For a few days, it was clear that TUI Cruises will continue with its “Blue Voyages” (cruises to nowhere out of Germany) again in September 2020. Now Greece turns out to be the next homeporting destination of Europe's cruise shipping company.
The roundtrip voyages on Mein Schiff 6 will be carried out from September 13, departing from Heraklion Crete. A total of four 7-day cruises are currently available for booking.
The step is important for the German market because the cruising industry is slowly recovering here. Most recently, AIDA Cruises (due to lack of approval from the flag-state Italy) and TUI Cruises (scheduling roundtrips from Germany to Norway) had unexpected setbacks that required quick reactions.
TUI's planned cruises in Greece will not run as usual. It will be possible to go ashore again, but the passengers should strictly observe the regulations within the country, tightened again after the increase in COVID infections in recent days.
The situation is less relaxed in Spain because the federal government declared both the country and the Balearic Islands to be risk areas. For the cruise industry, this means the restart at this point will be delayed. For the Greece tours of TUI Cruises, there is no greater risk despite the increasing COVID cases.