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We were on the Marella Explorer 2 in…
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).