Electric Sunsets: A cruise experience like no other

When I was offered the opportunity to go on a nineties and noughties themed cruise for a reduced price, I couldn’t resist the temptation! One of my friends from a previous job (also a cruise vlogger!) was going as well, and having grown up through this era I was very excited.

This was to be my second cruise, the first having been around Northern Europe on P&O Aurora in 2019 (I made a video about that which you can watch here). This time I sailed with Marella Cruises out of Palma De Mallorca, which meant also flying with TUI. The ship was the Marella Discovery 2, and I really liked it! There were some really interesting venues, and I loved having a sea view cabin so I could watch the beautiful Spanish sunsets!

A view of the bed in my cruise ship cabin, with the sea visible through the window as the sun goes down.

It was certainly a very different experience to my cruise with P&O. There were no dress codes to worry about (there were fancy dress nights, but they weren’t mandatory and I chose not to take part) and every night there were performances by DJs and bands from the nineties and noughties. During the cruise I saw The Vengaboyz, Atomic Kitten, Gals Aloud (a drag tribute to Girls Aloud) and DJ Sash. Vernon Kay and Artful Dodger were also on board, but they performed past 11pm and I’m not much of a night owl any more! I particularly enjoyed DJ Sash’s set as I was always a big fan.

As well as the musical entertainment, the theatre shows starring Marella’s talented performers took place in the theatre. I went to these daily, and they were really enjoyable. It was always really easy to find a seat because not many people attended – I guess on this particular cruise, the shows weren’t the main attraction.

Three performers dancing on stage, with green lighting effects behind them.

When I cruised with P&O three years prior, I only ate in the ship’s buffet, so this time I decided to visit the main dining room. I’m glad I did, and ended up going there every evening for dinner. I enjoyed meatballs, lasagne, ice cream and roast pork, All the food was delicious!

After departing from Palma, we visited Barcelona and Valencia. I booked a basic shore excursion for both cities, and was pleasantly surprised that both coach tours were less than £30 each. We visited some beautiful sights in Barcelona, but we didn’t have a tour guide for this one so when we were dropped in the city centre for some free time I didn’t really know where to go. I enjoyed Valencia more as we had a tour guide and she was really interesting and knowledgeable.

Overall, I’d really recommend an Electric Sunsets cruise if you’re up for a party! Depending on which music artists will be attending, I’ll definitely consider booking for 2023!

If you enjoyed this article, please consider watching Emma’s video about the cruise below. See how many times you can spot me!