Highlights of the Mediterranean

Travelling to Palma Majorca to board the ship

We flew from Norwich to Palma Majorca to board the ship on 9th July 2022. We booked the cruise with Tui at £628 each but with drinks upgrade and choosing seats it came to £718 as a last minute deal. This was our first cruise therefore did not know what to expect and we were both a little apprehensive.

We flew from Norwich due to Mike’s daughter being at University in Norwich therefore we could see her before we went and when we came back. We stayed at the Holiday Inn which is a short taxi ride to the airport. Unfortunately we were informed by Holiday Extra’s that the hotel provided a shuttle service but this was not the case. Taxi’s are very hard to get in Norwich due to lack of drivers. As we were setting off to the airport at 4.30am we pre booked it and it arrived on time.

Norwich Airport

Upon arrival at Norwich Airport and we were told at check in that we had to pay £10 each just to enter the airport (not to park or take a car but to go to the gate). We had never heard of anything like this before nor had we been informed about it. We paid the money as we had no choice in this.

The airport is a very small airport with Duty Free. 1 shop, 1 bar/restaurant and 1 executive. We had booked in the executive lounge which had basic breakfast, cereal, pastries, toast, crumpets, yoghurts etc. Unlike most executive lounges we were only allowed 2 alcoholic drinks. We were delayed by 3 hours therefore we had to purchase any further alcoholic drinks but we were allowed unlimited non alcoholic drinks. Jane was working in the executive lounge and looked after us so well. Norwich has to be the most stress free, easiest airport we have ever travelled to and from. We normally find that going through security the staff can be quite grumpy but not in Norwich.

Flight

When we got on the plane we were given a free snack and drink due to the delay. The flight is only a short flight (2 hours 30 mins) so it is not long before you reach your destination. It didn’t seem that long from getting off of the plane and on to the coach. The coach is for passengers going on the cruise only therefore it wasn’t full.

Checking in

We were on the Marella Discovery 2. Check in on the ship was quick and easy. We were then given a welcome drink and asked to go to the entertainment room where we watched a video on safety etc which was approximately 15 minutes long . Our cases were taken to our cabin by the porters.

Cabin

We had a floor 3 cabin with no windows. The cabin’s are quite small but enough for everything you need. We kept the beds as single as this worked for us. There is plenty of wardrobe space and draw space to keep everything in. The bathroom was quite small but adequate with a small corner sink and a small corner shower. Not having a window did not bother us as we were not in there very long. The only downside was that you struggled to dry swimwear as there was nowhere to hang them to dry. The staff that clean the cabin’s were brilliant as it was immaculately cleaned everyday. Towels left in the shape of animals and chocolates left on the pillows which was a nice touch.

Pool Scene

Our first full day on the ship was at sea. We worried about being around the pool as it was a small pool with 1500 guests on board but we had not needed to worry. Because there were plenty of sun beds around the pool with most people spending the day on them and not in the pool. Also there was a lot of people sat around the edge of the pool and in the Jacuzzi. There was a wide age range around the pool, children, adults aged 18 to 80 +. Predominantly we would say that the main age range was from 40 – 55. The entertainment around the pool was none stop all day long. The entertainment staff got all the ship involved with quizzes etc. It was a great day with everyone no matter what age they were having fun.

Food and Drink

The drinks were great as well with branded drinks. We upgraded to Premium drinks package but not sure if it was worth it. We paid £60 each for the week but not sure what we got for that. Other guests who had not paid this appeared to have the same drinks as us. The staff at the bars and even the waiter service around the pool were brilliant and could not do enough.

During the day there is a snack bar around the pool which services, fish bites (which are amazing), burgers, fries etc. You can also go to the buffet restaurant.

We preferred the Gallery 47 restaurant. We tended to eat here for breakfast, lunch and evening meal. The food here is excellent and the service was even better. Breakfast at the restaurant has a menu you can choose from and is waiter service. Lunch and evening meal is 3 courses with additional sides if you want to.

We did here people moaning about the food but could not understand why. We have stayed in many 5 star all inclusive hotels and the food nor the service has not been has good as this cruise. Our favourite food in the Italian restaurant was the Cabanara (This cost a little extra but was worth it).

A lot of people said how much they loved the A la Carte restaurants which you have to pay extra for. You have to book these in advance which you can do via an app prior to travelling. Unfortunately we hadn’t booked any in advance and couldn’t get in any of the ones we wanted. The wine at the restaurants wasn’t too bad either. A lot of all inclusive the wine is practically undrinkable.

The Glass House is a bar at the side of the indoor swimming pool and serves deli-style light bites during the day and tappas in an evening. On one occasion we went in the Glass House at midnight and had a curry and a drink before we went back to our cabin.

Entertainment

The entertainment on the ship caters for most people. The Squid and Anchor bar is designed to be like a British pub. There are interactive games every evening including Mr & Mrs etc. Some people moaned it was like being at Butlins but we actually liked it. One evening they had a silent disco in the Squid and Anchor which was so funny. You put head phones on and there was two types of music you could listen to Dance or Rock. Basically we hit the dance floor listening to Dance music. As we are not the best singers in fact we are terrible so singing with headphones on was a bit of a shock to other guests.

Surprisingly we only watched a couple of the shows in the Broadway Show Lounge and each of them was good. Again people moaning that it was like Butlins. I do wonder what some people expect for what they have paid.

The Atrium Bar has low key live music every night so if you want a quiet drink with a bit of back ground entertainment then this is the place to be. There is also another bar through the Atrium Bar which has a small Casino and live music. The live music is a bit more livelier than the Atrium Bar with a lot of people up dancing.

There is a late night bar called Bar 11 that stays open until 2am. We often went up to this bar which is not a good thing when you have a busy day the next day although it was great fun at the time. This bar plays a lot of Dance music which is right up our street. All the bars serve amazing cocktails which are made in front of you from scratch. The only trouble is that this can create a bit of a queue but it is worth it. We have been on many all inclusive and been served the sugary cocktails that are pre made and do not taste like what they are supposed to do.

Itinerary

The itinerary for the cruise was good for what we had paid. We like to travel a lot so seeing so many places in 1 week was great.

• Day 1 – Palma Majorca
• Day 2 – At sea
• Day 3 – Ajaccio, Corsica
• Day 4 – Civitavecchia (for Rome), Italy
• Day 5 – Livorno (for Florence and Pisa), Italy
• Day 6 – St Raphael (For St Tropez and Cannes), France
• Day 7- Barcelona, Spain
• Day 8 – Palma, Majorca

Ajaccio

Ajaccio is the capital of Corsica . It is also the home of Napoleon Bonaparte. It is only a short walk from getting off the ship to the birth place of Napoleon. The Place de Gaulle is a large square with a statue of Napoleon (in fact there are statues everywhere of Napoleon). The Square is also a short walk from the ship. Also there are some nice beaches in Ajaccio which are a taxi or a decent walk from the port. There is a train that takes you around Ajaccio too. There are many other interesting places to visit in Ajaccio which we didn’t get to see. The temperature was 30 degrees in the morning so by mid afternoon we wanted to go back to the ship.

Civitavecchia

Civitavecchia is also a small port with a lot of history. The ship docked here mainly for guests wanting to travel to Rome. We had spent 4 days in Rome only a few years ago therefore felt there would be nothing more to see therefore did not book the excursion. The most famous landmark in Civitavecchia is Fort Michelangelo which you can see as soon as you reach the port. If you are just wanting to walk around the port there isn’t that much to see but if you are willing to go further afield there is places of interest. We had a cold drink at a lovely restaurant which has a lovely view over the port. It did not take us long to walk around Civitavecchia therefore headed back to the ship.

Pisa and Florence

We booked an excursion for Pisa and Florence. After Breakfast we got on the coach and had a lovely tour guide who was very knowledgeable. Please click on the following links for full details of Pisa and Florence Pisa , Florence .We returned back at the ship at about 6.30. It was a long day but worth it.

St Raphael

Before we travelled we were informed that you could get on a boat from the ship to Cannes and St Tropez from someone who had been on the same cruise a few years prior but this was not the case. Obviously things had changed since she went on the same cruise. We didn’t book an excursion due to this information therefore we were disappointed that we did not get to see these places. There is a small boat which takes you from the ship to St Raphael which is a lovely sea side resorts. The beach is lovely with soft sand and turquoise sea. It is nice to spend a day on the beach rather than sight seeing or around the pool. There are a lot of nice restaurants and bars around St Raphael. There is a small marina which you can walk round to.

Barcelona

There is no need to book an excursion for Barcelona as there is a coach from the ship that takes you to the centre of Barcelona where you can get on one of the hop on hop off buses that takes you to all the places of interest in Barcelona. There are buses leaving from the ship all the time and return all the time up until 5.30 so you can please yourself how long you need in Barcelona. Please click on the following link for full details of Barcelona Barcelona

Summary

You can go on organised excursions every day that can be booked with TUI prior to travelling or you can see destinations on your own which some guests did. We only booked one excursion which was Pisa and Florence. We regret not booking at least one more (St Tropez and Cannes).

On the last evening the entertainment crew did a farewell show in the Atrium Bar with everyone watching from inside balconies. It was lovely and a nice end to the cruise.

This was our first time on a cruise and it definitely wont be our last. There is nothing negative we can say about the cruise. Every member of the crew went out of their way to make sure we enjoyed our holiday. They all seemed happy in their work and nothing was too much trouble.

The food was better than we expected. Additionally we like to have waiter/waitress service for our meals and are not too keen on buffet restaurants. We were able to have waiter/waitress service for every meal which made this a better dinning experience. The cocktails were amazing too. Cabins are small but it is a cruise ship and to be expected. There were some people who were moaned about the food and entertainment. We couldn’t understand why but we had nothing to compare our cruise to. Some said that the bigger cruise ships were of an higher standard. We are looking in to our next cruise around the Caribbean.

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Things to do

• Try the crazy golf.
• Try the climbing wall.
• Watch an evening movie on deck with popcorn
• Watch the shows
• Eat at the specialist restaurants
• If you like to party try bar 11.
• Join in the quizes around the pool on a day time
• Try the cocktails
• Go on the excursions

Top Tips

• Check out the drinks menu before you book to see if it is worth the upgrade.
• Book Al a Carte restaurants in advance as they get booked up.
• Check out destinations and if an excursion is necessary.
• If booking an excursion book in advance as these get booked up too
• It isn’t necessary to book excursions with Tui as some other operators are cheaper but read reviews before booking.
• Do research about the destinations you are wanting to see as time is limited when you are there.
• There is a dress to impress night so take your glad rags.
• Check out temperatures and weather before booking. All our destinations were 38 degrees plus at mid day which was very hot and uncomfortable for sight seeing at times.