Jump to content
Cruise Critic Community

Linda's trip on Discovery

CRUISIN LINDA
 Share

Recommended Posts

CRUISIN LINDA

CRUISIN LINDA

Posted
Posted (edited)

Well! I have spent quite a while trying to put a report of our trip on Discovery on "the other site" but to no avail, so I shall have to forgo the Berlitz guide and put it on here and FB Here it is:-

 

I was a bit apprehensive about the Discovery after reading some reviews, but I needn’t have worried! She is a lovely ship and a step up for Thomson/Tui.

 

 

We were delayed at Gatwick for nearly an hour, as I believe were people at most airports, due to a lot of planes arriving in Palma. This seems to be a regular occurrence, so perhaps Thomson should do some rescheduling! Anyway, we arrived at the ship about 2pm, had some lunch, unpacked then had a snooze as we had been up since 3am, then off to the safety drill. No lifejackets were required, but there was no notification of this and some people took theirs. The weather turned wet, so the sailaway was moved indoors. We went to the show, “Walking on Sunshine” which was excellent, then off to bed early.

 

 

We really liked the ship. The atrium is beautiful and the cabins really nice. We had 2550 on deck two. It was a good size, with plenty of drawer and cupboard space, a small settee and table. There is a lovely big picture window. There is no fridge, but there is a free safe(at last) The bathroom has a shower which is very powerful and a very friendly curtain, so take some pegs (I forgot mine!) There is a very good hairdryer. There is some shower gel in a dispenser but I can’t comment on it as I always take my own.

 

 

We used the Islands buffet for our meals as we like to serve ourselves and find the meals in the dining rooms too much for us. The food was excellent, with a good variety and the desserts were the best I have seen on a cruise – not good for the waistline, but hey you are on holiday!

 

Sunday was the day at sea and was topped off by “dress to impress” night, which attracted all sorts of gear! We just wore normal smart casual stuff and my husband added a jacket and bowtie. Some men had fancy waistcoats and bowties, which I thought looked rather good and of course there were some kilts. We went to the show, which was “Tales from the Westside” which was a condensed version of Westside story, and very enjoyable.

 

 

Monday, saw us in Messina, Sicily and we did the Thomson trip to Taormina, which was very good, except for the constant chattering of the tour guide, especially on the way home! I think if I went again I would book “Taormina on your own” as it is just one long street and practically impossible to get lost! We gave the comedian a miss as he was also did magic, which I dislike. Mixed reviews from other passengers!

 

 

Tuesday saw us in Naples and we used the hoho bus. We had intended to just do the blue route along the coast, but it turned into the red route and so we stayed on and did both. So 3 hours for €19.80 each( we had a discount from our Barcelona tickets from last year) Good value we thought and certainly good to see the contrast between rich and poor in Naples! The show was “Masters of the Musicals” Lots of well known show songs and as usual, excellent.

 

 

Wednesday was Marina di Carrara, an unknown quantity! We thought we would just get off, have a drink and get some free wifi, but we were pleasantly surprised. When we got off the ship there was a man giving out maps and directions to the beach and town. The beach was very nice with a couple of cafés, also sunbeds and umbrellas. The town had quite a few shops and a lovely square near the church. There is free wifi in the beach café and lovely Cappuccinos and beers etc. There is a shuttle bus to the town of Carrara itself, but it seems there is not much there. The show was “Legends Live” a bit of a disappointment, as it mainly consisted of videos of Michael Jackson, Prince etc with the show team dancing.

 

 

Thursday, we anchored off Villefranche. Such a beautiful place. We had already “done” Monaco and Nice on previous visits, so this time we explored the port itself. The fort is well worth visiting and there is a nice garden tucked away on the left as you go through the main entrance. It is all free. There are lots of cafés along the harbour and we took advantage of one for a couple of beers, as it was very hot and a bit humid. The show was “Animated Classics” but we gave it a miss and sat in the atrium and listened to the music there.

 

 

Friday, our last day, and we did a trip from the ship to the Sagrada Famillia, something I had always wanted to do. It is fabulous inside and we had a wonderful guide. Afterwards, we drove around the outside of the Olympic village and up to a viewpoint where we had a drink and took photographs. The show that night was “Medieval Madness” which was the best show of the week, lots of well known songs and a twist to the story.

The sea was calm the whole cruise and the weather very hot and sunny, in fact unseasonably hot for the time of year apparently.

 

 

 

The only complaint I have is that the ship was very warm and the aircon didn’t seem to be on all the time. This is unusual as usually people complain that the ship is too cold!

 

 

Oh, just one other thing - no paper maps of the ship and nothing in the lifts to says what is on each floor (although there is a list outside the lift) There is a touch screen with lots of info on, including deck plans, but I am wondering if these will be turned off in case of noro!

 

 

 

But all in all a lovely holiday. We spent a week at the Rocamarina hotel afterwards and that was equally as good.

Edited by CRUISIN LINDA
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Cappers

Cappers

Posted
Posted

Linda,,can you get outside right to what I affectionately call the pointy bit of the ship? I just love a nice walk around a prom deck after dinner and to stand at the front and just look at the sea is my favourite thing ever:D

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Vitalsign

Vitalsign

Posted
Posted

Great review Linda Thankyou and as previously said put my mind at rest too about the ship - great to hear about the desserts - perhaps the chef could teach the other ships chefs how to make them :) of course won't be booking during any school holiday:mad:

Link to comment
Share on other sites
CRUISIN LINDA

CRUISIN LINDA

Posted
  • Author
Posted
Linda,,can you get outside right to what I affectionately call the pointy bit of the ship? I just love a nice walk around a prom deck after dinner and to stand at the front and just look at the sea is my favourite thing ever:D
Sadly, the prom deck doesn't go right round the ship :( There is a running track on the top deck.

 

If you want to walk round deck 4 you have to go through the ship each end if you see what I mean.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
CRUISIN LINDA

CRUISIN LINDA

Posted
  • Author
Posted
Great review Linda Thankyou and as previously said put my mind at rest too about the ship - great to hear about the desserts - perhaps the chef could teach the other ships chefs how to make them :) of course won't be booking during any school holiday:mad:
Good thinking Vitalsign ;)
Link to comment
Share on other sites
ekco

ekco

Posted
Posted

Thanks Linda, very interesting. Yes, I'm back. Is there no formal night as in previous cruises? Or is this the Dress to Impress with photos with the captain? Sorry if this has been asked a thousand times.

 

Jan

Link to comment
Share on other sites
CRUISIN LINDA

CRUISIN LINDA

Posted
  • Author
Posted (edited)
Thanks Linda, very interesting. Yes, I'm back. Is there no formal night as in previous cruises? Or is this the Dress to Impress with photos with the captain? Sorry if this has been asked a thousand times.

 

Jan

Hi Jan,

 

I was just going to email you and tell you I had done a review, but you beat me to it :rolleyes:

 

Yes there were all sort so outfits on "dress to impress" night Not a formal night as such. I'm not sure if they do photos with the captain. The captain stands in the atrium and introduces the heads of departments. (they actually pinched this idea from P&O, I think)

 

One thing I forgot to mention was that we were asked to register at Reception if we had been with Thomson before. We were invited to a Captain's reception, got free drinks and nibbles and Captain John came and spoke to us. Then they asked how many cruises people had done and the highest got a bottle of Cava.

Edited by CRUISIN LINDA
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Vitalsign

Vitalsign

Posted
Posted

That's exactly what happened on Dream this January when a form was left in our cabin to fill in with the no of cruises we'd been on and to be taken to reception Later we received an invite to Captain John's reception with free drinks (whatever you wanted) and nibbles held on Sirens Pool Deck and a bottle of cava given to the couple who'd done the most cruises. The other officers also attended and they all circulated and chatted to everyone

A very good idea but they had to rely on honesty as Thomson have no idea how many we regular cruisers have actually done which in my opinion is really bad PR

Link to comment
Share on other sites
CRUISIN LINDA

CRUISIN LINDA

Posted
  • Author
Posted
That's exactly what happened on Dream this January when a form was left in our cabin to fill in with the no of cruises we'd been on and to be taken to reception Later we received an invite to Captain John's reception with free drinks (whatever you wanted) and nibbles held on Sirens Pool Deck and a bottle of cava given to the couple who'd done the most cruises. The other officers also attended and they all circulated and chatted to everyone

A very good idea but they had to rely on honesty as Thomson have no idea how many we regular cruisers have actually done which in my opinion is really bad PR

That is what my husband said! You could say you had done 100 cruises and who would know!
Link to comment
Share on other sites
CRUISIN LINDA

CRUISIN LINDA

Posted
  • Author
Posted
Roll on next September when we are on!!

 

Sent from my VF-895N using Forums mobile app

I'm sure you will have a great time PC.

 

As you can see we are booked on Oriana next August. Seems a long way off :rolleyes: Have to see what else I can find. DH is 80 in May. Will have to celebrate that don't you think?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now
 Share
Go to topic listing
  • Forum Jump
    • Categories
      • Welcome to Cruise Critic
      • New Cruisers
      • Cruise Lines “A – O”
      • Cruise Lines “P – Z”
      • River Cruising
      • ROLL CALLS
      • Cruise Critic News & Features
      • Digital Photography & Cruise Technology
      • Special Interest Cruising
      • Cruise Discussion Topics
      • UK Cruising
      • Australia & New Zealand Cruisers
      • Canadian Cruisers
      • North American Homeports
      • Ports of Call
      • Cruise Conversations
×
×
  • Create New...