I just disembarked a Canary Islands cruise on Marella Explorer. In this review I’ll share my honest opinions about what I liked and didn’t like about this cruise, and how it compares to others.
Thinking of cruising with Marella? Read on to find out what this cruise line has to offer…
Note: I was invited onboard by Marella. As always, the brand has no control over my reviews and all opinions are entirely my own.
Starting The Cruise
Our cruise departed from Tenerife. Marella Cruises don’t sail from the UK, but they do come packaged with flights from a choice of 25 airports across the UK.
We chose to fly from Bristol, which meant that getting to the airport was super easy. We had a 20kg per person checked baggage allowance plus 10kg per person hand luggage which was way more than we needed.
The flight was over pretty quickly and from there we hopped straight onto a TUI coach and were taken to the ship.
We were able to leave our bags on the coach and the next time we saw them was at our room an hour later.
Check-in was a breeze! As TUI’s flights arrive all through the day, there was barely anyone there when we arrived.
We quickly showed our passports and then walked on to the ship.
Usually, when you fly to start your cruise you’ll have to fly out the day before and stay in a hotel – that’s a bit of a faff. And if you live more than a couple of hours from Southampton, you’ll probably need to do that too!
Leaving home at 8am and being on the ship in time for dinner is an excellent way to start the cruise. Because TUI owns the planes and the ships, you don’t have to worry about missing your cruise due to delayed flights, as they simply don’t let that happen.
First Impressions
I knew that Marella Explorer was around 30 years old – Marella’s ships used to belong to Celebrity Cruises and Royal Caribbean.
But I wasn’t prepared from how modern and luxurious this ship was. Marella Explorer is in excellent condition and most of the public areas looked brand-new. She just didn’t have that older-ship feel that you get on other ships that were built in the 90s.
As we wandered around the ship, had a bite to eat in the buffet and enjoyed a drink, I fell in love.
With space for around 2000 guests, this ship is the perfect size, in my opinion. Small enough that you can walk from one end to the other in a few minutes, but large enough to be spacious and with plenty of activities.
While on board, I made a walkaround ship tour video. So if you’d like to watch as I explore each deck then be sure to check that out. It also has some handy tips to help you make the most of your cruise…
Accommodation
We booked an Ocean View cabin. Usually, we go for an inside cabin, but it was hardly any more money to upgrade to the Ocean View, so we went for that.
Older ships don’t have as many balcony rooms as newer ones, and on Marella Explorer, only four of the ten passenger decks have balcony rooms. That means that the step-up in price from an Ocean View to a Balcony is significant.
So even if your default option is a balcony, then don’t rule out the window cabins, as they can offer fantastic value for money.
Our room slept four, so it had Pullman beds that come down from the ceiling.
The room wasn’t our favourite configuration, as the ladders meant that we had to have two single beds for my husband and I. We generally prefer a double bed and separate bunk beds for the kids if possible.
I noticed that the room attendants didn’t put the kids beds away each morning as they usually do. But that wasn’t an issue, as it’s not like they were converting them back into a sofa that we could use.
They did however, make the most fantastic towel animals every day, which was a much better use of their time in my opinion! They came twice per day to clean and always left us chocolates on the pillows.
The room was spotlessly clean and very comfortable.
But as we unpacked our bags, we noticed that the air con wasn’t working properly. It was set to cold, but the room was still very warm. I called guest services and within a few minutes an engineer arrived and fixed the problem.
This was a stark contrast to our previous cruise with Celestyal Cruises where we had the exact same problem and the engineer came every day resulting in us having alternate nights of being very hot, then very cold, until a new control panel was fitted on the last day of our cruise!
I love that Marella Cruises gives you a kettle with tea and coffee in the room. There was an empty cupboard where the mini bar used to be, which was a little odd. However, they do give you a glass carafe and there was a water fountain right outside our room, which was fantastic!
I recommend looking for the raindrop symbols on the Marella deck plans and try to get a room near to the water machines if you can.
Dining
We thoroughly enjoyed the food on our cruise and I was very impressed with how many included dining venues there were. In addition to the main dining room and buffet, guests can enjoy Italian cuisine, a seperate pizza and pasta cafe, a tapas bar and a poolside snack shack offering burgers and grab-and-go sandwiches.
The buffet was fantastic, with a different theme each day and live cooking stations.
The only thing I didn’t enjoy was the ‘vindaloo’ curry which was more like a vegetable stew without a hint of spice. The server said that was because “not everyone likes spicy food”. Surely they don’t order the vindaloo then? Haha.
For those looking for something extra special, specialty restaurants serve dishes like steak, sushi or Asian cuisine at an additional cost. But with so much included, we didn’t feel the need to try these.
For those with dietary restrictions, Marella excels at food labeling, making it easy to identify vegan, vegetarian, and allergen-friendly options. Vegan choices are readily available in both the main dining room and buffet, making dining hassle-free.
The kids menu was extensive, with several vegetarian options. There’s also a kids’ section in the buffet, so favourites like chips are always available.
Drinks
Marella Cruises stand out by including a drinks package for all passengers. The standard package covers a selection of beers, wines, spirits, soft drinks and mocktails.
There are at least five different cocktails available in each bar, and I loved trying them all. One day, when I couldn’t decide which to order, the waiter surprised me with three!
I thought that the service might be slow, given that with everyone having a package, there would be little incentive to serve people quickly. But in fact the opposite was true. There was never a queue at the bar, and waiters would appear almost immediately as we sat down to take our orders.
Waiters would also walk around the pool with drinks trolleys or trays of pre-made cocktails, handing them out to anyone who wanted one.
And as you walked into busier venues like the theatre, pub, or poolside at the sailaway party there would be tables with glasses of Prosecco and cocktails, ready-poured!
Those wanting more premium options can upgrade to an enhanced package, but the standard drinks are already generous. If you just fancy the occasional premium drink, you can just pay for those individually, and the prices are very reasonable.
Activities & Entertainment
We certainly weren’t short of things to do on our cruise. The daily schedule was packed with activities like bingo, dance classes, deck games, arts and crafts, movies in the cinema and live music.
Every evening, there was a West-End style show in the theatre, repeated at 8.30pm and 10.30pm. The theatre was really big, so there’s no need to book and it’s easy to get a seat.
We also enjoyed the gameshows at 9.30pm in the Squid and Anchor. After the theatre, everyone rushes to the Squid and Anchor, so if you want to do both, you have to be fast!
After a week, we found the entertainment to be a little repetitive. It would have been nice to have some other options like a magician, comedian, acrobat or ventriloquist. Singers and dancers are great, but not every night.
Family Facilities
Marella has a kids club for ages 3 to 11. The kids went a few times and said that it was average as far as cruise kids clubs go.
I wasn’t a fan of how the age groups were organised. Sometimes, all ages would be together, and the activities tended to be more suitable for the younger ones.
On other occasions, the groups would be split between 3 to 7 and 8 to 11. However, the clubs were then open at different times. This wasn’t very practical for us with one child in each group.
You also need to give at least 24 hours notice of which session you’re going to attend by writing your child’s name on a piece of paper outside the room. Sometimes, it’s hard to plan that far in advance. When other cruise lines require you to pre-book the kids club, it’s usually done via an app.
The kids did, however, love the activities outside of the kids club. The football pitch was always full of kids playing endless games of football. There was table tennis and mini golf. And we all loved the Gamer Zone which had six Xboxes that are available for anyone to use.
12- to 17-year-olds can access The Hideout. Here they can enjoy unlimited air hockey and table tennis as well as attend organised activities at certain times.
Itinerary
We loved the Canary Islands itinerary. Although it was February, the weather was 20-25 degrees, which was certainly suitable for sunbathing.
The Canaries is the perfect spot for winter sun if you only have a week so don’t want too long of a flight.
Marella Cruises are usually very port-intensive, and we had only one sea day. If you cruise to the Canary Islands from Southampton, the round-trip takes two weeks, yet we were able to squeeze more ports into just one week, which was great.
The weather forecast showed some rough seas at Madeira, so the captain made the decision to cancel that port and replace it with another, as well as switching round the order that we visited the other islands.
This wasn’t an issue at all. As we have booked our excursions with Marella, we were simply issues new tickets for the correct date.
The excursions that we booked were excellent value for money – even more so since we didn’t have to do anything when the dates were changed!
Value For Money
At first glance, Marella cruises can look pricey. But, once you factor in everything that’s included, they actually work out to be excellent value for money!
Even if you don’t drink alcohol, don’t let the all-inclusive nature put you off. You can still get your money’s worth with mocktails, juices, tea, coffee and soft drinks.
NEW DEALS JUST RELEASED!
Don’t miss the latest Marella Cruises offers…
The Bottom Line
Marella Cruises has a huge fanbase of loyal cruisers and I can see why. The cruises are so convenient and hassle-free – all you have to do is relax and enjoy.
It’s clear that this cruise line is tailored to the British market, with home comforts like crisps in the pub and Yorkshire puddings in the buffet. And the people we met on board all seemed to appreciate these touches.
If you have kids, then Marella cruises is a good option. Sure, you won’t get quite as many facilities as some of the American mega-ships, but children are very well catered for, and there’s lots for them to do.
If you want to know how Marella compares to other cruise lines, then be sure to take a look at this video…
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Jenni Fielding is the founder of Cruise Mummy. She has worked in the cruise industry since 2015 and has taken over 30 cruises. Now, she helps over 1 million people per month to plan their perfect cruise holidays.
