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Hi Helen. This is not an easy one. The Voyager is my favourite but next year Discovery is changing to adults only so that could be a big factor if you would prefer no kids. Discovery is easier to find your way round and coffee port is nice place for coffee, not sure what time they are open till in evenings. I like Voyager as there is more to do and I liked to grab a coffee in the mornings and go and sit on the back of the ship, think it’s called the Summerhouse. Coffee port on the Voyager is also bigger and in my opinion nicer. In Spain at moment so not able to get exact timings for you. Sure you will find that special spot on either ship. Hope this helps.

Happy it’s been of use. I still spoil myself with the odd nice coffee but we find AI more than enough for our needs. Hope you will enjoy your time on Explorer as much as we did.

Have a great time in Malaga. 😁❤❤💯🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉

@@patriciaanne4449 Thank you Pat, so nice of you to come with us a great time. Really looking forward to a break, been tough with Dave's training. Weather is looking fab so can't wait to get there! You stay safe and catch you soon. xx

@midatravel Well we finally got home after our interesting train journey from Edinburgh to Swansea. Caught up with you this morning. Lovely chat again. Have a fab holiday both😊

@@patriciaanne4449 Thanks so much, so looking forward to exploring and weather is looking superb, need that sun, will try send some your way.

@@cerimcculloch4021 Hi Ceri, that was some journey. Want to take Dave to Edinburgh one day, he does not like the cold weather though, will have to be summer. Thanks for catching up, we did miss you and hope we got you back this Sunday. xx

Hi Catherine, i think you mean the premium drink package. Personally for us we think it is not necessary as there is so much that we like on the all inclusive. We have a video titled 'into the drink' which was updated July 2024. In this video we go through every page of the 'into the drink' booklet which shows every drink for each category and what is all inclusive and what is included with premium. The price for the drink is displayed if you were to buy it extra on AI. Going through the book will help you decide which package is right for you. Even though we don't have premium we still think it represents very good value for money at just over £11 a day. Hope this helps. 🍹☀😎

It really does help, Thankyou.I have watched your “Into the drink” video, but hadn’t realised that you had updated it. I shall watch this now. Thank you so much for taking the time to respond. Have a great day x

@@catharine2262 Don't think there's a lot changed apart from the prices. Hope it helps.

Hi, Yes you can but they are quite bulky and if you lose them you will have to pay £10 per towel. We always advise to look at the microfibre beach towels, they are large and wrap up to nothing, they also weigh a lot less for carrying. 🙂

@@midatravel thank you

We always take one. We have a 3 plug adapter with 2usb's and a usbc. Make sure if you take one that it has not got surge protection. Sounds daft but they can be dangerous with the ships system. 🙂

@@midatravel yeah we have non surge, many thanks again

Thanks for this John, will make sure i do an update in the next part. 🙂

Speeds up the whole process if you attach all labels before airport check in desk. Use either a clear label holder or cover both sided with clear tape and attach to the handles.

Good advice John as always. 🙂

We always put them on the evening before we go to the airport. Check out the link for some really good luggage labels. Some great luggage labels on amazon. Just search 'Transparent luggage labels' and you will get loads of options. About £5 for 8 labels. 🙂 .

@@midatravel Thank you

Thanks a lot, really good when we get feedback like yours. 🙂

They are indeed wonderful cities. I love Rome and i'm hoping to take Dave there one day. Bit worried from a cruise perspective that due to the travel to get there from the port it will be very rushed. Pick the main sites you want to see and dont try and over do it. Barcelona and Palma are perfect off the boat. Any worries always think of ringing the special assistance team for advice. Hope you get it booked and some well earned chill and relaxation in the spa. ☀😎🍹🚢

I can only say that when completing the form for yourself you will come to a question asking 'do you want to add family members'. So looks like it is possible. I did mine and my husbands separately so we each had our own document. As long as you have the other persons details you can do it this way also, i would imagine you would have to put the same details and answer the same questions for each person whichever way you do it, but i could be wrong on that one. Sorry i can't be any clearer. 🤔

@ thanks love your videos very helpful

Thanks Margaret, you are very welcome and happy you found it helpful. January is not long too wait, great time to cruise and to get some much needed sun and relaxation. 🚢🍹☀😎

HI. Unless things have changed from last year then yes you will need to complete the ships immigration process before departing, even if you are going on to a hotel or independently. I believe all passports have to be checked before you leave the ship. If you look on the 'Time to say goodbye' leaflet you will see the passport and immigration advice and its listed there. When you get yours you should know as it should be on there. Hope this helps, have a great time. 🚢🚢🚢☀☀☀😎😎😎🍹🍹🍹

Cheers Ceri, try to always think of things we would have found useful and also with Dave's work we can't cruise as much as we would like so have to think outside the box sometimes. 😎

I think Tui would look after you the best they could. Always worth ringing the assistive travel team if you have any worries on 0800 145 6920 . 🙂

Hi Christine. So sorry to hear about your husband, can't imagine the pain you must be going through. I think cancelling the cruise was the best thing for you to do but i hope you do get to experience one with your friend sometime in the future. Let me know if you get one booked, i'll be excited to hear about it. Your memories will keep you strong and i'm sure your husband would have loved being with you in spirit. We love Marella and always recommend them to everybody. We haven't done the Western Med but we would like to at some point. Always wanted to go to Palma and Corsica, Dave has never been to Rome so i would love to take him there. Keep strong and keep us posted if you can. Big hugs 🙂

I bet they are cute.

Hi John, thanks for watching. I think it may be briefly mentioned but i am going to be covering it in more depth on our next 'First time cruisers' Part 4' vlog which will hopefully get this out by Sunday at latest. I will show link and initial completion/instructions. 🙂

@midatravel hi,my question is does anyone actually look at the immigration form? Last visit to Barbados,of the plane,onto bus, checkin aboard that was it, nothing checked? Departure day,down to immigration in latitude, passports photograph taken,cabin cards swiped,password stamped "entry by sea".. All seems to be wasted if time(IMHO,😀)

she's a little star! 🌟

She's such a cutie.

Cheers Mary, she's my little sausage star xx

Awww we missed you Pat but no worries and glad you were able to catch up. So glad you have managed to rebook, not too long to wait to get some winter sun. We love Discovery 2, its a beautiful ship, are you around the Canaries? Looking forward to Malaga and sharing our experience. Take care xx 😎

@@midatravel Flying into Malaga after 10am. Gibraltar, Cadiz, Las Palmos Gran Canaria, final destination Santa Cruise de Tenerife, fly home from there in the afternoon. Could not get into Tui portal to see excursions, I’ll try again today. Soooo excited to be cruising towards Sunshine and heat. Big bonus I’m in deluxe balcony, now that’s a first I hadn’t planned for on a second solo cruise. Love and appreciate your videos guys, it’s such a great help, also, listening to other people’s chat, collectively it’s super informative. 🙏🏻💜🕉️☮️😁💯⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thanks for letting me know. Don't know why or how that happened, did nothing different. There is a box you have to check to allow chat to show for future plays and i definitely ticked it. Oh well maybe i should have checked it again just before we started streaming. Hopefully get it back next time. 🤔

Hi, you ok hun? xx

Enjoyed listening to your recorded video, much to learn from cruising no 2 ships are the same. xx

Your very welcome, with my health conditions i am finding it harder and harder to even get insurance. Pay less 4 has been my lifeline for travelling, think the main problems are not only the health conditions but also the added price of cruise and caribbean/USA cover. 🙂

Thats very interesting to know thank you. We haven't seen a note and have to say most people you see at the machines are filling their own flasks, this does not make it right at all. Think the problem with decanters and no fridge is that the water soon becomes warm and also that you cannot take the decanters ashore and you have to buy water. The bottles they sell as you leave the ship are very small. I will look into this further and will maybe discuss it in our live feed tonight. Health/hygiene is of course something not to be taken lightly. 🤔

Thanks for letting me know this, i think it makes more sense for it to be in the buffet. We didn't realise it was available by snack shack on Discovery 2 until a few days into the cruise. Be interesting to know whether they have now moved it to the buffet/kitchens on all of their ships. 🙂🍦

yeah they also had a member of the crew serving it to you. She would smile at my wife as we entered and say “I will be seeing you later”

Hi Christine. I don't think you will have any problems at all in getting your wheelchair to a table at any of the restaurants or anywhere around the ship. The staff are always to hand and will go out of their way to help you. If you have any concerns you can speak to the special assistance team on the following phone number. From their website...... Most of our ships are accessible and we'll do everything we can to cater for your needs. Give our Assisted Travel Team a call on 0800 145 6920. Hope this helps.

Hi, thanks so much for your lovely comments, always happy when people find our videos useful. Yes you will be able to eat. You may be limited to the buffet, you can get food there until about 12.30 - 1am. Might be limited choice but you won't go hungry. 🙂

Thanks for watching and thanks for your lovely comments, really gives us a boost when we have doubts about our videos. Wow, your experienced cruisers. Who would you recommend, we are so finding it difficult to book our next one, can't tear ourselves away from Marella we love it so much. Discovery 2 is a lovely ship with some beautiful areas. Hope you love it as much as we do. Not long for you to wait now, have a great cruise and if you can come back and let us know how you got on. 🚢🍾🍹🌞😎💃🎤

@midatravel Well we have never had a bad experience on any line to be fair Mike. We probably overlook things and nothings perfect. I would say Princess impressed us the most but have had great holidays on P&O, MSC and Royal Caribbean and Carnival although only been on last two once. We always go with an open mind.

And never doubt your videos or your lives. You are great 👍

@@cerimcculloch4021 Thanks so much, i always feel i could do better so you have definitely reassured me.

Thanks for letting us know, i'm glad that they have now added it to the planner. 🙂

I guess the worst that could happen is that it would be confiscated, but they are returned to you at end of cruise. Maybe you were lucky, maybe they are not as thorough as one might expect. Agree 100% with you about the lack of decent wine, we were really surprised that there wasn't a greater choice for premium. Really disappointing. 🍾🙁

Thanks for letting us know Stewart. We loved the afternoon tea on Discovery 2 so i hope you love it as much as we did. Come back and let us know. Have a great cruise, its a lovely ship. 🚢🌞😎🍹

Thanks for your lovely comments, really gives us a massive boost. We were hesitant in choosing Marella but i did read so many positive comments. We sailed with Celebrity in 2010 but wasn't bitten by the cruising bug. After sailing with Marella in 2022 we are now. Do find negatives but we always end up coming away having had such a brilliant time that they become insignificant. Hope you love it as much as we do. 🚢🍹🍾🌞😎

Your very welcome. A big thank you for watching and taking the trouble to leave us a comment, means a lot to us. Happy cruising. 🚢🍹🌞😎

Hi Sandra. Thanks for watching and for your lovely comments. Really gives us a boost. Coffee is definitely available in decaf, they were on the machines on Voyager. You should also have Nescafe decaf in the buffet. Most bars/coffee port will serve decaf. With regards to the diluting juice i could only find this information. Yes, you can get squash on a Marella cruise: Children's Drinks Package Includes fruit squash or cordial by the glass, as well as other drinks. This package is free for children who are sharing a cabin with adults who purchase the Ultimate Drinks Package. I could only find it mentioned as part of the childrens drinks package but if it is available there it should be available everywhere. Sorry i can't be more precise. 🙂

We had exactly the same issue with cocktails and was also a big reason along with the coffee that we went premium on our first cruise with Marella. We found the cocktails very disappointing and was surprised by the mixing. No proper measures and things just tipped in with differing amounts. Most of our drinks were spoiled by having too much alcohol. We now just get the cocktail we want without the alcohol and order a shot so we can control how much goes in. Due to demand i don't know why they don't now do the show every night, so disappointing if you are turned away due to over booking. Our favourite bar was the summerhouse and we could usually get a seat without any problem. 🙂

Thanks so much for the info, makes sense that they are now doing it pre cruise. I think its a good thing they are no longer doing water in cabins, must have been so much waste, especially considering they have now removed the fridges! 😱

Thank you so much for letting us know, we always like to keep up to date and i think it makes so much sense it is now available pre cruise for booking. Have a great cruise. 🙂

Thanks for that, come back soon xx

Hi Sandra. The Silver Fork can only be booked when on board and won't be available on your app before you travel. We usually book it the first evening we are on the ship without any problems. Hope this helps, its a fabulous restaurant and the food was superb. 🙂

@ thanks so much, I’ve just spent the past two days watching your vids. So helpful and gives us first timers an idea of what to expect 🙌 Any tips on how to get a free upgrade or something to celebrate our 25th anniversary? 👍

@@sandrajones2172 Hi Sandra. Thanks for watching and for your lovely comments. Upgrades are really difficult to get as quite often there are very limited amount of rooms left. We did ring up tui a day before one of our last cruises to see if they would give us a cheap upgrade but no deal to be had. We also went into our local shop as well but even they were unable to do anything. What I would perhaps do is one of 3 things, do as we did and ring up a couple of days before and explain your special occasion and ask the question about an upgrade, visit your local shop or even go and ask at reception as soon as you get on the ship. Highly unlikely but don't ask you don't get.

Thanks so much for watching and for your lovely comments. We are so happy when we know our content has helped people in making the right decisions for them. Have a great cruise. 🚢🚢🚢🍾🍾🍾🍹🍹🍹😎😎😎

Definitely agree, especially when visiting bears week where price skyrocket due to demand. 😱

Hi

Hi Patricia, i am so sorry to hear of this news. It has to be quite serious for a cruise to be cancelled but what 🙏has happened in Valencia is pretty horrific and hard to take in and i would imagine is the main reason, although Discovery2 is an older ship and i think is due a refit early next year. We really enjoyed Valencia so it is so sad to see what has happened and to see how people there have suffered. Do you get the opportunity to rebook? 🙏🙁

@@midatravel Hello, here is a snippet from the email. "You may already be aware that Marella Discovery 2 is currently undergoing some maintenance in Cadiz. Unfortunately, due to the extreme weather conditions in southern Spain which you’ll have seen in the news, we’ve had to pause some of the necessary work and extend our maintenance period. Sadly, this means that we’ve made the difficult decision to cancel your cruise. While the situation is beyond our control, we appreciate how disappointing this news will be". I was given these three options; two were to rebook or book any Tui holiday on sale( both offer reductions £'s), you must book before the 18th November 2024. Third option a full refund plus additional £'s... I've not decided what to do, meantime, I'm looking at where else Marella cruises are sailing. Warm and sunny please, open to suggestions guys! xx🙏😘😘

@@patriciaanne4449 Hi Patricia, its so sad for people who have not only been affected by conditions in Valencia but also for everyone who has had the cruise cancelled having looked forward to it for so long. I don't t think they would make the decision lightly, it will cost them a lot of revenue. Have a look at the last minute cruises on the Marella/tui website. Ill put the link so hope it works. www.tui.co.uk/cruise/deals/last-minute-cruises Dont think its worked as a clickable link but either copy and paste or just search in google for last minute marella cruises. There are some good ones on there with some good savings. I think if its the weather you are looking for then the 'Island Explorer' cruise to the Canaries is possible. If you are happy with a 5 day Atlantic crossing the repositioning cruise from Tenerife to the Caribbean is a fantastic price, 7th Dec for 17 nights at £1528. The Canary cruises are about £850 for 7 nights. Good luck in re-booking, we all need some winter sun. Let us know what you do xx

We normally do £10 per week and whatever change we have left as extra, but this is purely down to what you feel comfortable with. 🙂

Forgot to say thanks for watching and so happy you find them helpful. 🙂