Marella Cruises Adds Patras to Summer 2028 Itineraries
Marella Explorer 2’s seven-night Spanish Shores roundtrip from Malaga will call at Gibraltar, Cartagena, Ibiza Town, Mahon and Palma from June 2028.
Marella Cruises has announced six new itineraries for summer 2028, adding Patras, Greece, to its port lineup. The additions comprise two Mediterranean itineraries and four repositioning routes, with the latter beginning in April.
The line will retain its core summer homeports, including another season in Malaga following successful earlier sailings there, according to Marella Cruises CEO Chris Hackney. “Demand for our Eastern Mediterranean Cruises remains strong, with Summer 2027 already ahead of last year,” he said.
New itineraries from Corfu and Malaga
Patras will feature on “Grecian Gems,” operated by Marella Explorer from its homeport in Corfu beginning in July 2028.
The second new Mediterranean itinerary, “Spanish Shores,” will operate aboard Marella Explorer 2 from June 2028. The seven-night roundtrip from Malaga includes Gibraltar and the Spanish ports of Cartagena, Ibiza Town, Mahon on Menorca and Palma on Majorca, along with one day at sea.
“We're always looking for opportunities to offer customers new destinations and Patras is an exciting addition to our program,” Hackney said.
Getting the fleet to Europe
The four new repositioning itineraries will include guest speakers and additional shows. Two will bring ships from Barbados to their European summer bases, while the others link the Canary Islands and western Mediterranean with the eastern Mediterranean.
Marella Explorer 2 will operate “Transatlantic Treasures,” a 13-night crossing from Barbados to Malaga. Marella Voyager’s “Atlantic Horizons” will also run for 13 nights, taking the ship from Barbados to Palma.
Marella Explorer will offer two “Sail into Spring” departures ending in Corfu: a 10-night voyage from Las Palmas, Gran Canaria, and an 11-night voyage from Santa Cruz, Tenerife.
The shortest of the new repositioning routes is “Flavors of the Mediterranean,” a five-night sailing aboard Marella Discovery 2 from Palma to Dubrovnik, Croatia.
All five ships will spend the summer in Europe. Beyond the two ships operating the new Mediterranean itineraries, Marella Discovery and Marella Voyager will homeport in Palma, while Marella Discovery 2 will be based in Dubrovnik.
Marella has also expanded its cruise-and-stay program to 119 hotels across Majorca, Corfu, Dubrovnik and Malaga. Fly-cruise departures will be available from 22 airports across the UK and Republic of Ireland. All summer sailings will go on sale on October 15, 2026.
