TUI Cruises is set to grow in size and reach, according to the German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine.
The newspaper reported that British cruise line Marella Cruises, which is currently owned by TUI Group, will be integrated into TUI Cruises – a joint venture between TUI Group and Royal Caribbean Group.
The handover of Marella will grow TUI Cruises, which currently operates in the German market, into a European cruise line. Earlier, in 2020, another cruise line, Hapag Lloyd Cruises, was integrated into the TUI Cruises brand in a similar fashion.
Marella Cruises currently has a fleet of four ships – the Marella Explorer, Marella Explorer 2, Marella Discovery and Marella Discovery 2. The cruise line recently confirmed to Cruise Industry News that it would be growing its fleet to five ships in 2023 but did not disclose which ship those plans would involve.
Marella Cruises has revealed details of its brand new itineraries sailing UK shores in summer 2021.
According to a press release, the Marella Explorer will set sail from Southampton on UK itineraries from June 25, 2021, sailing to new ports of call including, Belfast, Dublin and Liverpool.
The Marella Explorer 2, the cruise line’s adult-only ship, will also offer UK sailings from Newcastle from July 10, 2021, with even more UK ports of call.
“After pausing our operations for more than a year, we are delighted to announce our UK summer program and welcome our wonderful customers back onboard our ships. The safety and well-being of both our crew and passengers remain our priority which is why we have vaccination and testing protocols for all sailings from UK ports this summer,” said the Managing Director of Cruise TUI UK & I, Chris Hackney.
“Domestic sailings are a great step for the cruise industry and has given us the opportunity to take our customers to new destinations full of culture and history whilst still being close to home. We’re looking forward to this new adventure on the British seas and are dedicated to making sure our customers have the most memorable and exciting cruise with us,” he added.
The Marella Explorer will sail seven new UK itineraries during the summer 2021 season, “perfect for those looking to explore via sea the history and culture of some amazing British cities and towns,” the cruise line said. All itineraries will have recommended excursions from our onboard destination services team to offer guests options to make the most of their time ashore.
According to Marella, Sail the South Coast itinerary is a “great taster and for those new to cruising with a three-night itinerary from Southampton, visiting Dover for Canterbury Cathedral and Portland for the beautiful Abbotsbury Swannery & Gardens.”
“Cruisers looking for a longer break can experience the new Sail the Irish Sea. Departing in August from Southampton, it will visit popular cities including Liverpool, Dublin and Cobh in the Republic of Ireland,” the cruise line wrote.
Marella is also offering a number of Scottish itineraries, including ‘British Sights and Seas’ which will visit five Scottish hotspots. The history-rich itinerary has a day at sea before exploring Invergordon, the old historic town of Kirkwall and the rich culture of Leith and a visit to Edinburgh Castle before heading to Newcastle and then back down to Southampton.
A Taste of the West Coast will also see Marella Explorer sail to Greenock, the capital of Northern Ireland – Belfast and Holyhead before finishing the itinerary in Portland.
Anyone aged 18 years and older will be required to have had both COVID-19 jabs at least seven days before travelling. All under 18 year-olds, excluding infants under the age of two who will not be able to sail as they are exempt from testing, will be asked to have a lateral flow test.
All itineraries, except for those with Newcastle as an embarkation point, go on sale on April 16, Marella said. Newcastle sailings are expected to go on sale by the end of April.
UK sailings are available only for UK residents with a permanent UK address and a valid passport.
Marella Cruises and Tui River Cruises summer 2022 programmes go on sale on November 5. One of three river vessels, Tui Maya, will go all-inclusive as standard. Six additional itineraries will be available across three Marella Cruises ships, with another itinerary by Marella Discovery on sale from December 10. Marella will put 18 cruises on sale next week and a further five in December covering islands such as Santorini, Kefalonia, Corsica, Sardinia and Sicily and cities like Dubrovnik, Barcelona, Split, Venice and Lisbon as well as gateway ports to Rome, Florence, Seville and Athens. Marella Discovery will homeport in Palma for the fourth time after its first season in the Majorcan capital in 2016. The all-inclusive offering onboard Tui Maya will include a range of alcoholic drinks and premium Lavazza coffee. Those who upgrade to superior, superior French balcony or French balcony suite cabins will have a free minibar included in their package. All departures on Tui Maya in summer 2022 will be on Fridays. Two new itineraries have been added to the sailing programme on the Rhine and Main rivers. Cruise managing director Chris Hackney said: “We’re pleased to be able to share details of our summer 2022 programme and we are really excited to offer our first all-inclusive ship in our river cruise line. “We have something to offer everyone as we have itineraries visiting some of the best places in the world. “Our river cruise line is constantly developing and we’re always listening to what our customers want and we want to offer even more choice when it comes to booking their cruise. “With a high percentage of guests already booking all-inclusive, it only seemed right we created a ship dedicated to the board basis, so we know it’s something our customers will love.”
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