Marella Cruises, reviewed honestly

Who Marella Cruises genuinely suits

Anyone who wants the bill settled before they board without paying luxury prices for the privilege. An all-inclusive drinks package comes with every booking as standard, running 10am to 2am, which at this price point is genuinely unusual.
People who liked the idea of a package holiday and wanted it to move. The crowd is overwhelmingly British, the tone is relaxed, and nobody is going to make you dress for dinner.

When you'd be better off elsewhere

Anyone who does not want to fly. This is the whole catch and it is worth being blunt about it.
Anyone who reads all-inclusive as nothing left to pay. Premium branded spirits, speciality coffees, bottled wine and Champagne all sit outside the standard package, and so, unexpectedly, do canned soft drinks. None of that makes the fare bad value. It does mean the bill is not quite closed.
Anyone looking for a quiet, understated ship. The programming is loud on purpose, and that is a feature rather than an accident.

What the ships are actually like

Mid-sized and unfussy: Marella Explorer, Marella Discovery and Marella Discovery 2 carry the bulk of the programme. These are not new-build showpieces and they are not sold as such.

The itineraries cluster tightly around warm water. Of 498 sailings, 234 are Mediterranean, 140 Atlantic Islands and 123 Caribbean, which is close to the entire operation and tells you exactly what the line is for.

Some of these sailings have a soundtrack, so read the name

Look down a list of Marella departures and a few names stand out: Electric Sunsets 80's vs 90's, Country Rhythms. Those are themed sailings, and the theme is the music.

That is not a gimmick bolted onto a normal cruise. If you board a three-night Palma round trip called Electric Sunsets, the eighties and nineties are the holiday, and most of the other guests chose it for exactly that reason. If you love the theme, it is a brilliant short break. If you just wanted three nights in the sun, it is worth knowing before you book rather than on the first evening.

So read the sailing name before the itinerary. On most lines it is marketing furniture. On a Marella themed sailing it tells you what the week will sound like.

What the fare covers

Usually in the fare

Meals, snacks and drinks, including selected draught beer and cider, wine and Prosecco by the glass, spirits and a range of cocktails, from 10am to 2am
Flights and transfers when you book the package that includes them

Costs extra

Premium drinks, which are a paid upgrade
Wi-Fi
Speciality restaurants, spa treatments and shore excursions
Room service, minibar items and bottled water

Read from the line's own website, October 2026. What a fare covers varies by sailing and by fare, so check your booking.

Tips and gratuities

Gratuities are included in the fare, so nothing for tips is added to your onboard account.

You are not expected to tip, though you can if you wish.

Checked against the line's own website, October 2026.

Where Marella Cruises sits

Class

Mainstream, on our ladder from Mainstream through Ultra-Luxury.

A sample sailing

Marella Explorer, 7 nights: Atlantic Islands from Las Palmas, guide price from £1,115pp.

One of the most British lines afloat, and it sails from nowhere near Britain

Marella Cruises runs 498 sailings worldwide and not one of them leaves from a UK port. Reaching one means flying.

Counted 21 August 2026 against live cruise-line inventory. Sailing counts move week to week.

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