gavman99

Thanks all. To be honest, still not 100% sure on Marella. For every good review I read, I see another saying it’s like a Butlin’s holiday camp where the buffets are more like a cafeteria. Can get 7 day celebrity around same time and similar ports with drinks and tips for a lot less than £2.9k. When adding in flights, brings it online with Marella. I assume the Celebrity experience is a step above Marella.

Marella Fly Cruise in April/May 2025 Return flights from Edinburgh to Dubrovnik 7 nights round Adriatic sea so visiting Croatia/Slovenia Inside cabin where we get to pick which one Standard drinks/wifi/tips included (no upgrade to Premium Drinks) No excursions Cost for 2 people is about £2,900 If you had £2.9k to spend on a cruise, would you do it on Marella or can you get more/better for your money ? We've never cruised before so trying to get a feel of whats considered a good deal or not.

@John Bull - thanks so much for all that info....some good reading there which my wife and I will digest over later. You mentioned Marella drinks......I had asked a question in another thread specifically about which cruise lines sell Strongbow as lager/beer isn't my thing. I believe Marella does but would be good if you happen to know for sure one way or another and also whether its draught, cans or bottles.

Thanks both. Doesn't have to be huge and whilst casino may be nice 1 or 2 nights, not having it isn't an issue. 1) What cruise lines are you considering? We're not looking for mega luxury. Budget/mainstream is fine. We've been looking at P&O, Norwegian & Celebrity. Had also looked at Marella & MSC but reviews scared me away from those 2 companies. 2) What ships by name? P&O Azura Norwegian Sky Celebrity Constellation 3) What itineraries are you considering? P&O - Valetta, Dubrovnik, Split, Zadar, Trieste Norwegian - Rome, Naples, Sicily, Corfu, Dubrovnik, Split, Venice Celebrity - Rome, Naples, Sicily, Kotor, Dubrovnik, Split, Ravenna

Hi, looking for some advice. My wife and I are both in our late forties and have never cruised before but really keen on booking our first cruise. As we've never done it before, we were thinking of just something about 7 days in length, maybe 9 but no more than that. We keep coming back to the Italy and the Adriatic coast (Split, Dubrovnik, etc) but from what I can tell from browsing available cruises, the ships which tend to go to these places tend to be a bit smaller and a bit older. We're really excited at the prospect of going away but we're concerned that on these sort of ships, we may experience tired cabins/decor and a lack of things to do. We run the risk that if the first cruise falls short of "that was amazing" then it may put us off from booking another one. Does that make sense ? Are our concerns valid ? If so, any suggestions of alternatives cruises in central/eastern med on newer, more modern ships ? We're based in Scotland so we'd be doing a fly cruise rather than sail from Southampton. If only going to be on a ship for 7/9 days, we don't want to waste 4 of those just getting from/to UK to the Med. Thanks.

I have seen conflicting reports about whether or not Strongbow cider is included in the Classic drinks package. Celebrity website has a PDF which clearly states its in the premium package, however there are lots of reports/videos online suggesting you can definitely get it as part of the classic package. Has anyone been on-board recently who can advise ? I dont drink beer or spirits so would be reluctant to book on a cruise where I couldn't get it in classic. Thanks.

Understood.....thanks for everyones help. Looks like that approach wouldn't work which isn't a big deal.....just trying to understand what is and isn't possible.

Thanks....although I was meaning more of a 7/10 day cruise !

Hi - First time poster here and never cruised before. We're really keen on the idea of getting a flight from UK to a port city such as Miami then just walking down to the cruise company sales offices at the port to see what they have available at last minute, whether that be day before or even on the day. So ignoring the risk element of no guarantees of route/cabin/etc, how likely is it that companies will offer really good deals at that very late stage ? Thanks for any advice.