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Its fleet reflects this make-up with four family-friendly ships and one adults-only; although specific adults-only sailings are offered across its entire fleet. Since then, the cruise brand has continued to build on its base of wrap-around holidays largely based on flights with the conglomerate’s in-house airline TUI Airways and its own hotels to offer an extensive programme of cruises and stays. In April 2019, Marella Cruises introduced its first adults-only ship, the 1,814-passenger Marella Explorer 2. By removing areas previously dedicated to families, the line has cleverly created more spaces aimed squarely at adults -- with a total of 19 bars and restaurants onboard -- including four new-to-the-line venues. One year later, in 1880, it was the fifth-largest city in the country after Plovdiv, Varna, Ruse and Shumen.
Marella Explorer Review
Since summer 2019, TUI's Marella brand operates with all-inclusive cruise deals fleetwide. Private automobile ownership has grown rapidly in the 1990s; more than 1,000,000 cars were registered in Sofia after 2002. The city has the 4th-highest number of automobiles per capita in the European Union at 546.4 vehicles per 1,000 people.[200] The municipality was known for minor and cosmetic repairs and many streets are in a poor condition. There are different boulevards and streets in the city with a higher amount of traffic than others. These include Tsarigradsko shose, Cherni Vrah, Bulgaria, Slivnitsa, and Todor Aleksandrov boulevards, as well as the city's ring road.[201] Consequently, traffic and air pollution problems have become more severe and receive regular criticism in local media. The extension of the underground system is hoped to alleviate the city's immense traffic problems.
CABINS
There are plenty of tempting cruise holiday deals out there - we've flagged some of the best ones below. Marella Voyager is actually a ship that's already in the TUI family - only it's currently known as Mein Schiff Herz, with TUI Cruises in Germany. The ship measures 264m and boasts a 77,302 gross tonnage, and will be getting a dry dock makeover before it officially becomes Marella Voyager and joins the fleet. From rum to cigars to white sandy beaches and gorgeous mountain scenery, Cuba is still relatively unspoilt and a gem of a country to visit with Havana as its crowning glory. TUI’s Flavours of the Caribbean cruise makes a 2-day stop in Havana, leaving you the day to explore this colourful city.
European and worldwide river cruises
The Glass House conservatory area, where the indoor pool is housed, serves Spanish-style tapas and hosts a hot-stone dining experience. Like other Marella ships, Explorer 2 has a large pool on the main deck, bordered by whirlpools and private cabanas that can be hired for the day or the week. Summer often sees Marella ships based in Palma, Dubrovnik and Corfu Town while in winter they can usually be found in Gran Canaria, Tenerife and Aqaba in Jordan, plus Jamaica and Barbados, from where they also sail to Central America. It has established a reputation, mirroring its parent company, for good value flight-inclusive packages with prices encompassing traditional cruise extras, such as gratuities and drinks. As the sea-going arm of the TUI Holidays giant, it’s not surprising that Marella Cruises carries much the same vibe – giving it a slightly different feel to regular cruise brands. There's a constant reminder onboard of the value-for-money you get with a Marella cruise.
The itineraries visit destinations in Grenada, Barbados, St Lucia, St Kitts, Dominica, Antigua, St Maarten, Tortola BVI, and Samana Dominicana (new port for Marella). In late-April 2020 was officially announced that the liner Marella Celebration will be retired (either sold or scrapped) after 15 years of service with Thomson-Marella UK. The ship was scheduled to be homeported in Dubrovnik Croatia (June through October 2020, and May through October 2021), in Limassol Cyprus (Nov-Dec 2020, and March-April 2021) and in Dubai UAE (Dec 2020 through March 2021). In July 2017, Thomson had announced that they would be extending the Thomson Spirit Lease until October 2018, and she will be based out of Palma for 18 April and then based in Malaga from May 2018 with her last cruise being on 21 October 2018. In October 2015, the Island Cruise brand was discontinued after the sole ship Island Escape completed her last scheduled cruise with Thomson Cruises.
Following hot on the heels of Marella Discovery, which joined Thomson (now Marella) Cruises in 2016, Marella Discovery 2, reinforces the sea change that is steadily transforming this fleet. Marella's summer 2025 program also introduces 10x cruise-and-land packages providing access to 200+ hotels in destinations like Palma, Corfu, Dubrovnik, Cyprus. The adults-only ship Marella Explorer 2 is homeported in La Romana (starting on Christmas Eve/Dec 24, 2024) for a series of Caribbean roundtrips.
Marella Discovery 2 Review
Morocco has both, with the most awe-inspiring scenery with natural beauty, the hustle and bustle of the souks and of course, the Sahara Desert. Book onto the Marella Cruise Colourful Coasts cruise for a taste of Morocco; the 8-day cruise stops at Agadir, Morocco, on day 5, with other stops including Tenerife, Fuerteventura and Madiera. Another new feature coming with the Marella rebrand is the line’s addition of new adult-only itineraries. Marella Discovery will feature 14 of these new itineraries, stopping at 18 new ports and adding yet another facet to its already well-rounded cruise line.
Marella Voyager was originally built for Celebrity Cruises and launched in 1997 before joining TUI Cruises to cater for the German market. In 2023, Marella launched its extended foray into US waters with a ship based at Port Canaveral for the first time, debuting three new itineraries that feature New York and South Carolina, Florida and the Bahamas, and Florida and the Caribbean. Having come into existence as part of the much-beloved Thomson Holidays in 1995 when it was known as Thomson Cruises, the line became Marella (Celtic for “shining sea”) in 2017 when Thomson adopted the name of its German parent company TUI. As a result, the ship is extremely well suited to couples of any age or groups of friends looking to cruise together. We saw many younger couples on our sailing, though the age ranges from twentysomethings up to retirees. Being an adults-only ship, Marella Explorer 2 is not suitable for families -- so don't expect any of the frivolities that are often geared towards younger passengers -- nor is it suitable for anyone looking for a full enrichment programme.
Marella Cruises unveils new ship Marella Voyager with all-inclusive cruises from 2023
Deck 11 is the hub for daytime action, being both the pool deck (complete with bar, snack bar and stage) and where you’ll find The Kitchens – the busiest area of the ship for breakfast and lunch times. Adults seeking peace away from the bustle can slip into the Oceans Spa on Deck 11 or ascend to The Veranda on Deck 14, the only real kid-free area and certainly the quietest. Different ages tend to coexist happily throughout the ship, although we were sailing outside of UK school holidays. With a large selection of destinations and itineraries, Marella Cruises may show you the whole world.
Voyager shares a number of similarities with Marella Explorer and Marella Explorer 2 as they are also both former Celebrity and TUI ships. A key Marella focus is its cruise-and-stay programme, featuring more than 200 TUI hotels across eight destinations, ranging from the premium Platinum collection to their more authentic “Small and Friendly” properties, with the variety of choice being ramped up for 2024. The Mediterranean has long been Marella’s summer mainstay while the Canaries, Caribbean and the Red Sea are established winter haunts. The app is free of charge and, as it is hosted on the ship's own network, it will open on any browser, which means passengers don't have to download it or pay for Wi-Fi to access it. However, Navigate comes into its own for booking extras such as spa treatments, excursions and speciality restaurants.
Night owls won’t mind cabins aft cabins on Deck 8 that sit above the Squid & Anchor pub, where there can be music past midnight. Noise and footfall around the kids’ club on Deck 9 aft might cause annoyance to cabins close by, especially during school holidays. Half a dozen cabins also have restricted picture window views on forward Deck 4, so check the Marella Voyager deck plan beforehand if this would be an issue. The TUI line has revealed that in summer 2023 it will be offering three brand new USA itineraries onboard Marella Discovery, which includes ports of call and overnight stays to the likes of New York, Miami and Tampa. Marella Cruises has revealed it will be getting a brand new cruise ship for families, complete with pools, all-inclusive restaurants and even a secret Speakeasy bar.
These include the 4th century Rotunda of St. George, the walls of the Serdica fortress and the partially preserved Amphitheatre of Serdica. Aimed squarely at the British market, Marella Voyager passengers hail from all over the UK, with Scotland and the North of England particularly well represented during our sailing. Most were older couples, retirees and seasoned cruisers, though there were a few younger families with kids and even some multi-generational groups on board. Marella was one of the first British cruise lines to restart fly-cruises, which includes a September sailing around the Greek Islands. At the time of writing, the Foreign Office allows for international cruise ship travel, having lifted its ban since August.
It was the first edict legalising Christianity, preceding the Edict of Milan by two years. We were undeniably impressed with what the Executive Suites have to offer, both in terms of size and finish – families might want to consider stretching their budget for one if possible. That said, cosier Family Balcony Cabins can sleep up to one more (five in all) and still provide a feeling of light and space. An inaugural "Sunshine and Jazz" voyage will take passengers between Bridgetown, Barbados and Port Canaveral, stopping along the way in St. Thomas; Puerto Rico; Tampa; Key West; Miami; and offering three days in the iconic city of New Orleans.
Marella Cruise Ship Experiences Engine Fire, Cancels Next Sailing - Cruise Hive
Marella Cruise Ship Experiences Engine Fire, Cancels Next Sailing.
Posted: Sun, 09 Jul 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]
Expect kettles in cabins, Yorkshire Tea and Twinings teabags, top-notch curries and an excellent battered fish and chips, with Tartare and HP sauces readily available. There's a buzzy atmosphere and a nice flow to the ship's internal space that easily allows passengers to drift between venues. The evening entertainment shows are excellent and left us wanting more (they are only 45-minutes performances). Explorer 2 began life in 1995 as Celebrity Century, but Marella has done a nice job of transforming the ship to make it feel (almost) like new.
Following his capture in 1873, Vasil Levski was transferred and hanged in Sofia by the Ottomans. When it comes to the cityscape, 16th century sources mention eight Friday mosques, three public libraries, numerous schools, 12 churches, three synagogues, and the largest bedesten (market) of the Balkans.[98] Additionally, there were fountains and hammams (bathhouses). Most prominent churches such as Saint Sofia and Saint George were converted into mosques, and a number of new ones were constructed, including Banya Bashi Mosque built by the renowned Ottoman architect Mimar Sinan.
Plovdiv remained the most populous Bulgarian town until 1892 when Sofia took the lead. The city is the hot spot of internal migration, the capital population is increasing and is around 17% of the national,[160] thus a small number of people with local roots remain today, they dominate the surrounding rural suburbs and are called Shopi. Arena Sofia holds many indoor events and has a capacity of up to 19,000 people depending on its use.
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