Cruising in clubbing class
Naples and an excursion to Pompeii, the city buried by a volcanic eruption in 79AD. In Livorno, we visited the villa of composer Giacomo Puccini and took a boat ride on the nearby lake before heading to Pisa and the leaning tower.
Our final shore excursion was to Monaco, to see the Formula 1 circuit, the aquarium and the gleaming super yachts in the harbour.
If you fancy something different, the Marella Explorer offers guided outings by pedal or electric bicycles which cover 15 to 20 miles with plenty of breaks.
PEACEFuL
Instead of going ashore in Palamos, Spain, I stayed on board, relaxing in the only Champneys spa at sea. A day in the thermal suite – which has a 25-seat sauna – costs £15.
Treatments are much cheaper than on some other cruise lines as well, with my signature Marella Massage costing £99 for 80 minutes.
Getting back to my room totally
A seven-night Cosmopolitan Classics round-trip from Palma on Marella Explorer to Naples, Villefranche and Palermo is from £1,180pp for two sharing on all-inclusive, flying from Bournemouth on October 6. Includes tips and transfers. relaxed, I dozed off in the hammock that comes with some balcony cabins. The swinging beds are a handy peaceful retreat when the pool area gets busy on sunny days at sea on the 1,924-passenger ship.
Or you can rent a private cabana – with its own call button to order drinks – for £99 a day per couple.
And, as the temperature rises, specialist ice cream that comes in a range of flavours – including G&T and prosecco – is tempting at £1 a scoop.
Movies are shown at night on a big screen on deck and there’s also an indoor cinema featuring familyfriendly films.
The choice of on board entertainment was excellent. There were 12 colourful shows featuring such genres as rock, pop and soul. Even the midnight adult comedy act was packed and many of the 10 bars had live music. Marella – it means shining sea in Celtic – serves its loyal British guests well, with proper bacon rashers, fried bread, English marmalade and familiar brands of tea.
If you’ve forgotten to bring something, or want to treat yourself to some jewellery, there is a good choice of shops on board.
Explorer is off to Barbados this winter and will be based in Newcastle and Southampton next summer. Sister vessel Explorer 2 will launch in 2019 as an adults-only ship based in Naples.
The whole fleet is going all-inclusive too, which means tips as well as alcohol are all covered in the price.
And surely that’s something worth raising a glass to?
In Palermo try the pizza known as sfincione – soft focaccia topped with tomatoes, onions and anchovies.
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