Marella Cruises has added two new ports for Marella Discovery, with Isla Catalina, Dominican Republic, and Ponce, Puerto Rico starting from December 16, 2025.
This will be the first time Tui-owned Marella Cruises will be porting in those destinations.
The cruise line’s winter itineraries will go on sale today (July 18), with 167 hotels available for cruise-and-stay guests, operated from 14 airports across the UK.
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The new ports of call for Marella Discovery will be on the ‘Tropical Isles’ itinerary which will start from La Romana, Dominican Republic, visiting San Jean, Puerto Rico, Charlotte Amalie, US Virgin Islands, and Fredriksted, US Virgin Islands, before porting in Ponce, Puerto Rico and Isla Catalina, and returning to La Romana.
There will also be sailings from the January 8, 2026, on Marella Discovery 2 ‘Exotic Islands’ itinerary, visiting Barbados, St Lucia, Aruba, Curacao and Grenada.
New overnight onboard stays are available in Willemstad, Curacao, and cruise-and-stay options in Hilton Barbados Resort in Needhams Point and Radisson Aquatica in Hastings, Barbados.
Chris Hackney, managing director at Marella Cruises, said: “We’re excited to be announcing our winter 2025 programme, with our more remote island ports of call in the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico, allowing our guests to discover more.”
• Sister brand Tui River Cruises is offering new sailings on the river Danube for winter 2025 and new four-night shorter sailings.
From November 2025, guests can sail down the Danube on Tui Maya with four and five-night itineraries available over the Christmas and New Year.
Four-night sailings will also be available on Tui Isla and Tui Skyla on the Rhine, visiting Christmas markets.
The winter itineraries offer 15 sailings across the entire fleet.
The newest ship in the fleet, Tui Al Horeya, will return for winter 2025 Nile sailings available from November 2025 with exclusive flights from Gatwick and Manchester Airport to Luxor.
Katy Berzins, head of river cruises at Tui River Cruises, said: “We’re giving customers the chance to explore even more cities during the festive period for the very first time.
“By introducing the new four-night sailings down the Danube and Rhine, it will offer a chance for new to cruise customers to experience our fleet for the first time for a shorter duration.”
Picture: Isla Catalina.