Marella Cruises, the UK focused cruise line in the TUI AG group, has decided to retire the 1986 built Marella Dream, the oldest ship in its fleet.

With a gross tonnage of 54,763, it is also the smallest ship of the company, which it has served for a decade.

Marella Dream was built as Homeric for the now defunct Switzerland based Home Lines by the Meyer Werft in Germany and it was the first cruise liner that the yard had constructed.

Originally, the vessel measured 204 metres in length and 42,092 gross tons and it was lengthened to the present 240.3 metres in 1988 after Home Lines had been acquired by Holland America Line, for whom the ship sailed as Westerdam. It later become Costa Europa before joining the fleet of what is Marella Cruises now in 2010.

This is the second ship Marella Cruises has disposed of since the start of the Covid-19 crisis. The 1984 built Marella Celebration of 33,930 gross tons that was operated on charter left the fleet earlier this year. Both ships that Marella Cruises has decided to axe only had few balcony cabins, which are a standard feature even in more modern contemporary market ships today.