a wonderful cruise to some wildly different destinations

Marella Discovery Cruise Review

Cruises: 7+ cruises
Reviews: 12
Helpful Votes: 179

Overall rating:

4.3 out of 5
Marella Discovery

East Coast Adventure

Sail date: September 03, 2023

Ship: Marella Discovery

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 1 year ago

Review summary

This cruise was amazing. From the bustle and noise of New York, to the quiet roads of Freeport. We used more local restaurants than we have done before, which gave us a taste of the destinations too. Unfortunately I don't think we will be back.

Embarkation

5 out of 5
Excellent. Flight was delayed, as usual for Tui, but aboard the ship with time for a refreshing cocktail.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

3 out of 5
The food choices were a bit monotonous, but well cooked. Islands had lost some variety due to the revamp, as more seating had been provided. Breakfasts in the mornings were always good with some variety.

Onboard Activities

3 out of 5
Only did the quizes, which were fun! Did a couple of swims in the indoor pool. Mmm, lovely and warm.

Entertainment

4 out of 5
The stage shows were excellent and we tried to watch as many as we could fit in. Some of the groups were hit and miss, one day excellent, the next mediocre.

Service and Staff

5 out of 5
Always excellent service. We had the feeling that they were some staff cutbacks in the bar areas.

Ship Quality

3 out of 5
Ship always clean. We have been on before, so we knew the quirky ship layout!

Cabin / Stateroom

4 out of 5
Cabin internals were almost new, having been refurbished. However, there is now no fridge! Balcony had not been redone and the adjoining doors had no spacers and rattled all night. A complaint soon had the repairs done , so the second night we slept peacefully. Rust everywhere on it and flooded when it rained. Need to sort with another refurbishment. P.S. tea and coffee making facilities included.

Ship tip

Use the full ship and all the different restaurants.

Ports of call

Amber Cove (Puerto Plata), Dominican Republic

5 out of 5
This visit was cancelled due to hurricane Lee and we visited Cozumel instead. Did a trip to the ruins and to the beach. Very nice!

Grand Turk Island

5 out of 5
This visit was also cancelled due to Lee. It was fine for us as we have friends there. We mooched around the town for a while and the met up for a excellent meal. Well worth the visit!

New York, New York

5 out of 5
Another bucket list destination. We did the Big Bus, Top of the Rock, 9/11 memorial, which was very moving. In the evening we did a sunset cruise with great views of the Statue of Liberty. The next day we were tired and went to Central Park. I doubt if we will be back.

Miami, Florida

5 out of 5
Nice place. Used the free shuttle to the mainland and then took the free Metromover on the full circuit to see more of the city. We then went to the Bayside mall and had a lovely meal at another waterside bar.

Freeport, Grand Bahama Island

5 out of 5
Just a short stay here, 4 hrs, so hired a taxi to take us quickly to the sites. Great driver and we enjoyed it immensely.

Key West, Florida

5 out of 5
Our second visit here, so we were a bit lazy and did the conch train, which was great. Had a lovely meal in a waterside bar and a relaxed stroll back to the ship.

Charleston, South Carolina

5 out of 5
Lovely city. Nice to see low rise buildings after New York. The market goes on forever!

Port Canaveral, Florida

5 out of 5
Did the Kennedy space centre trip. Amazing!!

Disembarkation

5 out of 5
Excellent! Flight delayed again and we spent an hour on the tarmac at BHX. Not good enough.

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