 | |
| Company type | Joint venture |
|---|---|
| Industry | Transportation |
| Founded | 2007 |
| Headquarters | Hamburg, Germany |
Key people | Wybcke Meier |
| Products | Cruise ship holidays |
| Owner |
|
| Website | www |
TUI Cruises is a cruise line based in Germany. It was formed in 2007 as a joint venture between the German tourism company TUI AG and the American cruise line operator Royal Caribbean Group, both of whom hold a 50% stake in the company.
The company started operations in 2009 and competes with AIDA Cruises for the German market. It targets German-speaking customers who opt for a premium cruise experience. The onboard product, including food, entertainment and amenities, is tailored for German tastes and German is the main language used onboard its ships. [1] [2]
Due to lack of new-building capacity, TUI Cruises started by acquiring the cruise ship Celebrity Galaxy, which was built by Meyer Werft and was owned by another RCCL subsidiary, Celebrity Cruises. She left the Celebrity fleet on 16 March 2009. [3] After acquiring Celebrity Galaxy, the ship headed to Lloyd Werft shipyards in Bremerhaven, Germany. She arrived on 27 March 2009, and received a €50 million, 38-day conversion to upgrade her facilities to suit a German-speaking market. [4] After the conversion, she was re-christened on 15 May 2009 in Hamburg, Germany bearing her new name, Mein Schiff (My Ship). TUI planned to build two 2,500-passenger, 100,000-GT cruise ships in 2011 and 2012. [5] [6]
On May 27, 2010, it was announced that another Century-class ship, Celebrity Mercury , would become the latest addition to TUI's fleet, renamed Mein Schiff 2. Due to this Mein Schiff was immediately renamed Mein Schiff 1. Mein Schiff 2 entered service with TUI in February 2011 after its extensive refurbishment, with the addition of more verandas, an expanded fitness area and design elements which are also found on Mein Schiff 1. [7]
TUI and STX Finland announced a contract on 27 September 2011 to build a 97,000-GT vessel named Mein Schiff 3, which was delivered in 2014. [8] The vessel is approximately 295 metres (968 ft) long and approximately 36 metres (118 ft) wide. [8] The ship has 1,250 staterooms, most of which have balconies, with a capacity of 2,500 passengers and a crew of 1,000. [8] The ship includes several restaurants, a theatre, spa and nightclub. [8] The contract included an option to build a second ship, dependent on the approval of TUI Cruises shareholders. [8] It was announced on November 5, 2012 that TUI had taken up the second option for the sister ship to the Mein Schiff 3, to be named Mein Schiff 4. [9] On April 22, 2014, Mein Schiff 3 entered service. In March 2015, Royal Caribbean International announced that they had agreed to sell Splendour of the Seas to TUI Cruises in the second quarter of 2016, and that TUI would lease the ship to Thomson Cruises to replace the Island Escape. [10] In May 2015, TUI Group announced that as part of their modernization strategy, Mein Schiff 1 and Mein Schiff 2 would be transferred to Thomson Cruises over the next few years, as a result, 2 replacement ships neue Mein Schiff 1 and neue Mein Schiff 2 were ordered. [11] On January 15, Mein Schiff 5 was launched. [12] On April 28, Mein Schiff 6's was laid down. [13]
The new Mein Schiff 1 debuted in 2018, followed by the Mein Schiff 2 in 2019. These were both enlarged version of the previous ships, and included modification in the layout of the open decks, with an enclosed sport court, expanded forward suite area, an infilled aft deck, and a new elevated jogging track. [14]
In July 2018, [15] TUI Cruises announces th order of two new 160,000 ton LNG InTUItion class ships at Fincanteri. [16]
The final ship of the Mein Schiff class, Mein Schiff 7 will debut 2024, and will be one of the first methanol ready ships. [17] [18]
In February 2020 TUI announced the purchase of Hapag-Lloyd Kreuzfahrten. [2] The take over was completed in July 2020. [19]
The Mein Schiff Herz left the fleet in April 2023. [20]
In 2023 it was announced the new InTUItion class would introduce a new naming convention, with the first ship named Mein Schiff Relax. [21] The ship was floated out in November 2023 at Fincantieri's Monfalcone shipyard in Italy, and scheduled to be delivered at the end of 2024. [22]
| Ship | Built | Builder | in service with TUI | Gross tonnage | Flag | Notes | Image |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mein Schiff 3 | 2014 | STX Finland | 2014 | 99,526 |  Malta | First new build for TUI Cruises |  |
| Mein Schiff 4 | 2015 | STX Finland/Meyer Turku | 2015 | 99,526 | Malta |  | |
| Mein Schiff 5 | 2016 | Meyer Turku | 2016 | 98,785 | Malta |  | |
| Mein Schiff 6 | 2017 | Meyer Turku | 2017 | 98,811 | Malta |  | |
| Mein Schiff 1 | 2018 | Meyer Turku | 2018 | 111,500 | Malta | Second type of newbuild. [23] |  |
| Mein Schiff 2 [23] | 2019 | Meyer Turku | 2019 | 111,500 | Malta | Sister to new Mein Schiff 1 [24] |  |
| Mein Schiff 7 [25] | 2024 [26] [27] | Meyer Turku [28] | 2024 | 112,982 [29] | Malta | Sister ship to Mein Schiff 1 and 2 Methanol-Ready propulsion [30] [31] [32] [33] |  |
| Ship | Maiden Voyage | Builder | Gross Tonnage | Planned Flag | Notes | Image |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mein Schiff Relax [34] | 2025 | Fincantieri | 161,000 | Malta | inTUItion-class Third type of newbuilds. First LNG-fuelled ship and will be the largest ship for the company |  |
| Mein Schiff Flow [35] | 2026 | Fincantieri | 161,000 | Malta | inTUItion-class [36] Second LNG-fuelled ship and sister ship to Mein Schiff Relax Construction started in January 2024 [37] [38] | |
| Ship | Built | Builder | in service with TUI | Gross tonnage | Flag | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mein Schiff 1 | 1996 | Meyer Werft | 2009–2010 2010–2018 | 76,522 | Malta | Previously Celebrity Galaxy, transferred out of the fleet in 2018. Now sails as Marella Explorer. |  |
| Mein Schiff Herz | 1997 | Meyer Werft | 2011 - 2021 | 77,302 | Malta | Previously Celebrity Mercury, Mein Schiff 2, Mein Schiff Herz transferred out of fleet in 2022. Will sail as Marella Voyager. |  |
| TUI Discovery | 1995 | Chantiers de l'Atlantique | Never entered service | 69,130 | Malta | Previously Splendour of the Seas, chartered out of the fleet in 2017. |  |
Celebrity Cruises is a cruise line headquartered in Miami, Florida, and a wholly owned subsidiary of Royal Caribbean Group. Celebrity Cruises was founded in 1988 by the Greece-based Chandris Group, and merged with Royal Caribbean Cruise Line in 1997. Celebrity's signature logo is an "Χ" displayed on the funnel of Celebrity ships, and is the Greek letter chi, for "Chandris".
Royal Caribbean Group, formerly known as Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd., is a global cruise holding company incorporated in Liberia and based in Miami, Florida. It is the world's second-largest cruise line operator, after Carnival Corporation & plc. As of March 2024, Royal Caribbean Group fully owns three cruise lines: Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises, and Silversea Cruises with 65 ships in the current fleet and 5 ships on order until 2028. They also hold a 50% stake in TUI Cruises and Hapag-Lloyd Cruises.
Meyer Werft is a German shipbuilding company, headquartered in Papenburg at the river Ems, founded in 1795, building small wooden vessels. It has been owned and managed by the Meyer family for seven generations. Since 1997, it has been part of the Meyer Neptun Group, together with Neptun Werft in Rostock. In 2014, the company added the Turku shipyard in Finland to the group. Since then, it has also been a builder of luxury passenger ships. 700 ships of different types had been built at the yard. The Dock 2 Hall is the third largest shipbuilding hall and the fifth-largest usable volume in the world as of 2022. The shipyard is an anchor on the European Route of Industrial Heritage.
Marella Explorer is a Century-class cruise ship owned and operated by Marella Cruises. Before joining TUI she cruised as MV Galaxy with Celebrity Cruises, and later as Mein Schiff with TUI Cruises. She was laid down at the Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg, Germany, on 25 May 1995, was launched in May 1996, and was delivered to Celebrity Cruises on 10 October 1996. She entered service on 21 December 1996.
Marella Explorer 2, formerly Celebrity Century and SkySea Golden Era, was the lead ship of the Century class of cruise ships for Celebrity Cruises, and the co-flagship of the Celebrity fleet, along with Millennium-class ship Celebrity Constellation, and the newest Solstice class, Celebrity Reflection. Other ships belonging to the Century class include Marella Explorer and Mein Schiff 2 (2011).
Marella Voyager 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, she was launched on 11 July 1997, and was christened and entered service as MV Mercury on 27 October 1997.
STX Europe AS, formerly Aker Yards ASA, was until 2012 a subsidiary of the South Korean STX Offshore & Shipbuilding.
Celebrity Equinox is a Solstice-class cruise ship built by Meyer Werft in Germany. Celebrity Equinox is the second of the five Solstice-class vessels, owned and operated by Celebrity Cruises. She is a sister ship of Celebrity Solstice, Celebrity Eclipse, Celebrity Silhouette, and the Celebrity Reflection. Construction officially started in September 2007. Celebrity Equinox left the shipyard in June 2009 and entered commercial service for Celebrity Cruises on July 31, 2009.
Marella Cruises is a British cruise line operated by TUI UK, offering cruise holidays around Europe, the Caribbean, and Asia.
Silversea is an ultra-luxury and expedition travel brand headquartered in Monaco. Founded in 1994 by the Vlasov Group of Monaco and the Lefebvre family of Rome, it pioneered all-inclusive cruising with its first ship, Silver Cloud. Since July 2020, it has been owned by Royal Caribbean Group.
STX Finland Oy, formerly Aker Yards Oy, was a Finnish shipbuilding company operating three shipyards in Finland, in Turku, Helsinki and Rauma, employing some 2,500 people. It was part of STX Europe, a group of international shipbuilding companies owned by the South Korean STX Corporation.
Mein Schiff 3 is a cruise ship owned by TUI Cruises, and the first custom new build for the cruise line. She was delivered from STX Finland Turku Shipyard on 22 May 2014 and was followed by identical sister ships, Mein Schiff 4 in 2015, Mein Schiff 5 in 2016, Mein Schiff 6 in 2017. In addition, Mein Schiff 1 and Mein Schiff 2 were confirmed on 1 July 2015, with deliveries set for 2018 and 2019.
Mein Schiff 4 is a cruise ship owned by TUI Cruises. Built by Meyer Turku Shipyard in Turku, Finland, she was floated out on 10 October 2014, delivered to TUI Cruises on 8 May 2015, and christened by former Olympic swimmer Franziska van Almsick in Kiel, Germany, on 5 June 2015.
Meyer Turku Oy is a Finnish shipbuilding company located in Turku, Finland Proper. The company is fully owned by German shipbuilder Meyer Werft GmbH. The main products are cruise ships and cruiseferries.
Mein Schiff Relax is an InTUItion-class ship being built for German cruise line TUI Cruises. The ship is the first in a new class for the cruise line, with a debut in March 2025. It is currently under construction at the Fincantieri shipyard in Monfalcone, Italy.
