Marella Cruises’ Discovery Sails from Port Canaveral

Marella Cruises’ Discovery sailed from Port Canaveral’s Cruise Terminal 5, kicking off a slate of 26 weekly sailings between now and November. The sailing of the Discovery is also Marella’s first from the United States.

“We are excited to extend a warm welcome Marella Cruises’ Discovery and honored that they’ve chosen to base their first homeport in the United States at Port Canaveral,” said Capt. John Murray, Port CEO. “Their decision to join us is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our team and only adds to our reputation as the world’s busiest port. We are proud to be associated with a high-quality brand as Marella and look forward to providing an exceptional customer experience for their guests.”

Marella is a division of TUI United Kingdom and Ireland and TUI World group. To that end, five flights will arrive weekly at Melbourne Orlando International Airport from the U.K. with roughly 1,500 British passengers weekly who will sail on each cruise.

In keeping with maritime tradition, Canaveral Port Authority Commissioner RADM Wayne Justice (USCG-Ret.) presented Marella Discovery Capt. Chris Douglass with a plaque welcoming the ship to Port Canaveral for the first time. The ship was escorted as she departed Port Canaveral out to sea with a traditional water gun salute led by Canaveral Fire Rescue’s “Fireboat 2,” and two tugboats provided by Seabulk and E.N. Bisso.

“It gives me a great amount of pride to welcome the Marella Discovery as Port Canaveral’s newest homeported vessel,” said Admiral Justice. “This exciting milestone marks a significant moment for our Port, and we look forward to welcoming passengers from around the world as they embark on unforgettable adventures from Florida’s Space Coast. We’re honored to have Marella Cruises as a valuable partner in our community.”

The Discovery will have varying itineraries on its “American Dream, Floridian Favourites and Sunshine State and Sands” programs that it offers with port-of-call visits set for the Ports of Charleston, S.C., New York City, Norfolk, Va., New Orleans, Key West, Miami, Tampa, Fort Lauderdale, and Freeport and Nassau, Bahamas.

Marella is now the sixth cruise line with at least one ship homeported at the Port, joining an impressive list of cruise lines that includes Carnival, Disney, MSC, Norwegian and Royal Caribbean.

The 866-foot-long Discovery has 915 cabins and has a gross tonnage of 69,130 tons. The ship also features a bevy of amenities as well, including an 800-seat Broadway Show Lounge, outdoor cinema, five-story atrium, mini-golf course, and rock-climbing wall to go along with seven restaurants and seven bars and an indoor and outdoor pool.