Marella Voyager is the latest newly refurbished vessel to enter the Marella scene. Formerly Mein Schiff Herz, Marella Voyager is the second of two Century-class cruise ships operated by TUI Cruises. Built for Celebrity Cruises at the Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg, Germany, Marella Voyager is now equipped with a vast variety of bars and restaurants, as well as an indoor cinema, a pool deck – complete with a swimming pool and whirlpools – and a big show lounge.

Marella’s product development team were looking for something else a little different to bring to a ship undergoing an entire bow-to-stern refurbishment… unlike anything they’d seen on cruise ships before! So, the team engaged with a variety of suppliers and eventually chose Greenspan Projects to work on the design concept for a unique, exciting attraction that will keep passengers entertained… atop The Veranda, overlooking the sea.

Greenspan’s creative design team set to work to produce a concept that could be enjoyed by all… and, of course, centred the story on none other than the beautiful big blue sea! Pops of colour in the coral reef, creativity with realistic rockwork and enhanced playability were key elements considered. Marella are conscious that all passengers should have the opportunity to enjoy all aspects of any attraction on the ship, so accessibility and safety were also factored in from the outset.

Upon completion of the design concept, Marella instructed the Greenspan project team to begin the build in Cadiz, Spain, while the vessel was in dry dock. Utilising expertise from marine specialists within the project management team, challenges needed to be considered during the build in terms of factors such as movement of the ship post-build – as this is no static attraction! For safety purposes, for example, the rock formations needed to be brought away from the external railing to account for movement of the vessel and overall safety – plus the space constraints were something a little unique to work with… but not something the Greenspan team couldn’t handle!

The experience of the build was ultimately enjoyed by many members of the Greenspan team – from our estimators, to procurement, project management, marketing and the senior leadership team… it has been a pleasure to be a part of during our first marine attraction build.

Lawrence Benneton, Hotel Refurbishment Manager for Marella Cruises, said: “Marella were very impressed by Greenspan’s “can do”, positive attitude. Working closely with the Marella team on their first marine project, there were a few unbeknown curveballs thrown their way, which they adapted to proficiently.

“We have enjoyed working with the Greenspan team… and we really look forward to working with them again in the future.”

Managing director of Marella Cruises Chris Hackney went on to say the line is now at its largest capacity, giving agents a “fantastic opportunity” to push sales. “We now have five ships in our fleet which means our capacity is at the largest it has been so we can take more customers away than ever before. This makes it so much easier for agents as they know that we will deliver a quality product, and now, with the addition of Marella Voyager which truly is our best ship yet, there is even more of it.”

“It has been my pleasure to officially open the adventure golf on Marella Voyager, and we look forward to seeing it thrive.”

Rod Morton, CEO of Greenspan Projects, said: “We’ve found that designs that allow people to congregate comfortably around key areas like bars and golf holes help to create an atmosphere of excitement and anticipation. Safety is also a huge element within what we do. We follow the International Maritime Organization’s regulations across all products that we install onboard vessels. From wallpaper and fabrics to artificial grass, we ensure all products are certified with the ship’s wheel mark to confirm authenticity.

Working with Tui Cruises and Marella has been a genuine pleasure and we look forward to many more marine builds for them in the future!”

Find out more about Marella Voyager and her itinerary by clicking here. 

Inspired? Check out our more about Greenspan in the cruise industry here!