Marella Launches Second Country Rhythms Themed Cruise

Posted on 22 June, 2026 by Spacejunkie2

Marella Launches Second Country Rhythms Themed Cruise

Marella Cruises has announced the return of its adult-only country music-themed cruise, “Country Rhythms,” aboard the Marella Explorer in November 2027.

Chris Hackney, CEO at Marella Cruises, said: “Following strong demand for our first Country Rhythms themed cruise in February 2026 and successful booking results in its first year, we’re excited to bring it back for a second season in winter 2027.”

“These impressive stats from our first country-themed cruise, alongside our market research, have shown that our new and existing customers are keen to explore new themed cruises involving beloved country music combined with our all-inclusive and end-to-end cruise offering,” added Hackney.

“We’re excited to announce more news in the future for Country Rhythms 2027, so stay tuned.”

The themed cruise will include a country music lineup of live singers and acts, which will be announced at a later date. The themed cruise will go on sale from July 2, 2026.

TUI’s UK cruise line said in a press release that the sailing will feature country-themed activities including a Barn Dance bash, production shows and line dancing classes.

There will be two sailings for customers to experience the cruises:

The first is a four-night sailing from Thursday, November 11, 2027, to Monday, November 15, 2027.

The cruise embarks from Malaga, Spain and sails through Gibraltar; day at sea; Puerto del Rosario, Fuerteventura and finishing in Las Palmas, Gran Canaria.

The second will be a five-night cruise from Thursday, November 11, 2027, to Tuesday, November 16, 2027.

The cruise sails from Malaga through Gibraltar; day at sea; Puerto del Rosario, Fuerteventura; Las Palmas, Gran Canaria and ending in Santa Cruz de Tenerife.

All sailings will have TUI Airways flights across six regional airports including London Gatwick, Bristol, Manchester, Newcastle, Glasgow and Belfast.

Robbie Williams Headlines Mein Schiff Relax Christening in Málaga

Posted on 15 April, 2025 by Spacejunkie2

TUI announced in a press release that the Mein Schiff Relax was christened on April 9, 2025, in the port of Málaga. The event was attended by more than 12,000 guests.

Wybcke Meier, CEO of TUI Cruises, opened the official christening show with presenter Judith Rakers, who hosted the evening.

According to the company, the occasion was the first to include three of its ships and a christening in its history: Robbie Williams performed for guests onboard the Mein Schiff 5, Mein Schiff 7 and Mein Schiff Relax, as well as for other visitors, in a concert held for the christening of the ship.

Williams said: “The Mein Schiff Relax embodies the perfect blend of relaxation and diversity; she is truly an incredible ship. I loved performing at the christening ceremony in this stunning setting in the old town of Málaga.”

“The christening of Mein Schiff Relax is the beginning of a new era for TUI Cruises and another milestone in our success story. Mein Schiff Relax offers numerous innovations that make it unique. And that’s why it was important to us to welcome this new feel-good ship to the fleet in a special way,” said Wybcke Meier, CEO of TUI Cruises.

The christening event included musical highlights such as local artists Mitchy and André Katawazi and MOKABY and performances by Giovanni Zarrella and Robbie Williams.

According to the press release, the staging culminated with the smashing of the champagne bottle, which was initiated by Giuliana Rizzo, godmother and spa and sports manager of Mein Schiff Relax.

The Mein Schiff Relax will offer seven- to 10-day cruises from/to Palma/Mallorca this summer. Highlights include Italian cities such as Rome, La Spezia and Naples; the Spanish mainland; and coastal cities Valencia, Barcelona, Málaga and Cádiz.

The ship will also sail to Marseille or Ajaccio in France, Lisbon in Portugal, and Sardinia or Sicily in Italy. Highlights include the port city of Tangier and an overnight stay in the port of Palma on selected routes.

Marella Sending Discovery 2 to Med and Canaries for Winter 2024-25

Posted on 24 May, 2024 by Spacejunkie2

Starting November 7, Marella Cruises will homeport the Marella Discovery 2 in Malaga, Spain for a series of winter sailings before heading to Tenerife and Gran Canaria in December 2024.

The ship was previously slated to sail in Asia.

These itineraries go on sale on May 23.

Chris Hackney, managing director of Cruise for TUI UK & I said: “We are delighted to offer these itineraries out of two of our well-established homeports for this winter. We know guests love the beautiful Canaries and Madeira and as Marella Cruises is part of TUI, we can offer incredible experiences ashore with our destination teams as well as a great onboard experience too. All of these itineraries offer cruise and stay options too, with great flying options across various UK airports.”

“We do appreciate how disappointing it was to those customers who were impacted by the cancellation of our Asia program on Marella Discovery 2, but we are confident with the breadth of the program we have to offer something different to our customers.”

From Malaga, Spain, Marella will offer two itineraries:

Spanish Flavours, departing from November 7, 2024, with visits to Malaga, Palma de Mallorca, Barcelona, Valencia, Cartegena, Gibraltar and porting in Malaga.
Sights and Delights, departing from November 14, 2024, visiting Malaga, Lisbon, Portugal, Cadiz, Casablanca, Cartagena, Motril and Malaga, Spain.

From Tenerife, the Marella Discovery 2 will also offer two new itineraries:

Winter Escape, departing November 28, 2024, with visits to Malaga, Gibraltar, Cadiz, Gran Canaria and Tenerife.
Sail into Spring, departing on March 24, 2025, visiting Gran Canaria, Tenerife, Cartagena, Malta and Limassol, Cyprus.