A Marella Mediterranean Medley cruise typically costs £800–£2,500+ per person for 7–14 nights depending on cabin grade and season, with drinks, gratuities, and flights often bundled into TUI's all-inclusive fare — making the headline price more genuinely all-in than most mainstream cruise lines.
Photo: Travel Mutiny
Most people asking about Marella's Mediterranean Medley itineraries are trying to figure out what they'll actually spend once you strip away the TUI marketing gloss. Here's the honest answer: Marella is one of the better-value cruise products for British travelers precisely because the all-inclusive model is real — but there are still costs that catch people off guard.
What Does a Marella Mediterranean Medley Cruise Actually Cost?
Marella's Mediterranean Medley sailings typically run 7–14 nights, hopping between ports across Spain, Italy, Greece, Croatia, and the Balearics. The headline fare from TUI includes accommodation, most meals, most drinks, and — crucially — often return flights from UK airports. That's a materially different starting point than Royal Caribbean or Norwegian, where you're adding gratuities, drinks packages, and flights on top.
| Tier | Cabin Type | Duration | Approximate Fare (per person) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Budget | Inside cabin, shoulder season | 7 nights | £799 – £1,100 |
| Mid-Range | Sea view or balcony, June–August | 7 nights | £1,200 – £1,800 |
| Mid-Range | Inside/sea view, shoulder season | 14 nights | £1,400 – £2,100 |
| Splurge | Balcony cabin, peak summer | 14 nights | £2,200 – £3,200+ |
| Splurge | Premium suite, peak | 7–14 nights | £2,800 – £4,500+ |
Prices are per person based on two sharing. Solo supplement typically 50–65% extra. Book direct via TUI or compare using CruiseHub: https://book.cruisehub.com/swift/cruise?referrer=dave&siid=191861
Photo: Carnival Cruise Line
What's Included — and What Isn't
This is where Marella earns its value reputation. The all-inclusive package on Marella Discovery and Marella Discovery 2 (the ships most commonly deployed on Med Medley itineraries) is genuinely inclusive compared to American mainstream lines.
Included in Marella All-Inclusive:
- Most alcoholic and soft drinks during bar hours (branded spirits, house wine, draught beer)
- Main dining in the buffet and main restaurant
- Entertainment, daytime activities, kids' clubs
- UK return flights (when booked as a TUI package holiday)
- Gratuities — no daily service charge to budget for
Not included — here's where costs creep in:
| Extra | Typical Cost |
|---|---|
| Premium spirits / cocktails (upgrade tier) | £2–£5 per drink top-up, or ~£10–£15/day upgrade package |
| Specialty restaurants (Surf & Turf steakhouse, etc.) | £15–£30 per person per visit |
| Shore excursions (Marella-branded) | £25–£120+ per person per tour |
| Spa treatments | £40–£120 per treatment |
| Wi-Fi | £5–£10/day or ~£35–£50 for cruise-length package |
| Soft drinks / water in cabin minibar | Often charged |
| Laundry | £2–£5 per item |
| Photos | £10–£25 per print; packages available |
The honest math: A couple on a 7-night Marella Med sailing who do two specialty dinners, two excursions each, Wi-Fi for the week, and a handful of premium drinks will realistically add £300–£600 on top of the headline fare. That's still dramatically lower than the equivalent on Royal Caribbean or Norwegian where gratuities alone run $18/person/day before you touch the drinks package.
Photo: Carnival Cruise Line
Key Factors That Drive the Total Cost
1. Booking timing matters enormously. TUI releases Marella sailings up to 18 months in advance, and early-booking discounts of 10–20% are common. Last-minute deals exist but cabin choice disappears fast — particularly balconies, which go quickly on Mediterranean itineraries.
2. Peak vs. shoulder season. July–August sailing dates carry a meaningful premium. May, June (early), September, and October offer the same ports with materially lower fares and thinner crowds at each stop.
3. Flight origin. TUI packages from regional UK airports (Birmingham, Manchester, Glasgow, Bristol) sometimes cost more than London Gatwick departures due to aircraft availability. Always compare departure airports — the difference can be £100–£200 per person.
4. Cabin grade. The jump from inside to sea view is modest (£100–£200pp typically). The jump to balcony on a 14-night sailing can be £400–£700pp — worth it for a Mediterranean cruise where you're watching sunsets over the Adriatic or Tyrrhenian Sea from your own private space.
5. Ship choice. Marella Discovery 2 tends to be slightly newer-feeling and is often used on longer Med itineraries. Marella Explorer 2 also appears on some Medley routes. The ships are mid-size (1,800–2,000 passengers) — not the mega-ship experience, which is either a feature or a bug depending on what you want.
How to Get the Best Value on a Marella Mediterranean Medley
Book early, choose shoulder season. The single biggest lever on total cost. A September Mediterranean Medley often costs 20–30% less than the identical July itinerary.
Don't pay for the drinks upgrade unless you're drinking top-shelf. The standard all-inclusive covers the vast majority of what most people actually drink — branded gin, house wine, standard cocktails. The upgrade package makes sense only if you're ordering premium single malts or top-tier champagne regularly.
Book shore excursions independently where it makes sense. Marella's excursion prices are fair but not always the cheapest. In ports like Barcelona, Rome (Civitavecchia), or Athens (Piraeus), independent travel is easy — hop on public transport or book a local tour operator for 30–50% less. In smaller or more complex ports (Montenegro, some Greek islands), Marella's organized excursion is worth the premium for logistics alone.
Wi-Fi reality check. Mediterranean ports have solid 4G/5G coverage. Buy a cheap EU roaming SIM or check your UK mobile plan's roaming allowance (most UK plans now include EU data). You may need very little onboard Wi-Fi at all — particularly on an itinerary with daily port stops where you're off the ship most of the day.
Watch the specialty restaurant pricing. Two specialty dinners for a couple adds ~£60–£120. Fine for a special occasion, but the main dining room on Marella is genuinely decent — not an afterthought you're trying to escape.
Is the Mediterranean Medley Itinerary Worth It?
For British travelers who want a no-fuss, genuinely-all-inclusive Mediterranean experience without building a spreadsheet of add-on costs, Marella's Medley itineraries are among the strongest value propositions in the UK cruise market. You're not getting the fleet investment of Royal Caribbean or the entertainment scale of Norwegian — but you're also not getting their gratuity bills, drink package pricing ($75–$95/person/day on many US lines), or the nickel-and-diming that defines much of the mainstream US cruise experience.
The typical traveler on a 7-night Marella Mediterranean Medley, including flights, should budget:
- Headline fare: £1,000–£1,800pp
- On-board extras (realistic): £150–£350pp
- Shore spending (meals ashore, local tours, souvenirs): £200–£500pp
- Total realistic budget: £1,350–£2,650 per person for a 7-night fully-packaged Mediterranean cruise
That's genuinely competitive. Check current fares and compare Mediterranean cruise options using CruiseMutiny before you commit — especially if you're weighing Marella against MSC, Costa, or a repositioning deal on a larger American line sailing the Med.