Marella Discovery 2

The 1995-built (as "Legend of the Seas") Marella Discovery 2 cruise ship (formerly "TUI Discovery 2") is one of the first Vision-class Royal Caribbean International (RCI) liners, alongside her sisterships Vision OTS, Grandeur OTS, Enchantment OTS, Rhapsody OTS, and Splendour OTS (now Marella Discovery). The vessel is fully owned by TUI and chartered through its parent company, TUI Cruises. She began operations for Marella Cruises (formerly "Thomson Cruises", a TUI subsidiary) in May 2017.

The vessel (IMO number 9070620) is currently Bahamas-flagged (MMSI 311378000) and registered in Nassau.

Interestingly, the ship’s original name, “Legend of the Seas,” will also be used for RCI’s upcoming ICON3-class ship Legend OTS (launching in 2026).

History - construction and ownership

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

In April 2017, Legend of the Seas was transferred to TUI’s UK line Marella Cruises (then Thomson Cruises), a joint venture between RCCL and TUI. The ship entered service as “TUI Discovery 2” on May 14, 2017. No financial details of the deal were disclosed.

Decks and Cabins

Marella Discovery 2 has 915 staterooms, nearly 40% of which feature private step-out balconies. Cabins range from 150 to 190 ft² (14–18 m²) across 15 categories, including 17 wheelchair-accessible rooms. The largest accommodation is the Royal Suite, measuring 990 ft² (92 m²) plus a 140 ft² (13 m²) terrace.

The ship has 11 decks, of which 10 are passenger-accessible and 5 contain cabins.

Shipboard facilities and amenities

Dining options include the Main Dining Room, Kora La (Asian cuisine), Surf & Turf (a la carte steakhouse), Chef’s Table, the Lido buffet restaurant, a café, and a snack bar.

Launched with the maiden voyage, the “Navigate” app allows passengers to view onboard accounts, entertainment schedules, and ship information, as well as book excursions, spa treatments, and dining reservations. The free app runs through the ship’s network and is accessible via any browser, without requiring a Wi-Fi purchase or download.

Another addition is the Virtual Reality Experience, allowing guests to use HTC Vive headsets for immersive gaming, virtual exploration, or 3D painting. The onboard Green Screen Photo Booth lets passengers choose their own backgrounds for photos. New entertainment productions include “Chaplin,” “Brexfactor,” “Steel City,” and “Festival Live.”

Additional facilities include the Broadway Show Lounge, a five-story Atrium & Bar, Sky Bar, Pool Bar, Coffee Port, Lounge Bar, Cocktail & Piano Bar, Oceans Spa, Beauty Salon, Gym, two swimming pools, four jacuzzis, solarium, rock-climbing wall, mini-golf, outdoor movie screen, 24-hour room service (extra charge), casino, Marella Kids’ Club, video arcade, library with Internet access, Broad Street Shops, and a Photo Gallery.

Since November 2022, Marella UK has partnered with OneSpaWorld Holdings to provide ocean-inspired wellness services across the fleet. Offerings include Ocean Body Treatments (massages and polishes), Ocean Facials, and Ocean Salon Services, featuring premium brands such as Elemis, L’Oréal, and Kérastase. OneSpaWorld also operates spa brands like Mandara Spa, Bliss Spa, Chavana Spa, and Glow Spa.

Following her 2024 refurbishment, Marella Discovery 2 introduced the Play Wall — the line’s first interactive gaming wall with 28 digital activities. The feature, developed by Neo Experiences (France), is complimentary but requires advance reservations via onboard kiosks or the Navigate app. It offers a high-tech entertainment experience testing guests’ speed, precision, and coordination.

Kora La offers a selection of pan-Asian dishes and is one of the ship’s specialty restaurants (extra charge; reservations recommended).

Surf & Turf is a steakhouse-style venue featuring premium seafood, chicken, lamb, steaks, and gourmet dishes with a variety of sides. Dining here also incurs a surcharge and requires reservations.

In June 2025, the gastropub Piccadilly’s was launched fleetwide.

• The 250-seat restaurant serves traditional British cuisine and is open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. It operates on a complimentary, walk-in basis (no reservations).
• Signature dishes include “Chicken or the Egg” (smoked chicken terrine, soft hen eggs, piccalilli), “Chicken Cock-a-Leekie” (stuffed roast chicken with vegetables), and sharing plates like “Great British Burgers” (beef, pork, Yorkshire pudding, chips, coleslaw) and “The Arthur Duke Pasty Duo” (pork, pulled beef, apple, apricot Wellington, mushroom puff pastry, vegetable). Desserts include Orange Jaffa Cake (orange jelly, candied orange, 70% dark chocolate).
• Complimentary dishes include starters (Chips and Gravy, Devilled Chicken Livers on Toast, Smoked Salmon Roulade), mains (Angus Beef and Yorkshire Pudding Roast Dinner, Steak and Ale Pie, Roast Chicken Dinner), and desserts (Warm Apple Fritters, The King of Nice Puddings, British Cheese Selection).
• Premium items (extra charge) include Seafood Thermidor Frites, Rack of Lamb, Pan-Seared Sirloin Steak, and Belgian Chocolate Dome.

Itineraries

As Legend of the Seas, the ship’s itinerary program was mainly based on Australia cruises from Brisbane and Southeast Asia sailings from Singapore.

Marella Discovery 2 began her itinerary program with the Maiden Voyage on May 14, 2017 (“Continental Coasts” itinerary), calling at Barcelona, Marseille, and Valencia.

Homeported in Malaga, Spain for summer 2017, Marella Discovery 2 visited major Mediterranean ports such as Barcelona, Ibiza, Valencia, Oporto, Lisbon, and Marseille. Later, she repositioned to Tenerife for Canary Islands roundtrips visiting Madeira and Morocco. In December, she completed a Transatlantic crossing to her new homeport, Montego Bay, Jamaica, for Caribbean voyages visiting Belize, Cuba (overnight in Havana), Costa Rica, Colombia, and Panama.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Marella Discovery 2 paused operations for over two years (March 2020 – April 2022). She resumed service on April 5, 2022, operating 7-day Western Mediterranean cruises from Palma de Mallorca.

In July 2022, Marella announced Discovery 2’s Asia 2023–2024 winter deployment, featuring four 15-night itineraries out of Singapore and two repositioning voyages between Europe/the Mediterranean and Southeast Asia.

The ship's powerplant consists of Wartsila marine diesel engines (model 12V46) with a combined power output of 57.5 MW (77,110 hp).

The vessel has Chantiers de l’Atlantique yard/hull number 103348, a volume of 69,472 GT, a DWT of 5,200 tons, and a maximum draught of 8.1 m.

The Marella Discovery 2 cruise ship was acquired by Marella Cruises in April 2017. The vessel's name, TUI Discovery 2, was announced in early June 2016. TUI Cruises, the parent company, decided to replace the traditional “Thomson” name with “TUI” to strengthen the German brand’s recognition in the UK market.

Marella Discovery 2 joined the fleet in September 2017. Another former RCI ship in the UK fleet is the Marella Discovery (formerly TUI Discovery and Splendour of the Seas). Both ships are the line’s largest ever, each featuring 915 staterooms (40% with private balconies). New features for Marella Cruises include multiple dining venues, a 9-hole mini-golf course, a large casino, an indoor swimming pool, and an 800+ seat theatre lounge. The transformed Legend of the Seas became Marella UK's second ship to feature an outdoor movie screen, a rock-climbing wall, and an ice-skating rink. She is also the second vessel in the fleet to offer an all-inclusive drink package as a standard amenity.

The Apollo Group company was contracted to provide the complete onboard hotel product and services for both Marella Discovery ships (1 and 2). This includes administration, food service staff, housekeeping, provisioning, and crewing. Apollo also assisted with the refit and refurbishment of the former Legend of the Seas (done in Singapore). For Marella Cruises, Apollo Group also manages the Marella Celebration and Marella Dream. Other luxury cruise lines served by Apollo include Oceania Cruises (6 ships) and Regent Seven Seas Cruises (4 ships).

Marella Discovery 2 refurbishments review

The 2017 drydocking for the “Legend of the Seas – TUI Discovery 2” transformation took place at Navantia Shipyard in Cadiz, Spain (April–May 2017).

Marella Discovery 2’s most recent drydock refurbishment was in 2024 (October 10–November 14) at Navantia (Cadiz). The project included routine maintenance, safety inspections, machinery overhauls, hull cleaning/repainting, and extensive stateroom renovations. A total of 370 staterooms were refurbished across multiple categories, including Balcony, Deluxe Balcony, and all suites (232 Junior, 2 Family, 12 Grand, 5 Executive, and 1 Royal Suite). Updates featured new beds, carpets, artwork, furniture, fully renovated bathrooms, and upgraded balcony decking and furnishings. Public lobbies were also completely refurbished.

Marella Discovery 2 itineraries

Marella Discovery 2’s cruise itinerary program (homeport, routes, and dates) will be announced shortly. Initially, the ship was expected to operate Mediterranean itineraries (departing from Malaga, Spain) and Canary Islands cruises (from Tenerife to ports in the Canaries, Morocco, and Funchal, Madeira). Cruises on Marella Discovery 2 became available for booking on July 21, 2016.

The ship’s “Inaugural Cruise” (maiden voyage for Marella UK) was a 7-day roundtrip from Malaga. The “Continental Coasts” voyage started on May 14, following the vessel’s drydock in Cadiz, Spain.

The following table shows the inaugural itinerary’s ports of call and port times. Prices started from USD 775 per person (double occupancy).

Legend of the Seas refurbishment 2013 review

The ship’s last Royal Caribbean drydock was in 2013 (January–February) in Singapore. The USD 50 million project was one of the most extensive in the industry. Major deck plan updates included:

• 13 new cabins added (on decks 7 and 8).
• Deck 6 Oceanview cabins upgraded with balconies.
• All cabins upgraded with flat TVs and refreshed decor, carpeting, and furnishings.
• Enhanced Wi-Fi coverage throughout the ship.
• Installation of multilingual digital wayfinders in most lift areas, displaying events, promotions, and maps.
• Two new lounges on Lido Deck 9: “Concierge Club” and “Diamond Club.”
• Park Cafe added in the Solarium (indoor pool area).
• New restaurants added: “Chef’s Table,” “Chops Grille,” and “Izumi.” The Viking Crown Lounge was renovated and resized to accommodate the new venues.
• Royal Caribbean’s Nursery added on Sports Deck 10.
• New “Centrum” aerial entertainment program introduced.
• “R Bar” (retro-themed) added on deck 4.
• Jumbotron movie screen installed on Pool Deck 9.

The 2017 transformation into “TUI Discovery 2” was again completed in Cadiz, Spain (April–May 2017).

Legend of the Seas ship

• Cabin grades: 26
• Total cabins: 915 (87 Suites, 144 Balcony rooms)
• Dining Room: Romeo & Juliet
• Restaurants and bars: Windjammer (buffet), Park Cafe (deli), Chops Grille (steakhouse), Izumi (Asian)
• Lounges & Bars: Anchors Aweigh, Concierge, Diamond, Viking Crown (nightclub), Optix (teen), Adventure Ocean (kids), R Bar, Ben & Jerry’s, Schooner, Cafe Latte-tudes, pool bars
• Amenities: 24-hour Room Service, Adventure Ocean youth program, Wi-Fi access, Laundry.
• Vitality at Sea Spa, 4 Jacuzzis, 3 pools, Rock-climbing wall, Outdoor theater, Nursery.

Legend of the Seas was built in 1995 in France by Chantiers de l'Atlantique. Her godmother was Cindy Pritzker, wife of Jay Pritzker, a member of Royal Caribbean’s Board. The maiden voyage began on May 16, 1995.

In the RCI fleet, she was the most widely traveled ship, sailing in Asia, Australia, New Zealand, Alaska, Central America, the South Pacific, the Caribbean, the Mediterranean, the Baltic, and the Middle East.

Like all Royal Caribbean ships, her atrium is called the “Centrum,” with the Viking Crown Lounge offering the best panoramic views. The ship is bright, elegant, and filled with natural light, featuring marble, brass, glass, and live palm trees. After the 2013 refit, she gained many of RCI’s signature venues, such as Giovanni’s, Izumi, Chef’s Table, R Bar, Chops Grille, and the outdoor movie screen.

On June 2, 2016, RCI announced the sale of Legend of the Seas to Thomson Cruises (now Marella Cruises), with the vessel to be renamed TUI Discovery 2. Her last RCI cruise was scheduled for March 13, 2017 (a 13-night Suez Canal voyage from Dubai to Barcelona). All subsequent itineraries were canceled, including the 2017 Mediterranean season and several repositioning voyages. Passengers received full refunds and compensation options.

During her 22 years with RCI, she completed over 600 cruises without major incidents, making her one of the fleet’s most traveled ships.

The following tables show Legend of the Seas’ final itineraries for Royal Caribbean International, with fares starting around USD 400 per person per day (double occupancy).

14 nights / 15 days, round-trip Australia to New Zealand:

Repositioning: 11 nights / 12 days, Brisbane to Singapore

Repositioning: 10 nights / 11 days, Singapore to Dubai

Repositioning: 13 nights / 14 days, Dubai to Barcelona

Farewell RCI — and hello TUI!
Godspeed!

Legend of the Seas review

The main dining room, Romeo and Juliet, is an elegant mix of tan and cream. Its centerpiece is a chandelier of crystals and mirrors forming a flower-like design. Tables accommodate from 2 to 8 guests. At lunchtime, Romeo & Juliet becomes Brasserie 30, offering a salad bar and hot dishes from noon to 1:30 p.m. The Windjammer buffet on Deck 9 forward has a nautical theme, including a made-to-order omelet station. It also serves as a casual, fee-free dinner venue with similar fare to the main dining room. Park Cafe, located in the adults-only Solarium, offers complimentary light fare such as sandwiches, salads, soups, carved meats, cookies, and desserts throughout the day.

Below is the complete list of Legend of the Seas restaurants and food bars:

• Romeo & Juliet Restaurant (1,020-seat dining room; Brasserie 30 lunch on sea days; Chef’s Table)
• Windjammer Cafe (546-seat buffet; Early Breakfast 6:30 a.m., Breakfast 7:00–11:30 a.m., Lunch 11:30–3:30 p.m., Dinner 6:30–9:00 p.m.)
• Chops Grille (62-seat specialty steakhouse; reservations recommended)
• Izumi (Asian specialty restaurant)
• Park Cafe (84-seat deli; complimentary, located in the Solarium)

Most public areas are on Decks 4 and 5, radiating from the central 7-story atrium with glass elevators and palm trees. Deck 4 features Casino Royale, the That’s Entertainment Theatre, the nautical Schooner Bar, and the Champagne Bar with live music. Deck 5 hosts boutiques and the Anchors Aweigh Lounge with live music and dancing. The Viking Crown Lounge on Deck 11 serves as an observation area by day and a nightclub at night. For kids, there’s the Adventure Ocean playroom; for teens, the Optix Disco and video arcade.

Complete list of Legend of the Seas lounges, clubs, and entertainment venues for all ages:

• That’s Entertainment Theatre (800-seat, with grand productions, dance, acrobatics, and comedy)
• Photo Gallery & Shop; Art Gallery
• The Centrum (7-deck atrium with aerial acrobatics); Anchors Aweigh Lounge (550-seat show lounge); Diamond and Concierge Clubs; Viking Crown Lounge & Nightclub
• R Bar (33-seat cocktail bar); Cafe Latte-tudes (36-seat coffee bar, Starbucks Coffee); Schooner Bar (104-seat piano bar)
• Centrum Boutiques (duty-free stores: fashion, perfumes, accessories, jewelry, souvenirs, alcohol, cigarettes)
• Casino Royale (240-seat)
• Royal Caribbean Online Center (24-hour Internet lounge)
• Vitality at Sea Spa & Fitness Center
• Solarium lounge (includes Cafe Bar, pool bar and adults only pool area)
• Outdoor Movie Screen
• Video Games Arcade; Optix Teen Center & Disco Club; Royal Babies & Tots Nursery
• Adventure Beach; Adventure Ocean kids lounge area
• Sports Court (golf simulator, table tennis, basketball court); Legend of the Links mini golf course; Jogging Track; Rock-climbing Wall.