Greenspan Projects Ltd., a creative design and build specialist, has brought a colourful new 9-hole adventure golf course to the veranda of the Marella Voyager ship, complete with coral reef and sea creatures.
This is Marella’s latest newly refurbished vessel for Marella. Previously Mein Schiff Herz, it is the second of two Century-class cruise ships operated by TUI Cruises. Built for Celebrity Cruises at the Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg, Germany, the vessel is home to a range of bars and restaurants, an indoor cinema, a pool deck and a large show lounge.
To bring something extra, and a little different, the Marella product development team chose Greenspan Projects to work on the design concept for a unique attraction on the ship’s veranda.
Designing an engaging and accessible attraction
The creative design team at Greenspan got to work on creating an idea that would be appealing to everyone and took inspiration from the beautiful blue sea that surrounds the visitors as they play. Colourful coral reefs, imaginative rockwork with realism, and improved playability were all key elements of the design.
Accessibility and safety were also taken into consideration from the beginning, as Marella believes that every guest should have the chance to enjoy every attraction on the ship.
After the design stage was finished, Marella gave the Greenspan project team the go-ahead to start construction in Cadiz, Spain, while the ship was in dry dock. Using the knowledge of marine specialists on the project management team, challenges needed to be taken into account during the build in terms of things like the ship’s movement after it was built.
For instance, the rock formations had to be moved away from the external railing for safety reasons in order to account for vessel movement and general safety. Greenspan says that the team, including its estimators, senior leadership team, procurement, project management, and marketing team, enjoyed the experience of this very different build, creating the company’s first marine attraction.
A can-do attitude
“Marella was very impressed by Greenspan’s “can do”, positive attitude,” says Lawrence Benneton, hotel refurbishment manager for Marella Cruises. “Working closely with the Marella team on their first marine project, there were a few unbeknown curveballs thrown their way, which they adapted to proficiently.
“We have enjoyed working with the Greenspan team… and we really look forward to working with them again in the future.”
Managing director of Marella Cruises, Chris Hackney, adds that the line is now at its biggest capacity, giving agents a “fantastic opportunity” to push sales. “We now have five ships in our fleet which means our capacity is at the largest it has been so we can take more customers away than ever before. This makes it so much easier for agents as they know that we will deliver a quality product, and now, with the addition of Marella Voyager which truly is our best ship yet, there is even more of it.
“It has been my pleasure to officially open the adventure golf on Marella Voyager, and we look forward to seeing it thrive.”
Rod Morton, CEO of Greenspan Projects, says: “We’ve found that designs that allow people to congregate comfortably around key areas like bars and golf holes help to create an atmosphere of excitement and anticipation.
“Safety is also a huge element within what we do. We follow the International Maritime Organization’s regulations across all products that we install onboard vessels. From wallpaper and fabrics to artificial grass, we ensure all products are certified with the ship’s wheel mark to confirm authenticity.
“Working with Tui Cruises and Marella has been a genuine pleasure and we look forward to many more marine builds for them in the future!”
Recently, the Greenspan Projects team spoke to blooloop about their work in the growing competitive socialising space, highlighting projects with leaders in the field such as Boom Battle Bar in the UK and Puttery in the US.
