Marella or P and O for East med cruise?

Just come back from a week in the Eastern Med on Oceana and had a fabulous time. Lovely medium size ship and a great itinerary. P&O has the formal nights remember but you can avoid if you want to. The fly / cruise was handled really well - flights were with TUI !

Have never sailed with TUI though so can't compare - just to say that we would repeat last week in a heart beat.

Do not go with TUI lots of Hidden extras The dream is like going on a ship from the 60s it is very old and shabby and always they seem to want to do is charge you extra money for things like upgraded to premium for the drinks which you are not aware off before you go also things like charging you £10 to go on the bridge which is a rip-off

If you think £10 for a bridge tour is a ripoff, try £150 on Royal Caribbeans Anthem of the Seas for a ship tour. Most expensive tour onboard I have done. Great fun but on Celebration, we did a similar experience for £20. Most other ships charge around £40-50 for a ship tour. So just the bridge for a tenner is normal and fair. You don't have to do it.

So what other hidden extra's apart from the TWO you mentioned, as that isn't "lots".

We too have done a lot of Thomson cruises then tried Carnival (never again), Costa (lovely Italian feel) Fred Olsen (doing this year), Royal Caribbean and tried P&O at Christmas just gone. In my honest opinion, P&O was a very big let done on quality and I won't sail with them again.

The food & service in the MDR with P&O was so poor I had to complain to the Head Chef. On the Gala night, the baked Alaska dessert wasn't baked, it was undercooked and his excuse was that they don't prepare desserts onboard anymore, they are supplied and shipped in frozen. Never heard of a cruise ship not making their own food on board!

The entertainment was really poor, on one night, the 5 head singers did a Micheal Jackson medley and it was who could scream the words the loudest to be heard, so you couldn't hear anyone or the words but just screaming (out of tune) noise. Never had this on any other cruise line.

The bars had run out of the Christmas special drinks on the 2nd day of a 10 night cruise, yet they still advertised these drinks at the bar, on flyers and even on the news sheets (we missed Amsterdam so had a whole new sheet made for our extra day at sea and this even had the advert on it, so no excuse that they are printed in advance).This is really strange as we only left Southampton (ships refill port) 12 hours before stock had gone and the ship was only 80% full, so we hadn't drunk them all.

With the Celebration, you will notice that due to age, she shakes when in port. Fine at sea, but in port, especially if you are in the lounge on deck 9, but you get used to it.

If you think £10 for a bridge tour is a ripoff, try £150 on Royal Caribbeans Anthem of the Seas for a ship tour. Most expensive tour onboard I have done. Great fun but on Celebration, we did a similar experience for £20. Most other ships charge around £40-50 for a ship tour. So just the bridge for a tenner is normal and fair. You don't have to do it.

 

So what other hidden extra's apart from the TWO you mentioned, as that isn't "lots".

So how long have you worked for tui all inclusive should mean all inclusive or add £500pp and then you can make the choice

So how long have you worked for tui all inclusive should mean all inclusive or add £500pp and then you can make the choice

I've never worked for TUI all inclusive.

And where has this £500pp figure come from? £50 per week for Premium Drinks upgrade and a £10 bridge tour isnt £500 or are you trying to include Spa treatments, specialty restaurants and excursions into your All Inclusive. Because that isn't the case for All Inclusive and no one would include all that.

So, you didn't have Lots of hidden charges then or you really didn't read the brochure, as it is all clearly in there.

I agree with everything you have said sauspud about P&O would never sail with them again. Would highly recommend Celebrity though and find everything taken into consideration they come out similar price 1st time on Marella 26.5.18 looking forward

I agree with everything you have said sauspud about P&O would never sail with them again. Would highly recommend Celebrity though and find everything taken into consideration they come out similar price 1st time on Marella 26.5.18 looking forward

Which ship?

I've booked Discovery 2 for Summer 2019 in an Executive Suite (owners suite on Royal for same price as Royal Junior Suite) and thought Celebrity was more money, especially their excursions.

You wonder how some people get through life, moaning about things that if they did their research on they would not have anything to moan about, it's put in the brochure so you know what to expect .

Also brandysam I have noticed if someone puts a post anything positive about tui ,you seem to think they work for them, before you ask me I don't.

Well you must have a really good life you must have no standards and must get ripped off all the time

Well you must have a really good life you must have no standards and must get ripped off all the time

Or we can read and do research.

I did do my research six months earlier when I went on the discovery where everything that said all-inclusive was all-inclusive and there was no supplement for premium inclusive.

and if you can please point out where you can actually see where it says on any information about having to pay £10 to go on to the bridge this would be welcome and can you also tell me where it says in the brochure that you would get local locally produced beers on the ship included how John Smiths Strongbow and Fosters are classed has locally produced as I cannot find any information at all that says that they are produced in the Canary Islands . But when you are charged for activities like learning how to play poker and also for Pilates and because the ship is birth so far away from the town you are visiting that you can’t walk in and And have to get a card which is charged by the way at 6 pound per person ? Ankle and could you also help me by pointing out where it says that there is a supplement for steak or lamb chops in the main restaurant not a speciality one as I could only find this information after we have boarded. Ankle and could you also help me by counting out where it says that there is a supplement for steak or lamb chops in the main restaurant not a speciality once as I could only find this information after we have boarded .

Apologies I meant Celebrity come out at the same price as P&O not Marella, can’t comment On Marella yet not sailed with them due to sail 26.5.18 explorer highlights of the med

We go on explorer in June

Well you must have a really good life you must have no standards and must get ripped off all the time

Yes I do have a good life and I have a lovely wife to share it with,yes I have standards but I don't set them to high I know the value of what I pay and what to expect, I have never. Ever been ripped off in my life,it is you by your comments ,that seems to think you have been ripped off,and I suspect not for the first time,

We go on explorer in June

Your op says don't go with tui ? Why are you going with them again in June ? Confusing.

I see the OP has had a 'bad' experience aboard Discovery. I do not think this is typical as hundreds of thousands must have had 'not bad' cruises aboard otherwise the 'bad' reputation would be all over the cruise forums and Marella would be very concerned. Many of the problems the OP had with Discovery also apply to P&O and probably other cruise lines as well

Hi Dave in the op he mentioned the dream.

and the Dream isn't an all-inclusive ship, so the op got confused and thought that all inclusive on the ship includes everything and was shocked when it didn't.

Apologies, wrong ship :o

Marella have two fleets now, Celebration/Dream which are old and the Discoveries/Explorer which IMO are in a different league

Celebration and Dream are going, so only around for a xouple more years.

When Explorer 2 arrives, the season after (2020) they ahouls go. Celebration was meant to go sooner but demand for her, kept her for another year.

Bit like Mein Schiff 2, should be Explorer 2 but the Germans didn't want her to go and they had to get a ship from China.

Explorer 2 is the same class as Explorer 1. I think TUI wanted to keep Mein Schiff 2 because they can fill the cabins as the cruise market is growing in Germany

Explorer 1 and 2 were both in the same Celebrity class (Century Class)

Explorer 2 was the flagship of the class but is smaller than 1, but not by much (passengers and gross tonnage) and they have differences in deck plans and looks. A lot will feel the same but if you sailed a week on each back to back, you will notice the changes.

We still have no idea if Marella is going to keep the cinema room on Explorer 2 or change it into shops as current brochure deck plan. But the brochure does say that new features and venues are still to be announced, so you never know.

One thing they are adding that Explorer 1 has is hammocks on the balconies, but only on the executive suites, not the larger balcony suites.