Marketplace - the buffet on Marella Explorer 2
Every ship has a buffet, and on Ex2 this is Marketplace on Deck 11. We had breakfast here every day, lunch and dinner a couple of times, and I even went for afternoon tea one day! Honestly, we couldn't fault the buffet at all. The food was always plentiful, hot and varied; for breakfast there was an omelette station, sausages, bacon, different types of eggs, hash browns, pastries, fruit and more. At lunch there would be salad, pizza, hot options, a carved meat, ice cream, beer & wine, desserts, chips... everything you could want! Dinner was usually very similar to lunchtime but with a themed option too like Greek, American or tapas - and of course, beer/wine on tap, delicious desserts etc. Afternoon tea was sausage rolls, little sandwiches, scones, cake... YUM! We never struggled to get a seat in here, didn't find ourselves queueing for the food we wanted, never really had to wait for anything to be brought out etc. There is also a terrace right at the back of the marketplace where you can eat outside, and there was rarely anyone else there which felt like such a treat.
Nonna's - Italian food on Marella Explorer 2
One of our favourite places to eat on board was Nonna's on Deck 11, which is the resident Italian - it's small, with indoor seating and some on-deck seating too, and we never struggled to get a table. You help yourself to pizza (which was 10/10 honestly) and then you take a slip of paper to build your own pasta dish, choosing the shape, the sauce, the meat/veg and the cheese. This is freshly prepared and comes out piping hot, and we couldn't fault it whatsoever!
Latitude - Marella Explorer 2's MDR
The main dining room on Marella Explorer 2 is called Latitude, located on Deck (XX). We ate here once during our cruise, on the dress to impress night - it simply had to be done! We did have to queue for around 10 or so minutes, but it was a busy night so we didn't mind. The service was actually really slow on this night, again putting it down to the busy dress to impress night, and we did wait ages for drinks and bread. But there was also a baked Alaska parade which was so nostalgic to me! Overall the food was fine (I had a salad to start, truffle mac & cheese for main and baked Alaska for pudding) but it didn't wow us enough to return to Latitude during our cruise.
Vista - more Italian food on Marella Explorer 2
The upper section of the MDR, accessed by Deck (XX), is now split into two other restaurants, one being Vista. It was super busy when we went, so we had to take a buzzer and wait in one of the bars for our table, but that was fine; service here was quicker than our experience at Latitude, but again the food just didn't blow us away. I had the meatballs to start, which were lovely, but the lasagne I had for my main just really wasn't for me. I did then have a delicious cheesecake though, so swings and roundabouts for sure! It's a lovely setting and I'm glad we tried Vista for sure.
Piccadilly's - British food with a twist on board Marella Explorer 2
So nice we went twice; this is the other half of the upper section of the MDR, and it's brand new for 2026. Piccadilly's serves British food with a twist, and has an alternating menu - for us, the menu swapped over each night. We actually went on two nights that had the same menu, which was great for me because I'd fallen in love with the haddock and leek pasty they offer for a starter! You get an amazing bread selection to share, three unique types of bread with three flavoured butters, and they were unreal. For my main the first time I had the beef dinner, and the second time I opted for a vegetarian curry pie situation. I absolutely loved the food in Piccadilly's and I think it's such a welcome addition to the ship!
Snack shack - poolside eats on Marella Explorer 2
We spent a lot of time on Deck 12, which is quieter than the pool deck but still allows for time spent in the sunshine sipping on mocktails and joining in with afternoon trivia. From here, we would often wander down to 11 and grab some food from the snack shack and hands down, this was some of the best food we ate on the ship. Prepared freshly in front of you, for the most part, there are chicken burgers, hot dogs, fish & chips and more - as well as packaged sandwiches, boxed salads, brownies, cookies, fruit pots... so much variety, never a queue, made quickly and genuinely SO tasty. We were so pleasantly surprised by the snack shack on Marella Explorer 2! Sorry it seems I didn't get a singular photo of any snack shack food...
There were a few food options we didn't try, like the speciality dining restaurants, but honestly we were more than happy with the all inclusive options and didn't feel the need to spend extra money.
There are so many options when it comes to restaurants and food on Marella Explorer 2, and you'll never go hungry. This is just our experience from when we were on board, and we were overall really impressed with the variety, taste and temperature of the food. Chef's kiss, as they say.
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