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I went behind the scenes on a Marella cruise and ended up getting a sneak peek at some of the rooms that the passengers usually don’t get to see

Cruises are made to feel effortless – from island-hopping, flowing cocktails to all-inclusive dining. But behind the scenes, an army of staff are working around the clock to keep things powered to the highest of stands.

For my first Caribbean cruise on board the Marella Discovery, I was given access to areas passengers don’t normally see. After getting to grips with the 11-deck vessel – home to nine restaurants, six bars and everything from mini golf, an escape room and a climbing wall to keep you entertained, it was time to see the ship from a new angle.

Here’s everything I learned…

Where the magic happens

Only a handful usually get to see the command centre of any ship; the bridge. Here, the Captain and his crew navigate these huge vessels from ‘parking’ in tight corners at the docks, to steering the course when out in the middle of the ocean. The view from the bridge was unlike anything I’d seen before, and quite impressive. We watched how the crew navigated as our ship docked among huge superyachts owned by millionaire (just to add that extra bit of pressure).

Your air con affects the speed of the ship

Next, I head into the engine room where a team operates the smooth running of five engines, two massive propulsion motors and multiple air-conditioning systems – working 24 hours a day. Modern cruise ships like the Marella Discovery distribute power to meet the demand. That means lighting, kitchens and even your cabin’s air con will play a role. “If we were in Alaska in the middle of the night, with no air con running, we could reach 24 knots,” one crew member explained. “But during the day, when everything’s in use, it drops to around 22.” At full speed, the ship burns around 8,000 litres of fuel an hour. Efficiency is key.

It all comes out in the wash

In the laundry room, staff wash around 1000 towels a day with industrial machines and steam presses. It’s not just the passengers who are catered for. In these rooms tucked out of sight, the crew’s immaculately white uniforms are maintained. Since that’s a lot of similar looking clothing, every item is labelled with a unique number to make sure they go back to the right person.

The show must go on

As a theatre fan, I couldn’t wait to get up on the stage of the Broadway Show Lounge – from a view not many get to see. Behind the curtain, the performers do more than just sing and dance. I learned that they handle their own props, do their own hair and make-up, and of course all of the warm-ups they undergo. In the dressing room, wigs, hairspray and hairpins fill every space, but among the seeming chaos there’s a strong camaraderie. After working with each other for three months at sea at a time, it’s clear the performers are like family.

The motion in the ocean might be in your head

Unlike the seasoned sailor, I admit that being a cruise-newbie means I feel the ship moving especially at night. However, according to the crew, the tilting is far less dramatic than I was expecting. Thanks to stabilisers, the ship can only ever move to a maximum of one degree either side. “We keep your soup in your bowl and your drinks in your glasses,” one jokes.

The most eaten food on board? It’s not what you’d expect

I got a chance to see the ship’s galley – the central multi-floor hub of the ship where thousands of meals are prepared every single day. A team of 101 chefs work around the clock to fuel up 1800 passengers and 700 crew members every single day. The head chef shows me what is known as ”the manual’, a list of detailed recipes for every single food item on the menu – ensuring the exact same meal can be recreated anywhere in the TUI fleet. Around 3,600 meals are served at lunch and dinner, but breakfast is the real peak with passengers get through a staggering 7000 dishes a day. The most popular food on board? Eggs. Around 2,300 are served up at breakfast alone – that’s a lot of omelettes.

The customer service is down to a tea

It’s not just the big systems that are carefully thought out on Marella. As an avid Yorkshire tea drinker, I was thrilled to see the boat was well stocked even in the Caribbean. One crew member told me it’s something that was introduced after passenger feedback and quickly became a staple.

Book the holiday

Marella Cruises offers a seven-night Tropical Isles round trip from La Romana, Dominican Republic on Marella Discovery from £1573 per person. Price based on two adults sharing a Deck 2/3 inside cabin on an all-inclusive basis. Includes flights from London Gatwick, 20kg of luggage per person, transfers, tips, and service charges. Find out more at tui.co.uk/cruise.

Caracas, April 13, 2026 (venezuelanalysis.com) – Venezuelan Acting President Delcy Rodríguez inked new agreements with Chevron on Monday allowing the US energy giant to expand its presence in the country’s oil industry.

In a televised broadcast, Rodríguez, who was accompanied by officials from Venezuelan state oil company PDVSA and the Hydrocarbon Ministry, praised Chevron’s “commitment” to Venezuela.

“Chevron, with more than a century of presence in Venezuela, is an example of an oil company committed to Venezuela,” she said. “I salute this agreement as an example that there are legal pathways for investment to be assured and prosper.“

The Venezuelan acting president reiterated calls for the lifting of US sanctions against the Caribbean nation. US Chargé d’Affaires to Venezuela Laura Dogu was present at the ceremony and exchanged brief words with Rodríguez. US Assistant Energy Secretary Kyle Haustveit was also in attendance with a delegation from the US Energy Department.

The new contracts grant Petropiar, a joint venture with Chevron participation, the Ayacucho 8 bloc as the Houston-based conglomerate looks to expand its production of extra-heavy crude in the Orinoco Oil Belt. PDVSA completed exploration and appraisal of the 500 square-kilometer bloc but development has been limited.

Chevron owns minority stakes in four joint projects with PDVSA that currently produce about a quarter of Venezuela’s oil output. The agreements with the Venezuelan government will also see Chevron increase its stake in Petroindependencia, another mixed venture with PDVSA, from 36 to 49 percent. In exchange, it will relinquish its stakes in the offshore Loran natural gas field.

For his part, Chevron executive Javier La Rosa, thanked the Venezuelan and US governments for their support and praised the “strengthening” of Chevron’s position in the Orinoco Oil Belt. “Chevron is determined to be a reliable partner and establish win-win relations,” he said.

The exploration of the 7.3 trillion cubic feet (tcf) Loran field, which is part of the Loran-Manatee joint deposit with Trinidad and Tobago, will reportedly be turned over to Shell. The UK-based multinational is also involved in several natural gas projects in Venezuelan waters and similar agreements with the Rodríguez administration are expected in the coming days.

In addition, Shell also closed a deal to take over the Carito and Pirital oilfields from PDVSA’s Punta de Mata division in eastern Monagas state. The projects produce light and medium crudes, as well as natural gas.

The new contracts were signed under the pro-business provisions established by a January overhaul of Venezuela’s Hydrocarbon Law. In a recent interview, National Assembly President Jorge Rodríguez stated that the reform incorporated “suggestions” from Western corporate giants, including Repsol.

The updated legislation grants private corporations expanded control over operations and sales, slashes royalties and income tax, and allows legal disputes to be settled in international arbitration bodies. The reform likewise allows PDVSA to lease out projects to private companies in exchange for a fixed share of the output.

Since the January 3 US bombings and kidnapping of President Nicolás Maduro, the Trump administration has exerted control over the Venezuelan oil industry, granting waivers to boost the involvement of Western conglomerates and mandating that royalty, tax, and dividend payments owed to Venezuela be made to US Treasury-run accounts. 

Financial sanctions against PDVSA, as well as threats of secondary sanctions against firms that do not receive Washington’s green light, remain in place. On Monday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio vowed that the US “would not allow” geopolitical adversaries such as China, Iran, and Russia to have a significant presence in the Venezuelan oil industry.

“We don’t need Venezuela’s oil,” he said in an interview. “What we’re not going to allow is for the oil industry in Venezuela to be controlled by adversaries of the United States.”

Venezuelan crude production increased in March to 988,000 barrels per day (bpd), up from 909,000 bpd in February, according to OPEC secondary sources. The figure is the highest output since the imposition of a US export embargo in January 2019.

For its part, PDVSA reported 1.095 million bpd of production last month, with a 75,000 bpd increase compared to February. The direct and secondary measurements have differed over time due to disagreements over the inclusion of natural gas liquids and condensates. Venezuelan Oil Minister Paula Henao announced a 1.3 million bpd target for the end of 2026.

According to Reuters, Venezuelan oil exports surpassed 1 million bpd in March, driven by several shipments to India’s leading refiner, Reliance Industries, amid the US-Israeli war against Iran and the latter’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz that has disrupted global energy flows and sent crude prices upwards of $90 per barrel

However, Venezuelan authorities have offered no information about the US-controlled oil exports, including details regarding the transfer of proceeds to Caracas. The White House has confirmed the return of US $500 million to Caracas out of an initial deal estimated at $2 billion, while Venezuelan officials have reported the purchase of US-manufactured medicines and equipment using “unblocked” funds.

Edited by Lucas Koerner in Fusagasugá, Colombia.

YouTube travel expert Mark Wolters, who has travelled to more than 80 countries, says there are two areas of a hotel guests should avoid staying in – and they may even consider asking to move rooms

A travel expert has claimed there are two parts of a hotel where guests should never stay.

Globe-trotting YouTuber Mark Wolters, who runs the channel Wolters World, suggested people should even look to move if they are situated near one of the areas in question.

Mark has visited more than 80 countries so knows a thing or two about staying in hotels, what to expect and what should not be considered acceptable.

While it is generally considered poor etiquette to complain in the UK, he uploaded a video detailing the specific situations where people should be asking to change room in their hotel.

Two of those scenarios are when the room is located near the lifts (or even an ice machine) or by the stairwell.

Speaking on his channel, which has 1.17 million subscribers, he said: “You might want to think about your sleep. If you’re by the elevators (lifts) or ice machine, those are heavy traffic, heavy noise areas. No matter what time people are coming home, they’re using the elevators, right. You’re going to have the drunk people coming back late, the people coming back from the wedding, or the little kids going to the pool in the morning, you’re going to have a lot of movement there.

“So if you want to get sleep, say, ‘can I move my room away from the ice machine or away from the elevator because that might make it a little bit harder to sleep.”

He went on to recommend asking the front desk to move if you’re hotel room is by the stairwell, which he branded a “weird access point”.

Mark said: “Another thing to think about is if you’re by the stairwell. The stairwell is an odd access point. It might have little weird noises, you might want to consider that.”

The well-travelled YouTuber suggested there are a number of other occasions which might persuade tourists to ask their hotel for a switch in rooms.

One of these could be if you feel generally unsafe. This could be an issue with the windows or the door or even your neighbours in the hotel.

Mark explained: “You do not need to explain to them why this makes you feel uncomfortable. It’s about your safety. Something of the things to look out for – the door doesn’t feel quite secure, check the locks, look at the peephole.”

Another big issue could be if the room is not clean. This could include the bed not being made or something unsavoury being left in the toilet.

He added: “We’ve seen lipstick on the mirror in the bathroom. We were like: ‘This obviously hasn’t been cleaned very well.’ These kind of things are important to bring up because sometimes rooms are missed by the cleaning crew or people left a little bit later, these things do happen.

“Maybe you’re ok with the cleaning crew coming up but do you want to wait two or three hours? That’s why it might be better to ask for a new room instead of waiting for them to clean those rooms because they don’t clean those rooms in five minutes.

“When I’m talking about cleanliness I’m also talking about the smell.”

Qatar’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majed Al Ansari says Iranian attacks have targeted residential areas and Hamad International Airport, contradicting Tehran’s denial that is has been attacking civilian sites.