Best Marella Cruises to book this winter for families, adventures, and more
With over 60 ports, plus state-of-the-art facilities, sophisticated dining, and plenty of activities to keep everyone entertained, we don't need to explain why Marella Cruises should be your next booking. Yet we have anyway!
Are you looking to book a cruise to escape the winter blues? Then look no further than Marella Cruises, a product of TUI.
With hundreds of cruise ships to choose from, booking a cruise holiday can be overwhelming to say the least. However, the general rule when it comes to setting sail is to choose a cruise line you’d like to travel with, then select a location and a cruise ship afterwards. In this case, we’re picking Marella Cruises to be our captain!
With five ships to choose from, Marella Cruises caters to everyone, whether you’re looking for a family friendly adventure with lots of activities to keep the kids entertained, a relaxing solo break, or maybe you’re searching for a couples-only retreat this winter.
So what does Marella Cruises have to offer? Marella Cruises has introduced not one, but two new destinations for Marella Discovery just in time for the winter 2025 season, Isla Catalina in the Dominican Republic and Ponce in Puerto Rico. Plus, with known favourites such as Barbados, St Lucia, Aruba, Curacao and Grenada, if you’d like to bring the New Year the New Year in style, you certainly know where to go.
There are so many reasons to book a Marella cruise this winter, the catalogue of destinations around the world – with over 60 ports to visit – plus 167 hotels available for Cruise & Stay packages, and 14 UK airports to travel from. But we’ve gone into even more detail below on why a Marella cruise should be your next booking.
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Why book a Marella cruise this winter?
Are you ready to explore the world on a Marella cruise this winter? Whether you’re a first time sailor or experiencing cruise ships is your bag, there’s one thing you’ll want for certain, and that’s security.
Whether it’s a lively and active cruise with state-of-the-art facilities, like climbing walls, and first-class entertainment or an intimate and cosy cruise with sophisticated dining and romantic settings, every person can agree that peace of mind is top of the agenda.
Marella Cruises offers ABTA and ATOL protection, flexible payment options, and an on-board team which are there to support you 24-hours a day seven days a week during your sailing.
This security is available on all Marella Cruises regardless of the itinerary. Sound enticing? The RadioTimes.com team have hand-picked the cruises we would love to feel the wind beneath our wings on. All aboard!
Browse all Marella Cruises at TUI
Top Marella Cruises destinations to treat yourself to for winter 2024 and 2025
Marella Voyager
Marella Voyager is the newest member of the Marella Cruises family. Marella Voyager first set sail in June 2023, and its offerings have only gotten better over the past year. Marella is offering New Year’s sailings for those who want to enter 2026 in style — one New Year cruise will see you visit Tenerife, Fuerteventura, Madeira and Gran Canaria, with a Cruise & Stay offer in Tenerife available.
To make ringing in 2026 even more special, you can experience the spectacle of the Madeira firework display, too, and, trust us, if videos are anything to go by, this firework display is one to rival the ones we see in London.
Marella Voyager has plenty of facilities to keep the whole family entertained, with an indoor and outdoor cinema, swimming pool and whirlpools, a show lounge with West End-style shows and 17 dining options to choose from.
Book a cruise onboard Marella Voyager at TUI
Marella Discovery
We think Marella Discovery and Marella Discovery 2 are the best options for a holiday perfect for the whole family, and we’ll tell you why.
Marella Discovery is the sister ship to Marella Discovery 2, so you can expect a lot of the same fantastic facilities on both of these kitted-out cruise ships. Marella Discovery comes with a great dining scene, with seven restaurants and seven bars, an outdoor cinema so you can watch your favourite movies by moonlight, a show lounge which rivals even the top West End theatres, a rock climbing wall, a mini-golf course, and two pools (one outdoor and one indoor pool).
For winter 2025, Marella is introducing two new ports which customers can visit onboard Marella Discovery; Isla Catalina in the Dominica Republic and Ponce in Puerto Rico.
Book a cruise onboard Marella Discovery at TUI
Marella Discovery 2
In January 2026, Marella Discover 2 introduces the Exotic Islands itinerary, which features an overnight stay in Willemstad, Curacao, as well as stops in St Lucia, Aruba and Grenada. If you can’t wait that long, the cruise ship already stops at Western Mediterranean and Caribbean ports such as St John’s in Antigua and Road Town in the British Virgin Islands. With fantastic family-friendly activities, including plenty for even the youngest children.
As well as an outdoor cinema, rock climbing wall, mini-golf course, two pools (an indoor and an outdoor pool), West End-style shows, and outdoor cinema, there’s also an onboard Kids' Club and Babytainment classes.
Your little ones can join in with daily sessions at M Club, tailored to three to 11-year-olds, or under threes can go along to hosted, parent-toddler Babytainment sessions.
Book a cruise onboard Marella Discovery 2 at TUI
Marella Explorer
Are you ready to set sail aboard Marella Explorer? This cruise ship has 10 restaurants and 10 bars, which are sure to offer something for everyone, from foodies to adults looking for a bar-like atmosphere at the end of the day.
On top of the many places to eat and drink, Marella Explorer also has an indoor and outdoor cinema — the open-air cinema lets you watch classic movies and the latest box office hits under the stars — a sports and family-centred deck, a Broadway Show Lounge, and a spa, where you can sign-up to anything from body-balancing acupuncture and treatments to body wraps and facials.
Book a cruise onboard Marella Explorer at TUI
Marella Explorer 2
This next cruise ship is perfect if you're looking for an adults-only cruise experience. Marella Explorer 2 is the only ship in the fleet that is reserved exclusively for adults. The phenomenal ship boasts exciting facilities including a large spa, Broadway Show Lounge which offers a wide range of productions, as well as nine restaurants and nine bars.
Some of the culinary and drinking highlights include The 19th Hole — a golf-themed bar with a golf simulator — Flutes, where you can sip champagne and Prosecco to the sound of a pianist, and Beach Cove, a relaxed restaurant with cool swinging seats.
