Mein Schiff 7

The 2024-built TUI Mein Schiff 7 cruise ship is owned by TUI Cruises and was constructed by Meyer Turku Shipyard (Finland). Mein Schiff 7 is the seventh vessel in the series and follows the upgraded design of Mein Schiff 1 (2018) and Mein Schiff 2 (2019), sharing features with her six sisterships.

The shipbuilding order was placed in February 2018, construction began in June 2022, and delivery took place in June 2024.

The vessel (IMO number 9851189) is currently Malta-flagged (MMSI 256750000) and registered in Valletta.

History – Construction and Ownership

TUI Cruises is a UK-based 50/50 joint venture between TUI Group (a British-German travel and tourism corporation) and RCG – Royal Caribbean Group (formerly RCCL – Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd, a US-based passenger shipping company).

TUI Cruises began operations in 2009, focusing mainly on the German-speaking market with a premium cruise 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.

Mein Schiff 7 has 16 decks (14 accessible to passengers, 10 with cabins) and accommodates 2,894 guests. About 90% of all cabins are outside, and 82% feature private balconies. Compared to Mein Schiff 1 and Mein Schiff 2, the vessel offers upgraded technology and amenities with improved energy efficiency. She is equipped with an advanced exhaust scrubber system that reduces SOx emissions by up to 99% and NOx emissions by 75%.

Decks and Cabins

TUI Mein Schiff 7 staterooms (1,447 total) provide a maximum passenger capacity of 2,534 (2,894 lower beds). Over 80% of cabins are outside, and all suites and family cabins feature Xbox 360 gaming consoles. The largest accommodations are the two-deck Himmel-Meer Suites with private rooftop terraces. Family-friendly options include the new “Verandah Deluxe at Home” rooms, and Spa Balcony Cabins offer exclusive access to the wellness area.

All Mein Schiff 7 staterooms come with standard amenities including 2 single beds (convertible to a double), bedside cabinets with drawers and reading lamps, a sofabed (or 1–2 Pullman beds), smart HDTV (satellite reception, infotainment system, on-demand movies, Internet, ship info channel), direct-dial phone, wardrobe, electronic safe (in the closet), minibar, Nespresso coffee machine (2 capsules included daily), water carafe with glasses, mirrored dressing/writing desk with chair, en-suite bathroom (WC, shower, single-sink vanity, hairdryer, bathrobes, slippers, bath products such as shower gel, shampoo, conditioner), individually controlled air conditioning, and 24-hour room service.

The vessel has 16 decks, of which 14 are open to passengers and 10 house cabins.

Shipboard Dining Options – Food and Drinks

In November 2022, TUI unveiled several details about Mein Schiff 7, including dining venues, the 25 m (82 ft) Lido Deck swimming pool, and new single cabins. The specialty Asia & Sushi Restaurant (connected to the Diamant Bar Lounge) serves traditional Japanese dishes and sushi. The ship also features an expanded casino served by the Abtanz Bar (a smoke-free lounge and dance club). New fleet-first venues include Bella Italia (restaurant), Kaffeehauskultur (patisserie and coffee bar), and Champagner Treff (champagne bar on Deck 6).

The food at the large “Anckelmannsplatz” buffet restaurant is fully included in the fare. The ship also offers a complimentary bakery serving freshly made tarts and paninis. The “Atlantic” restaurant complex is divided into three themed venues offering Asian, Mediterranean, and five-course menus, all included in the fare. GOSCH Sylt specializes in seafood, while a smaller bistro provides snacks. For an extra charge, guests can enjoy the Hanami Japanese restaurant, Richards Restaurant, or Surf & Turf Steakhouse.

The following is the full list of Mein Schiff 7’s restaurants and food bars:

• Atlantic Classic (530-seat main restaurant, buffet breakfast, waiter-served lunch and dinner; some items at extra charge)
• Atlantik Brasserie (265-seat French restaurant offering à la carte specialties and healthy options)
• Atlantik Mediterran (266-seat Mediterranean-style dining room; some items marked as “family meals”)
• Hanami (62-seat Japanese restaurant for sushi and traditional specialties; surcharge applies)
• Tag & Nacht (24-hour, 88-seat bistro)
• Richards (70-seat fine-dining dinner restaurant; reservations required, surcharge applies)
• Surf & Turf (specialty seafood and steakhouse)
• Backstube / Bakery (120-seat, complimentary)
• Anckelmannsplatz Buffet Restaurant (745 seats, indoor and al fresco dining; self-service with multiple food stations)
• GOSCH Sylt (133-seat complimentary seafood restaurant, à la carte menu, outdoor seating)
• Außenalster Bar & Grill
• Ganz Schön Gesund (Healthy Bistro)
• Manufaktur Kreativ Küche (Creative Kitchen)

Compared to TUI ships 3 and 4, ships 5, 6, and 7 introduce new venues such as:

• 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 Options – Fun and Sport

The primary language onboard Mein Schiff 7 is German. Most food, beverages, and gratuities are included in the cruise fare.

Evening entertainment in the Theater Lounge includes theatrical productions, operas, musicals, variety shows, Beatles tributes, sketch parades, acrobatics, and magic performances. The theater features dynamic LED screens and a revolving stage.

The following is a complete list of Mein Schiff 7’s lounges, clubs, and entertainment venues for guests of all ages:

• Theater (1,000-seat main show lounge with revolving stage and eight dynamic LED screens)
• Sturmfrei (Teens Lounge with gaming consoles, dance floor, foosball, karaoke, cooking classes, parties, and movies)
• The Playground (Internet corner and gaming area; complimentary Internet for Suite guests; Wi-Fi available shipwide for purchase by minute or hour)
• Atelier (Art studio/workshop)
• Klanghaus (Sound House – 300-seat chamber music venue hosting operas, concerts, jazz, cabaret, and theatrical readings)
• Neuer Wall (shopping arcade)
• TUI Bar, Coffee Lounge, Diamant Bar, Abtanz Bar (nightclub), Rauchersalon (Cigar Room), Schau Bar (249-seat show bar), Champagner Treff (Champagne and wine bar), Überschau Bar (wellness drinks bar), Unverzicht Bar (poolside bar), Eis Bar (Ice Cream Bar)
• X-Bar, Hoheluft Bar, Ebbe & Flut Bier Bar
• Casino (20-seat, open on sea days)
• Grosse Freiheit (aft dining and lounge complex with a two-deck glass façade spanning 167 m² / 1,800 ft²)
• SPA Sauna Area (Finnish, Herbal, and Salt saunas; Tea Lounge)
• Himmel & Meer Lounge and X-Lounge (Suites-only areas)
• SPA & Meer (Wellness complex with Rasul Room, treatment rooms, Zen Garden, saunas, and beauty salon)
• Sport & Gesundheit (Fitness Center with classes and personal trainers)
• Aussenpool (25 m outdoor pool, sunbathing area, Außenalster Bar & Grill)
• Innenpool (two-level indoor pool area with pool and whirlpool)
• Outdoor LED Movie Screen
• Insel der Seeräuber (Pirates’ Island Kids Club)
• Nest (baby room; babysitting at surcharge)
• Arena (open-air sports court), Fitness Studio, Power Walking and Jogging Track
• Blauer Balkon (glass-floor platform “walk on water,” 11 m² / 120 ft², 37 m / 120 ft above sea level)

For retail, TUI partnered with Starboard Cruise Services (the leading cruise retail company). The two-deck shopping complex spans 523 m² (5,630 ft²) and features categories including fashion, beauty, jewelry, watches, and destination-inspired products. Merchandise includes German brands such as Lamy and Junghans, and international names like Karl Lagerfeld, Pandora, and Rolex. Starboard also introduced “SkInsight,” an AI-powered skin analysis tool for beauty consultations.

As a premium retail curator, Starboard promotes eco-friendly practices (no plastic bags) and sustainability-focused brands. Retail offerings include lab-grown diamonds (Engrace Diamonds), Certified Pre-Owned Rolex watches, vintage luxury items from What Goes Around Comes Around, and Rituals Cosmetics. The Destination Shop highlights local and artisanal products inspired by cruise destinations.

TUI Schiff Einkaufsbummel (onboard shopping)

TUI Schiff SPA und Sport

TUI Schiff Sonnenbereiche und Poolbereiche (sundeck and pool areas)

Itineraries

TUI Mein Schiff 7’s itinerary program began with the maiden voyage on June 12, 2024. The 2-night “Vorfreudefahrt” (“Anticipation Cruise”) itinerary, roundtrip from Kiel (Germany), visited Copenhagen (Denmark).

The inaugural 2024 cruise season (announced in December 2022) featured Northern Europe, Baltic, and UK sailings from three German homeports—Kiel, Warnemünde-Rostock, and Hamburg—as well as Mediterranean departures from Palma de Mallorca and Canary Islands roundtrips from Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.

During the maiden season, Mein Schiff 7 also operated 7- and 14-day (back-to-back) cruises in Southern Europe, covering the Mediterranean (from Palma de Mallorca) and the Canary Islands with Madeira (from Gran Canaria).

As with previous shipbuilding orders, the Mein Schiff 7 project was financed with approximately 80% debt funding and 20% from TUI’s own capital.

Mein Schiff 7 is about 20 m (66 ft) longer than the previous Mein Schiff series (ships 5 and 6). The added length allows for greater passenger capacity, expanded indoor spaces, and new onboard attractions. All new TUI vessels feature energy-efficient technologies and environmentally friendly power systems, reducing emissions by 30% compared to other ships of similar size. The ship’s designers include Wilson Butler Architects, CM Design, and Tillberg Design. Each vessel in this series contributes nearly 5,000 person-years of labor to the Turku shipyard, engaging around 800 of the yard’s 1,400 workers. Roughly 80% of TUI Cruises’ passengers are German.

In early November 2021, TUI announced that the ship’s delivery would be postponed by one year—from Q2 2023 to Q2 2024.

The vessel’s construction (Meyer Turku yard number/hull 1404) began on June 14, 2022, with the steel-cutting ceremony held at Meyer Werft in Turku, Finland. During the ceremony, it was announced that the ship’s design had been slightly modified to include storage space for methanol. The keel-laying and coin ceremony took place on March 21, 2023, also at Meyer Turku. Both events were attended by Wybcke Meier (TUI Cruises CEO) and Tim Meyer (Meyer Turku CEO).

Mein Schiff 7 was launched (floated out) from drydock on December 1, 2023, and transferred to the yard’s outfitting dock. The event was attended by Tim Meyer and Wybcke Meier.

The five-day Baltic Sea trials (May 19–24, 2024) were conducted in the southern Gulf of Bothnia and the Åland Islands area. During the sea trials, the crew worked alongside experts from TUI Cruises GmbH (the future owner), DNV (the classification society), and Meyer Turku Oy (the shipbuilder), including specialists in ship design, naval architecture, engineering, and navigation. The future Master of the ship, Captain Omar Caruana, was also on board.

Meyer Turku officially delivered Mein Schiff 7 to TUI Cruises on June 10, 2024. The naming ceremony took place on June 22, 2024, in the Kiel Fjord (Bay of Kiel) during the Christening Voyage (June 21–23). The godmother was Fenia Kalachani, TUI’s Environmental Officer since 2022. The themed voyage included a new grand show, live performances by well-known German artists, and various surprises. TUI CEO Wybcke Meier also attended the event. The Pool Deck ceremony featured a performance led by German dancer and choreographer Christopher Woschitz and concluded with a spectacular drone show (400 drones), laser projections, and fireworks.

Mein Schiff 7 is powered by four Wartsila marine diesel engines (total output 48 MW) and equipped with azimuth thrusters providing 28 MW of propulsion power. The ship operates on LSMDO (low-sulfur marine diesel oil) and features shore-power connectivity, allowing emissions-free operations while docked in ports (about 40% of operational time). She also has an advanced waste treatment system that reduces organic waste and prepares it for onshore processing.

The following TUI video highlights major milestones from Mein Schiff 7’s construction.

Inaugural Itineraries 2024

Mein Schiff 7’s maiden voyage departed on June 21, 2024. The 2-night/3-day “Christening Voyage” was a cruise to nowhere (roundtrip from Kiel with no port calls), featuring scenic cruising through the Danish Straits and Sydhavsøerne (South Sea and Wadden Sea Islands).

The table below shows details of the maiden voyage (2-night/3-day “Vorfreudefahrt” itinerary) in 2024.

Following the Northern European deployment (based on homeporting in Kiel and Warnemunde), Schiff 7 repositions to Southern Europe to start voyages in the Mediterranean (roundtrips from Balearic Spain's Palma de Mallorca) and the Canary Islands and Madeira (departures out of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria).

(inaugural Mediterranean voyage) 7-day "Mediterrane Herbstsonne" itinerary

Next table shows the 14-day B2B/back-to-back cruise ("Kanaren, Madeira Und Marokkanisches Flair" itinerary) that combines two 7-day itineraries - "Kanaren Mit Madeira" and "Kanaren Mit Marokko".

Godspeed!