Marella 30th Birthday Cruise

Marella Cruises is certainly our favourite cruise line, although we haven't been on any others we enjoy Marella so much we are quite content to sail with them. This was our 6th cruise, the 4th on Explorer which is a ship we love due to its bars, restaurants, great entertainment amazing staff, something Marella is known for. 

This cruise has been a long wait as we booked it in January 2025, I saw that 2026 was Marella's 30th birthday and that the first week of May all five ships would be celebrating. This was one cruise I didn't want to miss especially as Explorer's itinerary included a stop in Naples for a excursion to Pompeii.

The long wait was worth it, the whole week was amazing with some very special moments. The ship certainly had an extra special party feel with the crew and fellow cruisers joining in the fun.

Explorer is our favourite ship, one reason is the lovely outside bar on deck 11 at the back and with our choice of cabin being deck 9 aft it's only a short lift ride away. Looking at the back of the ship the dark blue windows are the double open floor restaurant Latitude 53 with the Squid and Anchor pub above, the railings with the flag is the smoking outside area for the Squid. Decks of cabins above  with deck 9 being the Children's Club leading up to the canopied outside bar on deck 11, the aft is certainly the place to be. 

We were very pleased to be able to book our favourite cabin and walking in it was like coming home. We knew exactly what went where so unpacking took very little time at all. 

As always there was a lovely welcome letter, the Life Onboard magazine and our arrival day's Cruise News (a daily newsletter left on our bed each evening giving details of the next days port, weather, activities and events). Pool towels are provided with Marella although not something we use. 

It was a lovely surprise this time to also have a few 30th birthday gifts; two pin badges, two luggage labels and two metal water bottles, a very nice to way start the party week!

The food on Explorer is superb, there's so much choice for whatever your dining style. Market Place is a self serve buffet which Hubby uses for breakfast if I'm not wanting anything and we both use for lunch for salads and meats to go with our pasta/pizza from the Italian restaurant in the Mediterranean Bar. It's so relaxed on board with the Market Place, Tapas Bar and Italian that you can mix and match and eat where you like, for us that's usually the Mediterranean Bar.

The main dining room is Latitude 53 on Deck 5, a beautiful dining room with two balances and a sweeping stairway. We use this restaurant for a served breakfast and many of our evening meals. The balconies are now two separate restaurants; Picadilly's and Vista. All three dining options are included but there's a few extra charges if you upgrade (we had the cheese carbonara prepared in the huge cheese wheel when in Vista) with the service as good as any high class restaurant. The waiting staff are so attentive and although you do not have allocated tables if you are on their area again they remember your preferences, they really take pride in their work. 

There are speciality restaurants for which there is a charge and booking is required. We are very content with the main dining options but this cruise decided to try Umi Sushi. It was an amazing experience, nothing like the sushi from our supermarkets at home. Our Japanese experience began with edamame beans served in the pods which you pop to reveal the bean followed by an amazing clear soup. 

We then had three steamed dumplings which tasted delicious, one with a cavier topping. The main course gave us the most difficulty, what to choose! There was a large selection of sushi styles each available in a choice of meat or fish, anything can be mixed and match to make eight sushi portions. I'm not fully sure what all my eight were but each one was absolutely delicious and so delicately made. 

Our sushi experience was completed with sweet  desserts, we left with surprisingly full tums as little bits on the plates did not seem much. I loved this meal and would eat here again, maybe next time I'd understand my choices more. 

Life on board Marella is always fun, it doesn't have to be a special occasion but many cruisers were celebrating birthdays and anniversaries. We met some lovely people including a chap we met on Explorer two years ago, so nice to catch up. 

Captain Voytek's welcome is a must for us, he introduces all his main staff and always says his crew is a family; this is certainly true and when on board they make you feel part of that family. Everyone works so hard, always saying hello or good evening, asking how your day was, sharing stories about their families and genuinely seem pleased to see you be that in the bar, the restaurant or passing in the cabin corridors, and it's lovely when you met previous crew members again.

Our cabin crew did an amazing job, although we're not untidy people, making our cabin up each morning and turning our bed each night leaving the most important Marella chocolate on our pillows. Thank you Endik, Sagar and Bhuwan for our superb towel creatures, it was a joy to comeback each evening to discover a new 'pet' in our room. 

The Lounge bar with its quirky wavy bar top is what makes Explorer our favourite ship. It's a fantastic place to sit and enjoy a drink pre dinner, pre show or late into the night. The shape of the bar enables fellow cruisers to chat across, sing along to the live bands and really get to watch/know the bar staff. This year Denis and John looked after us very well, Denis made me a beautiful rose from a serviette and prosecco cork (it is safely here at home now). The bar staff are great at creating a party vibe most evenings but especially on their cocktail night when they perform their tricks, so clever and great fun.

Entertainment is a big part of cruising and there's so much on offer depending on your preferences. There is always something happening around the pool, often a dance class in the Indigo bar, crafting in the daytime around the ship and lots of variety in the Squid and Anchor including the hardest quiz at sea and daily bingo. There are often question and answer sessions too which are very interesting; Captain Voytek is a great chatter (we always go to his Q&A) and this year we went to The Showcast chat, great to learn about life behind the stage.

The evening show is a big part of our cruise life, the Marella show cast perform 12 shows over 14 days, each one different so if you are cruising for two weeks there will never be a repeated show. That's a lot of songs and routines to learn; their voices, dance routines and performance standard is amazing and worthy of West End productions. Each week there is a guest act on giving the showcase a much deserved night off. On entering the Broadway Show Lounge there's a variety of drinks to take to your seat with its little table and on leaving the Showcast are at the doors, always happy to chat about the show which just adds to the family ship vibes.

The final night of a cruise is always special as we get to say thank you to the crew and show our appreciation. In the main dining room the baked alaska is paraded around with the chefs and serving staff waving napkins, as do all the diners. It's a great moment in the stunning balconied Latitude 53 although this time it was on the big birthday night.

In the Broadway Show Lounge after the first show of the last evening there is a crew parade with members of all the crew teams representing their departments. We spotted one of our cabin crew enthusiastically parading holding one of the many towel animals they fold. It really does show how much Marella is a family, the length of applause evidence of how much we all appreciate their hard work. 

My post so far has been about life on board, nothing about being a celebration cruise, that's Marella every cruise and why we keep returning. However it was a special cruise with many special moments. 

Sailing out of Naples there was a 1990s pool party with many cruisers wearing 'back to the 90s' t-shirts and other 90s outfits. There was plenty of music from the decade with tribute acts on the pool stage. Hubby and I did not stay out long as we'd had a tiring day visiting Pompeii but those that did had a great time under the night sky.

As part of the celebration Eddie the Eagle Edwards was a guest speaker. A full Broadway Show Lounge enjoyed listening to how he became a ski jumper, his time at the Olympics and his life afterwards. He's quite a determined chap who overcame many hardships to reach his goal of being an Olympian.

The 7th May was the official Marella birthday celebrated by all the ships. We were in Ajaccio, Corsica, along with Marella Discovery 2. Corsica is a French island and the birthplace of Napoleon Bonaparte. The captains of both ships joined local dignitaries and Napoleonic re-enactors in an official birthday ceremony. Passengers from both ships joined in the celebrations with many of the ships' officers also on shore.

This was followed a few hours later by both ships sailing out together, a rare occurrence and quite a moment. The setting was stunning with Ajaccio being in an inlet there were mountains either side of us. Explorer sailed out first with everyone on the pool deck celebrating with great music and party hats. Discovery 2 followed behind and was soon along side, what an experience to sail together.

Captain Voytek came out on the side bridge, I'm sure Discovery 2's captain was too but a little too far away to see. Both ships began sounding their horns, it was a toot off which everyone enjoyed. This is one memory I will never forget, it was superb. 

The big birthday celebrations grand finale was again on the pool deck; Boyzlife, Keith Duffy and Brian McFadden, performed a number of their hit songs with everyone singing and dancing along ... what an atmosphere (blurred photo as on high zoom)

We had a superb cruise, as always a great cabin, good food, fabulous entertainment and sn amazing crew, and of course we booked again especially with a generous Birthday discount.

Thank you Marella for such a great celebration of your 30 years cruising, we were thrilled to be on Explorer to join in the festivities.