Well having read previous reviews we booked this last minute cruise with some trepidation. However, we were pleasantly surprised to spend a weeks break from the dreary, cold English weather on a lovely ship, (yes, it's old) but the staff on board are fantastic. There was a great selection of food every day and the Marella show team (a group of 10 singers/dancers) were amazing. Every night we were treated to a fabulous show in the Broadway lounge. On 2 nights there was a visiting comedian and also a very professional opera duo. The entertainments team worked tirelessly to keep us all amused and the resident bands were also very hard working. The pools could do with updating and yes, the ship did creak a little when we hit some adverse weather conditions! Our cabin was an outside plus cabin on deck 7 and was quite spacious and the bed was very comfortable. The bathroom could do with an upgrade, but that said there was no shortage of hot water and the shower which was set above a bath worked very efficiently. Don't be put off by the negative comments. We honestly would describe our experience as very enjoyable and value for money. Read Less

The ship is old, but kept clean and maintained by a hard working crew, no one boards this ship expecting anything like the ‘bells and whistles’ you get on lots of other cruise lines, that is reflected in the price, a good example of you getting what you pay for. The food is mediocre at best, the chefs do an ok job with the budget they must work to, its mainly buffets, so usually something you can pick, but fussy eaters will struggle, the waiting staff are often under pressure but work well together and distract from the poor quality of the food in the main dining room. If you throw extra money at your cruise then the speciality restaurants are worth a visit as is the upgrade to premium drinks. On the plus side the cabins are very clean and comfortable, the room attendants are excellent. Entertainment is very old fashioned, think quizzes, 70’s game shows etc, but again delivered with enthusiasm by the team on board. The pool area is dire, the hot tubs are so chlorinated your eyes sting and your swim wear fades. Read Less

We haven’t cruised before and wanted to celebrate our anniversary so we went for a low end weeks cruise as a taster with Marella Dream, with no exaggeration from the airport going to the airport coming home it was fantastic, boarding the ship on the first night we were really impressed with the friendly staff and condition of the ship, every day after just got better and better with super entertainment, friendly staff, top restaurant food, we met lots of new friends and thought the whole ship had a great atmosphere, we would have a great day on shore then always look forward to getting back on board. We especially liked the Orion restaurant, tides bar and waters edge, all very fancy and drinks are lovely, we didn’t need to upgrade to premium from all inclusive. Our cabin was larger and nicer than expected and very comfortable indeed. We assumed we were booking a inferior cruise maybe being a bit snobby but we couldn’t be more wrong it was exceptional value for money and a top experience. How this cruise would compare to p&o or Royal Caribbean I don’t know but cannot wait to find out as there’s no going back from this. Read Less

We decided to shorten the British winter with a cruise to the Canaries . However when boarding the ship we realised just how old and underwhelming she is . The public rooms were fine . The cabin we had on Deck 4 (outside) was dark , and the carpets looked dirty . The window was rusty on the inside and looked like it had been glued back in and never been painted for years . Our steward was sometimes available but we never really saw him . We certainly did not have any "towel folding" in our room . The shower had a mind of it's own , either too hot or too cold . The bathroom is old and needs some updating . Food in Sirens was good and plentiful as was the Lido . In the Orion restaurant it was too loud , too jam packed with people and the service was slow . Public area Gents toilets were flooded especially on the Gala night . The ship had a 5 degree list when we had bad weather and large swell . Even though we were told the stabilisers were used , they were not too efficient . The elevators were slow and inefficient . We paid the extra upgrade to the AI which we used mainly in the Coffee lounge . All staff in there were excellent , friendly and polite . Nothing was too much trouble and they were very efficient . Our spirits were lifted when we went in there . On the whole , as experienced cruisers with other cruise lines as well as Marella Discovery 2 in 2017 we were very disappointed with the Marella Dream . To add to our cruise we stayed a week in Tenerife Costa Adeje which was good . Read Less

We booked a 7 night Canary island cruise. We flew from Bournemouth to Tenerife. Everything went smoothly. Once we got on our ship we were shown to our room. It was a good size inside cabin. We had 2 suitcases and it was a bit of a struggle to get the cases stored without tripping over them all the time. We always had a good night sleep. Hardly any npise from other passengers or cabins. Entertainment was brilliant. The Broadway shows were very professional. Other bars had different entertainment throughout the evenings. Finding a seat was a problem most nights. I find on sea days there could have been a bit more activities planned. The restaurants and buffets were very good. Most nights we dined in the Orion, with table service. The food was very delicious. The pool areas were busy but there were always free sun loungers. All staff was very friendly and always smiling and saying hello. The destinations were also very nice. Agadir is a very very busy and somewhat dangerous port to walk through so be prepared to take a taxi( we did too) All in all it was a really nice trip. Captain Alan has a great sense of humor Read Less

After reading a lot of negative reviews we thought a lot of them to be different to the time we spent on board Every member of staff from the Captain down to the bar staff waiters cleaners we found to be polite friendly and very helpful The Food was lovely always plenty of choice and tasty The ai drinks service was excellent you didn't have to wait very long to be served in any bar even at night when ship was full The Entertainment was spectacular all the young singers and dancers were fantastic The visiting comedian was excellent also Our cabin was lovely always clean with plenty of Tea and Coffee and clean Towels We had a Fantastic week and would definitely recommend this cruise We did speak to the odd person who wasn't happy about something but we think people expect everything these days Thank You Marella dream Excellent Read Less

Wanted a small boat as first time on a cruise.We started off bad the cabin was dated and the bathroom had a damaged bath.So having a long trip to pick up the boat we then had to sort out are cabin.We exchanged cabin for a nice one thanks to Tui,the young man on reception also had a lot to do with it he was so kind,many thanks to ORION.From then on it was okay the food in all the restaurants was really good and the staff are excellent all over the boat.Are cabin porter DHANI was that one step further he was very kind all the time.The ship was very clean ,house keeping staff work very hard.The entertainment could have been better but we just used the piano bar in the end.You had to move quick for the good sunbeds but we soon found other places to park are bodies.We did a trip and very well organized it was on Madeira ,lovely day. Most of the time did are own thing.We would cruise again but on a bigger boat and a different company.My family ordered a bottle for our special day and it was not a cheap bottle ,but we never got it.We wanted a different holiday for our anniversary and that's what we did. Read Less

We booked this cruise through TUI and cannot fault the flight and transfers organisation. The ship is old and a little dated as expected but clean. The food and service was excellent, staff making every effort to please. We paid the extra for a deluxe cabin on deck 9 which was large and well equipped. Unfortunately these cabins were directly over the Medusa lounge whose loud entertainment continued until 1.00 a.m. every night.This type of cabin is chosen by guests who pay and expect a better than average consideration of position. The evening theatre shows were very professionally presented but the entertainment in the other main lounge on board consisted of a resident group and noisy audience participation games or quizzes each evening. There were no cabaret artists or other variations to this. Due to the all inclusive nature of this cruise there were a number of guests whose aim seemed to be to drink the ship dry which was a shame for those who appreciated and enjoyed a drink in moderation without a large bar bill at the end of the cruise. The itinerary was also altered after sailing, the ship not calling in to La Gomera due to "weather conditions" which seemed strange as this did not present a problem at any other port and we had booked an excursion for which we are still awaiting our refund. We later discovered that La Gomera had been changed to the island of La Palma on several cruises before and after this cruise and cannot believe that they have so much trouble with weather for cruise ships in that particular Canary island. A last remark - they need to enforce the sun lounger towel policy. Beds were left all day with towels but no occupants!! Read Less

We've been on at least fifteen cruises with a range of companies including RC, P&O, Celebrity X to name but a few but this was our first cruise on the Marella Dream. We chose this cruise as we wanted a week of mild weather without the need for a ten hour flight to the Caribbean so we opted for the colorful canaries and Morocco leaving on January 5th 2019. I have to stay we were slightly apprehensive having read some of the reviews but we were so pleasantly surprised that I feel the need to write a review, something I rarely do. The ship is spotless, the cabins and storage areas are bigger than what you find in most of the larger ships these days. The food is excellent always hot and varied with a choice of restaurants, there's a variety of enjoyable entertainment, something for everyone really. But what stands out more than anything is the excellent staff, nothing is too much trouble, always friendly and smiling. Yes, the ship is not as big or as glamorous as some of the newer ships these days but that said it lacks in nothing, it's absolutely lovely inside and has a homely feel to it which in itself can make all the difference to your holiday. If you're looking for a very nice relaxing cruise where you'll get excellent value for your money, do consider the Marella Dream, you wont be disappointed! However if you want the whistles and bells that come with the larger new ships and are happy to pay much more for that, the Marella Dream may not be for you, look elsewhere. Read Less

We are quite experienced cruisers now, but never with Marella and if im honest I was a bit dubious given some of the reviews, but we were very pleasantly surprised. Yes the boat and decor is getting a bit tired in places, but we have really struggled to find too many negatives, the only ones really were having to pay for the use of the safe in the cabin (£15 for one week), and the shower in our cabin which was a little temperamental, going from hot to cold and back to hot and then cold again all on its own!! The main evening entertainment shows were easily some of the best we have seen, all the cast of singers and dancers were amazing with special comments for Luke, Danielle and Charlotte. The evening meals in the Orion were all of a great standard, very “British” but generally excellent in quality, as was the service given by the staff, look out for Carl and his team around table 100, they were all lovely! The crew on board were actually all by far the friendliest and happiest we have ever met, always saying hello whenever you passed them, and nothing seemed too much trouble for anyone. Our cabin was an inside this time, we would normally have an outside or balcony but for this week we were happy enough to take inside, it was compact but everything was clean and comfortable, TV was working and we got Sky sports news, an ITV channel and a few others, no problems at all really, except the safe and the shower as already mentioned. Nightly turn down service and chocolates on the pillow and several towel animals from our steward who was lovely, thank you Antoinette. We will definitely be looking into further Marella cruises from now on, maybe on a slightly newer and bigger ship though. Read Less