Marella Cruises Marella Explorer

Category Scores

General / Balanced Young Family Luxury Traveler Mature Couple / Retired Solo Traveler Active / Adventure Adult Couples

Space & Comfort

59Beats 48% of ships

Dining

76Top 33% of ships

Entertainment

89Top 5% of ships

Activities & Thrills

80Top 19% of ships

Pools & Relaxation

79Top 25% of ships

Value / Cost

97Top 8% of ships

Line shading shows where all scored ships land in each category · dot = this ship · scored for the traveller type selected above

What We Like

Strong Value / Cost — scores 97/100

Strong Entertainment — scores 89/100

Strong Activities & Thrills — scores 80/100

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Worth Knowing

No notable trade-offs found.

General

Cruise LineMarella Cruises

Ship NameMarella Explorer

Maiden voyage10 October 1996

Physical

Year Built1996

Refurbished

ⓘ

The year of the ship's most recent major refit or renovation.

2018

BuilderMeyer Werft

Gross Tonnage

ⓘ

A measure of a ship's enclosed volume, not its weight. Higher usually means more decks, space and amenities.

76,998 tons

Length

ⓘ

Overall length of the hull from bow to stern.

263.9 m

Width/Beam

ⓘ

The ship's width at its widest point. A wider hull is steadier but limits which ports and canals it can use.

32.2 m

Total decks

ⓘ

Total number of decks, including crew-only and service decks.

Passenger Decks10

Speed

ⓘ

Cruising speed in knots (nautical miles per hour). One knot is about 1.15 mph.

21.5 knots

Passengers and Crew

Crew908

Passenger to Crew Ratio

ⓘ

Guests per crew member. Lower means more staff per passenger, which usually means more attentive service.

Total Cabins935

Single Occupancy Cabins

ⓘ

Whether the ship has cabins built for solo travellers (often without a single supplement).

Yes

Wheelchair-Accessible Cabins8

Passenger Capacity

ⓘ

The maximum number of guests the ship can carry at full occupancy.

1,924

Space Ratio (tons of ship per passenger)

ⓘ

Gross tonnage divided by passenger capacity — a rough 'spaciousness' gauge. Higher means more room per guest.

40.02

Amenities

Restaurants11 total: Latitude 53 (main dining room), The Market Place (buffet), Vista (Italian), The Mediterranean (Spanish tapas/Italian pizza & pasta), Snack Shack, Coffee Port, plus paid speciality venues The Dining Club (French fine dining), Kora La (pan-Asian), Surf & Turf (steakhouse), and Umi Sushi

Restaurants - Paid4

Restaurants - Included7

Onboard Currency

ⓘ

The currency used for onboard purchases and billing.

British Sterling

Total Pools3

- Pools - General Access2

- Pools - Adults Only1

- Pools - Exclusive2

Water Playground/Splash ParkYes

Kiddie/Splash PoolYes

Total Hot Tubs7

- Hot Tubs - General Access6

- Hot Tubs - Adults Only3

- Hot Tubs - Exclusive3

WiFiYes

Internet CenterYes

Cell Phone ServiceYes

Bars/Lounges10

Beauty Salon/Barber ShopYes

CasinoYes

ChapelNo

Night ClubYes

Laundromats (self service)No

Laundry/Dry CleaningYes

LibraryYes

Movie TheatreYes

Onboard WeddingsNo

SpaYes

Video ArcadeYes

Basketball CourtYes

Tennis CourtNo

Fitness CenterYes

Ice Skating RinkNo

Jogging TrackYes

Mini-Golf CourseYes

Rock Climbing WallYes

Water SlideYes

Water Sports PlatformNo

24-Hour Room ServiceYes

BabysittingNo

Children's PlayroomYes

Supervised Youth ProgramYes

Teen CenterYes

Adult Only Relaxation AreaYes

Special AmenitiesFirst Champneys Spa at sea; The Lounge (colour-changing bar with hot-pink piano); The 19th Hole golf-themed clubhouse bar with simulators; Squid and Anchor pub (Marella's first onboard pub); Broadway Show Lounge seating 1,000; Murano speciality restaurant area with glass-blowing style performances

Costs and Gratuities

Base Daily Gratuities*(Per Person Per Day)

ⓘ

The standard service charge automatically added per guest, per day, on top of the fare.

$0.00

Tip added to drinks & services

ⓘ

The automatic gratuity percentage added to bar tabs and paid services.

Tipping Expected?No

Registry & Identifiers

Call sign

ⓘ

The ship's unique radio identifier used in maritime communications.

9HJH9

IMO number

ⓘ

A permanent 7-digit ID assigned to the hull for life, even if the ship is later renamed or sold.

9106297

MMSI number

ⓘ

A 9-digit radio ID broadcast by the ship's transponder for tracking and communications.

249051000

Port of registry

ⓘ

The ship's legal home port and country of registration — its 'flag'.

Valletta, Malta