TUI Cruises is a German cruise line that operates a variety of vacation experiences tailored for diverse customer preferences. The company specializes in offering premium cruise holidays, focusing on providing exceptional service and a wide range of onboard amenities. With a fleet of modern ships, TUI Cruises aims to deliver memorable travel experiences to individuals, couples, and families seeking leisure and adventure at sea.
Targeting both domestic and international travelers, TUI Cruises offers itineraries that cover popular destinations in Europe and beyond. The company's offerings include all-inclusive packages that encompass dining, entertainment, and excursions, ensuring a seamless travel experience for its customers. By prioritizing customer satisfaction and comfort, TUI Cruises positions itself as a reliable choice for those looking to explore the world from the deck of a cruise ship.
TUI Cruises receives a predominantly negative response from customers, with many expressing dissatisfaction regarding various aspects of their cruise experience. Reviewers frequently mention issues with the Marella ships, citing poor cabin conditions and unpleasant odors onboard.
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The quality of food is another common complaint, with many finding it subpar and lacking variety, particularly on themed cruises. Despite these criticisms, some customers do highlight the positive aspects of their trips, such as the hardworking and friendly staff, as well as the enjoyable food in certain dining options. A few reviewers also appreciate the overall cruise experience, noting that it can be better than traditional resort holidays.
Each source counts by its number of reviews. Only reviews written by people are scored.
Rating, volume, share of the score, six-month trend and fake-review risk for each source
Source
Rating
Reviews
Weight
6-mo
Fake risk
★
Trustpilot
Imported Trustpilot reviews
2.2
180
100%
-1.5
● Low
2.2 / 5 overall
=
180 reviews across 1 scored source
How fake risk works ⓘ
Reputation trend
Monthly average rating from reviews written by people · latest review Jul 2025.
Last 3 months
2.0▼ 1.5
12-month avg
2.6
All-time
2.2
Category avg
4.0
Monthly averageCategory average
Monthly average rating and review count
Month
Average
Reviews
Aug 24
2.8
5
Sep 24
2.3
10
Oct 24
2.5
8
Nov 24
3.0
2
Dec 24
1.8
5
Jan 25
3.0
14
Feb 25
2.8
5
Mar 25
4.7
6
Apr 25
2.8
6
May 25
1.6
8
Jun 25
2.1
9
Jul 25
2.3
7
What people praise & complain about
Share of positive (4–5★) and negative (1–2★) reviews mentioning each topic · based on the 180 most recent reviews.
Top praiseof 43 positive reviews
Friendly staff35%
15 mentions
Customer service35%
15 mentions
Selection16%
7 mentions
Helpful support14%
6 mentions
“Great vibe everyone so friendly”
On “Friendly staff” · Jul 2, 2025
Top complaintsof 122 negative reviews
Shipping39%
47 mentions
Customer service33%
40 mentions
Payment issues29%
35 mentions
Returns21%
26 mentions
“Absolutely terrible holiday but if you like not being able to get a sun bed at all, (all occupied ones crammed in tig...”
On “Shipping” · Jul 23, 2025
How it compares
Same method for every company: overall rating, legitimacy checks, the average rating of reviews mentioning each area and the 6-month trend · Cruise Lines.
Overall rating and review count for this company and similar companies
We had a super time. 7 days. The food was good (though puddings uninspiring). The staff were fabulous and worked so hard. The entertainment was adequate.
My only real gripes are:
1. The hogging of sun beds. There was notices asking people not to leave towels, but this was not followed up. We saw people pegging their towels on sunbeds and then going to do other things, going ashore and even going off on excursions for the day! . It is a shame that people are so possessive and uncompromising over such things. One example: My husband was sitting on the floor (after we had been ashore) next to two empty sun beds for over an hour, 2 ladies finally turned up just to collect their towels stating "you can have a bed if you like, we left our towels here this morning, but it didn't really work out for us today"
2. The bedding was very tired and had seen better days - flat sheets with knots in the corners to turn them into fitted sheets and thin in places - most lining was stained/ marked even the table cloths.
We were on the Marella Explorer 2 in June 2025. The ship was a bit 'tired'. The first thing to say is that all the staff were friendly and very hardworking.
Our room (9228) had a balcony. When we arrived, the bathroom had a bad smell but was cleaned as soon as I complained. The previous occupants had trashed the safe, so that had to be replaced. The handrail on the balcony had just been varnished so was very tacky and we couldn't lean on it for a couple of days.
As a person with a sensitive nose, I found an overwhelming smell of drains in most areas of the deck. There also seemed to be varnishing and painting going on regularly, so the paint/varnish smells were quite strong.
The food and the service in the main restaurants was very good. The food in the self-service area was acceptable.
The shops sold most things, but it would have been useful if they could have sold the pegs to secure the towels to the sunbeds (as we were unable to purchase them anywhere else).
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We’ve just returned from a week long cruise. Grecian discovery on Marella Discovery 2. This was our 3rd Marella cruise and there were areas where cut backs have been made, however other than us spending our first day complaining it didn’t really impact on our holiday. In short, we had a great time and will definitely book another. The service we received was generally exceptional with the odd bad moment thrown in. We would like to give special thanks to Jun, Princess and Clinton who did a great job of keeping our cabin clean and tidy and Sunhil in the watch shop who entertained us all week.The waiter service was generally good although some of the bar staff were downright miserable. One in particular had a stinking attitude in the Live Room. The waiter/waitresses in the restaurant did a great job and tried their best to make you feel valued. The food was good although the food in Islands was average at best and only to be used if in a hurry to be somewhere. The drinks in Islands were also very poor. (Coffee, Tea, Juice, and fizzy drinks from the machine) The snack shack was not as good as on previous cruises and the cookies, sandwiches etc’ weren’t the best. The Coffee port was good, and the service was good, the girls always made an effort to make you laugh. Although paying extra for cookies and cakes is a bit of a poor show. The internet is an absolute rip off. So depending on where you travel to it may be worth pre arranging something with your provider.
There aren’t many shops on board but the ones that are there are good and the sales advisors do a good job. Travel from airport to port and vice versa was seamless and totally stress free. The entertainment on the ship was very enjoyable and we thought there was something for everyone and when we looked around most people seemed to be enjoying themselves as much as we were. On the one occasion where someone drank far more than he should have the staff dealt with the situation calmly without any drama. Finally.. the excursions. Do you homework so you don’t fork out for what can be nothing more than a bus ride into town.
So everyone told me going on a cruise would be the best holiday I could have. Wrong! Tui Marella Discovery ship and cruise pluses:
Firstly going Premium was superb. Lounge facilities, priority security checks, bigger seats, good food, so far so good
Barbados transfer to ship was seamless, staff helpful and smiling! Cabin, pretty good and thank god for balcony. There is very good hairdryer in the room a safe and coffee/tea making facilities. Clean and functional Restaurants serving excellent foods catering for most tastes and the staff are friendly and helpful.
On board there are various activities arranged by the staff during the day when at sea and the evening entertainment is also very good throughout.
Sadly there are some negatives for us, these may not be an issue for others though? Internet is awful even having paid for ships connection. Intermittent at best , wasted £40. Many travellers had same complaint. The connection is so poor fail to see how they justify charge which leaves you feeling scammed. Do not pay for it! Use wi fi in port or pay for roaming from your supplier!
Pool, small, very small and massively overcrowded on sea days as you may imagine. Far too much chlorine drawing complaints around pool! Pool closed for a short period on 24th as "something was floating in it?"
Sunbeds placed at 8:00am and a number of disagreements took place between travellers who thought they owned a position!!!
Sunbeds were packed in lines like sardines ( particularly on an at sea day). When you lie down you are virtually touching person next to you who you may never have met before ( a quick way to make friends or get a slap lol) No sun shades due to limited space but shaded areas available (so if you are fair skinned beware) If you leave your sunbed unattended for an hour you get a ticket and risk having towels removed. Support this because some of those ignorant travellers would place towel early then disappear for hours!! We found 60 minutes was more than enough time to eat and return.
Bar staff very good natured but so slow sometimes. There were regular queues at Atrium Bar on 24th despite some staff taking orders on the floor (again very slow and only appeared intermittently. )
If you go on thinking its a hotel on water then your expectations of hotels are not high! Its a ship with limited room. Its clean, tidy and functional. No real in -room entertainment such as music chanel on TV but how much time do you spend in your room? No mini fridge to keep supply of cold drink/water which generally ( not always) now comes as standard in hotels. No drinking water in room but there are several water stations to fill a provided jug on some floors. This was a topic of complaint among many we spoke to. We went Premium and so did a couple near us. We found out at end of tour that they had 6 complementary bottles of water in their room because they booked before 22nd previous July ? Whats that about?
Understand these things and the holiday comes into its own and a great many people clearly find it enjoyable. I guess its just horses for courses as they say.
Excursions
Really looked forward to the semi submarine tour however once on coach we were told the engine had broken down and that part of the tour was replaced by a visit to a Butterfly Farm. Really? However these things happen, its not the fault of TUI and we were offered a reduction in tour price. Still very disappointing though and a long time on the coach ( good Aircon though).
We did the Turtle viewing tour on the Wednesday and its fantastic. Do take beach shoes though. Snorkel and mask supplied if you don't have one . Tour guides brilliant and passionate
The Rum and Son Grenada was well worth it for the 2 hour beach time alone. It is 5 dollars for a sunbed! Snorkeling is good Not too much travelling so highly recommended
St Lucia Piton cruise was fabulous. Open water, a stop to photograph Pitons and a stop of 30 mins swimming at gorgeous Bay. Plenty of rum punch on offer. Well recommended. If we were ever to hotel on one of the islands it would be St Lucia, it wins hands down for us!
In conclusion I am glad we tried it and thoroughly enjoyed many parts but I am definitely a "land lubber" and enjoy a good hotel and beach holiday . My wife would cruise again though so as I say its horses for courses and not for me.
We have been on a number of Tui cruises now and have always enjoyed them. A touch of sun in the Canary Islands after a long, dark, Highland winter is a live saver. The food and service was fantastic as usual, could not fault the mostly foreign staff. The captain was informative without trying to be over familar, we felt in very safe and capable hands with him and his crew. We did notice a few changes though, the Premium drinks package no longer gives you a bottle of mineral water in the cabin daily, which was a real setback. The filtered water, you could fill own bottle with was OK, but not as nice and you had to keep remembering to refill it yourself. It is not obvious which are the Premium wines in some restaurants, I was glad one waiter in Vista told us we could have a better quality Italian wine as we had the package, but did not know before he told us. Some of the passengers manners seem to get worse each year, probably attracted by the price of the all inclusive deals available now - we saw an incident of two drunken men keeled over in a walkway late at night, reeking of alcohol and about to chuck up - nice! The rules for dress code not enforced much, it annoyed some of us who made an effort that men (particularly men) went in in shabby shorts and tee shirts as if on the beach, when the waiting staff make such an effort to do the whole thing properly. I sadly, experienced an accident after just leaving the transfer coach back to Tenerife airport, so many people, was shoved from behind and went flying, landed flat out on the pavement and blacked out. Two lovely ladies from Glasgow helped me, along with my husband, as was badly bruised and unable to walk straightaway, kept blacking out with shock. Two Tui reps who had been on our transfer coach, one British, one Spanish, looked at me on pavement and walked straight past, without offering help, to disgust of the other passengers. I had wheelchair assistance to get through the airport, and the senior flight attendant onboard gave me paracetamol and looked at my bruises, gave me water and was very helpful. The captain himself helped me down the steps of plane at Glasgow! I was wheeled to airport hotel by lovely man at Glasgow airport and had taxi to station for onward journey to Inverness next day. Was pretty disgusted by those Tui reps though, obviously just did not want to get involved. I would not have held them responsible or have claimed anything from Tui, but common humanity might have made them offer help or concern surely?
Our third TUI cruise on the Marella Discovery 2 cruising the Canary Islands and Madeira in March 2025. Overall a super experience and far more great things and few nit pickings. Staff were excellent as ever and we enjoyed the evening entertainment. If you want to join in there is always something to do. Pool area can get busy but we accept that and get in early with bagging a sunbed. Excursions seem on the expensive side so only did the one in La Palma which was enjoyable. Food in generally very good; the buffet always offers really good choices and hot food is Hot!
Our major and very important gripe was with the drinks. I gave up alcohol last year for health reasons but my wife still enjoys the odd drink. She wasn't allowed to up grade to the enhanced package unless all parties on a booking did. I can see their point as some customers could cheat on the sysyybut sometimes you have to trust the integrity of your guests. I was extremely disappointed with the non alcoholic options. Heineken zero was the only adult alcohol drink on offer. I have never drank lager and avoid too much sugar so coke and juices were out. Perhaps TUI could expand the alcohol free menu by adding Guinness Zero and perhaps an alcohol free cider?
Overall though another great experience and we will book another Marella cruise in the future.
Overall the standard the of food is just average now.from breakfast which was overcooked most days.lunch was hit or miss. Evening meal was the same every night with choice of roasts .I couldn't get my head round why they never had mash potatoes at that station you had to go to another one to get mash .the choice of drinks were good. Entertainment was brilliant best bands for me was rhythm and breeze and the journey men staff were very good .A big shout out to Anne covinder and Vicki from the squid and anchor hope I got names right they always new our drinks vodka and lemonade lol olso a shout out to the cleaners Elmo Antonia andJunaidi .apart from food not much to complain about on the voyager choice of islands we're good.
Firstly, I was reading through these reviews and note that there are a lot of negative comments that aren't directly related to the cruise itself, but to peripheral aspects which are presumably outside of TUI's control, airport issues etc.
This was our first cruise and we'd deliberated for a while about whether cruises were for us.
The Explorer 2 Caribbean cruise was a fabulous experience.
The staff were amazing, professional and attentive. Special shout out to Thiha and Kadek who were our cabin stewards and made the experience extra special.
I can't name individual restaurant and bar staff unfortunately as we went to so many different places. Our favourites were Latitude (we breakfasted there most mornings, loved the options of daily specials and freshly cooked food). We also tried Latitude for dinner which was great, as was Vista, Tapas, and Piccadilly's.
There were options for speciality restaurants outside the all inclusive band, which we had considered, but with only a week on board we enjoyed the included restaurants too much to want to go elsewhere.
So any downside? Some of the evening entertainment was a bit mediocre (but Amy Vaziri and The Collective were especially enjoyable). Full Coverage were okay and I guess it's a matter of preference. I enjoyed their reggae numbers much more than the more disco themed stuff. The show was okay, though in fairness we didn't get to see the full version, but some of the cast performing separate shows were less than great.
As many have said in other reviews, the availability of sun loungers was an issue although I did love the policy of ticketing beds that were reserved but left empty for lengthy periods; if they weren't claimed within 45 minutes of ticketing the personal items were taken to reception and the loungers freed up.
ONE MAJOR GRIPE. My husband was taken ill over the last couple of days with an awful cough which was keeping us awake at night. We think this was a combination of the effects of air conditioning and being in contact with other coughs and colds.
There was a note in the cabin which stated that with certain symptoms, including continuous cough and fever, no charge would be levied for seeking medical help.
When we did so due to him struggling to breath on the last night, we were warned there would be a call out charge of over £200. When I pointed out the no charge info, I was told this was only for during COVID. So why is it still showing? Surely the idea is to avoid people being put off seeking medical help and spreading illness further?
Overall, with tests and medication, the bill was in excess of £750. In my opinion, the notice formed part of our contract and therefore the call out charge constituted a breach of contract. I will be raising a dispute with our credit card provider under Section 75.
Overall though, massively impressed. There really is something for everyone, both on the dining front, and for evenings whether you wanted to see a show, have a quiet coffee and read in The Coffee Port or take part in quizzes, game shows, karaoke etc.
There were also quieter entertainment areas where you could enjoy a cocktail and listen to a pianist or guitarist.
Overall I would give the TUI Voyager cruise a 50/50. There were some really good aspects, food, drink and the service offered by the waiters who were always pleasant and polite. Maurice the singer was excellent and the entertainment very good, the crew worked really hard to entertain. The downsides were the pool area, no sunbeds available, very packed like sardines, no control over people saving sunbeds. Places to visit offshore were extremely disappointing. Very little points of interest. Unfortunately the weather wasn't great during our stay which didn't help matters either (no-ones fault). Sorry to say this TUI but we will not be going on another cruise.
Naša plavba s Marella Discovery 2…Mediterranean cruise
Naša plavba s Marella Discovery 2 začala 11.6.24 a skončila 25.6.24. Bola to naša tretia plavba, ale najhoršia. Bufetove raňajky 2 týždne veľmi chudobné. Inkluzívne reštaurácie mali v podstate to isté bez väčších zmien v menu. Personál bol veľmi milý a ochotný. Veľká vďaka barmanov a čašníkom na palube 4 Divesh, Akush, l Akush, Jesavan a Putu, ktorí nám spríjemnili plavbu. Zároveň chcem poďakovať za čistotu kabíny na palube 2 Eliáš a Adi. Chcela by som ešte podotknúť, že spoplatnené wifi bolo takmer nepoužiteľné, čo je v dnešnej dobe nehoráznosť. Vystúpenia spevákov v bare boli príliš hlasné, nedalo sa absolútne viesť konverzáciu. Vystúpenia tanečníkov a spevákov v Show Room boli úžasné a na profesionálnej úrovni. Kostýmu boli veľmi pekne.
Curious if some others were actually on a different ship. This adults only all inclusive cruise had more bars than you could drink dry. Why prop up a bar when you can drink in your lounger watching the world sail by? Cabins are excellent for their purpose. We had no medical outbreaks but if the company adjust their service to protect passengers then they cannot be blamed. We had hand sanitisers at every turn and noticed no stains, smells or damage. For the price paid the food and entertainment was excellent. Yes the AI wine wasnt that great in the buffet but elsewhere acceptable. The weather, especially wind, did impact our sea days but its a cruise...With so many free restaurants every food foible was well catered for. Only 1 issue was a fish pangasius unnamed on buffet that some could be allergic to so this needs addressing. I dock 1 star for the end of cruise airport transfer and flight plus delay and basic abandonment by TUI at Palma. Will use again as just about the best adults only AI inc tips out there.
As a more mature passenger I was very impressed by my recent experience with Marella on Explorer 2.
The crew and staff members were excellent, the ship was good, cleanliness first class, all inclusive drinks were good, food was very good and plentiful. The itinerary was not totally to my liking, but that's my personal taste. Overall a super cruise and would recommend the Company.
We have just returned from our cruise on the Morella Voyager. It was our first cruise and we were very excited and unsure what to expect. The staff on board and all the arranged transfers from TUI were second to none, everything was timed to perfection and were kept well informed. The cabin was clean and every day were offered clean towels and left fresh bottles of water. The evening we were left our towel animals and chocolate on the pillow which was a really nice touch. Also our daily cruise news which let you know what was happening the following day. There was a good variety of food and we really enjoyed the latitude 53 restaurant where the food was good and service exceptional.
Shows were really good but some of the singers in the bars were a bit monotonous. There was a bad smell of sewerage in Appertif which was a real shame because it was a lovely bar and had a good choice of gins and whiskey's. Enjoyed all of the tours and being in a new port every day. Didn't have time to use the spa or the pool as we're busy off ship. Wanted to try and fit as much in as we could. Met some lovely people on board and only saw a couple of children with families so that was good to be 95% adults only which suited us. Overall we were really happy and would definitely do another cruise with Morella without hesitation.
TUI Cruises is a German cruise line that operates a variety of vacation experiences tailored for diverse customer preferences. The company specializes in offering premium cruise holidays, focusing on providing exceptional service and a wide range of onboard amenities. With a fleet of modern ships, TUI Cruises aims to deliver memorable travel experiences to individuals, couples, and families seeking leisure and adventure at sea.
Targeting both domestic and international travelers, TUI Cruises offers itineraries that cover popular destinations in Europe and beyond. The company's offerings include all-inclusive packages that encompass dining, entertainment, and excursions, ensuring a seamless travel experience for its customers. By prioritizing customer satisfaction and comfort, TUI Cruises positions itself as a reliable choice for those looking to explore the world from the deck of a cruise ship.
