Marella Celebration Reviews

Summary:  Customer service was excellent, staff helpful, kind, polite. Food beautifully displayed, good variety, very nice. Good entertainment. Cabin was good. Information could have been better & it was disappointing that people left their towels on the sun beds so they couldn’t be used by othe passengers. Some of the excursions were very good while others could have been better & more time was needed in some cases.

Summary:  I was initially doubtful when I realised that this wasn’t a huge ship. However I was happily surprised that. The ship and the ship’s company are absolutely terrific. I was afraid I would feel every motion of the ship - wrong again. We had an absolute ball on the Celebration. Yes it has its little quirks but nothing they would detract from its charm. The staff were friendly and very helpful. Everyone a star! Wonderful ship, wonderful crew and wonderful entertainment. We would do it again in a heartbeat.

Summary:  After cruising for many years we have always travelled on main line companies to be sure of good service. TUI has certainly changed our minds. Although this cruise did not have as many activities as others it was very relaxed and with another mindset we can truly say that it was good value and most enjoyable. The Officers and staff were the most friendly and helpful we have come across anywhere. Thoroughly enjoyable and will recommend to all our friends.

Summary:  We've been with Marella previously on a Mediterranean cruise and although the ship was old and on the small side it certainly made up for it with the crew ,food and entertainment. This cruise we were hoping for the same sadly it was not to be . This was to be our honeymoon holiday and we had booked a double room only to find once we were on board that our cabin was on the bottom deck and had single beds. We asked about changing cabins but were unsuccessful . We decided to make the most of the cruise but waiter service around the bars was almost non existent ,it appeared that they had cut down on staff. Entertainment was poor other than the piano bar and one artist booked for a main show. The show team although energetic and hard working didn't quite pull it off in our opinion. The food was excellent in the main restaurant and the speciality restaurants which made it more bearable and the weather was great as you would expect in the Caribbean . The ports of call were as stated and lovely. I don't think we'll be cruising the Caribbean again with Marella.

Summary:  Hi This was our first cruise and I now cannot believe we have not cruises before! We went on the Caribbean tour which was fantastic, the ship, crew, entertainment team, and food were all first class and we could not fault any part of it. The ship was fairly small compared to others we moored up against, however talking to passengers on these ships there comments were that they wished they were on our smaller ship as there’s was too big. We will book our next cruise soon! Thank Nick

Summary:  Enjoyed a wonderful cruise on Marella Celebration around the Carribean, 20th Dec to 28th. Had read other reviews and didn't raise my hopes too high but was very pleasantly surprised. The ship although older and not as large as more modern ships was really homely and welcoming, the decorations for Christmas were beautiful, the bar and lounge areas were well decorated and what appeared to be new and comfortable seating. The show theatre laid out with tables and drinks served during the performances rather than in rows, I really liked this arrangement. The staff make this ship as they were all brilliant, so friendly and would do anything you asked of them. Our cabin steward 'Budi' was excellent, kept our cabin clean, left great 'Towel animals' daily and when I reported a leak at the back of the toilet he passed it on and hey presto new toilet by the time we had returned from breakfast you couldn't ask better than that! The food was very good, a few very minor issues. I had read some poor reviews but really think it's of good quality when you think of how many they're catering for and to be honest I'd really like to see what some people must eat at home if they can find fault. We did try the Specialty restaurant 'Mistral' and for the extra £19.95 it was worth every penny. Fantastic food and great service plus a visit from both chefs to ask if the food was good. The waiters in the bar were all excellent and friendly, no waiting at the bar. We mainly used the Meridian restaurant for all our meals, our preference to be served rather than queue at a buffet although our family members with us on the cruise regularly used the Lido buffet and found this to be good. We did have afternoon tea twice in the Lido and it was delicious, no complaints at all. The entertainment was mixed, very good some nights, mediocre on others, we had a Carol concert before midnight in the theatre on Xmas Eve with lots of staff and so many guests turned up to sing and this made it so wonderful and moving. Christmas Day Meal was really lovely and the staff all worked very hard to make this day special. Father Christmas arrived in the morning and gave all the children a present, we also had a great thing happened during the day when there was a meeting up at sea with the Marella Explorer, also cruising the Carribean, the ships were maneuvered so that we passed each other side by side with everyone waving to each other, I've never seen this happen before! Our cabin was comfortable , we were in 'L' shaped single beds but they were comfortable and there was lots of storage space and the shower room was adequate, again with a full size bathroom cabinet, plus under sink shelving. The sunbathing areas were good, a larger pool also available for children on the Lido deck with music on a stage and various activities happening throughout the day, and there are quieter areas, a small pool and sauna Adults Only, plenty of sunbeds available, the only day that it more difficult to find a sunbed was on Xmas Day as this was our only sea day so all guests on board, but also one area at the front of the ship was cordoned off and not available due to high winds, otherwise there was no issues with finding a sunbed. Overall I would recommend this ship, we have travelled on larger ships and this was far more personable and enjoyable, the staff all seem happy and eager to make your holiday a success. I would also use Iglu Cruises again for both price and customer service.

Summary:  Well that was a long eventful, maybe ambitious cruise of anticipated 12 ports of call. The flight approach into Dubrovnik was exceedingly bumpy and scary. We were unlucky with the storms over Italy so our itinerary had to change more than once. Sadly we could not get to Sicily or Monaco but did land up in Trieste & Corsica. We paddled up to our knees in Venice after having to pay 15€ Each for boat transfers The ship itself is looking a little tired and was off to Kadiz for a 4 week refit as we disembarked. No fridges in cabin There were far too many chargeable things eg shuttles and ‘surcharge’ restaurants. Even the safe was chargeable. The drinks packages were extortionately expensive if you weren’t all inclusive. That said the main restaurant was very nice with varied menus daily. The pool wasn’t warm enough on the 2 sunny days we had & wanted to use it. The TV in the cabin had the very worst system ever experienced and dire choices with no times listings The daytime entertainment became rather predictable due to having extra days at sea which were not planned. Some of the music and questions were not age-appropriate to the majority of passengers. All the staff were lovely, helpful and friendly and the entertainment was excellent. Certainly not our favourite.

Summary:  This is a small cruiseship with limited choice of amenities including choice of food and beverages, repetitive menues in all restaurents, even speciality restaurents. Little or no consideration of food for ethnic minorities/hindus even on special occasion like Diwali when vegetarian meals are usually served. Trips were expensive, eg £106pp for trip to Monte carlo, Monaco, just under £100pp to Rome. Distance from port to city were often misinformed or exagerated..a 7mins bus journey was quoted as 15 mins and 55mins by foot, costing 6 euros for which tickets must be bought in advance on the ship! Ship was clean and tidy, reception good, overall an average cruise experience. Booking process and customer care very good.

Summary:  Friendly ship, cabin staff caring & efficient, bar staff entertaining with fantastic memories. Lots going on entertainment wise. Food choice good, waiting staff seemed sparse some days, always courteous & helpful. Change of Ports due to storm but felt our safety was paramont, kept updated during changes. Overall great fortnight. Special thanks to Tatanya. Edgar. Sidney. Kharter. Jerone. Maris & Tomas.

Summary:  Was unhappy with cabin. Two single beds in L shape. I requested a double bed but it WAS NOT explained to me when booking with you that a double bed was not guaranteed. Was told on ship that you have to pay extra for double beds. Food was plentiful but mediocre. In Meridian Restaurant where we ate every evening food was often overcooked, meat, vegetables and even the fish. Even the lobster was dry and rubbery. We do not like buffet eating in the evening, but during the day found it difficult to find a table to sit at. Very crowded and noisy. In Liberties bar the music was great but interrupted every half hour by stupid games and quizzes. There was not enough live music on in the afternoons. Shuttle bus in Ibiza was £6 but was only taken to 1km from town, our elderly parents could not walk this distance, but none of this was explained to us beforehand. Very misleading information and I did complain to no avail. Wanted a refund but just passed on to Thomson Head Office. Staff were brilliant, friendly, cheerful and helpful. Good value for money fir 2 week break but would think twice about using this cruise line again, as it all seemed very amateurish. Just not our style but did the cruise for our parents who need assistance on holiday.