TUI Cruises

TUI Cruises is a German cruise-line brand established in 2007 as a 50:50 joint venture between tourism group TUI AG and Royal Caribbean Group, the United States-based cruise operator. The company was created to address the growing German-speaking cruise market and operates under a distinct positioning from both mass-market and luxury cruise brands. Its principal brand is Mein Schiff, a fleet whose name translates roughly as “My Ship.” The company began commercial operations in 2009. From the outset, TUI Cruises focused on customers from Germany and other German-speaking markets who wanted a premium onboard experience adapted to local expectations. German is the principal onboard language, while the food, entertainment, service style, wellness facilities and shore-excursion proposition are designed with German-speaking guests in mind. The line is commonly described as a competitor to AIDA Cruises in the German market, although the two brands have developed different product and pricing profiles. TUI Cruises entered the market by acquiring Celebrity Galaxy from Celebrity Cruises, a Royal Caribbean Group subsidiary. The ship was extensively refurbished at Lloyd Werft in Bremerhaven in 2009 and relaunched as Mein Schiff. The conversion reportedly represented a major investment and introduced the hospitality, accommodation and leisure features intended for TUI Cruises' target audience. A second former Celebrity vessel, Celebrity Mercury, joined the fleet in 2011 and was renamed Mein Schiff 2; the original Mein Schiff was subsequently renamed Mein Schiff 1. The company then moved from converted tonnage to purpose-built ships. The Blue Motion generation began with Mein Schiff 3, ordered from STX Finland in 2011 and delivered in 2014. Further ships followed, including Mein Schiff 4, Mein Schiff 5, Mein Schiff 6 and Mein Schiff 7. The newer vessels expanded accommodation, balcony availability, dining and entertainment capacity, and incorporated more efficient technical systems. A further generation, later called the InTUItion class, was ordered from Fincantieri. These ships were designed around larger passenger capacity and liquefied natural gas propulsion, while retaining the Mein Schiff brand architecture. TUI Cruises also participated in broader fleet and portfolio changes within TUI Group. In 2015, TUI announced plans to transfer the original Mein Schiff 1 and Mein Schiff 2 to the group's British cruise operation, then known as Thomson Cruises, as newer replacement ships entered service. The new Mein Schiff 1 debuted in 2018 and the new Mein Schiff 2 followed in 2019. In 2020, TUI Cruises agreed to acquire Hapag-Lloyd Cruises from TUI Group, a transaction that was completed in July of that year. This expanded the company's relationship with cruise brands serving different market segments, while Mein Schiff remained the central premium mass-market brand. The fleet continued to evolve through the 2020s. Mein Schiff Herz, the former Mein Schiff 2, left the fleet in 2023. Mein Schiff 7 entered service in 2024 and was presented as one of the first ships in the fleet prepared for methanol use. Mein Schiff Relax, the first InTUItion-class ship and the line's first new prototype design in more than a decade, was delivered in February 2025. It is the brand's first LNG-powered ship and, according to the supplied reference material, its largest vessel at delivery. TUI Cruises therefore combines a specifically German-speaking service proposition with a modernizing fleet strategy centered on larger ships, alternative fuels and differentiated onboard experiences.

TUI Cruises was created in 2007 by TUI AG and Royal Caribbean Group as an equal joint venture. Its purpose was to establish a dedicated cruise brand for Germany and the wider German-speaking market, where demand for ocean cruising was increasing but consumer expectations differed from those of the predominantly English-language international cruise market. The company developed a premium proposition centered on German-language service, locally adapted cuisine and entertainment, and a combination of resort-style leisure facilities with contemporary cruise itineraries. The line began operations in 2009. Because new-build capacity was not immediately available, it acquired Celebrity Galaxy from Celebrity Cruises, a Royal Caribbean Group company. The ship left the Celebrity fleet in March 2009 and underwent an extensive conversion at Lloyd Werft in Bremerhaven. After the refit, it was renamed Mein Schiff and christened in Hamburg in May 2009. The conversion established the design and service principles that would guide the brand: German as the main onboard language, accommodation and public spaces suited to premium leisure travel, and a product intended to feel familiar to German-speaking guests. TUI Cruises added a second former Celebrity vessel in 2011. Celebrity Mercury was refurbished and entered service as Mein Schiff 2, while the original Mein Schiff was renamed Mein Schiff 1. The early fleet therefore relied on converted ships, but TUI Cruises soon pursued a purpose-built expansion program. In 2011 it announced an agreement with STX Finland for Mein Schiff 3, a roughly 97,000-gross-ton vessel with about 1,250 staterooms and capacity for approximately 2,500 passengers. The ship included multiple restaurants, a theatre, spa and nightclub, and entered service in 2014. The option for a sister ship was later exercised, producing Mein Schiff 4. The Blue Motion generation expanded through additional newbuilds, including Mein Schiff 5, Mein Schiff 6 and Mein Schiff 7. These vessels strengthened the fleet's scale and introduced updated accommodation, dining, recreation and technical systems. In parallel, TUI Group pursued a modernization strategy for the older ships. The original Mein Schiff 1 and Mein Schiff 2 were designated for transfer to the group's British cruise operation, then operating as Thomson Cruises, while two newer replacement ships were ordered. New Mein Schiff 1 entered service in 2018 and new Mein Schiff 2 followed in 2019. Their design enlarged the earlier concept and changed the arrangement of open decks, sports facilities, suites and jogging areas. In 2018, TUI Cruises announced two much larger Fincantieri newbuilds of approximately 160,000 tons. The ships became the InTUItion class and were intended to support the next phase of fleet development, including LNG propulsion. The class introduced a new prototype design for the brand rather than simply extending the previous Blue Motion platform. The first ship, Mein Schiff Relax, was floated out at Fincantieri's Monfalcone yard in November 2023 and delivered in February 2025. Its arrival marked the brand's first use of LNG propulsion and represented a substantial increase in ship size. The fleet also changed through transfers and retirements. Mein Schiff Herz left the fleet in April 2023. Mein Schiff 7, the final Blue Motion-class vessel, debuted in 2024 and was presented as one of the first ships in the fleet prepared for methanol use. These developments show the company's effort to combine the established Mein Schiff service proposition with newer propulsion technologies and larger-ship economics. TUI Cruises broadened its corporate cruise portfolio in 2020 by agreeing to acquire Hapag-Lloyd Cruises from TUI Group. The transaction was completed in July 2020. Hapag-Lloyd Cruises serves a different, more luxury-oriented segment, while Mein Schiff remains the principal TUI Cruises brand for premium mass-market German-speaking cruising. TUI Cruises therefore occupies a position between a localized mainstream cruise product and the group's higher-end cruise offerings. Its continuing differentiation rests on language, food, service, onboard programming and market familiarity, supported by a growing fleet of purpose-built ships.

• 2025

  Mein Schiff Relax is delivered

  [1]TUI Cruisesen.wikipedia.org

  The first InTUItion-class ship is delivered and becomes the fleet's first LNG-powered vessel.

• 2024

  Mein Schiff 7 debuts

  [1]TUI Cruisesen.wikipedia.org

  The final Blue Motion-class ship enters service with methanol-ready characteristics.

• 2020

  Hapag-Lloyd Cruises acquisition is completed

  [1]TUI Cruisesen.wikipedia.org

  TUI Cruises completes the purchase of Hapag-Lloyd Cruises in July.

• 2018

  InTUItion-class order is announced

  [1]TUI Cruisesen.wikipedia.org

  TUI Cruises orders two large Fincantieri ships designed for the next phase of fleet growth and LNG propulsion.

• 2014

  Mein Schiff 3 enters service

  [1]TUI Cruisesen.wikipedia.org

  The first Blue Motion-class ship begins service as TUI Cruises' first major purpose-built vessel.

• 2011

  Mein Schiff 2 joins the fleet

  [1]TUI Cruisesen.wikipedia.org

  Celebrity Mercury is refurbished and renamed Mein Schiff 2; the original ship is renamed Mein Schiff 1.

• 2009

  Operations begin with Mein Schiff

  [1]TUI Cruisesen.wikipedia.org

  The former Celebrity Galaxy is refurbished in Bremerhaven and enters service as Mein Schiff.

• 2007

  TUI Cruises is established

  [1]TUI Cruisesen.wikipedia.org

  TUI AG and Royal Caribbean Group form TUI Cruises as an equal joint venture.

A premium cruise brand for German-speaking travelers, combining German-language service and culturally adapted onboard experiences with a contemporary large-ship product.

• Cruise brand and fleet · 2009

  Mein Schiff

  Mein Schiff is TUI Cruises' principal cruise brand and the name applied to its fleet of premium-oriented ocean ships. The product is designed for German-speaking passengers, with German as the main onboard language and menus, entertainment, wellness services and hospitality concepts adapted to German tastes. Ships generally combine multiple restaurants and bars with theatres, spas, fitness areas, sports facilities, pools and balcony-heavy accommodation. The fleet has developed from converted Celebrity vessels into purpose-built Blue Motion and InTUItion generations.

• Blue Motion-class cruise ship · 2014

  Mein Schiff 3

  Mein Schiff 3 was the first Blue Motion-class ship and the first major purpose-built addition to the TUI Cruises fleet. Delivered in 2014, it is approximately 295 metres long and has roughly 1,250 staterooms, with capacity for about 2,500 passengers and a crew of approximately 1,000. Its facilities include restaurants, a theatre, spa and nightclub. The ship established the physical platform for several later Blue Motion-class ships.

• Blue Motion-class cruise ship · 2024

  Mein Schiff 7

  Mein Schiff 7 is the final ship in the Blue Motion class and entered service in 2024. It continues the established Mein Schiff formula of German-language premium cruising while adding newer technical and environmental features. The ship has been described as one of the first in the fleet to be prepared for methanol use, reflecting TUI Cruises' effort to make future alternative-fuel adoption possible.

• InTUItion-class cruise ship · 2025

  Mein Schiff Relax

  Mein Schiff Relax is the first InTUItion-class ship and the first major new prototype design for TUI Cruises in more than a decade. Built by Fincantieri, it is larger than the preceding Blue Motion ships and introduces LNG propulsion to the fleet. The ship was floated out in Monfalcone in November 2023 and delivered in February 2025. Its role is to carry the German-speaking Mein Schiff proposition into a larger-ship and newer-propulsion generation.

• Former cruise ship

  Mein Schiff Herz

  Mein Schiff Herz was one of the earlier ships in the TUI Cruises fleet and formed part of the brand's transition from converted Celebrity tonnage toward newer purpose-built vessels. It left the TUI Cruises fleet in April 2023 as the company continued fleet modernization.

• 2020

  Acquisition of Hapag-Lloyd CruisesM&A

  Background

  TUI Group reorganized its cruise activities and sought to consolidate its cruise portfolio.

  Action taken

  TUI Cruises agreed to purchase Hapag-Lloyd Cruises, with the transaction completed in July 2020.

  Aftermath

  The transaction expanded the group's cruise portfolio while Mein Schiff continued to serve the premium German-speaking market.

  Source

• 2018

  Order for two InTUItion-class shipsProduct launch

  Background

  TUI Cruises sought a larger and more technologically advanced successor to the Blue Motion platform.

  Action taken

  The company ordered two approximately 160,000-ton ships from Fincantieri, later associated with the InTUItion class and LNG propulsion.

  Aftermath

  Mein Schiff Relax became the first ship of the class and was delivered in February 2025.

  Source

• 2015

  Modernization and transfer of the original Mein Schiff shipsStrategy

  Background

  The first two TUI Cruises ships were older converted vessels, while the company was expanding with newer purpose-built ships.

  Action taken

  TUI announced that the original Mein Schiff 1 and Mein Schiff 2 would be transferred to Thomson Cruises and replaced by new ships.

  Aftermath

  New Mein Schiff 1 entered service in 2018 and new Mein Schiff 2 followed in 2019.

  Source

• 2011

  Order for Mein Schiff 3Product launch

  Background

  TUI Cruises needed to move beyond its initial fleet of refurbished ships and secure new tonnage suited to its premium German-speaking proposition.

  Action taken

  The company contracted STX Finland to build a roughly 97,000-gross-ton ship with about 1,250 staterooms and capacity for approximately 2,500 passengers.

  Aftermath

  Mein Schiff 3 entered service in 2014 and became the first ship in the Blue Motion newbuild program.

  Source

1. 1TUI Cruisesen.wikipedia.org
2. 2TUI Cruises official websitetuicruises.com