Royal Caribbean vs Marella Cruises
A detailed side-by-side comparison of Royal Caribbean and Marella Cruises covering ratings, fleet size, food quality, entertainment, value for money, and available sailings from UK ports. Updated for 2026.
The head-to-head
Ratings are based on aggregated passenger reviews, editorial analysis, and expert scoring. The cobalt outline marks the stronger line for each attribute.
Who should choose which?
Every cruise line has its strengths and weaknesses. Here is an honest look at who each line is best suited for, based on passenger feedback and our editorial assessment.
Choose Royal Caribbean if you want…
- Families with kids
- Thrill seekers and adventurers
- Mega-ship experience
- Entertainment and activities
Royal Caribbean may not suit you if…
- Quiet/intimate cruise seekers
- Ultra-luxury preference
- Those avoiding large crowds
Choose Marella Cruises if you want…
- All-inclusive simplicity
- First-time cruisers
- Budget-conscious families
- Regional UK airport departures
Marella Cruises may not suit you if…
- Luxury seekers
- Food enthusiasts
- Those wanting UK port departures (fly-cruise only)
Ships at a glance
A quick comparison of each line's fleet including passenger capacity, tonnage, and year of launch.
Royal Caribbean Fleet (28 ships)
Anthem of the Seas
Built 2015 · 4,905 guests
Icon of the Seas
Built 2024 · 7,600 guests
Utopia of the Seas
Built 2024 · 5,668 guests
Marella Cruises Fleet (5 ships)
Marella Explorer
Built 2018 · 1,924 guests
Marella Explorer 2
Built 2019 · 1,814 guests
Available cruises
Current sailings from both cruise lines. Prices shown are per person based on two sharing the lowest-grade cabin available.
Royal Caribbean Sailings
Save 2%9 NIGHTS3-night Hong Kong & 5-night Okinawa Overnight
9 NIGHTS3-night Hong Kong & 5-night Okinawa & Ishigaki
13 NIGHTSOrlando Adventure & Star of the Seas Caribbean Escape with Royal Caribbean
9 NIGHTS3-night Hong Kong & 5-night Okinawa & Ishigaki
9 NIGHTS3-night Hong Kong & 5-night Okinawa & Taipei
14 NIGHTSHong Kong's Symphony of Lights and Christmas Best of Japan Voyage
Ports: Hong Kong · Fukuoka · Nagasaki · Kagoshima · Kumamoto
7 NIGHTS7 Night Southern Caribbean Cruise
Ports: San Juan · Charlotte Amalie · St Croix · Philipsburg · St John's · Roseau
5 NIGHTS5 Night Western Caribbean Cruise
Ports: Tampa · Puerto Costa Maya · Cozumel
7 NIGHTS7 Night Western Caribbean Cruise
Ports: Tampa · Cozumel · Puerto Costa Maya · George Town
10 NIGHTS4-night Singapore & 5-night Penang, Langkawi & Phuket
7 NIGHTS7 Night South Pacific Cruise
Ports: Brisbane · Mystery Island · Noumea
7 NIGHTS7-night Cabo Overnight Catalina & Ensenada
Ports: Los Angeles · Catalina Island · Cabo San Lucas · Ensenada
9 NIGHTS9 Night New Zealand Cruise
Ports: Sydney · Wellington · Napier · Tauranga · Bay Of Islands
14 NIGHTS4-night Sydney & 9-night South Pacific Paradise
Hot deal4 NIGHTS4 Night Bahamas & Perfect Day Cruise
Ports: Nassau · Coco Cay
Hot deal4 NIGHTS4 Night Bahamas & Perfect Day Cruise
Ports: Nassau · Coco Cay
Hot deal4 NIGHTS4 Night Bahamas Getaway Cruise
Ports: Nassau · Freeport · Bimini Island
Hot deal4 NIGHTS4 Night Bahamas & Perfect Day Cruise
Ports: Nassau · Coco Cay
Hot deal4 NIGHTS4 Night Hobart Getaway
Ports: Hobart
4 NIGHTS4 Night Busan Cruise
Ports: Baoshan Pt · Busan
7 NIGHTS7 Night Eastern Caribbean & Perfect Day
Ports: Port Canaveral · Charlotte Amalie · Puerto Plata · Coco Cay · Port Canaveral
5 NIGHTS5 Night Western Caribbean Cruise
Ports: Galveston · Costa Maya · Cozumel · Galveston
6 NIGHTS6 Night Western Caribbean Cruise
Ports: Fort Lauderdale · Cozumel · Costa Maya · Nassau
7 NIGHTS7 Night Western Caribbean Cruise
Ports: Tampa · Costa Maya · Belize City · Roatán Island · Cozumel
4 NIGHTS4 Night Catalina & Ensenada Cruise
Ports: San Diego · Santa Catalina Island · Ensenada
7 NIGHTS7 Night Eastern Caribbean & Perfect Day
Ports: Miami · Coco Cay · San Juan (Puerto Rico) · Charlotte Amalie
5 NIGHTS5 Night Jeju & Fukuoka Cruise
Ports: Baoshan Pt · Seogwipo · Fukuoka
7 NIGHTS7 Night Western Caribbean & Perfect Day
Ports: Coco Cay · Bimini Island · Georgetown · Cozumel · Miami
17 NIGHTS3-night Memphis, Graceland Tour, 2-night New Orleans & 17-night Transatlantic to Southampton
Ports: Memphis · New Orleans · Miami · Casablanca · Tangier · Cadiz
20 NIGHTS3-night New Orleans & 17-night Miami, Morocco & Spanish Transatlantic Adventure
Hot deal4 NIGHTSBahamas cruise from Miami to Galveston
Ports: Miami · Nassau
7 NIGHTS2-night Seattle & 7-night Alaskan Voyage
Ports: Seattle, Washington · Juneau, Alaska · Skagway, Alaska · Sitka, Alaska · Victoria, British Columbia
7 NIGHTS7-night Freedom of Spain & Portugal
Ports: Spain · Portugal
Save 1%7 NIGHTS2-night Seattle & 7-night Alaskan Voyage
Ports: Seattle, Washington · Juneau, Alaska · Skagway, Alaska · Sitka, Alaska · Victoria, British Columbia
7 NIGHTS7 Night Western Mediterranean Cruise
Ports: Barcelona · Majorca · Florence/Pisa · Rome · Naples
Deal7 NIGHTSSpain and France cruise from Southampton
Ports: Southampton · Le Havre (Paris) · Bilbao (Getxo) · La Coruna · Vigo
7 NIGHTS2-night Seattle & 7-night Alaskan Voyage
Ports: Seattle, Washington · Juneau, Alaska · Skagway, Alaska · Sitka, Alaska · Victoria, British Columbia
Deal7 NIGHTSNorwegian Fjords
7 NIGHTSHalf Term Western Mediterranean cruise from Barcelona
Ports: Barcelona · Palma De Mallorca · Marseille (Provence) · La Spezia (tours to Florence/Pisa) · Rome (Civitavecchia) · Naples
5 NIGHTS5 Night Hamburg & Rotterdam Cruise
Ports: Hamburg · Rotterdam · Southampton
7 NIGHTS7-night Freedom of Spain & Portugal
Ports: Spain · Portugal
7 NIGHTSNorwegian Fjords cruise from Southampton
Ports: Southampton · Haugesund · Bergen · Olden · Stavanger
Save 4%5 NIGHTS5 Night Hamburg & Bruges Cruise
Ports: Hamburg · Zeebrugge · Southampton
2 NIGHTS2 Night Weekend Getaway Cruise
Ports: Le Havre · Southampton
Save 1%10 NIGHTSBahamas & Perfect Day from Cape Liberty with Stay
Ports: New York (Cape Liberty) · Orlando (Port Canaveral) · Perfect Day at Cococay · Nassau
Save 10%5 NIGHTS5 Night Hamburg & Bruges Cruise
Ports: Hamburg · Zeebrugge · Southampton
Save 1%8 NIGHTSNorthern City Escapes
17 NIGHTSGreat Wall, Terracotta Warriors an Shanghai to Osaka and Tokyo
Ports: Shanghai · Osaka · Tokyo
7 NIGHTSWestern Mediterranean from Barcelona with Stay
9 NIGHTSSpanish Flair cruise from Southampton
Ports: Southampton · Vigo · Lisbon · Cadiz · La Coruna · Bilbao
Marella Cruises Sailings
Save 10%11 NIGHTSTransatlantic Passage to Paradise from Malaga to Barbados
Ports: Malaga · St. John's, Antigua · Roseau · Bridgetown, Barbados
14 NIGHTSEscape to the Caribbean from Malaga
Ports: Malaga · Tangier · St. John's · Basseterre · Roseau · Castries
Save 2%7 NIGHTSCanary Islands Explorer
Save 2%14 NIGHTSParadise Islands & A Christmas in the Tropics from Barbados
Ports: Bridgetown, Barbados · St. John's, Antigua · Road Town, Tortola · Philipsburg, St. Maarten · Basseterre, St. Kitts · Roseau
7 NIGHTSCanarian Flavours
Ports: Tenerife · Gran Canaria · Lanzarote · Agadir · Funchal · La Palma
7 NIGHTSAtlantic Islands from Tenerife
14 NIGHTSA Taste of the Tropics & Paradise Islands from Barbados
Ports: Bridgetown, Barbados · Castries, St. Lucia · Pointe-à-Pitre · St. George's, Grenada · Scarborough, Tobago · Kingstown, St. Vincent & Grenadines
7 NIGHTSCanarian Flavours
Ports: Tenerife · Gran Canaria · Lanzarote · Agadir · Funchal · La Palma
14 NIGHTSParadise Islands & A Christmas in the Tropics from Barbados
Royal Caribbean vs Marella Cruises: the bottom line
Choosing between Royal Caribbean and Marella Cruises ultimately comes down to what kind of holiday you are looking for. Both are well-established cruise lines with loyal followings, but they cater to different preferences and budgets.
Royal Caribbean, founded in 1968 and headquartered in Miami, USA, operates a fleet of 28 ships. It is categorised as a contemporary cruise line and scores 4.6/5 overall based on 24,500 reviews. The line is particularly strong for families with kids and thrill seekers and adventurers, making it a natural choice for cruisers who value those attributes.
Marella Cruises, established in 1995 from Luton, UK, has a fleet of 5 ships. As a value line rated 4.1/5 from 7,800 reviews, it excels at all-inclusive simplicity and first-time cruisers. If those are your priorities, Marella Cruises deserves serious consideration.
On food, Royal Caribbean scores 7/10 compared to Marella Cruises's 5/10. For entertainment, Royal Caribbean comes in at 10/10 versus Marella Cruises's 6/10. Value for money favours Marella Cruises with a score of 9/10.
Our recommendation: browse the available sailings above and compare itineraries, dates, and total cost including what is bundled in the fare. The best cruise line is the one that matches your specific needs, budget, and travel dates. Use the scores as a guide, but remember that individual ship and itinerary matter just as much as the cruise line brand.
Royal Caribbean vs Marella Cruises — FAQ
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