Marella Weekend Cruises, Short Cruises and Themed Cruises – Are They Worth It?

This post may contain affiliate links, which means that I may earn a commission if you make a purchase at no additional cost to you.

I recently took an Easter weekend cruise on Marella Explorer 2. I booked it just a couple of months beforehand, and I had a fantastic time.

Because the cruise was over a Bank Holiday weekend, my friend didn’t have to worry about taking time off work. She is a teacher so has to cruise during school holidays.

A weekend cruise can be perfect. You can get away for just a few nights and will not use up many – if any – work leave/vacation days.

There are pros and cons of taking a short cruise. Often people choose a short cruise to try out cruising for the first time. A short cruise isn’t always representative of what most cruises are like.

As well as offering short cruises, Marella often has an annual themed cruise. I have been on two themed cruises, 90-00’s and 1990’s themed.

Themed cruises are nothing like other cruises I have been on, although they were both great fun!

Who are Marella?

Marella is a British cruise line that offers good value all-inclusive cruise packages, with flights, transfers, and drinks included as standard

I’ve cruised with them five times, sailings have ranged from short weekend-themed cruises to a two-week Baltic cruise. I always enjoy sailing with Marella!

As Marella is a British cruise line, daily service charges or gratuities are not added to your onboard account. Gratuities are included within the cruise fare.

If you sail with an American cruise line, you can end up with a large onboard account to pay at the end of your holiday.

Once you have paid your fare on a Marella cruise, you won’t have to spend any more money – unless you choose to.

Marella Ships

All of Maralla’s ships have previously had another life sailing for other, larger cruise lines.

All ships were refurbished to a high standard before they started to sail for Marella.

Find out more about their fleet, who they sailed for before, their sizes etc, in the article below:

Marella Cruises, Ships by Size – Photo Guide and Reviews

How long are Marella’s short cruises?

Short cruises offered by Marella can be anything from 2 nights to five nights long.

Some, like the Easter Weekend cruise I took in 2024, are over a weekend, but others may be midweek.

Themed cruises tend to be three nights long.

Find out about the Easter Weekend cruise I took on Marella Explorer 2 here:

Where Can I Visit on a Short Cruise?

Two of the short cruises I have been on with Marella were in the Western Mediterranean, although you might be able to find some available in the Canary Islands, the Greek Islands, or Turkey.

Some are repositioning cruises, starting and ending in a different location. The beauty of sailing with Marella is that the flights and transfers are included in your cruise fare, so it doesn’t matter where you start and finish your cruise.

Marella used to sail from the UK, but at present, all of their cruises are fly-cruises.

Will There Be A Sea Day?

Unlikely. Marella short cruises usually go to a different port each day, so you can see a lot in a relatively short time.

Which Cruise Ship Should I Pick?

All of Marella’s ships are great in my experience. Bear in mind that Marella Explorer 2 is adult-only.

Short Cruise Fares

Short cruises aren’t particularly cheap cruises. Limited availability on weekend and themed cruises means that they are popular and sell out fast. The cruise line doesn’t need to discount them.

As Marella includes flights and transfers within their cruise fares, that will cost a significant part of the overall fare on a short cruise.

Fares depend on :

• How far in advance you book
• Which stateroom you choose
• What time of year you cruise
• How popular the cruise is

Generally speaking, the further in advance you book, the cheaper the fare will be. Booking a year in advance can usually get you a better price than waiting until just a few weeks or months before the cruise.

This isn’t always the case, though. If the cruise line still has cabins left to fill, they may discount them shortly before the cruise.

Last-minute deals should not be relied upon. If you want to go on a particular weekend cruise or themed cruise, book it would be my advice.

Two-night sailings in Autumn 2024 start from around £350, and a five-night sailing is around £720 (Prices correct at the time of writing).

The category of stateroom you choose can also significantly increase the overall cost of a short cruise. Inside cabins are almost always the cheapest category.

I often book an inside cabin. I will be in the cabin for only a short period of time anyway, i would prefer to be out enjoying myself!

I booked an Aft cabin on my most recent short cruise, but that was because my friend hadn’t cruised since she was a child, and I wanted her to really enjoy herself.

Few Extra Costs

Marella cruise includes flights, transfers, drinks and gratuities as standard.

Often, the only extras you might want to pay for our excursions, but the prices of Marella excursions and shuttle buses are very reasonable compared to American cruise lines.

Themed Cruises

I have sailed on two Marella weekend-themed cruises. One was “90’s versus 00’s” the other was 90’s themed.

One cruise was in the Mediterranean, and the other departed from the UK and went to Brugge in Belgium.

Both were great fun, but very much Party Cruises. I took friends who were new cruisers along with me, and they really enjoyed the experience.

Marella doesn’t sail these themed cruises regularly, so they book up fast when they are announced.

Themed cruises have live bands from the featured decade, along with tribute bands and DJs. It is a bit like a festival at sea!

Find out about the bands I saw, the costumes I dressed up in, and the food I ate in the video below:

Advantages and Disadvantages of a Short Cruises With Marella

Advantages	Disadvantages
Uses less holiday/vacation time	Doesn’t give you a real taste of a typical cruise
Can be fitted in to a long weekend	Can cost more per night than longer cruises
Themed party cruises are available	Can be a party cruise – whether that is good or bad depends on your personal tastes!
A range of drinks are included	Can be over far too quickly!
Flights and transfers are included
Gratuities are included
Excursions and Shuttles to nearby towns are relatively cheap
You don’t need to spend extra money once you have paid the initial cruise fare
Can be a party cruise – whether that is good or bad depends on your personal tastes!

Before You Go

Find out what drinks Marella includes as standard on their cruises here:

Marella Cruises All Inclusive Drinks List (and Menus)

Find out where Marella cruises sail in the article below:

Where Do Marella Cruises Sail? (2024 and Beyond)