Norwegian Cruise Line vs Marella Cruises
A detailed side-by-side comparison of Norwegian Cruise Line 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 Norwegian Cruise Line if you want…
- Flexible, no-rules cruising
- Solo travellers (studio cabins)
- Broadway entertainment
- Modern ship design
Norwegian Cruise Line may not suit you if…
- Those wanting traditional cruise formality
- Budget travellers
- UK-departure-only preference
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.
Norwegian Cruise Line Fleet (19 ships)
Norwegian Prima
Built 2022 · 3,215 guests
Norwegian Viva
Built 2023 · 3,215 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.
Norwegian Cruise Line Sailings
7 NIGHTS2-night Rome & 7-night Italian Gems & South of France
Save 3%7 NIGHTSMediterranean
Ports: Barcelona · Spain
Save 3%7 NIGHTSMediterranean
Ports: Lisbon · Portugal
Save 3%7 NIGHTSCaribbean
Save 3%7 NIGHTSMediterranean
Ports: Civitavecchia (Rome) · Italy
Save 3%11 NIGHTSNorthern Europe
Ports: Reykjavik · Iceland
Save 3%7 NIGHTSBermuda
Save 3%7 NIGHTSMediterranean
Ports: Ravenna (Bologna) · Italy
Save 3%7 NIGHTSAlaska
Save 3%7 NIGHTSAlaska
Save 3%9 NIGHTSMediterranean: Italy, France & Greece
Ports: Barcelona · Villefranche-sur-Mer · Livorno · Civitavecchia · Salerno · Messina
Save 3%9 NIGHTSNorthern Europe
Ports: Helsinki, Finland · Copenhagen, Denmark
7 NIGHTS2-night Barcelona & 7-night Spain, France & Italy & 2-night Rome
Save 11%7 NIGHTS2-night Lisbon & 7-night Spain & Portugal
Save 2%7 NIGHTSCaribbean: Great Stirrup Cay, Dominican Republic & Tortola
Ports: Miami · Puerto Plata · Saint Thomas · Road Town · Great Stirrup Cay · Miami
Save 2%8 NIGHTSBermuda: Royal Naval Dockyard
Ports: New York · Kings Wharf
Save 2%7 NIGHTSAlaska: Glacier Bay, Skagway & Juneau
Ports: Seattle · Juneau · Skagway · Ketchikan · Victoria
Save 2%7 NIGHTSCaribbean: Great Stirrup Cay & Dominican Republic
Ports: Port Canaveral · Puerto Plata · Saint Thomas · Road Town · Great Stirrup Cay
Hot deal7 NIGHTSEurope: Spain & Portugal
Ports: Lisbon · Portimão · Cádiz · Motril · Gibraltar · Ibiza
7 NIGHTSWestern Caribbean
Ports: Miami · Cozumel · Roatán Island · Harvest Caye · Costa Maya
7 NIGHTSHalifax & Bermuda
Ports: Boston · Halifax · Kings Wharf
7 NIGHTSAlaska: Hubbard Glacier & Skagway
Ports: Whittier · Icy Strait Point · Juneau · Skagway · Ketchikan · Vancouver
10 NIGHTS1-night Venice & 10-night Dubrovnik, Greek Gems, Turkey & 1-night Istanbul
Ports: Venice (Ravenna), Italy · Dubrovnik, Croatia · Bar, Montenegro · Athens (Piraeus), Greece · Kusadasi · Rhodes
Save 3%10 NIGHTSNorwegian Fjords
Ports: Southampton, Great Britain
Save 4%7 NIGHTS2-night Rome & 7-night Italian Gems & South of France
Save 2%8 NIGHTSBermuda: Royal Naval Dockyard
Ports: New York · Kings Wharf
Hot deal10 NIGHTSGreek Isles: Santorini & Athens
Ports: Ravenna · Dubrovnik · Bar · Piraeus · Kusadasi · Rhodes
Hot deal7 NIGHTSHawaii: Inter-island
Ports: Honolulu · Kahului-Maui · Hilo · Kailua-Kona · Nawiliwili · Honolulu
7 NIGHTSAlaska: Hubbard Glacier & Skagway
Ports: Whittier · Icy Strait Point · Juneau · Skagway · Ketchikan · Vancouver
Save 3%10 NIGHTSBritish Isles
7 NIGHTS2-night Barcelona & 7-night Spain, France & Italy
11 NIGHTSIceland, Scotland & Norway from Southampton
Ports: Southampton · Newhaven · Aberdeen · Bergen · Alesund · Akureyri
7 NIGHTS2-night Rome & 7-night Italian Gems & South of France
Save 2%7 NIGHTSAlaska: Glacier Bay, Skagway & Juneau
Ports: Seattle · Juneau · Skagway · Ketchikan · Victoria
13 NIGHTSGreek Isles with Rome & Istanbul Stays
Ports: Civitavecchia, Italy · Salerno · Catania, Sicily · Valletta · Thira, Santorini · Athens (Piraeus)
11 NIGHTSBaltic Cities with Helsinki & Copenhagen Stays
Ports: Helsinki · Tallinn · Stockholm (Nynashamn) · Riga · Berlin (Warnemunde) · Kiel
Save 3%7 NIGHTSPortugal & Spain
9 NIGHTS9 Night Northern Europe Capitals
Ports: Copenhagen · Stockholm · Tallinn · Helsinki
14 NIGHTSGreek Isles with Istanbul & Venice Stays
Ports: Istanbul · Kusadasi, Turkey · Thira, Santorini · Mykonos Town, Mykonos · Athens · Katakolon
Save 3%7 NIGHTS2-night Rome & 7-night Epic Med
Save 1%7 NIGHTS2-night Barcelona & 7-night Spain & Portugal
9 NIGHTSNorway & Iceland from Southampton with Reykjavik Stay
Ports: Southampton · Kirkwall, Orkney Islands · Bergen · Akureyri · Isafjordur · Reykjavik
10 NIGHTS2-night Seattle & 10-night Alaska & Hubbard Glacier
7 NIGHTS2-night Rome & 7-night Italian Gems & South of France
7 NIGHTS2-night Venice & 7-night Italy, Greece & Croatia
7 NIGHTS2-night Lisbon & 7-night Spain & Portugal
Save 3%7 NIGHTSCanada New England
Save 4%11 NIGHTSBaltic Cities with Helsinki & Copenhagen Stays
Ports: Helsinki · Tallinn · Stockholm (Nynashamn) · Riga · Berlin (Warnemunde) · Kiel
Save 3%7 NIGHTS2-night Rome & 7-night Italian Gems & South of France
7 NIGHTS2-night Barcelona & 7-night Spain & Portugal
Marella Cruises Sailings
Save 2%7 NIGHTSMediterranean
Ports: Palma de Mallorca
Save 5%7 NIGHTSMediterranean
Ports: Limassol
Save 2%7 NIGHTSMediterranean
Ports: Dubrovnik
Save 2%7 NIGHTSMediterranean
Save 2%7 NIGHTSMediterranean
Save 2%7 NIGHTSMediterranean
Ports: Palma de Mallorca
Save 2%7 NIGHTSMediterranean
Ports: Limassol
Save 2%7 NIGHTSMediterranean
Ports: Dubrovnik
Save 2%7 NIGHTSMediterranean
Save 2%7 NIGHTSMediterranean
Save 3%7 NIGHTSGrecian Discovery from Cyprus
Ports: Limassol · Piraeus (tours to Athens) · Thira, Santorini · Bodrum · Heraklion, Crete · Rhodes Town, Rhodes
Save 2%7 NIGHTSMediterranean
Ports: Dubrovnik
Save 2%7 NIGHTSAegean Gems from Cyprus
Ports: Limassol · Souda Bay · Piraeus · Izmir · Mykonos · Rhodes
Save 10%11 NIGHTSTransatlantic Passage to Paradise from Malaga to Barbados
Ports: Malaga · St. John's, Antigua · Roseau · Bridgetown, Barbados
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
Norwegian Cruise Line vs Marella Cruises: the bottom line
Choosing between Norwegian Cruise Line 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.
Norwegian Cruise Line, founded in 1966 and headquartered in Miami, USA, operates a fleet of 19 ships. It is categorised as a contemporary cruise line and scores 4.4/5 overall based on 13,800 reviews. The line is particularly strong for flexible, no-rules cruising and solo travellers (studio cabins), 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, Norwegian Cruise Line scores 7/10 compared to Marella Cruises's 5/10. For entertainment, Norwegian Cruise Line comes in at 8/10 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.
Norwegian Cruise Line vs Marella Cruises — FAQ
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