Marella Spirit Reviews

Having just returned from a cruise around Croatia/Adriatic, I really enjoyed this holiday. It was my first cruise and yes the ship is tired, however the food was good and the crew were excellent. Really enjoyed all the stops and will cruise again on a similar sized ship if possible.

Hi,don't agree with some people,just got back off a cruise on the thomson spirit 4th May. My husband and I thought it was great, if you want your posh ships go on them and stop moaning, there is more things in life too worry about. Margaret.

just returned from Thomson spirit wasn't expecting much as was cheap last minute deal.Tired old ship looks like an old channel ferry.Staff were very friendly & helpful.Been on cruise ships for about 20 years this is the worst by far.Food was poor not what is normally served on cruise ships.Ive never been charged for safe box until now.Not sure what holidays these people have been on giving it 6 stars it was like a floating social club even the formal night looked like Jeremy Kyle's waiting room & the comedians jokes were older than most of the passengers.Also amazing how karaoke cures disability as they leapt out of their mobility scooter & sang & danced.Pay a bit extra go P&O or Cunard

We have been to the caribbean now for the last 15yrs and this year decided to try the Discovery for a change,what a mistake that turned out to be.The flight on the Dreamliner was superb,the ship is a nice ship BUT hugely understaffed,the embarkation at Barbados was a disaster,machines not working so queued for ages to be told we would have to go to reception on the ship to register our card details.The cabins are decent but the small size of the shower means you are attacked by the shower curtain,no fridge so bottled water was always cold and unfit to drink and at £1-99 per bottle it is not cheap.There was always empty bottles and dirty crockery around the pool and people were drinking from bottles and glasses in the shallow end of the pool,when i mentioned this to a member of staff i was told he did not get paid enough to argue with people,then clearly he should have reported it to someone who does.The entertainment was superb, as it was the last time we sailed with Thomson's brilliant shows in the theatre, people always sitting around the bar meant it was difficult to get a drink and to find a waiter on the pool deck was virtually impossible unless you sat in the smoking area.I would liken this ship to Benidorm from what i have heard of Benidorm (never been ) and if this is the type of cruise you want then you will enjoy it. Mobility scooters were flying about and THEN you would see then at night get off their scooters and go dancing UNBELIEVABLE. Meals were very poor with not much variety but chips with everything.

I have just been reading the Spirit reviews. One in particular caught my attention. It was the one dated June 16 regarding a cruise on 22/5/ 16. In one way I agree with the comment re leaving the ship in certain ports, I was confined to the ship on 3 or 4 times as the steps from the fourth deck were impossible to navigate, they were too steep and were not steps as we know them. I did complain to Thomson but it fell on deaf ears. My husband complained on board and they said that the leaving of the ship is up to the port authority and not Thomson. As you will probably guess I am also disabled so I know how they felt. As far as the cabin goes the lady says that if you are disabled do not book this ship but I have no bother at all with the cabin aspect because I always book really early and request an adapted cabin and on that ship I am not sure if they have any twin adapted but we prefer twin beds but we get one which is a king size but made up as two which is as good as it gets on the Spirit but it is a big cabin at no extra charge, you only have to pass the criteria that allows such a cabin. So please try to book one of these cabins if you are disabled because they do exist.

Cruised on Spirit for 1 week in June with a friend. I had never cruised with Thomson before although my friend had. Everything was great. Had an outside cabin which was adequate for us, plenty of hanging space in the wardrobe, shower space dated but perfectly clean and adequate. Food was excellent and varied, entertainment was first class and all of the staff could not have done enough for you. Cabin was kept clean and staff were very helpful. Didn't take the drinks package as we are not very big drinkers but found the prices to be OK for wine and soft drinks. Would not hesitate to book another cruise with Thomson and Spirit suited us as it was not too big and less formal than some of the bigger ships.

Second time on the Spirit and enjoyed it even more this time. Great service and crew. Cruise Director Lewis does a fantastic job, his enthusiasm is infectious. Fantastic shows every night. My only disappointment was the cabin; noisy when the ship came in to dock and awkwardly laid out with the beds arrangement. Other than that another great holiday . July 2016 Spirit of Iberia cruise

Just returned from a week on the Thomson spirit, great fun, the food was excellent, our waiters Kent & Joel were so professional yet fun and friendly, the entertainment was top class and the shows every evening were wonderful! Can't fault the cruise, well done to all and thank you!

As others have said, Spirit isn't the most luxurious or largest ship but its homely and very relaxed. Food was fine (we preferred the waiter service at Compass Rose but there are buffet options), shows were mainly good, albeit catering for an older crowd, and staff are helpful. We had a very relaxing time and would go with Thompson again. Plus I'm now a fan of smaller ships - somehow less formal and friendlier. We had a balcony cabin so no complaints there and only advice I'd give is buy the drinks package beforehand if your a drinker (and if you don't get it free through booking early as we did).

Have been on many cruises with several operators. Thompson Spirit is one of the smaller but friendly ships. We had a balcony cabin which was close to the horizon lounge bar so easy to get coffee and drinks all day long. We bought the all inclusive package at £9.99 each per day and this was great value. The food is more like good pub grub than fine dining but you will never go hungry. The entertainment team work very hard and although the shows have the same performers each night, the West End Wonders show was probably the best show I have seen on a cruise ship ending with great extracts and performances from Les Miserables.