Thomson, TUI & now Marella??

So Thomson Holidays is changing to TUI and they are also re-naming their cruise brand.

Thomson Cruises is no more and their new name is Marella Cruises, I’m not sure why they have changed the name but is means ‘Shining Sea’ in Celtic.  The name was chosen to reflect the spirit of exploration and discovery across the seas as this is what they offer.

This will cost them to re-brand I’m sure but they will still have the TUI symbol on the ships.

Marella are a UK cruise company so very popular with British Holiday makers, all currency on board is in Great British Pounds – GBP so easy to know what you are spending.  They pride themselves for their service, food & entertainment.

Not everyone’s cup of tea I know as they do have some smaller ships which are not all singing and dancing like some of the big ships but customers love them and go back year after year.

The ships they have are:-

Marella Explorer – the newest in the fleet from May 2018
Marella Discovery – formerly a RCI ship
Marella Discovery 2 – another RCI ship
Marella Dream
Marella Celebration
Thomson Majesty – will keep her name as leaves the fleet in next month.
Sprirt – will just be known as Spirit as she leaves the fleet next year.

They offer a great range of cruise holidays to various destinations:-

Northern Europe & UK
Fjords, Iceland & Arctic
Western Med
Eastern Med
Baltics
Canaries
Caribbean
Central America
North Africa
Middle East
Asia

So you have a choice of destination to choose from.  In a lot of destinations you can combine with a land stay from 3-7 nights so if you like a 14 night holiday but don’t want to cruise for that long you can do a cruise & stay or stay & cruise – whichever suits you best.

The cruises for 2018 will also be all-inclusive so all drinks included, this will reflect in the price which I know has angered some customers who don’t drink and feel they are being penalised.  For others this is great news as no worrying about that bar bill when you finish your cruise.

Some of the itineraries to Asia will be adults only too so great for those of you who want to escape the kids or grandkids & travel further afield.

With regional flights from 22 airports this is a great option if you want to fly from your local airport.

So what do you think of this news?  Have you sailed with Thomson & how was it?  Do you think you will try Marella or one of the new itineraries?

I’d be interested to hear you views.  I have never sailed on a Thomson Ship so watch this space you never know, I may try it one day.