Marella Explorer 2 30th Birthday Itinerary Review (Adriatic Affair)

I absolutely LOVE a Marella cruise, having now done five of them - my most recent being the Marella Explorer 2 30th Birthday itinerary. This was completely by accident; when it came to booking our honeymoon, we were looking for an Adriatic itinerary, and we wanted to go in May. It just so happened to fall during the cruise line's birthday celebrations, which only added an extra layer of excitement.

Marella's 30th birthday celebrations

Marella (not under that name originally...) launched in 1996, so have now celebrated 30 years of cruising. Our itinerary, ports aside, included plenty of birthday celebrations - our 'dress to impress' night was replaced with a gorgeous birthday gala, and we also had a 90s night! There were party hats, 90s themed quizzes, music from the decade, Lemar on board and much more. The vibe was one big party and so much fun.

Marella Explorer 2 - 30th Birthday itinerary

But onto the most important thing: the actual itinerary. This is very similar to the 'Adriatic Affair' itinerary, and it's safe to say we really enjoyed it. We boarded in Dubrovnik, which was an incredibly smooth process and the views from the ship were simply stunning...

Day 2 - at sea

I flipping love a sea day, getting to explore and get to know the ship, relaxing on the balcony and pool deck, eating my weight in food and trying all the different mocktails. And the Explorer 2 is a lovely ship - it was my first time on this particular ship, and she didn't disappoint. Our favourite spots were the new Piccadilly's restaurant, deck 6 as the sun was going down, the Squid & Anchor and the pool deck. We also had the birthday gala on our sea day, so we got to get dressed up, meet Captain Richard in Flutes, had a gorgeous dinner in Latitude complete with baked Alaska parade... the dream!

Day 3 - Trieste, Italy

Our first port was Trieste, and we didn't have an excursion booked so we got off the ship early and headed out to explore. We stopped by the Roman amphitheatre, which was unfortunately covered in tarp and scaffolding, and then headed waaaay uphill to see the old castle walls and cathedral. It was picturesque with great views, but not necessarily worth what turned out to be a bit of a hike. From here we weaved back down to the Grand Canale area for a fresh lemonade, and there is so much beautiful architecture in Trieste too. There was also a big craft market on while we were there, which was fun to walk through. All in all a very relaxed port for us and not somewhere I'd go back to, but nice to see nevertheless before we hopped back on board for trivia, swimming and cake.

Day 4 - Koper, Slovenia

One of the main reasons we chose this itinerary was to visit Slovenia, as we both really wanted to see the gorgeous Lake Bled. We had booked an excursion which was incredible; we got up, had breakfast, then disembarked to meet our coach. It was around a 90 minute drive to Bled, and our guide gave us plenty of information about the area throughout the journey. Once we got there, we got on a wooden pletna (which is a traditional local boat) across to the island where we climbed the stairs to see the view, visited the church to ring the wishing bell, and just generally soaked up being in such a bucket list spot. After the island, we had some free time to explore the other side of the lake where we ate gelato and had a nice walk through a (very random) accordion festival! Then it was time to head back to Explorer 2, with a cheeky nap on the coach... The excursion honestly ran like clockwork and we had the best day!

Day 5 - Ancona, Italy

Ancona was another very relaxed port for us with no excursion, and again we disembarked really early after breakfast in the marketplace. We just started mooching towards town, following our noses as they say, and stumbled upon a tourist train - it was the first ride of the day, and cost 10 euros per person (cash only!) for about a 40 minute experience. This took us to all the hotspots including the Cathedral of Saint Cyriacus, and there was the opportunity to get off and take photos at the best bits. Ancona is a really peaceful city and was beautiful to see in the sunshine before another relaxing afternoon on deck.

Day 6 - Split, Croatia

Our second excursion was on day 6, when we docked in Split and went to visit Krka National Park and the sensational waterfalls here. This was honestly amazing, and so smoothly run again; another informative coach ride (with nap time) before we arrived at the park, where we set off on a really relaxed walk with our tour guide who was both knowledgable and hilarious. The falls were simply stunning and it was interesting to learn about the history of the park as well as the flora and fauna - there were plenty of photo opps and there is toilets, ice cream, souvenirs etc. We were back within plenty of time to get back on board and relax before sail away and dinner!

Day 7 - Kotor, Montenegro 

Our last port of the trip was Kotor in Montenegro and WOW. We got up early and headed up to deck 12 to watch us sail in, which really was beautiful but also incredibly cold; if you have a balcony cabin it's amazing to see from there too, but sailing away was perfect as the sun was at that perfect low point and it was just dreamy. We tendered in to Kotor and priority for getting off was (rightly) given to those with excursions booked, so we ended up getting into town for around 11am - again here we just followed our noses and wandered around the really quaint old town, with its maze of streets and cafés and incredible architecture. This is somewhere we 100% want to revisit so we can have more time to explore and do things like the blue caves, the Lady of the Rocks and cable car. As it was, we just soaked it all up and made sure we were back before the last tender at 4pm! I also had a delightful traditional chocolate cake here which I'm still thinking about to this day...

Day 8 - Dubrovnik, Croatia

We disembarked in Dubrovnik, where we spent a further 3 days relaxing and exploring this gorgeous city so steeped in history. I'll have a separate blog post all about our time here, coming soon! Our disembarkation and transfer process was again really smooth and easy, which is a big theme of the cruise overall: everything was so straightforward and relaxed.

So, the itinerary - did we love it? I think for us it was a great itinerary, especially for my wife's first ever cruise. Trieste and Ancona were great for stretching our legs, seeing a few highlights and then spending time on the ship while it was quiet; our excursions from Koper and Split were incredible, so it was great to hit those ports which allowed us to tick locations off our bucket list really easily. And Kotor is breathtakingly beautiful, and has given us somewhere we definitely want to head back to in the future. I'd absolutely recommend this itinerary, and in May the weather was good - not too hot, but certainly not cold and we only had rain once during our cruise.

Happy 30th birthday Marella, we loved every part of celebrating with you!

My favourite basic baking recipes as a hobby baker

I absolutely love baking; it's such a therapeutic hobby for me, and I do a lot of it - mostly sweet treats, but a few savoury bits too! I thought I would share the links to all of my favourite recipes, because I'm not at the stage of creating or using my own, and these are all really easy recipes that I've successfully tried, test and come back to again & again!

Chocolate cake

I love a chocolate cake, and I gravitate towards the Jane's Patisserie Back to Basics Chocolate Cake recipe - it works every time for me! The cake is never dry, always rises well, and is full of flavour. The only thing I change is the buttercream recipe; I use 350g of icing sugar + 50g cocoa powder to 200g butter, otherwise it's just a bit too thick and dry for my liking. I have also been known to doctor the buttercream further with various essences, usually either salted caramel or orange. This allows me to create either a chocolate orange cake or a chocolate & salted caramel cake very easily!

Victoria sponge cake

Again, I use the Jane's Patisserie Back to Basics Vanilla Cake recipe; I've been making a good old Victoria sponge for as long as I can remember, but I do find this one makes a really great size cake compared to other recipes I've used in the past!

I use both of these recipes when making cupcakes too!

Blondies

A few years ago I really wanted to make blondies, but I was convinced it was really difficult - it's actually not at all, and I use a very simple Easy Blondies recipe from Inspired Taste. It's American but has the measurements in grams too, and these turned out perfect the very first time I made them. I've done them with white chocolate, and also with milk chocolate AND Mini Eggs. Seriously delicious, and browning the butter is definitely worth it.

Brownies

As my blondies have always turned out so well, I also now use the Best Fudgy Brownies recipe from Inspired Taste - okay, so I've made brownies a total of once but they turned out SO well and I'll definitely be doing it again (and again and again). I added chopped up milk chocolate to mine, Lidl's own because it's super cheap, and they were unreal.

Focaccia

My savoury baked good of choice is focaccia, and I use the BBC Food focaccia with garlic and rosemary recipe - I just sprinkle whatever I fancy on top, as I never tend to have rosemary in. It's time consuming, but it's so worth it because it's absolutely sensational even if I do say so myself.

Over the past year or so I have also made meringue nests, Viennese biscuits, sausage rolls and more - I did a bit of a GBBO bake-along in 2025, so that encouraged me to try a lot of different recipes. I get most of my baking equipment from Amazon (you can shop my baking storefront here) and I usually get my ingredients from Lidl or Aldi because they're cheaper but the quality is just as good!

April 2026 reading round up

April got off to a bad start - I didn't read anything for the first week! But then we had a lovely long weekend and although mine was jam packed, I still managed to read a whole book and it was all go from there for the rest of the month. Here's all the books I read in April with my quickfire (ish) reviews and ratings...

Bourbon & Lies by Victoria Wilder

I got this book in a Wordy & Wild box one month and it's been sat patiently on my TBR ever since; I wanted a physical read for over the Easter weekend and ended up choosing this. I thought it was going to be a dark romance, but it's absolutely not - it's trying to be a bit of a cowboy romance, and follows Laney who has been dropped in Kentucky on Foxx land as part of the WITSEC program. Along with the romance between Laney and one of the Foxx brothers, Grant, we explore the reason she's in WITSEC as well as how this connects to where she is now. The 'crime' element was predictable but also lacking some detail, and honestly while the premise and plot were good I found the writing clunky and just a bit awkward. Overall, meh - 3 stars.

The Women by Kristen Hannah

This was our April book club pick, and I didn't know what to expect going in but I'd heard soooo many incredible things about this one, which follows Frankie as she heads to Vietnam during the war as a nurse, determined to do her bit and be a hero. We spend two tours in 'Nam with Frankie, witnessing the horrors and heartaches of war, the camaraderie and the day to day and the goodbyes - and then we see what it's like for Frankie to come home, not to a heroes' welcome but to a country who don't recognise the women of the war, and her life soon spirals out of control. This is beautifully written and I learnt an incredible amount; it's slow paced, but I think that's the nature of the story. I'm really glad I read this; 4.5 stars. 

More Like Enemigas by Stephanie Hope

This was a Netgalley ARC that had been on my TBR for a while and I'm so glad I finally read it! It's a sapphic enemies to lovers romance which follows Isabella, desperate to save her late father's restaurant, as she heads to a wedding with her estranged family members and tries to get to the bottom of a whole load of family secrets. Here she reconnects with a childhood friend-turned-enemy, who agrees to help her out... and the rest is history! A charming, no-spice romance which I gave 4 stars.

Death Write Large by Susie Dent

I read Susie Dent's first novel, and was pleased to get an ARC of the sequel; the plot isn't massively strong but it's incredibly well written, and really interesting - set against the backdrop of Oxford (which was nice for me as I visited Oxford for the first time last year!) it follows lexicographer Martha as she works to help the police uncover the story behind a string of murders which are linked to an Oxford linguistic cabal... the focus on language and the history of words in the book is brilliant, and the story is pretty good! 4 stars.

The Girls who Disappeared by Claire Douglas

This was a recommendation from my mum, and I really enjoyed it. It follows a journalist who heads to a small English town to make a podcast about a historic case missing persons case, and ends up getting completely embroiled in every aspect of it as the truth finally starts to come to light. It's a good thriller with a decent twist! 4 stars from me.

The Suitcase Swap by Lish McBride

What a fun read!!!!! I really enjoyed this one; it's a romance that starts with two people who mix up their luggage after getting off a flight to NYC, and meet up to exchange cases - one is a widower, one is divorced, and both are terrified at the thought of getting a second chance at love. The FMC is also a travel blogger which was super fun. This is just a very feel good, soft, nice romance read and I really liked it. 4.5 stars!

The Couple at No.9 by Claire Douglas

I spotted this in the charity shop shortly after finishing The Girls who Disappeared, so for 50p I couldn't leave it there! I really enjoyed this one - the plot is really strong and the mindblowing twists just kept coming. It follows Saffy, who has just moved into a cottage bestowed to her by her Gran, and during building work two bodies are found with a horrible connection to her family; there's a side plot which eventually connects to the main plot, and it's all just really well written. 5 stars from me.

Highland Games by Evie Alexander

This was a freebie on Stuff Your Kindle Day, and the books you tend to get this way can be a bit hit and miss - this one was definitely a hit, though! Despite having never been to Scotland, I just really seem to love romance books set there and this didn't disappoint; Zoe abandons her London life to live in her great uncle Willie's cabin in the highlands, much to the dismay of big burly Rory who wanted it for himself. Enemies to lovers vibes, spicy but also wholesome. Really enjoyed this one! 4 stars.

Too Fast to Fall by Karen Booth

As a certified F1 girlyyy I am always sceptical of F1/motorsport romances, but I got a Netgalley ARC of this one so I gave it a go - I read it over the space of one evening, as it was a really easy/quick read - it follows dog sitter and F1 fan Piper who jumps at the chance to take a 5-week job dog nannying for moody F1 driver Emilio and his dog, Gus. It's a typical instalove, grumpy x sunshine, will they/won't they kind of romance - a few of the racing parts fall a bit flat in terms of accuracy, and I could have done without the chapters from the dog's perspective, but it's fine! I gave it 3 stars.

So that's everything I read in April - I'm off on my honeymoon next week, so May might be a bit slower as we have a jam packed itinerary, but time will tell...

My pre-cruise to-do list: 2 weeks to go (and what is an eSIM?)

In case you can't tell, I'm SO excited for our cruise in two weeks time - it's our honeymoon, and will be my fifth cruise and my wife's first! It's also the first cruise I've booked myself, having always gone with my aunty & uncle previously, so it's safe to say I'm also a tiny bit nervous about everything going smoothly... Without further ado, here's everything on my cruise to-do list two weeks before we travel!

• Finish packing - most of our stuff is currently flung on top of the suitcases ready to be ironed, folded or rolled neatly and properly packed.
• Print luggage labels - ours are currently not showing as available on our Marella Cruise Control, so I'll keep checking and get them printed. We have clear plastic luggage label holders to attach to our cases too!
• Get my hair & brows done - I have a hair appointment booked for 5 days before we travel, and I'll be getting my eyebrows waxed and tinted the day before we go.
• Sort our electronics - I need to find our adaptor plugs, make sure my Kindle has new books downloaded, check my portable charger is working etc etc etc...
• Check in for flights - as we selected our seats (extra leg room of course!) we can check in 14 days in advance, so I'll be doing this asap.
• Last minute shopping - we don't need much else as we're quite organised, but I do need to pick up more suncream, deodorant, lash bond & seal, hypochlorous acid spray for my skin... yadda yadda!
• Gather all our documents - I want to make sure we have all of our relevant documents in one place, like our booking confirmations and travel insurance, so we can easily access them if need be.
• Pick up our dry cleaning/alterations - my wife's wedding suit is being dry cleaned and I'm having a dress taken up, both of which we'll be wearing on formal night!
• Do my nails & lashes - I will be doing my own lash extensions the day before we travel, and painting my toenails/doing my own press own nails too. Timing is everything with all of this, and the day before we go is set to be a busy one!
• Get an eSIM - while I'm not bothered about having internet access while we're out at sea, I do like to send plenty of photos to my family group chat and be able to check my emails where possible. 

What is an eSIM?

An eSIM is essentially a digital version of a sim card, and while they're not a big deal in the UK they are perfect for travelling if you don't have roaming included in your phone contract - like me. It would cost me £2.59 per day to use my data abroad, or I could pay £27.50 for a 12 day pass but I'd only be able to buy this after I land, if I sorted my roaming through EE. To keep things simpler, I've found that an eSIM works best for me!

You buy whichever sim package fits where you're heading, how long you're travelling for and how much data you'd be using - and setting it up is really easy. You do this before you go, while connected to WiFi, and then just before take off switch your primary cellular data line to your eSIM. Once you land, activate the new eSIM and turn on data roaming, then you're good to go! It sounds a bit complex but it's really not, and the instructions are always really helpful.

With this being a cruise, I'll be turning my phone to airplane mode whenever we're not docked or off the ship to avoid maritime roaming costs!

I always use airalo for e-sims when travelling abroad, and you can use my code KATY4231 to get £2.50 off your first e-sim.

I think that's everything, but I'm sure other things will crop up between now and then which will need to be added to my cruise to-do list. We are both so looking forward to this trip as a chance to celebrate our honeymoon, almost 7 months on from the wedding, and to spend some real quality time together.

March 2026 reading round up

March was actually a great reading month for me in terms of the volume of books I read, and some were really fantastic too. From our book club pick to ARCs, audiobooks and more, here's everything I read in March 2026 with quickfire reviews and ratings!

Six Years by Harlan Coben

I listened to this as an audiobook, and having read a few Harlan Coben books before I had high hopes but honestly, I was just bored the whole way through. It follows a man who is desperate to find his way back to his ex, and when he hears her husband has died he sets out to find her - but she seems to have vanished and it's up to him to get to the bottom of everything. Honestly it was just dull! Not one of his best by a long shot and I gave it 3 stars.

Extracurricular by Rachel Lynn Solomon

This was a Netgalley ARC and I absolutely ate it up; it follows a pop star who wants to retire from fame, and ends up going to college - where she has a really hot, recently divorced professor who she is determined to befriend... and more. It's funny, it's touching, it has some really important background topics and it's also nicely steamy. LOVED it. 5 stars.

Text Me Maybe by Matilda Madison

Another Netgalley ARC and sadly one that really fell short; it's a sports romance, centering around a football club in Manchester, and I thought the premise was interesting - the new marketing manager arrives and ends up texting a wrong number, who of course also turns out to be someone at the club. The texting (and sexting) was just a bit cringe, and I don't think the author did enough research into either football clubs, marketing jobs or Manchester/the UK. All the errors were jarring and really took away from what could have been a good story. 3 stars.

Highland Getaway by Amber Eve

This was another Netgalley ARC, following an "influencer" on a press trip to Scottish Highlands hotel - although it turns out the email went to the wrong person, and she's not an influencer after all, just a normal woman going through a bit of a life crisis. I thought this was heaps of fun; very low spice but felt like high stakes, and the setting was great. Nothing groundbreaking, but a great read and 4 stars from me.

Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry

This was our March book club pick, and I was so excited about it as I love an Em Hen. This felt super different to a lot of her other books, and I definitely did get Evelyn Hugo vibes, but I actually preferred this. Set on a Georgia island, it features two journalists who are both essentially auditioning to write the memoir of a now-reclusive former socialite. Professional enemies who just can't deny the spark between them - and peppered throughout, the history of an entire dynasty. I adored this and it was another 5 star read for me.

The Intruder by Freida McFadden

Another audiobook read, and I still don't know why I keep doing it to myself as I never rate her books highly - but they're easy popcorn thrillers and good to work to, I guess! This one is a split timeline, following a woman in a cabin in the woods during a storm, who gets an unwanted teenage visitor - and the second timeline, featuring a troubled teen living with a hoarder and wanting to do anything to change her life. The twist was good, as usual, but the writing was dull and the characters boring. 3 stars!

The New Neighbour by Valerie Keogh

This was a Netgalley ARC and my first read from this author, who I'd heard good things about - this was okay, but very slow paced with not a lot going on. The main character is fresh out of prison having served 5 years for drunk driving (and killing 4 people), and she is continuing to punish herself by living a tedious life when she starts to notice someone stalking her. The plot itself was good but it was tediously written, with repetitive descriptions and just not much substance. 3 stars.

The Long Haul by Hannah Doyle

I love a bit of magical realism - it might be my favourite sub-genre! This was another Netgalley ARC and it didn't disappoint; we're following our main character Nina on a flight to Australia, where she unexpectedly ends up sat next to her work nemesis AND spots her ex boyfriend (the one that got away) on the same flight. Then she wakes up - and it's the same day, over and over, with Nina caught in a time loop and trying to figure out what she needs to do differently to get out of this. It was a funny, charming, lovely slow burn romance and another 5 stars from me.

The Honeymoon Suite by Rebecca Taylor McKay

This is a really interesting domestic-style thriller, set against the beautiful backdrop of the Amalfi Coast in the 60s, following a couple on their honeymoon - but all is not as it seems, as the wife is incredibly melancholic and senses a brewing secret between her husband and their new friends... It's quite slow paced but really well written and enjoyable. I gave this one 4 stars.

In Her Own League by Liz Tomforde

My final read of the month as I've honestly not been drawn towards anything since finishing this, which is a spin-off of Liz Tomforde's Windy City series. It's a dual POV sports romance which follows the new baseball team owner Reese as she steps into the role, and the wonderful coach Emmett who we've seen in previous books in the series. I loved seeing the snippets of previous characters' lives, I loved the portrayal of such a strong woman in sports, and I loved their blossoming relationship. Honestly, despite the mixed reviews, I really adored this book. 5 stars of course!

I'm now 26 books into the year, which means I'm 2 books ahead of schedule to hit 100 books read this year. I've already had some great 5 stars reads which is so exciting, and I see a fair few more in my future...