Marella Cruises is set to say goodbye to the Marella Spirit on October 21 during her Continental Coasts itinerary sailing to Malaga, Barcelona, Toulon and Valencia.

Chris Hackney Managing Director of Marella Cruises said: “We are sad to say goodbye to our much loved ship Marella Spirit and are proud of the hard work of our crew onboard over the last 15 years. We are excited for the future as we continue to develop our current ships and offer our customers more choice and with the introduction of our first ever adults only ship Marella Explorer 2 next year it promises to be an excited journey.”

The ship launched service in 1984 as the Nieuw Amsterdam for Holland America Line, also spending time with American Classic Voyages before moving to Thomson (now Marella) in 2003.

Guests will be treated to sparkling wine on arrival followed by a sail away party featuring a saxophonist and several surprises, the company said.

The seven-night cruise will feature a live performance from eighties cover band Wild Boys, where guests are encouraged to dress up nautically themed. Entertainment will also include an audience with Mark Labbett from popular ITV game show The Chase and a final night deck party with Captain’s speech and an extravagant celebratory cake.