Marella Explorer Reviews

Summary:  This was our first cruise and we were not disappointed. From the time we handed our luggage over at the check in until we collected it on disembarkation, everything was very well organised. All the crew and staff treated us with respect and were very friendly. The food was first rate with plenty of choice. The cabin stewards were very efficient and couldn't do enough for us, ours was named Hobin, he even made towel sculptures and left a pair of swans in our cabin on the day of our 50th wedding anniversary which he arranged on the bed along with our cards. Entertainment was first class we don't know how they kept up their energy to do two excellent productions each night. Excursions we booked were first class and allowed us to visit places we would not have known about. We were kept informed of activities going on aboard the ship so we could plan our days, especially when at sea. It was our first cruise, but it will not be our last. We just have to save hard for the next one.

Summary:  First time on one of the new to Tui larger ships. Certainly a nicer ship in terms of decor and comfortable cabin. Informal dining much improved. Used to compare buffets on older ships to factory canteens. This was less of a bustle, better food and an overall better experience. Formal restaurant had less courses on the menu and we thought standard had dropped slightly. Environment of the restaurant was very nice. Vegetable cooking is appalling - cooked to a mush! Big disappointment was the entertainment. Tui used to lead the field in its class of ships. Performances were spoilt by too loud heavy beat background music which drowned out singers. The content of the programmes was badly chosen for the audience and might have suited a younger crowd. Tui have changed its entertainment supply company and the new company might need to adjust to the clientele on these ships. The cruise ran smoothly although there was more tendering than the itinerary suggested. Whether this was poor management or unavoidable I don't know. We would certainly continue to use Tui/Marella cruises if the prices and itineraries suit us.

Summary:  We chos to have an inside cabin on deck 4 .It was much more spacious than expected and had everything we required -and more plenty of wardrobe and drawer space -even for us who take everything but the kitchen sink!Wewereon theMidnight Sucruise departing 9thJue 2019.Great ports of call and we were blessed with exceptionally great weather. Our cabin steward was superb and he made us a 'friend'' nearly every night. The food was excellent and we celebrated a friend's birthday in the Surf andTurf which was exceptional. A couple of the excursions were a bit disappointing and the entertainment -although excellent was not always for our era -The comedian was not to our taste either very rude about little people and large people - not PC at all ! Overall we had a wonderful time and would certainly go with Marella again. Livedteship but prefer te Discovery.

Summary:  The crew who serve in the bars and restaurants are excellent, always smiling and helpful. Our cabin steward was brilliant and nothing was too much trouble for her.the ship was in a very good condition and kept spotlessly clean. The food was varied and well presented. Particularly pleased the the quality and variety of fresh fruit. The ship is all inclusive and the standard drinks package had more than enough variety for us, if you like fancy cocktails or ciders then it’s worth considering the premium package.didnt go to any of the shows not our thing but the entertainment in the bars was in general very good. The bathroom in the cabin was probably the largest we have had on a cruise and the hanging wardrobes the biggest. I particularly liked the hammock on the large balcony. Because of the large bathroom and cupboards I felt the rest of the cabin was smaller than normal. Also the exit onto the balcony was by single door rather than a wall of glass with a sliding door. This tended to make the cabin dark.my other grouse was with the destination team, to say that they were disorganised would be kind. Sailing from Newcastle is a bonus for us especially as we love cruising in northern waters. We certainly will be cruising with Marella again.

Summary:  Food and service excellent. Entertainment good. Nice size, soon found our way about.

Summary:  Excellent in every way

Summary:  Newcastle to North Cape. 8 ports. Landed at all of them. Ship excellent. Staff very attentive. Buffet dining very good. Drinks all included. Not a problem being served except for busy times when excursions returned. At sea days everything busy. Two render ports scheduled but ended up with five tender ports. Lots of waiting around in theatre to board tenders and queues ashore waiting to return to the ship. We booked four excursions, a bit over priced as usual. The four ports going solo meant long walks from the industrial sections of the harbours or paid shuttles. Independent trippers are second class citizens. Port maps no longer available - eco move- but you are not told this in advance. Water cabinets on all cabin decks so your can fill up your cabin carafe and water bottles. Would travel with Marella again.

Summary:  Overall a good cruise. Food was average On shore trips were reasonable priced and good. We had a Junior Suite which was good, however the shower room / toilet was far too small. The door hit the toilet and not much room to move around. The boat was clean, staff were professional and polite.

Summary:  Excellent value for money. Ship was lovely, Not too big and not too small. excellent service from all staff, In all roles. Always smiling and eager to greet and help in any way. Great choice of restaurants and we enjoyed the full range of starters and desserts in Latitude but the meat dishes were often tough, however whenever we raised this, the staff were swift to react (and so polite) and ensured we had something else to our satisfaction. Vista was wonderful. Latitude is a beautiful restaurant and it was a pleasure to sit there ...even without the food! Shows were wonderful and the standard of dancers was very high, also the female singers. The lads did a great job too. My husband and I were in shows on cruise ships 35 years ago, so we were very interested to see what was on offer - we were delighted. The Broadway show lounge was fantastic - excellent! Bands were great too and their vocalists. Really enjoyed the sail away from Newcastle with the band on deck - shame it didn't happen again. Line dancing: although the entertainment staff were lovely and helpful people, they clearly didn't know much about line dancing, in fact the passengers knew more than the staff. I felt that the class should have been lead by one of the dancers or by a team member who had been trained well. They didn't know the dances and had no idea of names of steps to be able to teach or guide the class. The passengers ended up telling the staff which foot to use etc! Best not to offer it unless it can be done well. Entertainment in the Squid was good but a shame that there was never enough space for everyone to sit and enjoy it. This is where I felt a larger 'lounge' with dance floor etc and more seating would have been better. More like the older style 'ballroom' so that it would be the social focal point for the majority to enjoy the entertainment on offer on days at sea and evenings. Also wished that all hot drinks could have been available there too. We would end up having to visit the lounge bar first to get a decaf coffee or decaf tea to carry to the Squid, which was frustrating. (Please would you seriously consider including Redbush (Rooibos) tea as an option. It's naturally caffeine free and I found quite a few other guests who would also have chosen it- thank you) Inside cabin was fine. Very impressed indeed with the amount of wardrobe and storage space. Only negative point for me was the lack of air conditioning in the cabin. (9114). I did tell the cabin steward (Raja) who was excellent and said he would report it. I also reported it myself some days later when nothing had been done but still nothing changed. When you haven't got a porthole or balcony, I do feel it's essential to be able to access a steam of cool air and I found it so uncomfortably hot at night.....and this was not in a hot climate! Drinks on offer within the All inclusive was excellent, in fact really impressed. Ports of call: We didn't find anything to promote Gothenburg and neither did any of the other passengers we discussed it with and would have been happy to miss it out. All other ports were wonderful and your guidance and organisation regarding St Petersburg was excellent and it all appeared to run very smoothly. Thank you. It was our first cruise as passengers rather than entertainers and we were absolutely delighted overall with it. We heard some hardened 'cruisers' moaning about bits but we would heartily recommend this ship and Tui cruises on this all inclusive basis. We would like you to pass our thanks on to Tui and the Marella Explorer crew for a wonderful job. The crew can make or break a trip and the Marella crew/staff were to a very high standard. Thank you - we will book again!

Summary:  Just returned from a Baltic cruise on the Marella Explorer. I have to say it was the worst cruise we have ever had. I say this reluctantly because we have cruised with Thompson for many years, begining with Destiney, Celebration, Majesty etc. and never had a problem. However, after this experience we will never use Marella again. The cruise was booked through Iglu back in Jan/Feb for a cost of around £1600.00 each with the deck stated as 4/5 outside cabin. When we boarded we were put in cabin 4181 at the very back of the ship. So far so good, untill we set sail, the noise and severe vibration when underway were horrendous, I presume we altered course at around 0130 in the morning when we were woken up by severe vibration and noise. Complaints to reception resulted in an offer of an "emergency inside cabin" offer which we took for the next night just to get some sleep. Next day we were told that no other cabins were available, so it was "take or leave it" The story continued but I won't go any further other than to say we were the ignored until the last day when a bottle of Proseco was produced with a we're sorry note. After complaining again at reception we were given a derisery £50 compensation. To all that are thinking of joining this 'budget' ship be careful and avoid the aft part of this ship. VERY DISAPPOINTED R Thornhill.