the original time. This resulted in an unecessarily long wait at the airport when we could have had at least a couple of hours in bed!!
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
Excellent service and very friendly staff. Only had to wait for a table once but were paged in under ten minutes. Quality of food was good with plenty of choice. The Surf & Turf restuarant is well worth a visit and well worth the £28.50 supplement.
Onboard Activities
4 out of 5
The opportunity was there to try plenty of activities. However, the aim of the cruise was to have a complete rest so we declined to participate.
Entertainment
5 out of 5
The shows we attended were up to Marella's usual high standard. The solo artists performing in the Atrium nightly were excellent.
Children's Programs
No children
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Staff in all areas were always polite and helpful (with the odd exception). Our cabin stewards were excellent and we wanted for nothing.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
Well laid out
Cabin / Stateroom
4 out of 5
Cabin was of a reasonable size and always kept clean and tidy by the excellent cabin stewards. Plenty of cupboard space. Television and tea/coffee facilities available. USB charging ports would be useful as have already been included on Discovery 2.
Ship tip
The premium drinks package upgrade is not really required for the majority of people. The standard range of products already includes premium brands such as Smirnoff Vodka, Gordon's Gin etc. If you require anything outside the range then the prices are reasonable anyway.
This was our third visit to Naples. The city itself is not a particularly pleasant port but having been to Pompeii and Capri on previous visits we chose the excursion to Sorrento. It was a "do your own thing" trip with coach and guide there and back. The guide (a young girl) left a lot to be desired and spoke poor English which was not very helpful when the passengers were entirely English! She was also not very informative. However, once in Sorrento it was a place well worth visiting.
We did not book any excursion and chose to just have an amble around. Took a 'Happy Train' tour which gave the opportunity to see around the city and also take some great photos of the Straits of Messina.
Took the shuttle bus into the centre. Had a quick tour of the fort and strolled into centre of town. The port of call seems to be under-developed as a tourist/cruise stop. This was apparent by the lack of souvenir shops etc. and mooring at what is clearly a working dock evident by the stacks of wind turbine blades on the quayside awaiting shipment.
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