Marella Cruises has unveiled its winter 2027 programme, and the headline is one for the growing adults-only crowd: Marella Discovery 2 will remain a permanent adults-only ship for a second consecutive winter.
All winter sailings across the five-ship fleet go on sale from 2 July 2026.
Four new adults-only spaces
The bigger news on Discovery 2 is what is going inside. Marella is replacing the ship’s former kids-only areas with four new adult-focused concepts: a speakeasy, an escape room, a karaoke room, and an arts-and-crafts space.
Chris Hackney, Marella’s CEO, said the programme would “focus on the regeneration of Marella Discovery 2 returning as an adults-only ship,” pointing to continued growth in demand for grown-ups-only cruising.
Discovery 2 joins Marella Explorer 2 as the line’s second adults-only ship, giving couples and child-free travellers two vessels to pick from across the season.
Where the fleet sails
The five ships spread across six European and Caribbean homeports for the winter, mixing Canary Islands sunshine, Caribbean itineraries and transatlantic crossings.
Marella Discovery 2 sails from Tenerife and Gran Canaria from November 2027 to March 2028, then switches to Malaga for March and April 2028.
Marella Discovery starts the winter in La Romana, in the Dominican Republic, before repositioning to Palma, Majorca, for the spring.
Marella Explorer alternates between Tenerife and Las Palmas on a run of Canarian itineraries, while Marella Voyager and the adults-only Marella Explorer 2 both sail the Caribbean from Barbados.
New itineraries
Discovery 2’s new seven-night ‘Atlantic Fusion’ itinerary marks a return to Agadir in Morocco, alongside calls at Las Palmas, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Puerto del Rosario on Fuerteventura, Arrecife on Lanzarote, and Santa Cruz on La Palma.
There are also five- to eight-night repositioning cruises, among them ‘Canarian Collection 2’ from Malaga, taking in Gibraltar, an overnight in Funchal on Madeira, and a sweep of the Canaries.
For a bigger trip, 13- and 14-night transatlantic sailings include ‘Voyage to the Tropics’ on Marella Discovery, running from Malaga to the Caribbean via Gibraltar and eight days at sea, before calls in Antigua, St Kitts, St Maarten and the British Virgin Islands, finishing in La Romana.
Cruise & Stay and festive touches
Marella is expanding its Cruise & Stay programme too, adding 39 new hotels across Malaga, Gran Canaria, Tenerife, La Romana, Barbados and Palma — taking the total to 197, bookable from 12 TUI Airways regional airports around the UK.
There is a festive flourish as well: Marella Explorer stays overnight in Funchal, Madeira, on its ‘A Canarian Christmas’ sailing on 23 December 2027.
What’s included, and the price
Suite guests get an upgrade across the fleet, with the line’s Suite Service Max package — in-suite comforts, dining privileges and extra touches — extended to all Royal, Voyager and Executive Suites.
As ever with Marella, fares are all-inclusive as standard, with tips and service charges built in. Winter 2027 itineraries start from £1,817 per person for the ‘Caribbean Charms’ sailings.
Why it matters for UK cruisers
For British holidaymakers, Marella remains one of the most straightforward routes to winter sun. As TUI’s UK line it prices in sterling, flies from regional airports across the country, and bundles flights, transfers, meals, drinks and tips into a single all-inclusive fare.
The steady expansion of its adults-only fleet also tracks a wider industry shift, as more lines carve out child-free ships and spaces for couples and older travellers. Marella calls itself the UK’s third-largest cruise line, and this programme is aimed squarely at that fuss-free, all-in winter-sun market.
Image: Marella Cruises
