What you need to know about sailing with Marella in Summer 2021

Are you planning on taking a Summer 2021 cruise with Marella Cruises? They’ve very recently restarted cruising, offering a selection of the UK based itineraries. Because cruising has only recently re-started, you will only have the choice of UK departures and UK-based itineraries. For those looking to sail with family, Marella Explorer is offering cruises departing from Southampton. Meanwhile adults-only sister ship Marella Explorer 2 is offering itineraries departing from Newcastle.

Here are some details I think are useful to know if you are looking to sail with Marella this summer.

Do you need to be vaccinated to sail on Marella Cruises?

At the moment those aged 18 or over on the day of sailing you will need to have had both doses of a UK government-approved covid-19 vaccine at least 7 days before your departure date. If children aged between 2 to 17 are travelling with you they will not need to be vaccinated. They will however need to have a lateral flow test before they depart.

If you are someone that has chosen not have the Covid-19 vaccine for personal reason, or if for health reasons you are unable to get the vaccine, unfortunately at this stage it looks like you won’t be able to go on a Marella cruise we will have to wait and see if these rules change as time moves on.

You will be asked to provide proof of your vaccination status upon checking-in. You can either do this through a letter which you can apply for online, or you can show the NHS app.

Do you need to take a COVID Test before going on Marella Cruises? What type of COVID test do you need?

You will need to take a lateral flow test before you can get on board however there is no cost to you. There is no requirements to take tests before you arrive in port.

When you arrive in Port you will be tested and you will wait until your results come through, before going through to the check-in stage. You take the test yourself under the supervision of nurse and you swab up the nose only – no gag reflex activation in public!!

The total amount of time needed from us arriving in the car park to getting on board the ship was about 1 hour and 45 minutes. That included taking the test, waiting for results and checking in.

What covid restrictions are onboard Marella Cruises?

This will no doubt change as time goes on. When I went on my cruise on the 16th of July restrictions on land were just about to change however were still in place on the ship.

Face masks are required when you’re walking around inside, however aren’t required in your cabin, on open deck or when eating and drinking.

There was a one-way system throughout the ship, and of course reduced passenger capacity on board, meaning you will never coming to close into contact with others that weren’t in your party.

Another part of the requirements on board were daily temperature checks – these had to be completed before 16:00 or your card got shut off – that means no more drinks!

The temperature checks on board Marella cruises were super convenient. There were several temperature checking stations around one of the main decks on our ship – all you needed to was scan your cruise card and face the camera so that it could read your temperature. It was a really easy process and I think we only actually had to queue for the machine once or twice!

Are children allowed on Marella Cruises?

I sailed on Marella Explorer 2 which is strictly an adults only ship, meaning you have to be 18 or over, however Marella Explorer does allow children over the age of 2 on board. Unfortunate the moment children under 2 aren’t able to sail due to them not being able to take lateral flow tests.

Are Marella Cruises ships stopping in port?

There were a few early problems with Marella Cruises not being able to stop in ports due to changes with Scottish ports, however my cruise was the first to stop with ports – although not those that were originally planned on the itinerary!

Now however Marella cruises can stop in port including in Scotland. This means you’ll be able to look forward to ports including:

• Invergordon
• Leith
• Dover
• Portland
• Belfast
• Greenock
• Kirkwall

From September, Marella Cruises are planning on stopping in Mediterranean ports including Malaga, Cadiz and Barcelona.

Can you get off the ship without being on a Marella shore excursion?

Now this is one of the most controversial topics in some of the Facebook forums. As it stands and the moment, you will not able to get off the ship in port unless you are on a Marella organised Shore excursion. Yes we know it’s a way for TUI to make some much needed money back, but it’s to identify ship bubbles. We all know the government and the media has been extremely critical and suspicious of cruise line with phrases like “plague ships” and “floating petri dishes” thrown around. Unfortunately this is a temporary measure so that the cruise lines can get going.

Now although I believe on European cruises earlier in the year there was a lot of controversy around people having no free time on my shore excursions, on Marella Explorer 2 we were given free time on each excursion. Not a lot of it, but it meant we had time to go and grab a sandwich, go and grab a drink, go and take our own photos etc. The tour guides were exercising their own common sense in allowing us some time on our own.

We were asked to keep wearing masks if we went anywhere indoors which I was quite happy to comply with, and we had to wear masks whilst on the coach. We did shore excursions to the Giant’s Causeway, Cerarvon and the Welsh Highland Railway, Tropical Gardens and Abbotsbury Swannery and a trip to Canterbury.

Are all meals and booze included on Marella Cruises?

Marella Cruises is a totally all inclusive cruise line – this means breakfast, lunch, dinner and buffet snacks throughout the day are all included in the price of your cruise.

You also get a range of soft drinks, spirits, beers, wine etc included in the price of your cruise on a default all-inclusive drinks package, although you can also upgrade to a premium all inclusive package if you so wish.

This gives you more premium options – check out my blog post for a peek at the drinks menus and more information on if it’s worth upgrading to the premium all-inclusive on Marella Cruises.

You will also have a choice of speciality restaurants on board for a nominal extra cost, including Kora La, Surf and Turf, The Beach Club and The Dining Club. I highly recommend the latter, especially for the gluten-free musical theatre afternoon tea!

Does Marella Cruises offer gluten free?

Yes, Marella cruises offers gluten-free options in all of its dining venues. Most of these options will be marked on menus however you can order ahead of time if there’s something in particular you fancy. I particularly love the gluten-free pasta dishes in Nonna’s and this time round got to try out the gluten-free pizza it was delicious. Check out my blog post for my experience eating gluten free on Marella Explorer 2.

Is there still a buffet on Marella Ships?

Yes the buffet known as the Market Place is still working on the Marella Explorer and Marella Explorer 2, however staff will be serving you rather than you helping yourself. To those who are frequent cruisers this is not an unfamiliar situation as often happens as a precaution if gastro bugs are identified on board. The only difference is now you will be taken to a table in the buffet rather than just choosing where you sit, unless you are sitting on the back terrace in which case staff were quite happy to let you pick a table in the open air.

Looking for information on Gluten Free Cruise Lines? Check out my blog post category!

Are there still shows in the theatre?

Yes there are absolutely still shows being performed in The Broadway show Lounge! Because of the reduced capacity there is plenty of room to space out and not be sat next to people you are not travelling with. As long as you have a drink in your hand you don’t have to wear a mask in the theatre.

I have to say I’ve seen a lot of show casts over all the cruises I’ve done and I think this must have been one of the strongest show cast – the standard of both the singing, dancing and acting was absolutely incredible – I particularly enjoyed their musical theatre showcase.

Thinking of booking a Marella Summer 2021 cruise? Use discount code CRUISE2021 to save an extra £200per booking on all 2021 sailings departing between 24th July to 31st December 2021. Offer must be selected at time of booking and applies to new bookings only, is subject to availability. Check out summer cruise sailings here (aff link)

Fancy trying a river cruise?  Use code EXPLORE400 and save £400 per booking on TUI River Cruises sailings between 15th August  – 30th August 2021. Offer must be selected at time of booking and applies to new bookings only, is subject to availability. The code is applicable to bookings of a minimum value of £1300 – check out TUI river cruises here (Aff link)