Marella Cruises, Marella Voyager, Mediterranean Review

We booked 18 months in advance based on the itinerary then the ports changed without us being told. Only found out when we came to book excursions. Also none of the assurances given in the Tui shop were true.

All inclusive - well technically it is, but having paid for premium AI the number of drinks they ran out of made it very unworthwhile. They also ran out of food items frequently.

Embarkation - we were the only people there, party of 12 with 8 staff conferring every few minutes. Having paid to choose our rooms we were all in the wrong rooms. The week before we travelled, they had put four children in balcony cabins, their parents in twin inside rooms and my mother and her nurse/carer in a double bed. Having telephoned 3 times before departure to get this corrected, it was still wrong and ships reception incapable of understanding the problem so we gave up. Then the childrens accounts were all attached to the wrong people, none of which could even be explained by the room confusion.

Service - we went as a large family group to celebrate some significant birthdays. The Tui shop assured us we could sit together in the MDR although smaller restaurants on board might struggle to accommodate us. The MDR manager was the most unhelpful person Ive encountered in 15 years of cruising. Even though the Customer Experience team tried to persuade them to put 3 tables of 4 together, they refused so we had to sit on 2 separate tables of 6, and one evening as 8 and 4! Breakfast in MDR was chaotic (we went in twos or fours at different times); some mornings in and out in 30 mins, other days we gave up after 50 mins of just coffee and no orders taken.

Food - quite hit and miss, and other than the MDR the menus do not change during the week. However, the Surf and Turf and Silver Fork restaurants were excellent. The Kitchens, the new non-buffet, non-waiter offering, is a glorified canteen. Some of the food is lovely (e.g. fresh sandwiches in the Pantry), most of it is poor quality. Marella ask you to use the onboard app to book things and check how busy the dining options are - it is never accurate. You can only book the extra cost restaurants, everywhere else is pot luck. You go down when it says they are quiet, to be told there is a 2 hour wait and to go elsewhere.

Bars - ran out of some beers and cocktail ingredients by mid-week. Service was slow and many passengers gave up waiting for table service and headed to the bar. On the last night we waited 50 mins before we saw a waiter and then another 35 mins before our drinks came. Trying not to think it was a way for Marella to limit the amount AI costs them.

For a recently refurbished ship, there were lots of rough edges. Many of the lift doors are badly marked as they catch on opening, toilets and bathrooms have already lost grouting, paint work is patchy throughout with rust already showing.

Entertainment - highly variable, some acts seemed to be singing outside their usual repertoire as though prevented from doing what they were presumably booked to do. Didnt catch any of the shows as the MDR service meant we missed the ones we wanted to see. The choice of films in the cinema was strange and not very family focused.

Gym - never more than 4 people in.

Spa - dearest one from all the cruises Ive done. Very nice rooms and lovely staff but too pricey to visit more than once.

Cabins - the balcony cabins and inside cabins were well laid out. Safe, fridge and hairdryer in all of ours. Good shower, glass enclosure and plenty of towels. Cabin attendants were helpful and friendly but again quite inconsistent. Two water glasses on arrival, used one overnight, removed and never replaced, some nights a chocolate each, each others only one. Large bottle of water delivered every evening (premium AI).

I love cruising and having paid over £20k to take my whole family I wanted them to love it too. Overall we wanted to believe the problems were just teething troubles - new ship, new crew. Sadly as the week went on and from speaking to the staff it was obvious they were short staffed, poorly trained and struggling to keep those smiles going. Unfortunately some other passengers began taking their frustration out on staff members which was awful to see. Marella and Tui need to sort out their management and supply lines otherwise this wont improve and passengers wont return.