Son is taking girlfriend on a cruise for their 1st holiday together. Son has cruised several times with the family, mainly on P&O, girlfriend has not cruised. Girlfriend is one of those who has to be informed of every last detail before she goes anywhere and is expecting son to provide said info as he's cruised before, regardless of the fact he's never been on Marella. So son has tasked me with finding out the info for him! 😄 So please be kind to a Marella virgin...
The cruise is on Discovery 2, flying to Palma, departing in 2 weeks' time.
1. The checking in/boarding pass/luggage tag process seems to be pretty similar to P&O, but I'm not clear about luggage, as I've seen conflicting info on here. If flying out to Palma, do you check in luggage in UK and not see it again until it arrives at your cabin, or do you have to collect it at Palma, take it on the coach transfer, and it's then transferred from the coach to your cabin?
2. Are Marella still doing Dress to Impress nights? I've read it's usually on the first sea day. Girlfriend loves to dress up and I believe was thinking of going full evening gown, but I said I thought that might be a bit OTT. Advice please?
3. Cabin plug sockets - UK, US or European? And are the hairdryers any good, or is it better to take your own?
3. Dining arrangements - are you allocated an MDR, although not a time/table, or do you just turn up to whichever one you fancy? Is there are charge for room service?
4. Excursions: if you've pre-booked excursions, are you issued with tickets and will they be waiting for you in your cabin? When you set off on the excursion, do you just hand over the ticket to board the coach or whatever? If an excursion sells out quickly and there is a lot of demand, are Marella likely to put on extra coaches/sell extra tickets?
5. The son & girlfriend are thinking of having a beach day in Ajaccio. Is there a nice beach near the cruise port or would they have to go further afield?
6. Any recommendations of reliable companies you've used that offer transfers to and guided tours of Pompeii and/or Herculaneum? Son desperately wanted to do this (one of main reasons for booking this cruise) but the excursions appear to be sold out. When do excursions go on sale, as I wondered if it was showing "sold out" from the previous cruise?
7. They are thinking of doing the excursions to Rome where you have a guide with you for the first part, then have time on your own. Is Rome fairly compact, easy to navigate and see additional sites, or are attractions widely spaced? How is Rome for pickpockets (son is well trained, but girlfriend less careful)? And what if they want to grab drinks/ices/snacks - are prices extortionate? I presume it's best to find somewhere in a quiet side street rather than a café on a main square? How easy is it to get to the Trevi Fountain - is it near other sites of interest?
Thank you very much in advance for your patience dealing with all these questions.