19 Marella Cruises to visit new ports in Albania and Italy Seabourn Encore to make maiden Alaska debut in 2026 Marella Cruises will visit Sarandë in Albania and Syracuse in Italy for the first time in summer 2027. Marella Discovery 2 will call at the ports on the ‘Ionian Shores’ itinerary, which departs from Dubrovnik, Croatia. The ship will also sail Marella Cruises’ ‘Greek Mystique’ itinerary, calling at ports in the Greek islands, and the ‘Sail Three Seas’ itinerary, which sails the Aegean, Mediterranean and Adriatic seas. “We’re excited to expand our cruising destination portfolio with the introduction of fast-growing hotspots such as Sarandë in Albania,” said Chris Hackney, CEO of Marella Cruises. “Adding an Albanian port brings a fresh choice to the itinerary – it’s about offering guests something new which they’ll talk about long after the cruise ends. There’s a growing appetite for Albania for beach and city holidays and we’re leaning into that by exploring lesser-visited destinations. We’re always looking at how we can add new and lesser-known ports into our itineraries, so we expect this to continue in future.” Seabourn Encore will sail its first itineraries in Alaska and British Columbia from May to September 2026. Seabourn’s ultra-luxury ship will offer 17 seven-day and one eight-day cruises, which can be combined to make 14- or 15-day voyages. The itineraries have been designed to feature both iconic sites and hidden treasures. The ship will make marquee stops, such as Juneau and Ketchikan, alongside off-the-beatenpath destinations and passageways not accessible to larger ships, including Alert Bay and stretches of the Alaska and Canadian Inside Passage. “Alaska has always been one of our most requested destinations, and we’re excited to bring Seabourn Encore to the region for the very first time in 2026,” said Crystal Morgan, senior director of deployment and itinerary planning at Seabourn. “This is about meeting strong guest demand with one of our most celebrated ships. Seabourn Encore will be our only ship in Alaska that season, and we believe the timing is perfect to give travellers even more ways to experience the beauty of Alaska in true Seabourn style. An added advantage of bringing Seabourn Encore to Alaska is that it also allows us to offer voyages and more capacity in Japan during the spring and fall (before and after our Alaska season). It’s another destination where we are seeing strong interest from our guests.” MARKETWATCH
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