What is the Marella Explorer cruise ship and when does it visit Gibraltar?
Short answer
Marella Explorer is a family ship from Marella Cruises, part of TUI, sailing mainly for British holidaymakers. Its upcoming visits to Gibraltar, with times and expected passengers, are listed on this page.
Upcoming visits to Gibraltar
Friday 27 November 2026, in port 07:00–19:00, about 1,924 passengers expected
Also in port: Borealis. Combined: about 3,328 passengers where known.
Friday 12 November 2027, in port 09:00–17:00, about 1,924 passengers expected
From the Port of Gibraltar schedule, last checked 15 October 2026.
Detailed answer
Marella Explorer was built by Meyer Werft in Papenburg, Germany, and entered service in December 1996 as Galaxy for Celebrity Cruises. It later sailed for TUI Cruises as Mein Schiff and Mein Schiff 1, and joined Marella in 2018 after a refit in Cadiz. It is a different ship from Marella Explorer 2. It has a gross tonnage of 76,998, a length of about 260 metres, 1,924 guests at standard occupancy and a crew of about 909. Marella sells it to families, with a kids' club alongside 11 restaurants and 10 bars. It also has the largest spa in the Marella fleet, live shows, a cinema and a minigolf course.
How busy will town be?
The upcoming visits listed on this page show the passengers expected on each call and any other ships in port the same day. Town is busiest when several ships are in at once or a large ship arrives at a weekend. A ship carrying a few hundred passengers makes little difference on its own.
Can you sail on it from nearby?
Yes. Marella Explorer sails seven-night round trips from Palma until Saturday 24 October 2026. It then sails from Malaga to Tenerife (5 nights) or Gran Canaria (4 nights) from Thursday 26 November 2026, calling at Gibraltar the next day. It spends the winter on Canary Islands cruises from Tenerife and Gran Canaria, and summer 2027 on round trips from Corfu.