Mein Schiff 6

The 2017-built TUI Mein Schiff 6 cruise ship is owned by TUI Cruises and was constructed by Meyer Turku Shipyard (Finland). TUI Schiff 6 has five sisterships from the same series — Schiff 3 (2014), Schiff 4 (2015), Schiff 5 (2016), Schiff 1 (2018), and Schiff 2 (2019).

The vessel (IMO number 9753208) is currently Malta-flagged (MMSI 249660000) and registered in Valletta.

History – Construction and Ownership

TUI Cruises is a UK-based joint venture (50/50) between TUI Group (a British-German travel and tourism corporation) and Royal Caribbean Group (RCG), the US-based cruise giant formerly known as RCCL – Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.

TUI launched its cruise operations in 2009, primarily targeting the German-speaking market with a premium vacation product. German and English are the main onboard languages across all TUI ships. TUI’s sister brands include Marella Cruises UK and Hapag-Lloyd Cruises.

The assembly of the 2,500-passenger Mein Schiff 6 began on April 25, 2016, at Meyer Turku with the laying of the first grand block. It took only seven months for the ship to be fully assembled. This was the fourth TUI vessel built in Turku. Following maritime tradition, coins were placed under the keel for good luck. Representatives from Meyer Turku, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd, and the classification society Det Norske Veritas attended the ceremony.

Mein Schiff 6 features 15 decks and capacity for 2,534 passengers. About 90% of all cabins are oceanview, and 82% have private balconies. The ship introduced several improvements in passenger comfort and energy efficiency compared to her sisterships Mein Schiff 3, 4, and 5. Her advanced exhaust cleaning system, combining catalytic and scrubber technology, reduces sulphur emissions by nearly 99% and nitrogen oxide emissions by 75%.

TUI Mein Schiff 6 cruise fares include:

• 24-hour food and snacks onboard
• over 100 branded beverages and cocktails (excluding premium alcohol brands)
• children’s and teens’ facilities and entertainment
• complimentary access to the SPA’s sauna area
• free gym and wellness classes
• onboard entertainment (shows, concerts, theatrical and musical performances)
• all gratuities (tips included).

Decks and Cabins

TUI Schiff 6 staterooms (1,267 total) include 80 Suites, 963 Balcony (80% of all cabins), 97 Oceanview, and 127 Interior rooms — a total of 23 cabin categories and 2,534 lower berths. There are 4 wheelchair-accessible cabins, all located on Deck 3, featuring wider doors, emergency phones, handrails, and close proximity to elevators. All Suites and Family cabins include Xbox gaming consoles. Exclusive Suite amenities include free Internet, a complimentary minibar, concierge service, priority boarding, in-room dining, and access to the ship’s X-Lounge and private sundeck.

Special cabin types include 2-deck Himmel & Meer Suites (maisonette-style with private rooftop terraces), Family Comfort Cabins, and Spa Balcony Cabins with direct access to wellness facilities.

All cabins feature standard amenities such as 2 single beds (convertible to a double), bedside tables with drawers and reading lamps, sofa bed (or Pullman beds), smart HDTV (satellite reception, infotainment system with on-demand movies, Internet, ship info channel), direct-dial phone, wardrobe, electronic safe, minibar, Nespresso coffee machine (2 capsules daily), water carafe and glasses, mirrored dressing table with chair, and en-suite bathroom (WC, shower, single-sink vanity, hairdryer, bathrobes, slippers, and toiletries). Each cabin has individually controlled air-conditioning and 24-hour room service.

The ship has 15 decks, 12 of which are accessible to passengers, and 9 featuring accommodations.

Shipboard Dining Options – Food and Drinks

The main buffet restaurant “Anckelmannsplatz” offers complimentary dining. The ship also features a bakery with freshly prepared tarts and paninis, free of charge. The Atlantik restaurant is divided into three themed sections, serving Asian, Mediterranean, and gourmet 5-course menus, all included in the fare. GOSCH Sylt specializes in seafood, while the smaller Bistro offers light snacks. Specialty venues available at an additional cost include Hanami (Japanese), Richards (Fine Dining), and Surf & Turf Steakhouse.

Complete list of Mein Schiff 6 restaurants and food bars:

• Atlantic Classic (530-seat main dining room; buffet breakfast, waiter-served lunch and dinner; some premium items at surcharge)
• Atlantik Brasserie (265-seat restaurant offering French cuisine and healthy à la carte dishes)
• Atlantik Mediterran (266-seat Mediterranean restaurant with family-style options)
• Hanami (62-seat Japanese restaurant by Tim Raue, surcharge applies)
• Tag und Nacht Bistro (24-hour, 88 seats)
• Richards Fine Dining (70-seat restaurant, reservation required, surcharge per person)
• Surf & Turf (specialty seafood and steakhouse)
• Backstube/Bakery (120 seats, complimentary)
• Anckelmannsplatz Buffet (745 seats, partially covered outdoor area, self-service, multiple food stations)
• GOSCH Sylt (133-seat seafood restaurant, à la carte, complimentary, with outdoor seating)
• Außenalster Bar & Grill (outdoor bar and grill area).

Compared to TUI ships 3 and 4, new features on ships 5 and 6 include:

• Thalia Leselounge (reading lounge) and Nespresso Bar (Deck 3, redesigned lobby area)
• Hanami Asian restaurant by Tim Raue (Deck 5)
• Schmankerl-Entspannt Austrian restaurant (Deck 5)
• Osteria Pizzeria (Deck 5)
• Lagune outdoor pool (Deck 12).

Shipboard Entertainment – Fun and Sport

The primary onboard language is German. Nearly all food, beverages, and gratuities are included in the cruise fare. Evening entertainment in the main theatre features musicals, operas, variety shows, live music, acrobatic performances, and magic acts. The theatre is equipped with a revolving stage and dynamic LED screens.

Complete list of Mein Schiff 6 entertainment venues for adults, teens, and children:

• Theatre (1,000 seats, revolving stage, eight dynamic LED screens)
• Sturmfrei Teens Lounge (video games, dance floor, karaoke, cooking classes, movies, parties)
• Playground Area (Internet corner, video games; free Internet for Suite guests; paid Wi-Fi shipwide)
• Atelier (art studio and workshop)
• Klanghaus (Sound House – 300-seat concert hall for opera, chamber music, cabaret, and jazz)
• Neuer Wall shopping arcade
• Various bars and lounges: TUI Bar, Coffee Lounge, Diamant Bar, Abtanz Bar (nightclub), Rauchersalon (Cigar Room), Schau Bar (show lounge), Champagner Treff (champagne/wine bar), Überschau Bar (wellness drinks), Unverzicht Bar (pool bar), and Eis Bar (Ice Bar)
• Casino (20 seats, open during sea days)
• Grosse Freiheit (aft entertainment complex with restaurants and a 167 m²/1,800 ft² glass façade spanning two decks)
• SPA area (Finnish, Herbal, and Salt saunas; Tea Lounge)
• Himmel & Meer Lounge and X-Lounge (exclusive for Suite guests)
• SPA & Meer (wellness complex with treatment rooms, Rasul mud bath, Zen Garden, saunas, beauty salon)
• Sport & Gesundheit (fitness center, personal training and classes at surcharge)
• Aussenpool (25 m outdoor pool “Lagune” with sun deck and grill bar)
• Innenpool (indoor pool with whirlpool, two levels)
• Outdoor LED movie screen
• Insel der Seeräuber (Pirates’ Island Kids Club, complimentary)
• Nest (baby room with babysitting services at surcharge)
• Arena (open-air sports court), spinning room, jogging track
• Blauer Balkon (“Blue Balcony”) – glass-floored viewing platform 37 m (120 ft) above sea level.

TUI Schiff onboard shopping

TUI Schiff SPA and Sports

TUI Schiff sundeck and pool areas

Itineraries

TUI Mein Schiff 6’s itinerary program began with Caribbean and Bahamas cruises roundtrip from New York City (homeport Cape Liberty, Bayonne, New Jersey). These voyages included calls in the Dominican Republic, the Bahamas (Nassau), and the USA (Norfolk, Charleston, Miami, Port Canaveral). Prior to mid-August 2017, the ship operated Northern Europe and Baltic Sea cruises.

The vessel also offers Transatlantic repositioning cruises (Europe–Caribbean–Europe) and Suez Canal routes (Europe–Asia–Europe).

• During winter, Mein Schiff 6 sails 14-day roundtrips in the Western Caribbean, visiting Jamaica, Mexico (Cozumel), Belize, Honduras (Roatan Island), Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, and the Dominican Republic.
• Mediterranean itineraries include major ports in Spain, France, Italy, and Malta, while Adriatic cruises visit Croatia, Slovenia, Montenegro, Italy, and Greece (Corfu, Rhodes, Mykonos), as well as Sicily and Malta.
• Southeast Asia itineraries (roundtrip from Singapore) last over two weeks and include ports in Thailand, Vietnam, and Malaysia.

Schiff 6 is TUI's fourth newbuild constructed by STX Finland at the Turku Shipyard. In 2015, the shipbuilding company was acquired by Meyer Werft GmbH. All new TUI vessels were designed with energy-efficient technologies and environmentally friendly power systems that reduce emissions by 30% and consume 30% less energy compared to similar-sized cruise ships. The advanced scrubber system (exhaust gas cleaning) combines catalytic and scrubber converters, cutting sulphur emissions by 99% and nitrogen oxide emissions by 75%.

The new TUI liners were designed by Wilson Butler Architects in collaboration with CM Design and Tillberg Design. Interestingly, each vessel in this series represents approximately 5,000 person-years of labor at the Turku shipyard. Around 800 of the yard’s 1,400 employees are directly involved in the construction of each ship. Approximately 80% of TUI Cruises’ passengers are from Germany.

According to Meyer Turku, each new vessel takes only about seven months to assemble from the grand blocks before proceeding to outfitting, commissioning, and sea trials. TUI Schiff 6 was officially delivered on May 9, 2017. Following the delivery ceremony at the Turku yard, she departed for Kiel, Germany.

On June 1, 2017, the vessel’s christening ceremony was held in Port Hamburg, near the waterfront Elbphilharmonie concert hall. The ship’s godmother was Iveta Apkalna, an acclaimed Latvian pianist and organist. The naming ceremony was attended by over 1,950 cruise passengers booked on the inaugural voyage from Hamburg to Kiel, while thousands of spectators watched from ashore. Following the event, the ship departed from Cruise Center Altona at approximately 9 PM, sailing upstream toward HafenCity, where two choirs performed live at the Elbphilharmonie. The evening concluded with the premiere of a specially composed musical piece inspired by Brahms’ Symphony No. 1 (fourth movement), accompanied by a spectacular light show.

TUI Schiff 6 began her Caribbean cruise program in September 2017 with an inaugural Transatlantic crossing from Hamburg to New York (Port Cape Liberty, Bayonne, NJ). From her New York homeport, the ship operated itineraries to Canada, the Caribbean, and the Bahamas, all roundtrip from Bayonne.

Inaugural Itineraries 2017

In November 2015, TUI Cruises officially announced that with its newest ship, Schiff 6, the company would target the North American market. The vessel’s launch was scheduled for September 2017.

Schiff 6’s maiden voyage was both an inaugural and repositioning cruise — a 15-night Transatlantic crossing from Hamburg to her new homeport of Bayonne (Cape Liberty, New York) in September 2017.

Two 14-night roundtrip Caribbean itineraries from New York were offered, with the first voyage departing on October 27, 2017, and featuring a visit to the Dominican Republic.

Additionally, two Bahamas cruises called at Norfolk (Virginia), Charleston (South Carolina), Port Canaveral and Miami (Florida), and Nassau. The ship also operated three 10-night Canada & New England cruises — TUI’s first-ever itineraries in that region — all roundtrip from New York City.