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TUI Cruises

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
TUI Cruises
Company typeJoint venture
IndustryTransportation
Founded2007; 17 years ago (2007)
HeadquartersHamburg, Germany
Key people
Wybcke Meier
ProductsCruise ship holidays
Owner
Websitewww.tuicruises.com

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.

History

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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]

TUI cruises first ship Mein Schiff

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 Cruises first new build Mein Schiff 3

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]

Mein Schiff funnel with TUI Logo

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]

Fleet

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Current fleet

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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]

Future fleet

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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]

Former ships

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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.

References

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  1. ^ "Royal Caribbean and TUI AG complete joint venture for TUI Cruises". Cruise Industry News. 28 April 2008. Retrieved 21 April 2010.
  2. ^ a b "Tui bündelt Kreuzfahrt-Geschäft in Gemeinschaftsunternehmen mit Royal Caribbean Cruises". Manager-Magazin. 2020-02-07.
  3. ^ "TUI Cruises' Mein Schiff Sets sail". Cruise Industry News. 18 May 2009. Retrieved 19 April 2010.
  4. ^ "TUI commissions Lloyd shipyards with conversion of 1st ship". Cruise Industry News. 13 November 2008. Retrieved 21 April 2010.
  5. ^ "TUI close to selecting shipyards". Cruise Industry News. 3 October 2008. Retrieved 21 April 2010.
  6. ^ "TUI plans still intact". Cruise Industry News. 11 February 2009. Retrieved 21 April 2010.
  7. ^ Celebrity Mercury to become second ship in TUI Cruises fleet. Cruise Industry News. 27 May 2010. Retrieved 27 May 2010
  8. ^ a b c d e "STX Finland Oy Signs Design and Construction Contract for 97.000 GT Cruise Vessel". Shipbuilding Tribune. 27 September 2011. Archived from the original on 31 March 2012. Retrieved 3 October 2011.
  9. ^ "TUI Picks Up Option – Orders Second Ship from STX Finland – Cruise Industry News – Cruise News". 5 November 2012.
  10. ^ "Splendour of the Seas Sold to TUI for Thomson Cruises". cruiseindustrynews.com. 2 March 2015.
  11. ^ "TUI: Thomson to Get Mein Schiff 1 and 2 – Cruise Industry News – Cruise News". 13 May 2015.
  12. ^ "Mein Schiff 5 Float Out – Cruise Industry News – Cruise News". 15 January 2016.
  13. ^ "Meyer Turku: Keel-Laying for Mein Schiff 6 – Cruise Industry News – Cruise News". 28 April 2016.
  14. ^ Industry News, Cruise. "Preview: Mein Schiff 1 - Cruise Industry News | Cruise News".
  15. ^ "TUI Cruises setzt auf nachhaltiges Wachstum - Flottenerweiterung um zwei weitere Neubauten bedient steigende Nachfrage". 2018-07-13.
  16. ^ "TUI Cruises orders first two LNG ships from Fincantieri". CruiseandFerry.net.
  17. ^ "TUI Cruises' Mein Schiff 7 launched at Meyer Turku". seatrade-cruise.com. 2023-12-01.
  18. ^ Maritime, Baird (2018-02-13). "TUI Cruises orders cruise ship from Meyer Turku". Baird Maritime.
  19. ^ "TUI sells 5% of Hapag-Lloyd Cruises to Royal Caribbean". Hansa (in German). February 7, 2020. Archived from the original on 9 July 2020.
  20. ^ Industry News, Cruise. "Mein Schiff Herz Sets Sail on Final Cruise for TUI - Cruise Industry News | Cruise News".
  21. ^ "Mein Schiff Relax is the name of TUI Cruises' first InTUIition class ship". seatrade-cruise.com. 2023-11-15.
  22. ^ "Fincantieri | Mein Schiff Relax launched in Monfalcone". www.fincantieri.com.
  23. ^ a b "Mein Schiff 7 & Mein Schiff 8 werden zu Mein Schiff 1 & Mein Schiff 2" (in German). 2016-06-23. Retrieved 2016-06-25.
  24. ^ "Meyer Turku to build Mein Schiff 7 and 8 for TUI Cruises". 2015-07-01.
  25. ^ Redaktion, an Bord- (2023-08-30). "Weiterer Meilenstein: Die Mein Schiff 7 erhält ihren Diamanten". an Bord (in German). Retrieved 2024-05-27.
  26. ^ "TUI's Mein Schiff 7 Delivered by Meyer Turku". 2024-06-10. Retrieved 2024-06-10.
  27. ^ "TUI Cruises setzt Wachstumskurs der Mein Schiff Flotte fort: Mein Schiff 7 feierlich in Turku/Finnland übernommen" (in German). 2024-06-10. Retrieved 2024-06-10.
  28. ^ Meyer Werft: Mein SChiff 7
  29. ^ "DNV: Mein Schiff 7". Retrieved 2024-06-10.
  30. ^ "TUI's Mein Schiff 7 Will Be Methanol-Ready". 2022-06-14. Retrieved 2022-06-15.
  31. ^ "Produktionsstart für Neubau Mein Schiff 7 erfolgt: TUI Cruises setzt auf nachhaltiges Wachstum" (in German). 2022-06-14. Retrieved 2022-06-15.
  32. ^ "Production of Mein Shiff 7 launched at the Meyer Turku shipyard". 2022-06-14. Retrieved 2022-06-15.
  33. ^ "Finnische Werft Meyer Turku strebt nach Führungsrolle bei Klimaneutralität".
  34. ^ "Mein Schiff Relax" (in German). Retrieved 2023-10-16.
  35. ^ https://cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/2024/10/tuis-next-ship-to-carry-name-mein-schiff-flow/
  36. ^ "Mein Schiff: Beste Aussichten auf ein sehr gutes Reisejahr 2024".
  37. ^ "Mein Schiff: Beste Aussichten auf ein sehr gutes Reisejahr 2024".
  38. ^ "TUI Cruises auf Kurs in die Zukunft: Drei Schiffe gleichzeitig im Bau". 16 January 2024.
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