Meet Marella Discovery – One Of The Best All-Inclusive Ships Sailing!

This is a sponsored post by Marella Cruises.

Half of a great cruise holiday is down to the itinerary. The other half depends on the ship. And for Brits, there are few better ships you can choose from than Marella Discovery.

She is proof that the biggest ships aren’t always the best, and while she may not be the newest either, you’d struggle to find much evidence of that when you’re onboard. She’s a beauty!

But just how many great dining options can you really fit into a cruise ship of this size? And is there actually that much to do onboard? You might be surprised…

Marella Discovery – Facts & Stats

Marella Discovery is one of the older ships in the Marella Cruises fleet, though not by much – the ships were all built within a couple of years of each other.

She is notable as the ship in the fleet that’s been sailing for Marella for the longest – she entered service for the cruise line in 2016, with sister ship Marella Discovery 2 joining a year later.

Her internal volume of 70,000 gross tons makes her one of the joint-smallest ships currently in the fleet, though she does have a slightly larger passenger capacity than Marella Explorer 2.

Here’s how Marella Discovery compares to the rest of the ships in the Marella Cruises fleet:

Ship	Year Built	Year Joined Marella	Size (gross tons)	Passenger capacity	Length	Beam/width	Total Decks
Marella Discovery	1996	2016	70,000	1,830	264m / 866ft	32m / 105ft	11
Marella Discovery 2	1995	2017	69,472	1,836	264m / 866ft	32m / 105ft	11
Marella Explorer	1996	2018	76,988	1,924	262.5m / 861ft	32.2m / 106ft	13
Marella Explorer 2	1995	2019	71,545	1,814	246m / 807ft	32.2m / 105ft	14
Marella Voyager	1997	2023	77,302	1,912	264m / 866ft	32m / 106ft	13

Marella Discovery History

Just like all the current ships in the Marella Cruises fleet, Marella Discovery was not built for the cruise line, and she had a prior life.

That life began when she was first built for Royal Caribbean International, where she sailed as the Splendour of the Seas. She was launched in June 1995, and made her debut sailing in March 1996.

She remained with Royal Caribbean for nearly 20 years, before she was sold to TUI Cruises in 2015. Branded TUI Discovery, she sailed under that name for a year until the ships were re-christened with the Marella name.

One of the most impressive things about Marella Discovery, and the rest of the Marella fleet, is the care that has gone into her refurbishment as she joined the cruise line.

Marella Cruises doesn’t just buy any ship and give it a lick of paint – it only chooses the best ships, and then gives them the proper care and attention needed to completely revitalize them and breathe new life into them for years to come. And that’s exactly the case with Marella Discovery.

Marella Discovery – Cabins

Marella Discovery has 918 cabins onboard, which includes a mix of Insides, Outsides, Balcony Cabins, and Suites. Again, all cabins were refurbished when the ship was brought under Marella, so they’re all comfortable and modern.

There are some features that are common across all cabins – you get air conditioning, a flatscreen TV, a safe and a hairdryer to use. You also get tea and coffee making facilities, since the ship is aimed at the British audience – something which isn’t too common on other cruise lines.

The full range of cabins you can book on Marella Discovery is as follows:

Cabin	Sleeps	Deck Locations	Size (square feet)
Inside Cabin	2	2, 3, 6, 7, 8	129
Single Inside Cabin	1	3	129
Inside Plus Cabin	2	2, 3, 7, 8	161
Outside Cabin	2	2, 3	151
Single Outside Cabin	1	3	151
Deluxe Cabin	4	7, 8	215
Balcony Cabin	2	6	140 (including balcony)
Deluxe Balcony Cabin	4	6, 7	161 (including balcony)
Junior Suite	4	8	226 (including balcony)
Family Junior Suite	6-7	8	420-430 (including balcony)
Grand Suite	4	8	344 (including balcony)
Executive Suite	4	8	506 (including balcony)
Royal Suite	4	8	990 (including balcony)

Suite Service with Marella Cruises

If you choose any of the suites on Marella Discovery, you’ll benefit from the cruise line’s Suite Service.

Suite Service is essentially your suite perks – a small selection of extra benefits that you get to enhance your stay.

These can include:

• A free pressing service – up to 3 items pressed in your first 24 hours on the ship
• Free continental breakfast in bed – one per week

Marella Discovery – Bars & Restaurants

With 7 bars and 8 restaurants, you’re never at risk of getting bored of the same-old venues when you cruise on Marella Discovery. There’s varied cuisine and plenty of wonderful drinks to sample.

Here’s a look at the dining venues on the ship in more detail:

47° and Gallery 47°

47° is the main dining room of the ship, open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Split across two decks, it offers a wide-ranging menu of favourites. The second floor, Gallery 47°, specialises in Italian cuisine.

Islands

Islands is the main buffet restaurant on the ship. Here, enjoy everything from breakfast omelettes to carvery roasts, with lots of show-cooking stations so you can see the food being prepared. Snacks are also available here.

Kora La

A favourite of the fleet, Kora La is a pan-Asian speciality restaurant serving an extensive selection of dishes from across the continent. An extra charge applies.

Snack Shack

Open throughout the day, the Snack Shack offers various snack dishes. It’s situated poolside so you don’t have to give up your lounger to get a bite to eat.

Surf & Turf Steakhouse

Surf & Turf is the ship’s main steak and seafood restaurant, also serving a selection of chicken and lamb dishes. Reservations are recommended, and an additional charge applies.

Sushi Bar

The Sushi Bar, tucked inside Kora La, is a speciality venue serving all kinds of sushi dishes, alongside classic Asian beers such as Tiger and Singha. Reservations are recommended and an additional charge applies.

The Glass House

By day, The Glass House offers various deli-style lighter bites, such as rotisserie chicken, salads, paninis and more. In the evening, it switches to sharer foods, such as meat skewers and tapas platters.

Marella Discovery – On Board Activities

There’s plenty onboard Marella Discovery to fill your time during the day and the evenings as you sail. Here are just some of the things you can enjoy on the ship:

• An indoor and an outdoor pool, with whirlpools
• Mini golf on the top deck
• Shopping, including jewellery, fashion and souvenirs
• Jogging track
• Photo studio
• Arts & crafts activities
• Spa and beauty salon treatments
• A fully-equipped gym
• Siren’s Spell escape room

And at night, you can look forward to:

• The Broadway Show Lounge, with two performances every evening
• Interactive games, quizzes and music performances at the Squid and Anchor British pub
• Casino with various games tables, including roulette and baccarat
• The outdoor cinema, showing Hollywood classics and the latest releases
• Relaxing bars to enjoy a quiet drink

The ship also has family facilities, including a kids’ club and a teens’ zone, along with a gamer zone for all ages (including the ‘big kids’).

Marella Discovery – Itineraries

Marella Discovery will be spending summer 2025 sailing around the Mediterranean. There are several exciting itinerary options to choose from, but all embark from Palma on the island of Majorca.

During the winter she’ll sail around the Caribbean, with La Romana in the Dominican Republic as her base. These cruises are the perfect option if you want to escape the winter cold back home.

Then, in summer 2026, the ship will cross back to Europe and sail the Eastern Mediterranean, using Limassol as her home port.

To Conclude

Marella Discovery is a fantastic cruise ship, one that offers plenty of variety and some exciting cruise itineraries to boot.

Her considered renovation at the hands of Marella Cruises has given her a whole new lease of life, and she doesn’t look at all like a ship that’s been sailing for almost 30 years.

With Marella’s great-value cruise fares and the wonderful destinations on offer, you should absolutely consider Marella Discovery for your next cruise getaway.

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