Marella Discovery 2 Review

Repositioning Corfu to Jamaica

Review for Transatlantic Cruise on Marella Discovery 2
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Ketut
10+ Cruises • Age 60s

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Sail Date: Oct 2018

We booked this cruise totally for the length and the ports of call. We were not sure of the quality Marella would provide but the whole experience was much better than anticipated from some reviews.

Flights arriving throughout the day which meant embarkation was staggered and went very smoothly. Cabin was available straight away and luggage arrived timely.

The ship is a medium sized older ship. Well laid out, decor good and plenty of room apart from deck space which was very crowded on sea days as the cruise was fully sold. Only one outside pool.

Cabin Review

Cabin Inside

Very well located within 1 min of lifts which took us straight to the MDR

Port Reviews

Corfu

Short walk to port exit then 20 minute walk into corfu old town. Buses and taxis were available. Easy to walk round the old town, "You are here" town maps were located around the town so finding your way around was easy.

Malta (Valletta)

Docked very close to the town with lovely views including the Barraca Gardens (noon day gun). Turn right at the port gates and a short walk to the Barraca Elevator (1 euro return ticket from ticket machine). Easy to walk around Valetta which is a lovely city surrounded by the sea. We walked the city walls with great views all the way and then walked through the numerous parks and up to Barraca Gardens to watch the Noon Day Gun. Don;t miss the Grand Palace .

Gibraltar

Good views of the rock when sailing in. Short walk to port exit. As we are members of The Ramblers we had decided to spend the day hiking "The Rock". We entered via the Moorish Castle. A walking ticket cost 5 pound. Thoroughly enjoyed this scenic walk but it is not for the faint hearted. We had no interest in the history of the rock so did not enter any of the exhibitions. We did see all the sites we wanted to including standing on the glass platform, Windsor Bridge, the pillars of Hercules and of course the apes, which we didn't really want to see, at least not at close quarters. Returned to the ship past The Rock Hotel, Trafalgar Cemetery and Main Street.

Las Palmas (Gran Canaria)

Docked close to port exit. Short walk to main street where bus stops located in Parque de Santa Catalina. Caught local bus 1.40 euro to old town Vegueta 15 mins journey on Bus No.1 get off at Mercado (market) 1 storey red building. Beautiful old spanish town with narrow streets and picturesque houses and squares. Look for Christopher Columbus House and Santa Ana Cathedral and Old Theatre. Decided to walk back through new town rather than getting the bus as we had plenty of time. Long hot walk through shopping area although there were a few parks along the way. Once back to the port we walked through town to Canares Beach (10 mins) long stretch of sand with good promenade and sea side cafes.

Barbados

Shuttle bus available to port entrance. Easy to walk from here into Bridgetown via the Boardwalk. Our Beach of choice was Brandon beach - left turn from the dock, follow the road and it takes you past Kensington Oval and the statue of Sir Garfield Sobers (we wanted to visit here), carry on walking along the coast (about 30 minutes) and you arrive at the beach, a 3km stretch of pristine white sand the clear blue seas. No hassle and crowds here just one beach bar running about a dozen sun beds. We walked the length of the beach, saw locals having a Crab Bake and bathing near outlet pipes from the nearby factory (because to them it is winter and the water here is warm), returning to the beach bar for our first Barbadian Beer and were lucky enough to see 2 turtles swimming very close to shore for hours on end. Walked back into town to take a tour of the main buildings and sites. Took a look at Carlisle Bay - wow so noisy and busy - we definitely made the right choice.

Grenada

Ship couldn,t dock any nearer the town if it tried. This is the prettiest town to see from the ship. It is very hilly so can be difficult to sightsee as it is so hot but we really like Georgetown. This time we decided to get straight off to Grand Anse Beach and then come back into town to explore to make sure we were near the ship for departure. There are taxis available but we decided to take the local (dollar) bus. As you come out of the port buildings by the spice sellers turn left and walk down to the bus station. Take bus No.1. They are mini buses and they WILL be crowded. Its a 15 min journey, just ask the money collector to put you off at Grand Anse Beach. When we arrived the beach was empty - heaven. A beautiful bay, white sands and clear blue blue seas. We walked left away from the sunbeds and umbrellas and found ourselves our own quiet place. If you want facilities you can hire sunbeds and umbrellas and they will serve you drinks and food.

The bus brought us back through The Careenage, up through town to the bus station. Our plan to sightsee didn't happen because it was so hot so we took in the sites from the boat with a cool drink.

Bonaire

Boat docks right next to kralendijk, a very small capital town. By the docks you will see a line of tents with people offering all kinds of tours and activities and tickets to Klein Bonaire. Booked a half day trip with a local company called Bonaire Vista Tours. Most of Bonaire is Flat and in this area they mine salt. Visit to the Salt Pans was interesting. Tour took in most of the sites including Goto Lake to see Flamingos, Rincon an old inland town with Cactus Distillary, Seru Hill and of course you are driving round the most picturesque coastline. At the end of the tour we spent some time on our own walking around the colourful buildings of Kralendijk before returning to the ship. If you turn right from the ship and walk about 25 mins there is a hotel where you can pay a fee to spend the day on their beach.

Aruba

Short walk to port exit and main street. Aruba is a very touristic island with many hotel chains along the coast. It does however also have beautiful beaches fronting them. We decided to take the local bus to the North to see California Lighthouse and spend the day at Arashi Beach. Crossed over main street into bus station. Took the No.10a to Arashi Beach (this is the last stop and closest to the Lighthouse) cost $1.50 each way. Walk takes you along a narrow road between vegetation with sand dunes to explore. Lots of birds and lizards to see on the walk. Returned to the beach. Arashi is the least touristy beach on the strip (being the farest out of town). Saw loads of Pelicans diving into the sea for food.

Returned to town and walked round the centre before returning to ship. Usually a trolley bus runs round the shopping area - but not on Sundays.

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