MARELLA EXPLORER 2
August 25, 2026 | Corfu, Greece
Marella Explorer 2 (Marella Cruises) visited Corfu, Greece, on August 25, 2026, during her summer Mediterranean season. Originally built as Century for Celebrity Cruises, the adults-only ship shared the port with Oosterdam during its Athens-to-Barcelona voyage.
Marella Explorer 2 began her career in 1995 as Century, the first of three Century-class cruise ships built for Celebrity Cruises by Meyer Werft in Papenburg, Germany. Her design introduced a new generation of Celebrity ships, followed by the larger Galaxy in 1996 and Mercury in 1997. A multideck foyer, extensive public rooms and a prominent theater formed important parts of the original layout.
Later known as Celebrity Century, the ship subsequently sailed in China as SkySea Golden Era before joining Marella Cruises in 2019. Refurbishment for her new operator introduced Marella’s dining and entertainment venues and an adults-only approach. Our Corfu photographs record this later chapter of her career, when we saw the ship during our Mediterranean voyage aboard Oosterdam.
Information List
Ship: Marella Explorer 2
Operator: Marella Cruises
Former Names: Century, Celebrity Century and SkySea Golden Era
Former Operators: Celebrity Cruises and SkySea Cruise Line
Ship Class: Century class
Ship Type: Cruise ship
Builder: Meyer Werft, Papenburg, Germany
Entered Service: 1995
Joined Marella Cruises: 2019
Gross Tonnage: Approximately 71,545 GT, as listed by Marella Cruises
Length: Approximately 246 meters / 807 feet, as listed by Marella Cruises
Beam: Approximately 32.2 meters / 106 feet
Passenger Capacity: Approximately 1,814
Cabins: 907
Speed: Approximately 19 knots, as listed by Marella Cruises
Registry: Malta
Related Ships: Marella Explorer, formerly Galaxy, and Marella Voyager, formerly Mercury
Passenger Profile: Adults only
Location Shown: Corfu, Greece
Date Shown: August 25, 2026
Our Voyage: Seen during our 14-day Mediterranean cruise aboard Oosterdam from Athens to Barcelona
History and Features
Construction and Entry Into Service
Meyer Werft built the ship in Papenburg, Germany, for Celebrity Cruises.
She entered service in 1995 under the name Century.
Century was the first ship in the class, followed by Galaxy in 1996 and Mercury in 1997.
The two later ships were approximately 15 meters longer than the original vessel.
Her original design emphasized spacious public rooms, a multideck foyer and a large theater.
Design and Features
The ship combines a traditional cruise ship profile with public spaces and accommodation arranged across multiple decks.
Her layout includes interior, ocean-view and balcony cabins, together with suites.
Open deck areas provide space for swimming, sunbathing and views of the ports visited.
Successive changes of operator brought new interiors and onboard concepts while retaining the underlying Century-class design.
Her present Marella configuration accommodates approximately 1,814 passengers in 907 cabins.
Onboard Features
The Market Place provides buffet dining with several food stations.
The Dining Club offers a more formal specialty dining experience.
Beach Cove features barbecue-inspired menus in a casual setting.
Indigo combines panoramic views with bar, nightclub and casino spaces.
The Broadway Show Lounge hosts the ship’s main stage entertainment.
The Squid & Anchor provides a pub setting with live music, quizzes and games.
Flutes serves as a Champagne and Prosecco bar with piano entertainment.
The 19th Hole is a golf-themed venue with a golf simulator.
Outdoor areas include The Veranda, while the ship also offers spa and wellness facilities.
Service
The ship spent the first part of her career with Celebrity Cruises as Century and later Celebrity Century.
She subsequently operated for SkySea Cruise Line under the name SkySea Golden Era.
TUI announced her acquisition for Marella Cruises in 2018, with refurbishment planned before entering service for the new operator.
She joined Marella in 2019 as Marella Explorer 2.
Her Marella service introduced an adults-only cruise offering.
By summer 2026, her deployment included Mediterranean itineraries visiting ports in Greece and the Adriatic.
Corfu – August 25, 2026
We saw Marella Explorer 2 in Corfu during our 14-day Mediterranean cruise aboard Oosterdam from Athens to Barcelona.
Corfu was Day 4 of our voyage, following our visit to Kotor on August 24.
The call brought us back to Greek waters after our first port in Montenegro.
Marella Explorer 2 was also visiting Corfu that day, providing another ship encounter during our journey.
Her published schedule placed the Corfu visit within a seven-night Sail Three Seas cruise departing Dubrovnik on August 20.
This gallery records the former Celebrity ship in her Marella identity, more than three decades after entering service.
Legacy
Marella Explorer 2 preserves the original Century-class ship through successive changes of name, operator and market.
Her career connects Celebrity’s fleet expansion in the 1990s with later cruising in China and her current role with Marella.
The Corfu photographs add another ship encounter to the record of our Athens-to-Barcelona voyage aboard Oosterdam.
OLP Social: Originally Celebrity’s Century, this adults-only ship was another encounter during our Athens-to-Barcelona cruise aboard Oosterdam, sharing our Corfu call in her Marella identity.
