Marella Cruises has announced two Godmothers for its latest ship launching in June, Marella Voyager. Both Godmothers have long legacies within TUI, with more than 40 years combined experience in the cruise industry in various roles across the globe.
Marella Cruises put the call out to leaders across TUI to find two of the most deserving staff to be nominated for the prestigious roles. The leaders were asked to consider length of service, and to put forward those who have grown with Marella on their journey over the years.
Chief Purser Tatyana Olkhovska, and Senior Destination Services Operations Manager Jacqui Nobile have both been awarded the honorary position and will attend the ship’s ceremonial launch and naming ceremony in Malaga on 31st May 2023 to christen the ship.
Marella Cruises Managing Director Chris Hackney said: “At Marella we love to recognise our own dedicated staff for the important role of godmother. We could have found a celebrity, but we believe our own hardworking heroes deserve the honour, and we are so proud to have Tatyana and Jacqui as Marella Voyagers godmothers.
“Their drive and passion is a testament to their commitment to Marella Cruises and ensuring the best possible holiday experience for our guests. With more than 40 years in cruising between them, it’s clear they have both dedicated a large part of their lives to Marella, and both understand and believe in our mission.
“Our teams have been working extremally hard to prepare for the first sailings in June, and we are delighted to have Tatyana and Jacqui on hand to christen Marella Voyager”.
Tatyana (Tatty), who is from Ukraine, joined Marella Cruises in 2003 as a receptionist and very quickly made her mark. Her skills from her previous career in teaching shone through, as she was able to help receptionists improve their language abilities and has since been instrumental in the development of others at Marella Cruises.
In 2017, Tatty moved into the role of Chief Purser and is now celebrating her twentieth year with Marella. She takes an enormous amount of pride, not only in her role but also in the wearing of her uniform and the Marella badge.
More recently, Tatty’s daughter Alina who lived in Ukraine was recruited to the Destination Services team within Marella Cruises. This appointment has seen the mother-daughter duo work together on Marella Explorer 2 which has been a huge relief and source of comfort for them both.
Our second Godmother, Jacqui Nobile, knew from the first moment she stepped foot on a cruise ship that it was the career for her. She immediately applied to work onboard and within three days, she was flying to Bolero for her first charter in the Caribbean, with Marella Cruises.
Jacqui first started working for TUI in 1994 as an Overseas Representative in Menorca, and since moving into cruising in 1996 has worked a number of roles to become part of the cruise senior leadership with responsibility for our shoreside experience program.
Her career highlights include sailings on the Eastern and Western Mediterranean, a charter to New Orleans on the millennium eve and sailing to Rio de Janeiro to see the famous Carnival. Another important highlight for Jacqui was meeting her husband, Carmelo, on board. They spent many years sailing together, before deciding to return to the UK to set up a home together.
Marella Voyager’s winter 2023 programme is available now, with the Paradise Islands itinerary first setting sail in November 2023 from Barbados, where guests can enjoy the delights of the Caribbean Sea, exploring; Barbados, Tortola, St Maarten, St Kitts, Antigua, and Dominica.
