Morella Discovery 2, Aegean Cruise. Anyone else got concerns?

[Cliffholl55]

18 hours ago, Pensioncruiser said:

Hopefully all onboard are ok , tracker is showing armed security onboard. Fingers crossed for everyone.

Don’t think it’s unusual for armed personnel onboard as it passes Yeman seas area , this has been the norm for a few years.

[Simonthesailor]

Hi to all who have asked about this cruise to Oman from Cyprus.

In short it was brilliant! Disappointing nevertheless to miss out Jordan.

What made it so good?

Well,  there had been many cancellations although many had not been made aware that they could indeed cancel or change. The result was a flight out to Cyprus with only 42 onboard (from Birmingham but similar for those who left from elsewhere). The ship had been full up until then so max aircraft capacity was needed to get those who had completed their cruise home.

Thus the ship was operating at about 25% capacity for week one and 33% for week 2. This meant the service was even better than ever and those that wished to hog sun beds were able to do so - and they did but space remained.

The staff at all levels were great and exceptionally cheerful and polite. A few guests were a bit grumpy that the Ukrainian captain was hard to understand and broadcasts lacked the usual humor, interest and involvement.

The basic 3 deck outside cabin we had was in great condition (surprising for the age of the ship) & more spacious with a sofa than some balcony cabins.  Many public area carpets had been replaced in a mini refit an few weeks earlier.

Service in 47degrees was brilliant and very friendly.Extras and changes were always possible. Some aspects of the 47 menu in the evening were a bit basic eg sausage and mash, fish and chips but on other occasions there were good steaks cooked to order.

An outstanding feature was the quality of the “Broadway” shows by a recently joined group which were all excellent. We saw 8 different shows all with great dancing and high quality singing. Other musicians and singers who appeared elsewhere were very good too.

Security was not an issue. Bus trip to Cairo was escorted by discrete and pleasant armed guards plus police at one point. The excursions were good value and gave a good taste of Egypt.

To fill in time after the programme change the day before Sharm elSheik was spent gently circling around - good time forthe deck bbq! Hence what was seen on the tracker. 

Prior to going through the narrows at the south of the Red Sea an armed escort of 6 were embarked. Standard practice and 4 deck prom was patrolled and out of bounds. Risk cannot have been too high as soon we saw the 6 have a meal in the deck 11 speciality restaurant! At no time did we feel any concern for safety.
Muscat looked good but we had to leave (at 0300) to fly home in an almost empty aircraft - we all had a row of seats each!
 

[dronnygirl]

Pleased you had a great cruise. Pity you didn't get to explore Muscat, its a lovely city and very safe to wander round

[insidecabin]

It is a requirement of package regulations when there is a major change to the package  to offer passengers the alternative itinerary or a full refund.

 

Marella are in breach of ABTA code of conduct and package regulations if that did not happen.

 

We did that run a few years back, ship broke down.

 

It's a great cruise option glad people enjoyed their modified itinerary.

[Pompeygirl56]

I'm on the cruise Aqaba to Palma on 25 April.  Waiting to hear what's going to happen. Very disappointed that Haifa has been replaced (understandably) with one of the nights in Limassol and the original Larnaca meaning 2 stops in Cyprus 40 miles apart!  Was supposed to do this cruise in 2021 but cancelled due to Covid.