Marella Discovery 2 is the lead ship of the Vision class of cruise ships originally operated by Royal Caribbean International. With a gross tonnage of 69,130 GT, the ship can carry 2,074 passengers. Its maiden voyage was May 16, 1995. The ship's facilities include a rock climbing wall, a mini-golf course, dining areas and bars, an atrium, two pools, a theatre and a fitness centre.[3][4]

Marella Discovery 2 anchored at Argostoli, Kefalonia
History
Name
  • 1995–2017: Legend of the Seas
  • 2017: TUI Discovery 2
  • 2017–present: Marella Discovery 2
Owner
Operator
Port of registry
Builder
Yard numberA31[2]
LaunchedSeptember 5, 1994
In service1995[2]
Identification
StatusIn service
General characteristics
Class and typeVision-class cruise ship
Tonnage69,472 GT[1]
Length264.26 m (867 ft 0 in)[1]
Beam
  • Max: 37 m (121 ft 5 in)[1]
  • Waterline: 32 m (105 ft 0 in)[1]
Height50 m (164 ft 1 in) air draft
Draft8.068 m (26 ft 5.6 in)[1]
Depth10.45 m (34 ft 3 in)[1]
Decks11
Installed power
  • 5 × Wärtsilä Vasa 12V46B V12 engines
  • 11,700 kW (15,700 hp) each
Propulsion2 × 5.8 m (19 ft) diameter, fixed pitch propellers
Speed24 knots (44 km/h; 28 mph)
Capacity1,836 passengers[3]
Crew771 crew[3]

Career

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As Legend of the Seas, it was the most-traveled ship in the Royal Caribbean fleet, having been based in Asia, Australia and New Zealand, the South Pacific, Alaska, Central America, Caribbean, the Baltic, Mediterranean and the Middle East during her 19-year career at sea.[citation needed] Starting in the winter of 2009 she was based in Asia on a year-round basis.[citation needed]

After the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake, almost all of her North Asia routes were canceled.

In 2013 she returned to Europe to offer cruises in the Mediterranean Sea. During the winter period the ship was based at Fort Lauderdale for Caribbean cruises. In the summer period in 2014, she offered cruises to Northern Europe where she visited port in the Baltic Sea and Norway.[5]

On 2 June 2016, Royal Caribbean sold Legend of the Seas to the UK based Thomson Cruises. Legend of the Seas's last scheduled cruise with Royal Caribbean ended on 26 March 2017 before the ship was transferred to Thomson.[6] She first appeared as the TUI Discovery 2 in Malaga, Spain on 14 May 2017.[7]

Following the announcement on 9 October 2017, that Thomson Cruises would be renamed Marella Cruises, TUI Group also announced that TUI Discovery 2 would adopt the name Marella Discovery 2 at the end of October 2017. On 28 October 2017, TUI Discovery 2 was renamed Marella Discovery 2 in a ceremony held at the port of Tenerife by members of the ship's crew chosen as 'outstanding performers' by the company, together with the Captain.[8]

Marella Discovery 2 is the sister ship to Marella Discovery (formerly Splendour of the Seas).[2]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g "Marella Discovery 2 (18204)". Vessel Register for DNV. DNV.
  2. ^ a b c Fakta om fartyg(in Swedish)
  3. ^ a b c "Marella Discovery 2 Cruise Ship | Thomson now Marella Cruises". www.tui.co.uk. Retrieved 26 November 2017.
  4. ^ "Marella Discovery 2 Facilities | Thomson now Marella Cruises". www.tui.co.uk. Retrieved 26 November 2017.
  5. ^ "Legend of the Seas 2014 Northern Europe" (PDF). Royal Caribbean International. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 16 October 2021.
  6. ^ "Thomson Cruises Acquires Second Royal Caribbean Ship – Tui Cruises – Cruise Critic". cruisecritic.com. Retrieved 17 March 2017.
  7. ^ Ford, Matt. "Homeport honours for Malaga". euroweeklynews.com. Retrieved 17 March 2017.
  8. ^ ""TUI Discovery 2" formally renamed as "Marella Discovery 2"". Crew Center. 28 October 2017. Retrieved 13 January 2018.
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