dronnygirl

We have holidayed in Slovenia a few times and love the country. If you have time for a longer day trip I would recommend Lake Bled and Ljubljana, both lovely to visit. You can walk round the lake and there are plenty of cafes in the town as well as the castle and Ljubljana is a lovely city. It's compact and easy to walk round. For a shorter day visit Piran by bus or taxi, it's only small but brilliant if you want lunch out as there are lots of fish restaurants by the sea. You can then walk to nearby Portoroz, about 30-40 mins walk, it's a seaside place totally different to Piran and bigger. You can then take a bus or taxi back to Koper. You would need to check bus times obviously but you would see 2 very different places

We booked the Adriatic for September a couple of weeks ago when there was an offer for £300 off. Checked recently and the cost of the cruise is around the same as we paid, even though the £300 has finished. I'm sure they adjust the prices to make it look as though you have a bargain . Also don't just check the price showing as the cabin supplements change too, you need to do a dummy booking to check the end price

Agree Arvia does have some bargains but it really does not appeal to us. For us the most important part of a cruise is the itinerary but also the 5000pax on board really puts us off. We've been alongside RC ships in the Caribbean and everyone getting off together swamps the town with massive queues for buses. However, each to their own but we prefer to stick with the smaller ships.

We also like Marella for the freedom. We can eat meals whatever time we like and in which venue we choose, we can even choose whether we wish to eat alone or as a mixed table. Most other cruise companies don't give this freedom, we have had set dining on both P&O and Princess and this can be hit and miss especially on a 2 week cruise, we get on with most people but it can sometimes be awkward. Also Princess have high drinks prices charged in $US, they seemed to be constantly pushing extras I.e. fancy Princess glasses with liquors after dinner (very easy to get carried away and end up with a huge bill at the end of the cruise) although P&O and Princess now have drinks packages. Marella prices have gone up but you really need to take everything into account when making comparisons . Especially flights, we like to fly and be in the Med straight away whereas sailing from Southampton limits hiw far the ships can travel in a given time. We also feel that Marella have great itineraries which suits us.

So pleased things worked out for you, you must have been so disappointed when Marella cancelled. However, the photo is exactly why we don't fancy the P&O new ships - would be far too big for us.

I downloaded on board, it's very quick and easy.

The Caribbean is the easiest place for DIY trips. Try to get off the ship early and there will be loads of taxis and mini buses waiting. They all do the same trips and will have a map to show you where they go and how long the trip will be. We prefer to go in the morning and then have a wander around the port town when they drop us off. No need to book ship trips which will be very expensive. If you look at Cruise Critic ports of call you will find lots of info about each place. Enjoy your cruise

I think the flights are to Sanford or Orlando airports and they are around 90 minutes from the cruise port. Hope this helps.

Stugeron tablets, I've only had to take these for sea sickness on a couple of occasions but wouldn't travel without them.

We had a great cruise in October although we had been a little apprehensive. Staff were friendly as usual although there were a couple of bars that appeared understaffed. The service and food in the MDR was good. Some entertainers were very good but others weren't as professional as previously. The ship was very clean and was around 90% full, we didn't have any problems getting loungers. I think standards have changed on must cruise lines, I guess they've all made cutbacks but we did enjoy it. I'd keep an open mind and give it a go .

It's down to personal choice. We once had an outside cabin on deck 3 and loved it. The gangway mostly used was deck 2 so very easy to drop our bags in the cabin when returning to ship. We have also had cabins on deck 6 and 7 which we also liked as very handy for the atrium and coffee port

Hi PJ's, when we flew back from Palma in October we didn't have boarding passes. We just showed our passports at check-in and they printed off our boarding passes. It was very speedy.

Hi 2BA, we would love to try Voyager but unfortunately the itineraries in the summer are from Palma and the same old ports, although we did enjoy our October cruise from Palma. We've decided to book Explorer 2 in September from Dubrovnik as many of the ports are new to us.

Happy Christmas to you PC and best wishes for a happy and healthy New Year. Well we finally got back to cruising in October and had a lovely time, perhaps you will get back to cruising soon. 🛳️🚢

Surprised to hear that as we really enjoyed it, although the next day was Guadalupe and we didn't like it there. Tried to get a taxi to the beach and the taxi drivers were very rude, they wanted to take full day trips not beach runs. We ended up having a short walk round the town and back to the ship although others did find a bus to the beach

Loved Martinique, we left the ship and walked to the right. There was a market selling local goods and a small dock. We took a boat trip from there and got off around 30 minutes away. There were shops, cafes and lovely beaches that all felt very much like the south of France . Great trip just remember to check the return times for the boat, I think they were about every half hour.

Celebration used to sail out of Marmaris with some fabulous itineraries to Greece, Turkey and the eastern Med . The only downside was the long journey from Dalaman airport.

Not on Discovery in October

Thank you for the info

Hi Alamo, first cruise you must be so excited! We always dine in the MDR in the evening and the food is quite good. On Discovery recently the service was good with wine top ups although we ate around 7pm. I understand it was busier later. We usually breakfast in the buffet but this can get very busy as everyone is eating at the same time. Snacks by the pool were very good as were other venues. You will not go hungry and should find something to your taste. Off ship excursions can be expensive but it depends on how far away they are etc. Mostly you can go ashore and wander around the ports, maybe just do a couple of trips Just relax and enjoy yourselves!

Good to hear. Thanks for giving us the update though, I certainly checked our account before leaving the ship!

To be honest we had quite good food anyway and didn't feel the need to pay the extra. Same with the included drinks. I agree, not many people seemed to be doing trips but almost everyone we spoke to had booked within the last few weeks (including us). I very much got the impression people had gone to their TA and asked if there were any cheapie holidays available and were sold a cruise as many people had not cruised before. I guess they have to find ways to introduce new people to cruising.

Just back from Discovery and don't think the pay restaurants were doing too well. They did demonstrations on deck to showcase the type of food they do and to advertise. Didn't speak to anyone who had used these restaurants.

Great itinerary, have a great cruise

Not sure as we've never needed to with Marella. As drinks are included in the price, we usually head to a quiet bar for a pre dinner drink. You can always bring a drink back to the cabin if you wish.