Marella Cruises

Logo: Marella Cruises logo supplied via Iglu Cruise

Marella Cruises occupies an unusually clear place in the UK cruise market. It sells a largely fly-cruise holiday in which the practical pieces most British travellers worry about – flights, transfers, meals, selected drinks and tips – are commonly brought together in one booking. That makes Marella easier to budget than many lines, but it does not make every restaurant, drink or activity free.

The fleet is compact enough to understand: five medium-sized ships rather than a collection of very different mega-ships. The official Marella fleet page lists Marella Voyager, Marella Explorer 2, Marella Explorer, Marella Discovery 2 and Marella Discovery. They are older vessels that have been extensively adapted for the British market, so the important question is not simply which ship is newest. It is which conversion, itinerary and passenger mix best suit the holiday you want.

What Marella means by All Inclusive

Marella’s strongest selling point is that every sailing is All Inclusive as standard. The standard package includes meals in at least six eateries, selected alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, tips, entertainment and many daytime activities. This removes the constant low-level calculation involved on a line where each soft drink, beer or cocktail appears separately on the account.

The word ‘selected’ matters. Standard beers, wines by the glass, standard spirits, cocktails, mocktails, soft drinks and juices are covered, but premium brands and some upgraded drinks sit within the Premium All Inclusive upgrade or are charged separately. Speciality dining, spa treatments, shore excursions and Wi-Fi can also cost extra. Marella is inclusive, not unlimited.

The practical advantage is strongest for passengers who drink regularly, dislike gratuity calculations and want a predictable final bill. Light drinkers may still pay for inclusions they would not have bought separately. Value therefore depends on the whole package price, not on declaring Marella automatically cheaper because drinks are included.

Flights, transfers and Cruise Only fares

Most Marella holidays are built around flying from a UK airport to a seasonal Mediterranean, Canary Islands or Caribbean base. On a flight-inclusive package, flights and transfers are included, and TUI Airways bookings normally include a 20kg hold-luggage allowance. This can be far simpler than arranging flights, hotels and port transfers independently.

Marella also sells Cruise Only fares. These retain the onboard All Inclusive proposition but do not include flights or transfers. That can suit passengers using air miles, combining the cruise with independent travel or already staying near the embarkation port. It also means that ‘Marella includes flights’ is not universally true: the booking type must be checked.

The line’s Cruise & Stay programme is a genuine advantage. A cruise can be combined with a TUI hotel and coordinated transfers, allowing a week at sea to become part of a longer holiday without the passenger assembling every component. The hotel board basis and luggage arrangements still need checking because they are not automatically identical to the cruise.

A British holiday atmosphere rather than an international resort

Marella is designed primarily for the British market. Prices and onboard accounts use pounds sterling, announcements and entertainment are in English, cabins have tea-and-coffee facilities, and the food, quizzes, live music and show-lounge programme feel familiar. Service tends to be friendly and informal rather than ceremonially polished.

This familiarity is a strength for first-time cruisers and for passengers who want the ease of a package holiday at sea. It can be a weakness for travellers who specifically want an international passenger mix, destination-led cuisine or the sense of occasion found on Cunard. Marella is not trying to be a small luxury line, and it is less formal than P&O Cruises on Black Tie evenings.

Dress is generally relaxed by day, with casual and smarter expectations around evening restaurants. A few venues and special evenings encourage more effort, but formalwear is not central to the brand. Passengers should still take one or two smart outfits rather than assume shorts are suitable everywhere at dinner.

The ships are older than the onboard branding suggests

Marella Voyager joined the brand in 2023, but the vessel itself entered service in 1997. Explorer and Explorer 2 date from the mid-1990s, as do Discovery and Discovery 2. Their public rooms have been repeatedly refurbished and many spaces feel contemporary, yet the underlying cabin sizes, lift arrangements, bathrooms and pool decks reflect the era in which the ships were built.

This is not automatically a disadvantage. The ships are far smaller and easier to understand than today’s largest resort vessels, and the Discovery pair retain useful features such as an indoor pool, climbing wall and outdoor cinema. Older hardware becomes a problem when passengers choose solely from glossy photographs and expect the cabin, sound insulation and bathroom to match a new-build ship.

CruisePing would judge each sailing by itinerary, cabin position and total package price. A well-priced outside cabin on the right route can be better value than paying a large premium for the fleet’s newest Marella interiors.

Dining: plenty included, but not everything

The Marella dining proposition is stronger than the phrase ‘package cruise’ might suggest. Every ship offers several included places to eat, normally including a main waiter-service restaurant, casual buffet or food-hall choices, poolside food and Italian-style options. Voyager has the fleet’s widest selection, while the Discovery twins have fewer venues but still offer meaningful variety for a seven-night trip.

Speciality restaurants are an important source of additional spending. Pan-Asian, fine-dining, steak and experiential venues vary by ship and usually require a supplement. The useful comparison is not the total restaurant count but how many included restaurants you will genuinely use. Voyager’s advertised total includes several counters within The Kitchens food hall, so a headline number should not be mistaken for the same number of full-service dining rooms.

Dietary requirements should be declared before travel and discussed onboard. A mainstream buffet-and-main-dining system can handle many common needs, but passengers with severe allergies should not infer from an All Inclusive label that every counter is equally suitable.

Entertainment and life after dinner

Marella puts considerable effort into evening entertainment. Each ship has a large Broadway Show Lounge, live bands, singers, quizzes, game shows and a late bar or nightclub. Explorer and Explorer 2 use Indigo as a bar-club-casino space; Voyager adds the Electric Rooms, an indoor cinema and the chargeable immersive Exchange bar.

The atmosphere is sociable rather than sophisticated. The strongest nights feel like a good UK resort with professional production shows and several live-music choices. The weakest can feel busy and heavily scheduled, particularly when passengers leave the theatre at the same time. Travellers who prefer quiet observation lounges and lectures should compare Marella carefully with Cunard or Fred. Olsen.

Families, adults-only sailings and seasonal changes

Most Marella cruises are family friendly, with the M Club and family facilities varying by ship. Explorer and the Discovery ships offer the clearest family hardware. Explorer 2 is the fleet’s only permanently adults-only ship.

The distinction is becoming more seasonal. TUI states that Marella Discovery is adults-only for summer 2026 and Marella Discovery 2 for winter 2026–27, with a minimum age of 17 on those sailings. A ship guide can describe its hardware, but the exact sailing – not merely the ship name – determines whether children will be onboard.

Adults-only does not mean silent. Explorer 2 retains a casino, nightclub, live entertainment and busy bars. It means the atmosphere and facilities are not organised around children.

Accessibility and cabin selection

These are mid-sized older ships with adapted accessible cabins rather than vessels designed around the latest accessibility standards. Availability is limited and suitability depends on the exact cabin, bathroom, route to the lifts, flight arrangements and itinerary. Tender ports can be as important as the ship itself.

Passengers needing assistance should speak to TUI’s accessibility team before booking. Do not rely on a generic cabin category or a verbal assurance where turning space, shower layout, oxygen, scooter storage or airport assistance is essential.

For other passengers, cabin position still deserves care. Midships rooms reduce walking and may feel steadier; cabins below pool decks, theatres or late bars can receive more noise. Marella’s older ships contain category variations that are not obvious from the label, so the deck plan is worth checking before accepting an allocated room.

Which Marella ship should you choose?

Ship	Best reason to choose it	Main caution
Marella Voyager	Best dining choice and freshest Marella public rooms	Still a 1997 ship underneath; premium experiences cost extra
Marella Explorer 2	Only permanently adults-only ship	One pool and less family/resort hardware
Marella Explorer	Strongest family all-rounder and largest fleet spa	Busy public spaces and older cabins
Marella Discovery	Smaller feel, indoor pool and family facilities	Near-identical sister means itinerary often matters more
Marella Discovery 2	Discovery facilities on different seasonal routes	Choose it for itinerary and date, not a different ship

For a direct recommendation, use CruisePing’s Which Marella cruise ship is best for you?. Passengers comparing the package model with a British ex-Southampton line should also read Marella Cruises vs P&O Cruises.

Is Marella the right choice?

Marella’s best feature is not one ship or restaurant. It is the reduction of friction. Flights, transfers, food, selected drinks and tips can be combined into a single, understandable holiday, and the medium-sized fleet reaches port-rich itineraries without demanding a luxury budget.

The compromise is equally clear. The ships are older, the experience is deliberately British and informal, and the words All Inclusive do not remove speciality dining, premium drinks, spa and excursion costs. Choose Marella when the package and itinerary work for you; do not choose it merely because the headline says drinks are included.

Useful official Marella information

Use the official Marella Cruises homepage for current itineraries and package terms, the fleet page for ship specifications, and the All Inclusive guide for current inclusions. Details can change between seasons, so check the exact booking confirmation rather than relying on a general fleet description.