Marella Celebration

Former names: MS Noordam, Thomson Celebration

Specifications of Marella Celebration

Year of build1984  /  Age: 38
BuilderChantiers de l’Atlantique (Saint-Nazaire, STX France)
Building costUSD 160 million
Engines (power)Wartsila-Sulzer (21.6 MW / 28966 hp)
Speed21 kn / 39 km/h / 24 mph
Length (LOA)214 m / 702 ft
Beam (width)27 m / 89 ft
Gross Tonnage33933 gt
Passengers1262 - 1350
Crew520
Passengers-to-space ratio27
Decks9
Cabins625
Decks with cabins9
Last Refurbishment2014, Aliaga-scrapped in 2022
Sister-shipsThomson Spirit
Former namesMS Noordam, Thomson Celebration
Christened byBeatrijs van De Wall Bake
OwnerCarnival Corporation & PLC
OperatorMarella Cruises (Thomson UK)

Marella Celebration Review

Review of Marella Celebration

The 1984-built/2022-scrapped Marella Celebration cruise ship (formerly "Thomson Celebration") was a leased vessel, last owned by HAL-Holland America Line (a subsidiary of Carnival Corporation). Originally built as MS Noordam, she was operated between 2005-2021 under long-term charter by the UK-based company Thomson Cruises (now Marella Cruises).

Marella Celebration's AIS last reported on July 20, 2020 (at 7:42 UTC), showing the vessel en route to Port Eleusis/Elefsina. The final shipowner was ROTA SHIPPING INC (Turkey).

For Marella, the vessel (IMO number 8027298) was Malta-flagged (MMSI 249544000) and registered in Valletta.

History - construction and ownership

Marella Cruises (formerly Thomson Cruises UK) is a British passenger shipping company and travel brand owned by TUI Group. The company entered the cruise market in 1973 via Thomson Holidays (now TUI UK), but due to rising fuel costs, the service was suspended in 1976. Thomson Cruises resumed operations in 1995. The Thomson brand was renamed “Marella Cruises” in 2018. Marella’s parent company, TUI Group, also owns hotels, sister cruise companies TUI Cruises and Hapag-Lloyd Cruises, the travel brands International Expeditions and Zegrahm Expeditions, as well as airlines including Corsair International (France), TUI Airways (UK), TUI fly Nordic (Sweden), TUI fly Belgium, TUI fly Deutschland, and TUI fly Netherlands.

Marella Celebration cruise ship (Thomson Celebration)

The 1,250-passenger Marella Celebration joined Thomson Holidays UK’s cruise division in 2004, after sailing for Holland America as "Noordam." She quickly became a favorite in the British source market, appreciated for her friendly service and comfortable atmosphere.

Although one of the industry’s older vessels still in service, Celebration benefited from significant drydock refits and refurbishments. In 2008, all Suites were updated, Horizons Lounge was redesigned, stairways and landing areas received new carpeting, and all public restrooms were replaced. Her final refurbishment took place in 2014, when she was introduced into Thomson UK’s Platinum Collection of voyages.

On April 29, 2020, Marella UK officially announced that Celebration would be retired (either sold or scrapped) after 15 years of service. She was scheduled to homeport in Dubrovnik, Croatia (June-October 2020 and May-October 2021), Limassol, Cyprus (Nov-Dec 2020 and March-April 2021), and Dubai, UAE (Dec 2020-March 2021). All voyages were canceled and transferred to Marella Explorer 2.

At the time of the announcement, the vessel was anchored off the Isle of Wight (England), near the seaside resort Shanklin. From April 2020 until September 2022, she remained laid-up in the Elefsina Gulf (Athens Metro, West Attica, Greece). On September 16, 2022, it was confirmed that the 38-year-old vessel was towed to Turkey to be beached and dismantled at the Aliaga Ship Breaking Yard.

Decks and Cabins

Marella Celebration staterooms (625 total, across 9 grades) included 20 Suites, 26 Balconies, 416 Oceanviews, 209 Inside cabins, and 15 Singles. Most cabins measured 140-170 ft² (13-16 m²). Only 4 cabins were wheelchair-accessible. The largest accommodations were the Window Suites (280-290 ft² / 26-27 m²).

The vessel had 9 decks, all with passenger cabins.

Shipboard facilities and amenities

The liner featured three restaurants. The 600-seat Meridian offered open-seating dining with warm décor. Most tables accommodated 4, 6, or 8 guests. Dinner menus included 4 starters plus a vegetarian option. The intimate Mistral’s (45 seats) was a specialty restaurant with a per-person cover charge, adjacent to the Meridian. The Lido Restaurant operated 24 hours a day with open seating and occasional themed buffets, though the self-serve options could be repetitive. On the Lido Deck, the Terrace Grill offered fast food, pasta, and pizza.

Marella Celebration cruise ship (Thomson Celebration)

Complete list of Marella Celebration’s restaurants and dining venues:

  • The Meridian (breakfast, lunch, 6-course dinner; open seating; weekly Captain’s Gala Reception and Dinner)
  • Mistral’s (a la carte, cover charge, reservations required; open 6:30-10 PM for dinner)
  • Kora La (Asian cuisine, lunch and dinner; complimentary, reservations recommended)
  • Lido Restaurant (24-hour buffet and al-fresco dining; twice-weekly international theme nights)
  • Terrace Grill (outdoor pizzas, pasta, specialty salads).

Celebration was particularly appealing for first-time cruisers, with facilities that blurred the line between land-based and sea vacations. For example, the Lido Bar and Restaurant’s outdoor seating area allowed guests to enjoy cocktails while watching live entertainment by the pool—an experience reminiscent of Mediterranean resort hotels.

Marella Celebration cruise ship (Thomson Celebration)

Complete list of Marella Celebration’s lounges, clubs, and entertainment venues for adults, teens, and kids:

  • Broadway Show Lounge (600 seats; grand productions with dance, acrobatics, comedy, and games); Broadway Lounge Bar
  • Broad Street Shops (duty-free arcade with boutiques offering jewelry, watches, perfumes, fashion, liquor, tobacco, and logo merchandise); Boutique (luxury spa cosmetics, beauty products)
  • Photo Gallery & Shop; Card Room; Library with Internet access
  • Explorers Lounge (live piano music, Afternoon Tea; home to The Coffee Port bar for specialty coffees/teas with desserts; wi-fi hotspot)
  • Casino (with its own bar)
  • Mezzanine Bar & Lounge
  • Hemingway’s Bar (live piano, panoramic sea views)
  • Lido Bar (11:30 AM–7:30 PM, poolside service)
  • Liberties (disco nightclub with bar, stage, dance floor; daytime activities included music, films, game shows, and dance classes)
  • Main Pool area (kids’ paddle pool, swimming pool, sundeck, alfresco Pool Bar)
  • Marella Kids Club (supervised, age-appropriate activities for ages 3-11; play area; complimentary); Video Games Arcade
  • Oceans Spa & Gym (Wellness Centre with treatment and massage rooms, saunas, beauty salon, relaxation area; gym with aerobics studio)
  • Adults-only pool deck (pool, whirlpool, sunbathing area)
  • Horizons Lounge & Bar (observation lounge with panoramic views, dance floor, classical and jazz music, evening cabaret)
  • The Sun Lounge (outdoor adults-only retreat with luxury daybeds and bar service).

Itineraries

Marella Celebration’s itineraries were mainly Mediterranean-based. During the 2016-2017 winter season, she operated roundtrips from Dubai, UAE visiting ports in Bahrain, Oman, and the UAE.

In summer 2018, she was homeported in Dubrovnik, Croatia for an adults-only cruise program featuring full-day port stays in Croatian cities (Bar, Korcula, Zadar, Split) as well as Venice and Trieste in Italy. She also introduced two new 7-day itineraries: “Sail Three Seas” (Valletta, Messina, Cephalonia, Igoumenitsa, Kotor) and “Greek Mystique” (Chania, Piraeus-Athens, Kalamata, Corfu, Kotor).

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Marella Celebration Wiki

The ship's powerplant consisted of Wartsila-Sulzer marine diesel engines (model 7RLB66) with a combined power output of 21.6 MW (28,965 hp).

The vessel had Chantiers de l’Atlantique yard/hull number A360677, a volume of 33,933 GT, deadweight tonnage (DWT) of 4,243 tons, and a maximum draught of 7.7 m.

Marella Celebration was originally built and launched as ms Noordam for HAL-Holland America Line. In 2005, she was chartered to Thomson Holidays (rebranded in 2018 as Marella Cruises). Following an extensive drydock refurbishment in 2014, Celebration was introduced into Thomson’s new “Platinum Collection” itineraries. The ship’s godmother was Beatrijs van De Wall Bake, a descendant of the Van den Wall Bake/De Menthon Bake family, originally from Bremen, Germany.

The vessel was built in France and, by design and specifications, was a sistership to Thomson Spirit (originally launched as ms Nieuw Amsterdam for HAL in 1983). The Apollo Group was contracted to provide all onboard hotel services for Marella ships. This included administration, food and beverage operations, housekeeping, provisioning, and crewing. Apollo also supplies luxury brands such as Oceania and Regent Seven Seas Cruises (RSSC).

During the winter 2016-2017 season, Marella Celebration was homeported in Dubai, UAE, operating 7-night roundtrips to ports in the UAE, Oman, and Bahrain.

Marella Celebration cruise ship (Thomson Celebration)

The vessel had a maximum passenger capacity of 1,350 (plus 520 crew) and 625 staterooms across 9 decks. Her construction cost was USD 160 million in 1984, equivalent to ~USD 406 million in 2020 (based on an average annual inflation rate of ~2.6%). The shipbuilder was Chantiers de l’Atlantique in Saint-Nazaire, France.