TUI Marella Explorer 2

[Col&Ali]

Hello, potential first time cruisers here! I may have been seduced by an itinerary for a Caribbean Cruise but it is with TUI and not one of the fancy cruise companies.

It looks ideal with flights into Barbados and we would be looking at a balcony cabin. There only seems to be a few cabins left - right at the rear and one mid-way down near the stairs and lifts.

Am I right in thinking middle is best?

Any advice or pitfalls regarding Marella cruises?

Thanks

Ali

[cheekydeeky]

Mid ship and lower deck is said to be best for less movement. That said we’ve been incredibly lucky and haven’t ever really felt any movement at all.

We have been on several cruises with Royal Caribbean and loved them. A few years back we wanted a relatively cheap holiday so plumped for a Greek isles cruise with Marella. We wouldn’t cruise with them again but many people love them so it depends what you’re looking for.

We felt that Marella was very British. Hot Pot and chicken pie featured on the menu, as did haggis. Nothing wrong with that but it’s not what we want from a holiday. We also prefer mixing with passengers from other countries.

We felt the whole experience was a bit Butlins at sea . There were several passengers who made the most of the all inclusive drinks package and there were a couple of passengers offloaded for fighting. I totally appreciate that could happened on any line though.

Maybe if Marella had been our first cruise we would have felt better about it but I think we were really lucky and found the cruise line that suits us best in RCI.

We wouldn’t cruise with Marella again but I know many people that do every year and love it.

[Col&Ali]

Oh dear, this is what I feared! It’s a Caribbean Cruise so not cheap and I was hoping it’s destination might have an influence on the food etc.

Even though we have DIY’d to Florida we aren’t sure where to start with cruises 😕

[cheekydeeky]

I’m sure for every person like me there’ll be ten along time say Marella are fab!

Have you had a look at Vacations to Go? They show all the cruises from different cruise lines leaving each port on certain dates.

We usually cruise from Port Canaveral after a week in Orlando or Vegas for some R&R.

It really depends what you’re looking for - we love the bigger ships, plenty of food options, broadway shows, wide variety of things to do. Others prefer smaller ships.

[mickeyspal]

We have been on 4 marella cruises including the explorer 2 , and weve decided no more.
The reason being that they are pretty much the same price as other cruise lines but the drinks , especially the wine was sub standard in our view, the entertainment was quite good but very samey, and the ships are a lot older.

[LRMD]

Loved Marella, we did two week Caribbean and Central America, great ports like Havana, Panama, Costa Rica and Colombia. We have done other cruises never Marella but we were really impressed, great food, all inclusive drinks, different show every night and lovely staff. That was Feb 2020 just before covid, would definitely do another Marella cruise. We flew TUI direct to Jamaica in premium which was fab!

[Col&Ali]

Thanks all

We are having a look at some You Tubes at the moment to help us decide. So far the itinerary still ticks all of our boxes and some people seem to love it so as a first and possibly only cruise and trip to the Caribbean it is still an option I think.

Happy to receive more opinions

[olivia]

We have been on a few Marrella cruises and enjoy them . We did a Caribbean one just before covid and loved it. There seemed to be less sea days than the likes of p and o . If you upgrade the drinks package the drinks are good . We found food to be similar to other cruise lines in main dining room. The pay to go restaurants are good. Explorer 2 is adults only another bonus. There is also a golf simulator if you’re into golf. Some of the game shows in squid pub could be abit brits abroad but there was always live music playing in other bars. It’s easy to do as a package as everything is sorted for you. We are thinking of doing a Disney stay and cruise with them next May. Loved the pink and gold Prosecco in flutes bar.

[Silverfox69]

Booked Greek Islands cruise with Tui Marella May 2024.
First cruise and wondering if any other members have been on one this year, 2023 and can give me some feedback.
Dress code for dinner etc

[Cutiepie]

Originally Posted by Silverfox69

Booked Greek Islands cruise with Tui Marella May 2024.
First cruise and wondering if any other members have been on one this year, 2023 and can give me some feedback.
Dress code for dinner etc

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ScottishNellie has written 2 trips reports from her Marella cruises this year if you head over to the trip report section.