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Old 13 Oct 19, 07:20 PM  
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k4ti3-x
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Marella Cruises

Hello,

I am looking for some advice. My friends and I are looking at going away for our 30th birthday's in 2021. We had initially thought of going to Mykonos and hiring a villa but one of my friends who works for Tui thinks we would be better off doing a cruise as it would be more of a luxury holiday.

None of us have been on one before and she's thinking of the Marella Celebration doing the Aegean Titans one which stops in Souda - Crete, Piraeus (for Athens), Mykonos Town - Myonkos, Kusadasi - Turkey, Rhodes Town - Rhodes & back to Limassol - Cyprus.

Have any of you done and be able to recommend a Marella or Tui cruise? I'm worried that out of the stops I'd only really want to see Mykonos and the only people I know who have done cruises are my grandparents or aunt/uncle who are in their 60's. Will a group of 29/30 year old be bored or will there be plenty to do on board in the evening?

Thanks in advance
Katie
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Old 13 Oct 19, 07:32 PM  
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cheekydeeky
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First off, I’ve done six cruises and am 46. We did the first one for my 40th.

We usually do a week on Orlando or Vegas followed by a week cruising the Caribbean with Royal Caribbean.

We did the Greek Isles 4 years ago with Royal Caribbean and enjoyed it.

Las year we did the Greek Isles with Marella as we were wanting a cheap week. The islands are beautiful - we loved all the stops.

Marella isn’t the cruise line for us and we wouldn’t sail with them again but I think that’s because of the difference between them and Royal. If we’d never cruised before then we might have felt differently.

I’d say the majority of people on the cruise would be 50ish but there are younger and older. Marella ships are smaller so there’s not the same entertainment on offer as there is on the larger ships but I doubt you’d get bored - I know when I’m with friends we have a good laugh regardless of where we are.

Not sure if that helps. I think a cruise is a fab idea but I’d research the other cruise lines as I think NCL or Royal might suit you better?
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Old 13 Oct 19, 07:36 PM  
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k4ti3-x
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Originally Posted by cheekydeeky View Post
First off, I’ve done six cruises and am 46. We did the first one for my 40th.

We usually do a week on Orlando or Vegas followed by a week cruising the Caribbean with Royal Caribbean.

We did the Greek Isles 4 years ago with Royal Caribbean and enjoyed it.

Las year we did the Greek Isles with Marella as we were wanting a cheap week. The islands are beautiful - we loved all the stops.

Marella isn’t the cruise line for us and we wouldn’t sail with them again but I think that’s because of the difference between them and Royal. If we’d never cruised before then we might have felt differently.

I’d say the majority of people on the cruise would be 50ish but there are younger and older. Marella ships are smaller so there’s not the same entertainment on offer as there is on the larger ships but I doubt you’d get bored - I know when I’m with friends we have a good laugh regardless of where we are.

Not sure if that helps. I think a cruise is a fab idea but I’d research the other cruise lines as I think NCL or Royal might suit you better?

Thanks, I've not got any experience is cruising so its all a bit of a minefield just now. As long as there is something to do that will be fine. Do you do excursions when you get off or do you just wander yourself?

I will have a look into the two you mentioned, i'm assuming she'll want to book a Tui one as she works there though and maybe gets a higher discount. Thanks for your advice though
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Old 13 Oct 19, 07:38 PM  
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mskitty
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We've cruised with Marella twice and loved it. It's not as formal as some cruises although the service you get will be second to none.

The celebration is a smaller more traditional cruise liner so nothing like the more modern ones with water slides etc.

The pros for me specifically around marella are the friendliness of staff and quality of service. On a smaller ship there are less passengers and so if you are the only ship in port then the port is quieter and you also bump in to the same people on board so it feels really friendly. The down side could be that the ship feels dated and it isn't quite as glam as you may imagine.

The positives for cruising overall for us are getting to do and see something new and different every day, the amazing food and variety of entertainment.

Cruising is certainly for all ages. In terms of entertainment there is a Broadway style show every night and on the ship we went on there were three different bars with live music in each playing a different style to suit all tastes. They also had game shows and quizzes if that's your thing.
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Old 13 Oct 19, 07:41 PM  
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mskitty
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Ps... you also asked about excursions. We have only ever booked one. The rest of the time we have researched the port and done our own thing.

The marella ships have a good set of Facebook groups you could join. The one for the celebration is called Marella Celebration (Thompson Celebration) and if it is anything like the Dream group the members are so lovely and helpful.
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Old 14 Oct 19, 03:30 PM  
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SquishTheWhale
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The Celebration is very small and old. It would not be my choice for a first cruise! If your friend is after using her TUI discount then look for cruises on their newer ships like Discovery and Discovery 2 etc.

However don't worry about age. We are in our early 30s, have done 6 cruises and there's always a mix on board. Some cruise lines will have a younger demographic than others.

Edited at 03:34 PM.
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Old 14 Oct 19, 05:59 PM  
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Loopylooloo
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I would be looking at Celebrity, they do the greek islands, or RCL, if you can. Anything newer, or with more going on for your age group. MSC, NCL - loads of cruise lines to check out! I think its a fab idea for a girls trip though.
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Old 14 Oct 19, 06:35 PM  
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If your friend works in an ABTA agency then Royal always did very good agent offers. Maybe they still do?
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Old 19 Oct 19, 11:47 AM  
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mitch84
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I’ve just booked a Marella cruise, I don’t mind them.
Yes they can be older smaller ships, but very friendly and lots going on still. AI too which can be handy
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