Posted August 11 2023 at 06:58 AM
The Trip
We booked this cruise having sailed Marella previously so we knew roughly what we were getting. The main objective was the variety of ports on the itinerary which included Puerto Rico, St Thomas, St Croix, Bequia and originally Guadeloupe , especially for my “Death in Paradise” TV show crazy wife. Having booked and paid in full, about a month before sailing, Marella changed the itinerary, substituting Guadeloupe with Antigua which we had visited previously. This was obviously a massive disappointment but the other ports still filled us with excitement.
The Ship
Our first time on this Marella ship. It fine but tired in places. The crew were amazing and this is something where Marella always win. Staff service is exemplary. This was previously a RCI ship and Marella kept the climbing wall , crazy golf and other features of the layout. The glasshouse with its indoor pool is a very nice quiet area too. There are enough spaces to escape if you needed too.
Sun deck space is limited and it was hard to get a sun bed on sea days. Marella have a policy of monitoring people who hog sunbeds but sadly this was not enforced meaning that some people missed out.
The theatre is excellent with a good layout. There are plenty of venues and spaces for live music and entertainment which Marella fill and make good use of.
The Cabin
We are no frills travellers so an inside cabin it was. This was a bit tired to be honest but perfectly functional. Bathroom had a shower with a shower curtain and the thermostats for hot water were temperamental. Small TV with a limited range of channels to watch. Plenty of storage space though. Electrical power via 2x US sockets and 1x Eu socket. …all located well away from the bed.
The Ports
Despite losing Guadeloupe from the itinerary, the other ports were fantastic. San Juan in Puerto Rico was excellent to explore. St Thomas and St Croix provided amazing beach destinations. Bequia was a true tropical paradise. Marella laid on a stop at St John in Antigua as an alternative to Guadeloupe but somehow messed this up by requesting all passengers were back aboard by 2.30pm ….This limited how you can explore the island.
The Food
Dining was plentiful and the food to a reasonable standard. MDR and restaurants options are good. Buffet more than adequate with enough choice and variety. This isn’t exquisite fine dining but is actually fairly good food. This is an area where Marella fall behind competitors like Celebrity but the difference in standards is not so great it becomes a dealbreaker.
Marella’s always inclusive drinks package is again a winner. It means you can enjoy some sensible drinking during the cruise without running up a huge bill. All the standard drinks are fine and if you want to treat yourself to a premium drink for a change, the prices were very reasonable.
The Entertainment
Marella always pack fun into their entertainment programme and this was no different. The usual serving of quizzes and activities can help those needing to fill time. The shows have good production standards. Disappointing were some of the more comedic elements which harked back to the bad old days of politically incorrect jokes and poking fun at peoples sexuality. Marella really shouldn’t give these dinosaurs a home. That said you don’t have to sit and listen to it and there are enough other options if you feel the need to slip out if you feel you’d rather not listen to any more of this nonsense. Live music acts were to a high standard so this was always a winner throughout the week.
Overall
Overall this was a great holiday. The ports of call bar Antigua were awesome and made some extra special once in a lifetime memories. This sadly didn’t include a trip to Guadeloupe and the set of my wife’s favourite TV show but we’ll go back and try again ..that’s for sure. Marella’s organisational problems at Antigua but also at San Juan introduced unnecessary difficulties for their customers. This and the fact the ship is now feeling its age mean it’s hard to give this a very high score. However Marella cruises continue to be good value for money and it’s hard to find fault with them for those wishing to see the world on a tight budget. Thank you Marella.
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voteMarella wins with exciting itineraries but the rest is rather ordinary.
We booked this cruise having sailed Marella previously so we knew roughly what we were getting. The main objective was the variety of ports on the itinerary which included Puerto Rico, St Thomas, St Croix, Bequia and originally Guadeloupe , especially for my “Death in Paradise” TV show crazy wife. Having booked and paid in full, about a month before sailing, Marella changed the itinerary, substituting Guadeloupe with Antigua which we had visited previously. This was obviously a massive disappointment but the other ports still filled us with excitement.
The Ship
Our first time on this Marella ship. It fine but tired in places. The crew were amazing and this is something where Marella always win. Staff service is exemplary. This was previously a RCI ship and Marella kept the climbing wall , crazy golf and other features of the layout. The glasshouse with its indoor pool is a very nice quiet area too. There are enough spaces to escape if you needed too.
Sun deck space is limited and it was hard to get a sun bed on sea days. Marella have a policy of monitoring people who hog sunbeds but sadly this was not enforced meaning that some people missed out.
The theatre is excellent with a good layout. There are plenty of venues and spaces for live music and entertainment which Marella fill and make good use of.
The Cabin
We are no frills travellers so an inside cabin it was. This was a bit tired to be honest but perfectly functional. Bathroom had a shower with a shower curtain and the thermostats for hot water were temperamental. Small TV with a limited range of channels to watch. Plenty of storage space though. Electrical power via 2x US sockets and 1x Eu socket. …all located well away from the bed.
The Ports
Despite losing Guadeloupe from the itinerary, the other ports were fantastic. San Juan in Puerto Rico was excellent to explore. St Thomas and St Croix provided amazing beach destinations. Bequia was a true tropical paradise. Marella laid on a stop at St John in Antigua as an alternative to Guadeloupe but somehow messed this up by requesting all passengers were back aboard by 2.30pm ….This limited how you can explore the island.
The Food
Dining was plentiful and the food to a reasonable standard. MDR and restaurants options are good. Buffet more than adequate with enough choice and variety. This isn’t exquisite fine dining but is actually fairly good food. This is an area where Marella fall behind competitors like Celebrity but the difference in standards is not so great it becomes a dealbreaker.
Marella’s always inclusive drinks package is again a winner. It means you can enjoy some sensible drinking during the cruise without running up a huge bill. All the standard drinks are fine and if you want to treat yourself to a premium drink for a change, the prices were very reasonable.
The Entertainment
Marella always pack fun into their entertainment programme and this was no different. The usual serving of quizzes and activities can help those needing to fill time. The shows have good production standards. Disappointing were some of the more comedic elements which harked back to the bad old days of politically incorrect jokes and poking fun at peoples sexuality. Marella really shouldn’t give these dinosaurs a home. That said you don’t have to sit and listen to it and there are enough other options if you feel the need to slip out if you feel you’d rather not listen to any more of this nonsense. Live music acts were to a high standard so this was always a winner throughout the week.
Overall
Overall this was a great holiday. The ports of call bar Antigua were awesome and made some extra special once in a lifetime memories. This sadly didn’t include a trip to Guadeloupe and the set of my wife’s favourite TV show but we’ll go back and try again ..that’s for sure. Marella’s organisational problems at Antigua but also at San Juan introduced unnecessary difficulties for their customers. This and the fact the ship is now feeling its age mean it’s hard to give this a very high score. However Marella cruises continue to be good value for money and it’s hard to find fault with them for those wishing to see the world on a tight budget. Thank you Marella.