Marella Vs the Big US. cruise lines. How do they compare?

I cannot comment on a Marella cruise as I haven`t as yet done one. Just about to book Dream with my friends. We usually have a week in the Canaries in November. The cruise is about the same price, All Inclusive. I have done many cruises on P&O, Princess, Cunard and Holland America. I am going into this one with eyes open. I don`t expect a brand new ship but the reviews are good and anyone I have spoken to tells me that the entertainment is sometimes better than the big cruise lines. I hope I won`t be disappointed.

We've done 40+ cruises over the years and a couple of years ago decided to try Discovery 1 because we liked the light and airy Vision class ship's (Discovery 1 &2) and their balconies.

We find the Marella product on those 2 ships much to our taste in all areas.

We prefer junior suites which are a great size with balconies with sun beds.

We love the main dining room and great standard of food and service, as well as all other dining areas except the buffet, which is a bit of a rugby scrum.

We've just returned from 24 nights on Discovery 2 (Atlantic Discoveries + Iconic Italia) in an aft junior suite and it really was among the best cruises we have ever done.

Currently we wouldn't choose any one else as we think it's a great all round package.

That’s really great to hear Jake! We are first timers on Explorer in 2 weeks time. Really looking forward. Line of choice so far Celebrity, will report back our experience

We mostly sail on Celebrity (and are shortly to embark with that line again) but last Autumn we took a cruise on Marella Dream. We were very happy on the Marella Dream for that week. If you choose a cabin towards the back you experience vibrations as we did, but we could not fault the service and enjoyed the food. There were mainly Brits on the cruise so the food was geared to them. The entertainment was variable, but you get that wherever you go. All the staff, without exception, were lovely. We do prefer a balcony so next time we would probably look for a suitable itinerary in one of the newer ships like the Discoveries, but we have many happy memories of the Dream and Marella and would definitely sail with them again in future.

Jayneykul - as you will be on one Explorers first cruises with Marella please be prepared for a few teething problems - half the crew will be new and being coached by the experienced Marella crew

Have an open mind and have a great cruise

Thanks Vitalsign I'm sure we will!

I think that if you keep your expectations realistic, you could have a great time with Marella, but in my experience of 12 cruises with Royal Caribbean (on 5 ships) and 2 with Thomson (now Marella), if RCI is 4 star, Marella is 3 star in terms of what you get for your money.

We sailed on what was the Splendour of the Seas twice when it belonged to RCI, then again when it was bought by Tui and became the Discovery. Same ship, and to be honest not much difference in price. When RCI had the ship, the standard of food, service and entertainment was much higher, in my opinion. I think people often assume that the big ships will be much more expensive, but Marella cruises aren't cheap, so it can be worth looking at other options. RCI were also better at enforcing rules such as hogging loungers and hand sanitising etc. We have had some great times on Marella, but our expectations are lowered when we go, so we aren't disappointed. If you expect the same high standards as RCI or Celebrity, you might be.

OK so we’ve decided to take the plunge.

We’ve booked Explorer and the Caribbean Paradise Islands itinerary, for November.

Still a little apprehensive as we don’t normally do package holidays, one of the things I like about cruising is the experience of meeting people from different countries. Just hope it's not a Brits abroad type holiday/

Hope it’s not too formal, I can just about manage a pair of trousers or jeans and a decent shirt but I’m done with the all the DJs and suits.

Like to spend time on board and am looking forward to the entertainment and the overall vibe and a new experience.