Marella Explorer 2 is now on the blocks in Cadiz, Spain, as the refurbishment process begins.

The ship is due to depart from Cadiz on March 27th before embarking on her first customer sailing around the Mediterranean, leaving from Palma, Majorca on April 2nd.

With just an eight-week stint in dry dock before she takes to the seas, around 1,520 people, from partners, contractors and the Marella Cruises team, will provide over 190,000-man hours to deliver an extensive multi-million-pound makeover.

A total of 43 square kilometres of carpet will be laid, along with over 70 kilometres of network cabling and 640 Wi-Fi access points.

Some 9.5 tonnes of Marella-branded items, including uniform and almost 1,000 show team costumes are already en-route to Spain.

Not to mention the tens of thousands of litres of paint, 2.9 kilometres of bathroom trims and mile-upon-mile of fabric that go into giving a 71,545 GRT ship a facelift.

Marella Explorer 2 is getting the full top-to-bottom treatment.

Marella Explorer 2 will also be home to a Champneys Spa, offering a full-service thermal suite, treatment suites with their own showers and a beauty salon; guests will also be able to book an exclusive Marella treatment.