Marella Cruises is giving travellers a reason to book its ships for the grown-ups' side of the family. The line has confirmed that Marella Discovery 2 will become adults-only, and four new venues are being built into former kids' spaces, with everything open to guests by early 2027. The line first flagged the adults-only switch back in June, and CEO Chris Hackney says the investment is a direct response to demand for child-free cruising.
The headline act is Amplify Karaoke, the brand's first dedicated karaoke space. It's a private lounge for up to seven people, booked by the hour, with thousands of songs to choose from — so no strangers judging your rendition of anything.
More ambitious is The Lost Luggage Bureau, a speakeasy in the same spirit as The Exchange on Marella Voyager. Guests walk in through a fake lost property office and find a hidden bar behind it. Over 90 minutes, live actors, music and storytelling unravel the mystery of unclaimed luggage, with two storylines on offer: The Case in Question and Smugglers Society. Each show takes up to 42 guests, and the ticket includes three signature cocktails tied to the plot.
If you'd rather solve a mystery than watch one, there's Red Handed, a 1920s-themed escape room set backstage at the fictional Cabaret Rouge. Teams of up to six get 60 minutes to pinch Lady Ruby Bardot's diamond necklace by cracking seven logic puzzles across two dressing rooms — one of them a secret room you have to locate first. Stuck? An in-character host drops hints via a vintage telephone.
The fourth venue, The Loft, is the low-key option: a 24-hour space combining a library, board games and hosted craft sessions under the Crafts Ahoy programme — jewellery making, macramé, watercolours, sketching, button art and quilling. It runs one session on port days and two on sea days.
Pricing is straightforward. The Loft is included in the all-inclusive fare with no booking needed. The rest carry extra charges and need reserving in advance: Amplify Karaoke from £14.95 per room per hour, Red Handed at £16.95 per person, and The Lost Luggage Bureau at £19.95 per person including those three cocktails.
One more tweak for active guests: the ship's climbing wall — already part of the all-inclusive package — is being refreshed with a wider range of hold sizes, styled after modern climbing centres and Olympic-standard walls.
For anyone who has written off cruising as a family-only affair, this is a useful signal of where the market is heading. Adults-only ships with proper evening entertainment — immersive shows, escape rooms, private karaoke — are increasingly a genuine alternative to a city break or an all-inclusive resort, particularly for couples, friend groups and solo travellers who want the social side without the kids' club. Marella's all-inclusive model also keeps budgeting simple: fare, food and most activities upfront, with just the premium venues to add on. Bookings for the new spaces will likely be popular once the ship relaunches, so pre-booking early in the cruise makes sense if a specific night matters to you.
