Marella Cruises has quietly turned one of its biggest ships into a grown-ups-only playground. As of November, Marella Discovery 2 joins Marella Explorer 2 as the line's second dedicated adult-only vessel, and four new venues are rolling out on board from the new year, built in spaces that used to house the kids' clubs.
The headline act is The Lost Luggage Bureau, a speakeasy hidden behind a fake lost-property office and themed around the glamour of the Golden Age of Travel. For £19.95 per person, up to 42 guests get a 90-minute immersive show with live music and actors — choose between two storylines, The Case in Question or Smugglers Society — plus three signature cocktails (with alcohol-free versions) served from vintage brass trolleys. Bookings open on the Marella app before you sail.
If you'd rather perform than sleuth, Amplify Karaoke is the line's first dedicated karaoke spot: a private lounge for up to seven people with mood lighting and thousands of songs, yours from £14.95 an hour. There's also a competitive option — Red Handed, a 1920s-themed escape room set backstage at a fictional cabaret, where teams of up to six have 60 minutes to pinch a diamond necklace across seven puzzles, with clues delivered by an in-character host over a vintage telephone. Entry is £16.95 per person.
For quieter days at sea, The Loft is a screen-free retreat combining a library and board games with creative workshops — jewellery making, macramé, watercolour painting, sketching and quilling among them. The ship's climbing wall survives the revamp too, upgraded with a wider range of holds styled after modern climbing centres.
Why the shift? Marella says 80% of guests who sailed on Explorer 2 cited its adult-only status as the reason for booking. Chief executive Chris Hackney told The Independent the core demographic is 45-plus — often empty nesters — and demand for like-minded adult cruising simply outstripped one ship. Families haven't been abandoned: Marella Discovery, Marella Voyager and Marella Explorer will continue sailing as family-focused vessels.
For travellers, the practical takeaway is this: if you want a Marella cruise without children on board, you now have two ships to choose from, and the new venues are paid add-ons rather than included extras — worth budgeting roughly £50-60 per person if you plan to do the speakeasy, escape room and a karaoke hour. Immersive experiences like the Lost Luggage Bureau have limited capacity per show, so booking via the app well before embarkation is the safe move.
