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Marella Voyager is the latest ship from Tui-owned Marella Cruises. It made its debut in June 2023 after a multi-million-pound bow-to-stern refurbishment that included a raft of new-to-the-line additions. The 1,912-passenger family-friendly ship was originally built in 1997 for Celebrity Cruises and most recently sailed as Tui's Mein Schiff Herz, and is now the fifth and largest by tonnage in the Marella fleet. Sister ship to Marella Explorer and Marella Explorer 2, Marella Voyager was christened in Palma, Mallorca, in May 2023 and is sailing four Mediterranean itineraries over the summer season, before repositioning to Barbados for the winter. Marella Voyager carries 1,912 passengers at double occupancy across 952 cabins. The ship weighs in at 77,302 GRT, with 760 crew and 13 decks.
Marella Voyager is all-inclusive, covering flights and most food and drink. Selected alcoholic beverages and soft drinks by the glass are covered, although room service and minibar beverages are not and The Coffee Port charges for drinks and snacks. Premium package includes all cocktails, craft and guest beers, and top-shelf spirits (though Champagne is always chargeable). There are also several for-fee speciality restaurants.
Exciting new bars and round-the-clock entertainment. Of Marella Voyager's 10 bars, three are totally new to the fleet. The Arts House is the largest, with a colourful lounge space, shuffle board tables, and arts and crafts station, plus a stage with evening entertainment. Aperitif is geared toward pre-dinner drinks, featuring a speciality gin and whisky list you can't find elsewhere on board. The speakeasy-style The Exchange is lots of fun. It's an immersive adults-only experience combining interactive actors, parlour games and sing-a-longs, all while sampling a trio of (rather strong) signature cocktails. Replacing the Lounge Bar on the sister ships, the pub-style Squid & Anchor doubles as an entertainment hub while, with its retractable roof, The Summer House is all about cocktails and cold beers in the sun. For something a little more intimate Flutes is a two-floor Champagne bar with 'push for bubbles' buttons and tinkling live piano music. We were generally impressed by the number of pianos dotted throughout the ship, with the onboard talent ensuring quality live music across numerous venues. For a caffeine and sugar hit, we grabbed a flat white and giant cookie at The Coffee Port, where you can also browsing a library of novels and choose from a collection of board games. Heavy investment went into a revamp of the disco area, with the creation of The Electric Rooms on Deck 12. This swish neon-drenched nightclub is kitted out with an LED-lit dance floor and DJ booth, and hosts themed music nights and silent discos (we could flip between two music genre playlists). The space also extends to upper and lower lounge areas and a plushly refurbished casino with blackjack and roulette. More nightly all-singing-and-dancing entertainment kicks of six days a week at the Broadway Show Lounge, with a programme of 10 brand-new shows and two tried-and-tested fleet favourites. This 900-seater venue is also the line's largest, plus the cast will be showcasing over 500 newly created bespoke costumes.
Marella Voyages offers expanded family-friendly facilities and welness offering. Families with little cruisers are well catered for onboard. A programme of kids' club activities is geared towards various ages, with three zones catering to babies and toddlers (Mini M Club), three- to 11-year-olds (M Club) and older kids and teens (Hideout). There's also a family-friendly cinema showing Hollywood classics and recently released blockbusters. The pool deck also has poolside activities and a dedicated splash pool for children. Also part of the pool deck are a pair of whirlpool tubs, and for adults looking for some quieter child-free time The Veranda is an adults-only space with luxury sunbeds facing the ocean and cabanas for hire. With its huge wraparound windows, the gym is the largest in the fleet and boasts an impressive number of machines. The neighbouring Ocean Spa is more modest in size compared to others in the fleet, offering a range of wellness and beauty treatments from body wraps to teeth whitening
The largest area of renewal was a refit of the ship's main dining zone, replacing the traditional buffet with a new concept: The Kitchens. Open between 6:30 a.m. and midnight, this bright and contemporary food-hall-style area on Deck 11 allows diners to browse up to eight distinctive serviced and help-yourself food stations. Bamboo offers South Asian noodle-based dishes; Athena's is for Greek pittas and gyros; The Banyan Leaf is Indian street-food and curries; The Pastry Crust serves classic pies and mash; Gravy Boat is for traditional roast dinners; The Dressed Leaf has healthy salads; Cherry on Top dishes out ice cream and other sweet treats; and The Pantry has hot or cold grab-and-go sandwiches.
Marella Voyager also debuts the line's first Mexican restaurant, Abuela's, as chosen by customers poll, offering a colourful cantina-style eatery of tacos, burritos and nachos. Neighbouring Abuela's is Italian favourite Nonna's (both meaning 'Grandma's' in their respective tongue) serving choose-your-topping pizza. Another Marella Voyager exclusive is Silver Fork on Deck 5. This premium for-fee restaurant offers a choice of Modern British a la carte or a seven-course tasting menu with wine pairing -- the Beef Wellington was a highlight. The third dining debut is Platter, where you can nibble on cheese and cold cuts accompanied by a choice of wines (for a fee). Those familiar with Marella cruising will recognise the breakfast-through-dinner waiter-serviced Latitude 53 and its twin dinner-only restaurant Vista. The for-fee Surf & Turf Steakhouse and Kora La also make a welcome return, while the Snack Shack will continue to provide poolside bites. As well as introducing more than 150 new dishes, the ship has made big strides their meat-free options, too. A quarter of the new menus feature vegetarian dishes and 15 percent are vegan, accounting for 37 new plant-based options in total. Restaurants and food stations onboard total an impressive 17 in all, the most of any ship in the Marella fleet by far.
Marella Voyager's 952 cabins are spread over a dozen categories and offer the typical mix of Inside, Outside, Balcony and Suite accommodation, plus a greater number of Family Cabins. Also new are two deluxe suites themed around cruise destinations chosen by TUI customers, who picked St. Lucia and Santorini. Every cabin on Marella Voyager comes with air-conditioning, a hairdryer, a flatscreen TV, wardrobe space, tea and coffee-making facilities and a safe. All balconied cabins include loungers and seating, and our Large Balcony Cabin also included a hammock for sea-view swinging Marella Voyager will offer more family Cabins, including Inside and Balcony Family cabins, measuring 19sqm and 20sqm, respectively. There will be two Voyager Suites which will reflect the destinations the ship sails to, in this case Santorini and St Lucia.
