TUI Cruises

[cheekydeeky]

An alternative viewpoint...

We have sailed five times with Royal Caribbean and loved every minute (four Caribbean and one Greek Isles). In 2018 we sailed the Greek Isles with TUI and would never use them again which is a shame as they do have some great itineraries. We were on either the discovery or the discovery 2 and had previously sailed on it when it was owned by RCI.

For us it really was like Butlins at sea I’m afraid. The food, while tasty enough, was typical British fare (chicken pie, hot pot and haggis are a few of the dining room picks that I remember) and not the kind of food we would usually want to eat on holiday. Queues at the bars were long, overall ship cleanliness wasn’t great and smoking area right opposite the pool with kids. We also found the entertainment pretty quite poor but have probably been spoiled by RCI.

It’s the only time we’ve cruised and seen people constantly drunk although we know that could happen on any cruise line. There was also a fight in the theatre which resulted in someone being put off the ship the next day .

We do like a mix of passengers too so I don’t think we’d cruise with a British company again as being surrounded by Brits (many sozzled by 11am and getting louder by the minute) isn’t our idea of fun. I do realise that who your cruise passengers are is down to luck!

I think we were lucky to cruise with RCI first and they really suit us but I have friends who love TUI and hate the idea of a larger ship so I really do think there’s a cruise line for everyone.

[loopylaura]

We've literally just got back today from a 2 week carribean cruise on Explorer 2. Feeling rubbish as I'm so tired with lack of sleep lol...

On a scale of 1-10 I would perhaps give it a 7...

Pros - Food was excellent - we ate in the buffet (menu was the same as in the MDR), also Vista (Italian sectioned off part of MDR) - this was absolutely gorgeous, Nonnas (also Italian). We didn't feel the need to pay for the other restaurants as the food really was so good.

Cabin Inside (we only booked 2 weeks before we went) so didn't have any choice. We usually have a balcony so I was really worried about this but honestly a good size, kept extremely clean - only downside soundproofing was a bit poor.

Ship itself - Everything was kept immaculate - not as glitzy as some but a nice size ship which had everything you could want.

Cons... We are not sociable people...lol... we like to have a quiet spot which in the main we were able to find (Deck 12) but every afternoon they would blare out music, inane entertainment and put it through the loud speakers... Fine put it around the pool deck but give the ones who want a bit of peace and quiet exactly that.

All inclusive... we didn't upgrade to the premium as we didn't feel the need - DH would get a proper coffee from the Coffee Pot for breakfast but we just paid for that separately. Unfortunately from 10.00 am the loud ones would start on the drink and only get louder...I appreciate everyone to their own but it really put us off. We did a 2 week cruise and the second week was worse for this than the first. It just kind of spoilt the ambience of the cruise to be honest for us but that's just my opinion obviously.

OKs... Entertainment - there was quite a varied variety and whilst we didn't go to all of the different shows what we did see was quite good. Indigo Bar had a good male singer although had the most uncomfortable chairs lol... Bingo was popular in the Squid and Anchor and good prizes.

Would I choose to go with Marella again... not sure (if the price was right and the destinations were what we wanted maybe ..but that is a big maybe - the drunks really put us off.

I know you want to go at a different time of year so maybe it will be different as ours was an adults only cruise. Hope you find what you want.

[mitch84]

I’ve just completed a trip report on the Marella Discovery 2. I had a fab time. Food was excellent

[stecee]

We did a cruise around that area with P&O last year. We sailed from Malta to Dubrovnik, Hvar, Venice and Split. It was a wonderful cruise made even better by the ports of call, I’d never heard of Hvar before the cruise, but what a beautiful place.
It would certainly be worth a look at P&O, we was on the Oceana.

[LRMD]

I’ve just been on the Marella Discovery 2 around the Caribbean, loved it, have previously been on NCL and Royal Caribbean. I’d recommend them!

[mitch84]

Originally Posted by LRMD

I’ve just been on the Marella Discovery 2 around the Caribbean, loved it, have previously been on NCL and Royal Caribbean. I’d recommend them!

See more...

I’ve just come back from the discovery 2 also, loved it.

I did a trippie for anyone who wants to read it.