Pool and sunbathing areas on the #MarellaSpirit

As well as having busy visits to towns, cruises also give you a chance to relax in the sun. We are not great sunbathers now but do enjoy short times sat out covered in suntan cream!

We have sailed a few times now and the first time we went on the Spirit, there was very little sunbathing area. Over the years they have added these and it is much better now. You still have the problem, as with a lot of ships, that there are not enough sunbeds for everyone. Some days we arrived back on the boat early from a visit and were able to get a bed, on other days, we found a nice quiet area on the sport's court where we could sit on benches to read and relax.

Not being smokers, however, we did have a gripe that one side of the sundeck was for smokers and if this happened to be the side that the sun shone on, it meant that we couldn't sit there. Also one of the best places to relax was the upper area above the pool, again this was a designated smoking area, which restricted where we could sit comfortably. 

​On the lower deck, around the pool area at the back of the Spirit, there were tables and chairs to sit on if the sunbeds were full. This gave me a chance to sketch some of the holiday makers as they relaxed. 

​This was a pleasant area where you could sit in the sun or shade and had the advantage that it was next to the restaurant and snack area. As the afternoon sun moved into early evening, we met a few interested couples who wanted to find out about my work and we enjoyed spending time talking to them.  Some of the 'waiting-crew' stopped by too and it was nice to receive positive feedback on my quick sketches.