Marella Cruises Announces International Restart in September

(10:45 a.m. BST) -- Marella Cruises plan to restart fly-cruises from 3 September 2021 with ships based in Spain and Greece.

Adults-only Marella Explorer 2 will be based in Malaga and offer two new Spain itineraries -- "Continental Coasts" will visit Palamos before calling in at Barcelona, Palma, Alicante, and Almeria. "Spirit of Iberia" will call at Valencia, Ibiza, Cartagena, Gibraltar and Cadiz.  

Marella Discovery will home port in Corfu and will sail between September and October on three new itineraries calling at all Greek ports, including Santorini, Mykonos, Rhodes and Crete. 

Marella has just restarted cruising after a 15-month pause, with Marella Explorer departing Southampton on June 25 for a round-England cruise.

The line has an over-18s fully-vaccinated policy, with under-18s required to show proof of a negative lateral flow test.

Managing Director of Cruise TUI UK & I Chris Hackney said: "Following the successful start of our first ever domestic sailings we are delighted to announce our plans to restart our international cruising programme, with five new itineraries for our customers to enjoy. 

"We know our customers are just as excited as we are to return to international cruising, and we can’t wait to see them onboard."

He added: "The safety and well-being of both our crew and guests remains our priority which is why our vaccination and testing protocols will remain in place." 

All passengers sailing on an international cruise before 31 October 2021 must be UK residents with a permanent UK address, have comprehensive cruise insurance and a passport with at least six months' validity.