Marella Ship Shelters in Port Overnight, Misses Next Call

Marella Voyager‘s current 7-night “Canarian Flavours” sailing has not been quite as flavorful as guests may have hoped, as poor weather has kept the ship in port unexpectedly overnight and forced the cancellation of another port visit.

Guests onboard were notified of the change via loudspeaker announcements as well as a letter delivered to their staterooms over the weekend regarding the adjustments.

“We can confirm that it is not possible for Marella Voyager to call to the port of Arrecife, Lanzarote, tomorrow the 15th February 2026 as a result of poor weather conditions,” the letter explained.

“The weather forecast tonight continues to deteriorate significantly which does not ensure the safety of maneuvers due to high winds. So, we will remain in the shelter of the port, here in Las Palmas, Gran Canaria overnight until 17.00 [5 p.m.] tomorrow.”

Marella Voyager is homeported in the Canary Islands, offering departure options from both Tenerife and Las Palmas.

The ship’s current weeklong sailing began on Friday, February 13, from Tenerife, and the visit to Las Palmas was the first port on the itinerary on February 14. Instead of moving on to Arrecife the next day, the ship remained in Las Palmas, giving guests the rare opportunity to enjoy the destination’s sparkling nightlife.

The weather in Arrecife on Sunday was indeed blustery. On the small island of Lanzarote, where the port of Arrecife is located, Weather Underground recorded that steady winds remained from 20-30 miles per hour throughout the day, only slowing slightly after 6 p.m.

Lanzarote is the easternmost of the Canary Islands and a popular port for ships visiting the archipelago. Marella Voyager will return to Arrecife for her next visit on Sunday, February 22, weather permitting.

In the meantime, any excursions guests had booked through Marella Cruises for their time in Arrecife were cancelled automatically and refunded.

For the remainder of this cruise, no further changes are expected. Marella Voyager moved on to Puerto del Rosario on Monday, February 16 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., followed by a day at sea.

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Wednesday, February 18 will be spent in Funchal from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., while La Gomera is the final port visit on Thursday, February 19 from 1-7 p.m. The ship will return to Tenerife for debarkation on Friday, February 20.

The 77,300-gross-ton Marella Voyager is the newest ship for Marella Cruises, having just joined the line in 2023. She can welcome 1,912 guests aboard for each sailing.

Berth Shift Limits Gangway Access

While the ship did indeed remain in Las Palmas overnight, she did not remain in the exact same position.

“To facilitate this extended stay we are required to change berth within the port,” the letter explained.

This could have been due to previous scheduling conflicts, the facilities available to service the ship overnight, or ensuring the vessel was in as much of a protected position as possible for her longer stay.

To accommodate the move between berths, Marella Voyager pulled up her gangways from 10:30 p.m. until midnight during her overnight stay.

During those 90 minutes, the ship moved to her new location, where the gangways were again lowered for guests to come and go as they wished. This move was timed so that the disruption interfered with as few guests as possible and was accomplished without difficulty.

Cruise Hive has previously reported on similar occasions when cruise ship must remain sheltered in port, such as when Ambassador Group’s Ambition remained overnight in Lisbon due to rough weather in mid-January.

When cruise ships have such last-minute changes with longer stays in port, every effort is made to keep the vessel at the same berth. If a change is necessary, it is done as quickly and efficiently as possible, and guests onboard Marella Voyager were not unduly inconvenienced.