Marella Discovery to become adult-only

Marella Discovery, which debuted as part of Thomson Holidays in 1995, will operate exclusively for adults in summer 2026.

The British cruise line said the change has been driven by the growing demand for adult-only holidays and the success of Marella Explorer 2, the line’s current adult-only ship.

The 1,800-passenger Marella Discovery will homeport at Limassol (Cyprus) and offer three round-trip itineraries: ‘Grecian Discovery’ to Piraeus, Thira, Santorini, Bodrum, Heraklion, Crete, and Rhodes; ‘Aegean Gems’ to Souda, Crete, Piraeus, Greece, Izmir, Mykonos and Rhodes; and ‘Aegean Delights’ to Kos Town, Greece, Kusadasi, Patmos, Marmaris and Alanya.

Prices for the all-inclusive sailings start from £1,528 per person and the itineraries can be booked from today (October 17).

Chris Hackney, Marella Cruises’ managing director, said: “This addition to the summer 2026 programme will allow customers who prefer an adult only ship a variety of itineraries to explore the sights of Greece, Cyprus and Turkey.

“We know from our research that three quarters of customers said adult-only ships were important to them when making a booking.

“Given the popularity of the adult only ship, Marella Explorer 2, we hope this announcement will encourage even more new to cruise customers to sail with Marella Cruises in 2026.”