6 Ways Marella Cruises Are Different From Traditional Cruises

This post is sponsored by Marella Cruises, all opinions are my own based on my past 6 Marella cruises.

It is no secret that I always enjoy cruising with Marella Cruises. I’ve cruised with them six times now.

Their British feel and “all-inclusive” approach make Marella Cruises a good option for British cruisers.

It is also great for those from other parts of the world who want to try a more British approach to cruising.

In this article, we look at why Marella Cruises are different from other mainstream cruise experiences

#1 Marella Cruises Are All Inclusive

Once you have paid your cruise fare, you don’t have to spend anything else if you don’t want to.

This makes it far easier if you have a limited holiday budget.

There have been many times I have got off a Marella Cruise’s ship with a zero onboard bill at the end (or maybe a bill of just a couple of pounds when I have bought an additional charge Marella cookie – they really are fantastic!)

Drinks Are Included

Marella Cruises fares include a range of beers, cocktails, wines and soft drinks as standard.

You can upgrade to Marella Cruises “Premium All Inclusive” package, which allows you to have premium coffees, cocktails, and soda in cans instead of fountain sodas.

There is absolutely no need to do this though, the standard drinks package includes a good range of included drinks.

Did you know that every Marella Cruise ship is All Inclusive as standard? That means that you can focus on the important things, like enjoying yourself. A selection of hot drinks, soft drinks, cocktails, mocktails, beers, and wines are included in our standard All Inclusive packages. Plus, you can upgrade to Premium All Inclusive for even more choice. We’re talking speciality coffees, premium cocktails and more…

Marella Cruises

The cost of upgrading to “Premium All Inclusive” is around £10-£12 per person per night. A Premium drinks package on some of the American lines are over £100 a day!

You can literally upgrade your drinks for your whole holiday for less than the cost of one day’s drinks package on some of the big American cruise lines.

Service Charges/Gratuities

Again, all service charges are included in the cruise fare, so you won’t have a big onboard bill with service charges added to pay at the end of the cruise.

In Britain, we have a very different tipping culture from the USA. I much prefer to pay upfront for any service charges, and many British cruise lines and those that sail out of the UK often include them in the initial cruise fare.

Find out everything you need to know about cruise line gratuities here:

Cruise Gratuities: A Simple Step by Step Guide For First Time Cruisers

#3 Flexible Dining Times

The atmosphere onboard Marella Cruises ships is very relaxed, and dining is also a casual affair.

You can just turn up to eat in the dining room when you are hungry.

There are no strict dress codes, so you can really relax and enjoy your cruise. (You don’t have to pack big cases to allow for extra smart clothes either!)

You aren’t stuck to any rigid schedules, and you can fit dining in around shows or other entertainment you would like to see.

If you don’t want to go to the main dining room, there are plenty of alternative places to eat, like the buffet or the “Snack Shack.”

When sailing with some other cruise lines, you might find that you have to eat at a set table at a set time every night – whether that suits your plans or not.

When I sailed with the traditional British cruise line Fred Olsen, I wasn’t keen on the fixed dining and enforced table sharing. Find out more about that here:

#4 Refurbished Second-Hand Ships with Unique Character

Marella Cruises don’t claim to have the biggest, flashiest ships on the market – but I do love their ships!

All have had previous lives sailing for other, mainstream cruise lines, and all have been refurbished to a high standard before beginning their lives with Marella Cruises.

Ships are tailored to the British market. Gone are the large casinos found on American ships, replaced by pubs and coffee lounges, which are far more appealing to British cruisers.

When you sail with MSC or Royal Caribbean, you may find that a lot of their ships are very similar.

If you have sailed on MSC Virtuosa, for example, you will find her sister ships – Bellissima, Grandiosa, Euribia and Meraviglia very similar in style and layout.

Marella Cruises bought ships from several different cruise lines, so each has its own character and layout.

Find out more about Marella Cruises ships and their previous lives here:

How Marella Cruises Transformed Ex-Celebrity and Royal Caribbean Ships

#5 Unusual and Unique Itineraries

Because Marella Cruises ships are smaller, they can visit ports and towns that larger cruise ships can’t.

This makes Marella Cruises a perfect choice for travellers who prefer more unique and interesting destinations.

Smaller ports and lesser-known destinations you visit are likely to be less crowded, too.

If you were to sail on the newest and biggest ships, like Royal Caribbean’s Icon of the Seas, for example, the ports you could visit would be very limited.

 Icon can accommodate up to 7,600 passengers at full capacity, which is the population of a small town.

Just imagine the logistics of getting all those people off and on when you dock – and how crowded it will be with all your fellow cruisers in port once you have arrived!

#6 British Vibe Onboard

Marella Cruises has a relaxed, British-inspired atmosphere onboard.

The British pound is the currency onboard – all prices shown will be in British pounds.

The venues onboard, like the hugely popular “Squid and Anchor” pub, have been designed with a British audience in mind. Entertainment like shows, trivia and quizzes appeal to British cruisers.

Some American cruise lines, like Carnival, offer fast-paced entertainment with plenty of audience participation. There may be bean bag tosses, sports tournaments, ice carving demonstrations, and even Dr. Seuss character parades! Until very recently, they held men’s “hairy chest” and belly flop competitions!

This is unlikely to appeal to the standard British audience. I hate entertainment that involves audience participation, in fact, I go out of my way to avoid it!

British travellers will feel right at home with all the familiar UK touches, this will add a sense of comfort to their cruise adventure.

Cruises are great for first-time, nervous travellers, and Marella Cruises would be perfect for a first cruise. Find out more about that here:

Why Cruises Are Perfect for Nervous First-Time Travellers

#7 Flights And Transfers Are Included

Marella Cruises are only offering fly-cruises out of the UK at present. (In previous years, they have had some ships sailing from the UK, and I hope they may return to that in the future.)

When you book your cruise with Marella Cruises, you can relax knowing that the flights and transfers to and from the ship are included in the cruise fare.

You also get a baggage allowance of 20 kg per person. If you were booking your own flights, particularly on budget airlines, every suitcase you took would cost more money!

If something goes wrong – a flight is delayed, for example, everything will be sorted out for you.

This means that once you get to the airport, you can truly relax and know everything is taken care of.

When I took a TUI River Cruise (The River Cruise, sister brand of Marella Cruises) I was so pleased that flights and transfers were included.

Due to high water levels, our itinerary was changed completely – we even flew to a different airport! Luckily, as it was all part of the package, it was their problem, not mine…

TUI sorted everything out, and we had a great trip. Find out about that here:

Booking a cruise with Marella Cruises means that your cruise experience will be as easy and hassle-free as possible. Everything is taken care of for you.

It will also mean that you won’t have that dreaded onboard account to pay at the end of the cruise!

When I wanted to take a friend on a cruise – the first cruise she had taken since childhood – Marella Cruises was the perfect choice. She loved every minute. Find out about that cruise here:

Before You Go

Marella Cruises often offers discount codes to use when booking online. This makes an already good value cruise even more affordable! Find out more about that here:

How to Find Discounts on Marella and TUI Cruises (Coupon Codes, Always Available)

Find out about great free things to do onboard Marella Discovery here:

Marella Discovery – 8 Free “Must Do” Activities Onboard