TUI Cruises

TUI Cruises GmbH (tuicruises.com) is a 50-50 joint venture between TUI AG (Germany) and Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (US corporation). The Hamburg-based company was founded in 2008 and became operational in 2009. On April 22, 2018, the cruise line celebrated its 10th anniversary. In 2018, the TUI fleet's capacity was 14,784 berths, serving over half a million passengers annually. By 2024, TUI is expected to have an annual capacity of approximately 800,000 passengers, compared to 500,000 in 2017, 550,000 in 2018, and 650,000 in 2019, with 17,500 berths.

TUI Group fully owns three UK-registered subsidiaries: TUI UK Ltd, TUI Airways Ltd, and TUI Ireland Ltd, plus one Ireland-registered subsidiary, Adehy Ltd.

On February 7, 2020, TUI AG announced that Hapag-Lloyd Cruises (valued at approximately EUR 1.2 billion) became part of TUI Cruises. The contract with RCCL was signed in Hamburg (February 7), and the cash transaction from RCCL (~EUR 700 million) was completed on July 6, 2020.

The Hanover-based TUI Group, a British-German multinational, is currently ranked the world's largest leisure and travel company. Founded in 1923, the company was named "Preussag AG" until 2002. TUI Group specializes in hospitality and tourism services worldwide, including passenger airlines, cruise shipping (as a shipowner), package vacations, hotels and resorts, travel agencies, and retail shops. The current CEO of TUI Group is Sebastian Ebel, who succeeded Fritz Joussen (2013–2022) in October 2022.

The CEO of TUI Cruises GmbH is Wybcke Meier (since 2014). In March 2023, TUI created the "Mein Schiff Destinations Department." Other executives include Marcus Puttich (Director of Destinations), Dennis Tetzlaff (VP of Fleet Operations and New Builds), and Denis Wiechert (VP of Product Management and Guest Experiences).

For Q1 of 2021, TUI Group reported 2.8 million bookings across all brands/subsidiaries, or 56% of 2019's total, with a 20% increase in average prices. However, the company posted an overall loss of EUR 698.6 million (compared to EUR 146.7 million in 2019). Cruise shipping revenue was EUR 0.6 million (down from EUR 238.4 million in 2019). TUI Group secured three financing packages with its major shareholders, banks, and Germany's Economic Stabilization Fund. The third package (EUR 1.8 billion) was completed in late January.

For FY 2021 (fiscal year), TUI Group reported EUR 27 million (~USD 30.6M) in cruise revenues (~EUR 445.6M less than FY 2020), EBIT loss of EUR 277.5M (~USD 314M), and average ship occupancy rates of around 40%. By brand, the number of passenger days was 1.227 million (TUI), 114,000 (Hapag-Lloyd), and 153,000 (Marella). Average daily rates by brand were EUR 132 (TUI), EUR 514 (Hapag-Lloyd), and GBP 124 / EUR 145 (Marella).

In September 2023, TUI signed a partnership with VIKAND Solutions, a Dania Beach, Florida-based medical group specializing in maritime healthcare, to provide fleetwide biomedical equipment and support (lifecycle asset management, preventative maintenance, repairs, and support).

In January 2024, TUI entered into a partnership with Marquard & Bahls (a 1947-founded Hamburg-based company specializing in energy and chemicals) to supply methanol to Mein Schiff 7, the fleet's first methanol-powered vessel. The deal was signed by Wybcke Meier (TUI's CEO) and Volker Ebeling (Mabanaft's Senior VP of New Energy, Supply & Infrastructure).

(New Brand) TUI River Cruises UK

In April 2019, TUI AG terminated the charters of its three riverboats and established the UK-focused brand "TUI River Cruises" (tui.co.uk/river-cruises). The new brand was initially scheduled to start operations in summer 2020 but, due to the global health crisis, its inauguration was postponed until August 2021 (delayed by approximately 1.5 years).

The sister ships are named TUI Isla, TUI Maya, and TUI Skyla.

Between 2024 and 2026, TUI will expand its river fleet with additional boats: TUI Al Horeya (2024/Egypt's Nile River), TUI Bahareya (2025/Nile River), TUI Alma (2025/Portugal's Douro River), and TUI Ria (2026).

TUI River Cruises is a fully owned subsidiary of TUI AG (a British-German travel and tourism corporation). TUI Group also owns the companies Marella Cruises UK and Hapag-Lloyd Cruises.

River travel enthusiasts can choose from a variety of itineraries and optional shipboard and land packages. Standard (basic) TUI river cruise pricing includes alcohol (beers and wines by the glass) and soft drinks with all meals, as well as gratuities (onboard tips), service charges, and complimentary bicycles (available in call ports on current cruise itineraries). Premium drink packages are optional and available at an extra cost. All TUI riverboats feature balcony suites. Shore excursions range from sightseeing tours (guided by local experts) to bike tours.

The new river cruise company offers GBP 120 (~EUR 140 / USD 155) per person in onboard credit (OBC) towards all land tour bookings. TUI river ships are named TUI Maya, TUI Skyla, and TUI Isla, each with a capacity of 155 passengers plus 40 crew, a length of 135 meters (445 feet), and 4 decks (3 with cabins). Standard cabins are 12 m² (130 ft²) and feature fixed double beds.

TUI riverboats' venues include:

• (Deck 2) cabins, Lobby (Reception Desk, Tour Desk, Library), wellness facilities (Spa, Gym, Hair Salon)
• (Deck 3) cabins, Observatory Lounge, Bar Lounge, Bow Terrace, 2 restaurants (Bistro Buffet, Verdastro Dining Room). Verdastro Restaurant serves buffet-style breakfast and à la carte lunch and dinner (with waiter service). Bistro Restaurant is for buffet-style dining only (breakfast, lunch, and dinner). The Observatory is the show lounge with live entertainment in the evenings (musical performances, stand-up comedy acts, crew shows, themed dance parties).
• (Deck 4) Sundeck with a games area (shuffleboard), shaded seating (Sundeck Lounge), sunbathing area with padded loungers, sunbeds, and daybeds.

In December 2019, TUI signed an exclusive partnership with Live Business UK (one of Europe's largest entertainment program developers and suppliers) for TUI River Cruises. As part of the deal, Live Business UK developed the onboard entertainment programming for the boats and is also responsible for recruiting cruise directors, hosts, ship musicians, guest performers, local tour guides, and other experts.

(News ID 13968, 13983) In October 2024, TUI announced TUI Ria (a fully refurbished vessel), the fleet's newest and largest riverboat (190 passengers), which will debut in 2026.

Company History

During its first 10 years of service (2008–2018), the six Mein Schiffs handled around 2.2 million passengers, visited over 200 seaports, and covered around 2.9 million km (1.8 million miles). TUI's sister brand is Marella Cruises (UK source market).

For FY 2018, TUI Group's earnings from the three cruise brands—TUI, Marella, and Hapag-Lloyd—rose by 10.7%, totaling EUR 901.9 million. The company's turnover was EUR 324 million, marking a 26.8% increase over 2017. The average daily rate per brand increased to EUR 178 (TUI, up from EUR 173), EUR 141 (Marella, up from EUR 131), and EUR 615 (Hapag-Lloyd, up from EUR 594).

In 2015-2016, TUI Group achieved a turnover of EUR 17.8 billion (a company record) and an operating result of EUR 1 billion. The corporation's portfolio included 14 vessels (TUI, Thomson-Marella, and Hapag-Lloyd brands), several large tour operators, around 1600 travel agencies (including online portals), over 300 hotels (about 214,000 beds), and six airlines (over 150 aircraft).

The TUI-owned airlines include Corsair International (France), TUI Airways (UK), TUI fly Belgium, TUI fly Deutschland, TUI fly Netherlands, and TUI fly Nordic (departures from Sweden, Denmark, Finland, and Norway).

In FY 2016, TUI Cruises reported a 60% increase in earnings over FY 2015, with EBITA of EUR 130 million (up from EUR 81 million in FY 2015). This growth was attributed to the company's two main markets—Germany and the UK.

TUI Cruises began operations by acquiring the Celebrity Galaxy from Celebrity Cruises, a subsidiary of RCCL. The ship left Celebrity's fleet on March 16, 2009. After its acquisition, the vessel was refitted at the Lloyd Werft shipyard in Bremerhaven, Germany, arriving on March 27 for a 38-day, EUR 50 million conversion. The ship was re-christened on May 15th in Hamburg and renamed "Mein Schiff" (meaning "My Ship" in German).

TUI planned to build two 100,000 GT, 2,500-passenger ships in 2011 and 2012.

• On May 27, 2010, TUI revealed that Celebrity Mercury would join the TUI fleet as "Mein Schiff 2" (renamed in 2018 to Mein Schiff Herz/now Marella Voyager). Before its refit, "MS Mein Schiff" was renamed to Mein Schiff 1 (now Marella Explorer). Mein Schiff 2 entered service in February 2011 after extensive drydock reconstruction.
• On September 27, 2011, TUI and STX Finland announced a shipbuilding contract for a 97,000 GT vessel (Schiff 3) to be delivered in 2014. The vessel has an LOA of 295 m (968 ft), 1,250 staterooms (mostly balconied), and a capacity of 2,500 passengers and 1,000 crew. The contract included an option for a second ship, ordered on November 5, 2012 (Schiff 4). Schiff 3 entered service on April 22, 2014.
• In March 2015, RCCL (Royal Caribbean International) announced that it would sell Splendour of the Seas to TUI Cruises in 2016-Q2. TUI leased the vessel to Thomson UK (now Marella), replacing MS Island Escape (now Ocean Gala).
• In May 2015, TUI Group announced that, as part of its fleet modernization strategy, Schiff 1 and 2 would be transferred to Thomson/Marella over the next few years to upgrade TUI's UK fleet.
• In 2018, TUI signed a partnership deal with "Merkur Casino Mare" (part of Gauselmann Group) for onboard gambling on Schiff 1 (since 2018), Schiff 2 (since 2019), and Schiff 3 (since 2021). The ship casinos feature 6 electronic roulettes, 14 other Merkur gaming machines, and a separate gambling lounge with 4 M-Box Buzzer (multi-gaming machines) and a blackjack table for live gaming. In 2020, Gauselmann AG reported revenue of EUR 2.56 billion (~USD 3 billion / ~GBP 2.2 billion). Since 2012, Gauselmann owns British company Praesepe Ltd (now Merkur Casino UK), which owns the Cashino brand (a street gambling arcade chain).
• In mid-October 2021, TUI announced that Schiff Herz would be transferred to Marella Cruises UK. After a drydock, the ship would be renamed "Marella Voyager" and begin operations for Marella on June 3, 2023.

The Hannover travel group TUI AG (listed on the London Stock Exchange) maintains a positive outlook for cruise shipping activities. The company owns 100% of Hapag-Lloyd Kreuzfahrten and 50% of TUI Kreuzfahrten.

In August 2015, TUI announced EBITA growth (Q3) of EUR 11 million, reflecting the full-year profit from Schiff 3 (operating since June 2014) and the launch of Schiff 4 (June 2015). In addition, Hapag-Lloyd's remarkable turnaround and EUR 4 million benefits from refinancing MS Europa 2 contributed to a EUR 21 million increase in underlying EBITA (earnings before interest, taxes, and amortization).

In May 2015, TUI AG's Supervisory Board and RCCL-Royal Caribbean confirmed the purchase options for Schiff 7 and Schiff 8 (later renamed "Schiff 1" and "Schiff 2," delivered in 2018 and 2019, respectively) as the German market experienced continued growth. The new liners are slightly larger, each with 2,860 lower berths, and were built by Meyer Turku, Finland. The deal was fully financed within TUI Cruises (the joint venture), without additional contributions from TUI AG and RCCL.

Schiff 5 was launched on January 15, 2016, after a 14-month construction period. Around 1,500 employees were involved in the building of each TUI vessel.

In mid-July 2018, TUI ordered two new ships (161,000 GT, 4,000-passenger) from the Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri. Their scheduled deliveries are in 2025-Q1 (Schiff Relax) and 2026-Q2 (Schiff Flow).

TUI's "Italian" liners are LNG-powered and belong to the company's new InTUItion-Class (formerly TUI XL-Schiff).

(News ID14431) In February 2025, it was reported that TUI is in negotiations with Fincantieri to order and construct two more InTUItion-Class vessels (sister ships to Mein Schiff Relax and Mein Schiff Flow), expanding the fleet to 11 vessels.

In October 2018, TUI announced the "Wasteless" initiative aimed at eliminating disposable plastic products fleetwide (and also in land-based operations—provision suppliers and office staff) by 2020. Plastics are being replaced by alternative products made from renewable resources. The eco-initiative started with the newbuilds, where all cabin bathrooms feature refillable shower gel and shampoo dispensers, terry slippers are placed in bathrobe pockets (not wrapped in plastic), laundry bags are made from bio-based plastic, coffee-to-go cups for the crew are made from bio-based plastic, and drink stirrers are made of wood. By November 2019, TUI had replaced approximately 30 million single-use plastic items with renewable or sustainable alternatives.

In 2018, the German travel market reached approximately 2.2 million cruisers, with TUI serving about 26% of them.

TUI Schiff Restaurants and Bars

TUI Schiff sunbathing areas and pool areas (sundeck and Lido-deck pool areas)

(Coronavirus Crisis) Passenger Shipping Pause 2020-2021

Due to the COVID pandemic, TUI River Cruises suspended operations by canceling all voyages with pre-scheduled departures from March 15, 2020, through August 15, 2021. TUI Cruises Germany ("Mein Schiff" fleet) suspended operations on March 23 and restarted on August 21 with Schiff 1 (a 7-day Norwegian Fjords roundtrip from Kiel) and Schiff 2 (a 7-day Norway roundtrip from Hamburg). Schiff 6 resumed on September 13 (through November 7) with 7-day roundtrips from Heraklion (Crete) to Piraeus-Athens and Kerkyra (Corfu Island).

TUI River Cruises were planned to resume on November 26, 2020 (Christmas and New Year itineraries) but were eventually canceled through August 2021. The brand was inaugurated on August 15, with TUI Maya from Frankfurt.

All affected bookings were automatically canceled and fully refunded in FCC (Future Cruise Credit) notes for the full cost of the cruise. The FCCs can be used for a new voyage (with rebooking) or fully refunded (100%) in cash after 12 months.

Listed below are all TUI liners and their first departure dates/homeports/regions in 2021: Schiff 3 (May 10/Norway from Bremerhaven), Schiff 4 (April 23/UK-Baltic from Hamburg), Schiff 5 (May 13/Mediterranean from Heraklion, Crete), Schiff 6 (May 9/Mediterranean from Palma de Mallorca), Schiff Herz (September 3/Mediterranean from Palma de Mallorca). Schiff 1 and Schiff 2 began Canary Islands cruises in January, with 7-day and 14-day roundtrips from Gran Canaria.

The latest cancellations affected Schiff 5's Asian program (Hong Kong) and Schiff 6's Arabian Gulf program (from Dubai).

The following table provides a concise review of the TUI fleet's deployments (as homeports and destinations/regions). For detailed itineraries (ports of call, port dates and times, and cruise prices), simply follow the ship links.

TUI River Cruises

"TUI River Cruises" is a 2019-founded (2021-inaugurated) travel brand and a subsidiary of TUI AG. The company specializes in passenger river cruises in Europe and is primarily UK-focused (as a source market).

TUI's riverboat fleet consists of three fully refurbished ships: TUI Maya, TUI Skyla, and TUI Isla. The ships usually operate roundtrips from the homeports Passau and Frankfurt (Germany), Amsterdam, Netherlands, and Budapest, Hungary.

In January 2022, TUI announced the restart dates of the riverboats after the winter 2021 season was suspended due to Europe's rising COVID-19 Omicron cases. TUI's Rhine program was first halted before Christmas 2021 when Germany's government imposed travel restrictions on UK tourists.

TUI's river operations were planned to resume with TUI Skyla on March 28. The "Magic of the Danube" itinerary (7-night roundtrip from Budapest) visited ports in Slovakia, Austria, and Germany. Prices started at GBP 1120 per person with double occupancy.

TUI's first 14-night voyage started on April 8 (TUI Isla). The "European Icons" itinerary began in Amsterdam and visited ports in Germany, Austria, Slovakia, and Hungary, ending in Budapest. Prices started at GBP 2010 per person.

TUI's Rhine voyages resumed on April 8 with the "Rhine Gems" itinerary visiting Koblenz and Speyer (Germany Rhineland-Palatinate), as well as Basel, Switzerland. The 7-day roundtrip departs from Frankfurt am Main, with fares starting at GBP 1170 per person.

Themed voyages started on April 1 (TUI Maya) with the "Vines and Valleys" Moselle River itinerary.

In December 2023, TUI River Cruises announced a fleet expansion with two new vessels: TUI Al Horeya (Nile River boat, 2024-inaugurated) and TUI Alma (Douro River boat, 2025-inaugurated). In November 2024, the addition of TUI Bahareya (Nile River boat, 2025-inaugurated) was announced.

Debuting in 2026, the fully refurbished TUI Ria will offer voyages on the Rhine and Moselle rivers (departing from the homeports Amsterdam, Basel, and Frankfurt) with 6- to 9-night itineraries.