Mein Schiff 1

The 2018-built TUI Mein Schiff 1 cruise ship is owned by TUI Cruises and has two sisterships - Mein Schiff 2 (2019) and Mein Schiff 7 (2023). Vessels' previously designated names were "Mein Schiff 7" and "Mein Schiff 8", but as the old namesakes went to Marella Cruises UK (within TUI Group), the newbuilds took their names.

The vessel (IMO number 9783564) is currently Malta-flagged (MMSI 248513000) and registered in Valletta.

History - construction and ownership

TUI Cruises is a UK-based joint venture cruise company (50-50) of TUI Group (British-German travel and tourism corporation) and RCG-Royal Caribbean Group (RCCL-Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd/USA-based passenger shipping company).

TUI started cruise shipping operations in 2009, targeting predominantly the German-speaking market with a premium travel vacation product. German and English are the main onboard languages on all TUI Schiffs (ships). TUI's sister-brands are Marella Cruises UK and Hapag-Lloyd-Cruises.

The new TUI Mein Schiff 1 took the name of the old ship Schiff 1 (launched in 1996, currently operated as Marella Explorer). In 2017, the old Schiff 1 was sold to Marella Cruises (fka Thomson) and transferred to the Marella's fleet in 2018.

TUI Mein Schiff 1 cruise deals are ticket-price inclusive of:

• 24-hour food and snacks on the ship
• over 100 brand beverages and cocktails (excepting premium brand alcohol)
• facilities and entertainment for children and teens
• complimentary access to SPA's sauna area
• complimentary Gym and wellness courses
• onboard entertainment (shows, concerts, theatrical and musical performances)
• gratuities (all onboard tips).

Decks and Cabins

TUI Schiff 1 staterooms (1447 total) provide max passenger capacity 2534 (2894 lower beds). Over 80% of all cabins are outside. All suites and family cabins have Xbox360 video gaming consoles. The largest cabins are the 2-deck Himmel-Meer Suites with private rooftop terraces. For families are designed the new comfort rooms “Verandah Deluxe at home”. There are also Spa Balcony cabins with exclusive spa facilities access.

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

The boat has 16 decks, of which 14 are passenger accessible and 10 with cabins.

Shipboard dining options - Food and Drinks

The food in the large “Anckelmannsplatz” buffet restaurant is all included in the fare. Mein Schiff 1 also boasts a bakery offering freshly prepared tarts or paninis for free. The Atlantic restaurant is divided into 3 themed restaurants and guests may choose to eat Asian, Mediterranean food or 5-course meals (all also included). Gosch Sylt offers fish, and another Bistro – smaller snacks. For an additional charge, enjoy the Hanami – exquisite Japanese restaurant, visit the speciality Richards, or the Steak Surf and Turf restaurant.

Follows the complete list of Mein Schiff 1 restaurants and food bars.

• “Atlantic Classic” (complimentary main dining room (of all three) for buffet-style Breakfast and waiter-served Lunch and Dinner. Some menu inclusions are at extra charge
• “Atlantik Brasserie” (main dining room; offers French cuisine specialities, a la carte menu and healthy choices)
• “Atlantik Mediterran” (the Mediterranean themed main dining room. Some items in the menu are marked as “family meals”)
• Hanami (speciality Japanese restaurant for sushi and traditional specialities at surcharge)
• Tag & Nacht (Day & Night 24-hour bistro)
• “Richards” (“Fine Dining” dinner restaurant, reservations required, at surcharge PP)
• Surf & Turf (speciality seafood and steakhouse restaurant)
• Backstube / Bakery (complimentary)
• Anckelmannsplatz buffet restaurant (with partially covered outdoor area for al-fresco dining; complimentary, self-service, with various food stations)
• GOSCH Sylt (complimentary seafood restaurant, a la carte menu; with outdoor seating area)
• Außenalster Bar & Grill
• Thalia Leselounge (reading lounge) and Nespresso Bar (both on deck 3 / the ship's lobby area was redesigned)
• Hanami (Asian restaurant by Tim Raue)
• Schmankerl-Entspannt (Austrian restaurant)
• Ganz Schön Gesund (Very Healthy) Bistro
• Manufaktur Kreativ Küche (Creative Kitchen) 
• Osteria (pizzeria).

Shipboard entertainment options - Fun and Sport

The main language on board TUI Mein Schiff 1 is German. Almost all beverages, food and gratuities are included in the cruise price. The evening entertainment program in the theatre includes theatrical performances, opera, musicals, varietes, music shows like Beatles, Sketch Parade, flying acrobatic artists and magicians. The theatre boasts dynamic LED screens and a revolving stage.

Follows the complete list of Mein Schiff 1 lounges, clubs and other entertainment venues for kids, teens and adults.

• Theatre (1000-seat main show lounge for grand-style show productions; with a revolving stage and eight dynamic LED screens)
• Sturmfrei (Teens Lounge featuring video gaming consoles, dance floor, foosball table, activities like karaoke, cooking classes, teen parties, movies, etc.)
• The Playground area (with Internet corner and Spielplatz/video console games. Internet access is complimentary for all Suite guests. Wi-Fi is available shipwide, prices are per minute, 1 hour or 3 hours)
• Atelier (Workshop/art studio for painters)
• Klanghaus (Sound House - the first-ever chamber music room at sea, 300-seat with concert hall simulating acoustics; hosts events like opera, classical concerts, chamber music, jazz, cabaret performances, theatrical readings, comedies, media presentations)
• The Neuer Wall shopping arcades
• TUI Bar; Coffee Lounge; Diamant Bar (Diamond Bar); Abtanz Bar (100-seat disco nightclub); Rauchersalon (Cigar Room); Schau Bar (249-seat Show Bar); Champagner Treff (Champagnes Match; wine bar); Uberschau Bar (50-seat wellness bar with a “healthy drinks” menu); Unverzicht Bar (poolside bar); Eis Bar (40-seat Ice Bar)
• X-Bar, Hoheluft (High Air) Bar, Ebbe & Flut Bier Bar (Low Tide Beer Bar)
• Grosse Freiheit (one of the most special places onboard, located at the aft of the ship and including various restaurants; features a glass wall / diamond-shaped facade which spans on 2 decks)
• SPA Sauna area (with a Finnish Sauna room, Herbal Sauna, Salt Sauna, Tea Lounge)
• Himmel & Meer Lounge (Suite Guests only); X-Lounge (Suite-guests only lounge)
• SPA & Meer (SPA & Sea complex with a Rasul Room/mud bath, Treatment Rooms, Zen Garden, saunas; Beauty Salon)
• Sport & Gesunheit (Sport & Health Fitness Centre; Fitness classes/personal trainers provided at surcharge)
• Aussenpool (outdoor pool area with a 25 m long swimming pool, extensive sunbathing area, Aussenalster Bar & Grill)
• Innenpool (indoor, 2-level pool area with 1 swimming pool and 1 whirlpool)
• Outdoor large-size LED Movie Screen
• Insel der Seerauber (Pirates’ Island Kids Club complimentary lounge)
• Nest (baby room; offers babysitting services at surcharge)
• Arena (open-air combined sports court); Sport & Gesundheit Kursraum (spinning room for sports classes); Power Walking / Jogging Track (438 m/1,437 ft)
• Blauer Balkon (Blue Balcony) the “walk on water” spot features 11 m2 (140 ft2) glass-floor platforms positioned 37 m (120 ft) above sea level.

The cruise ship's Casino is open only during sea days. In 2018, TUI signed a partnership deal with "Merkur Casino Mare" (part of Gauselmann Group) for the onboard gambling on Schiff 1 (since 2018), Schiff 2 (since 2019) and Schiff 3 (since 2021). The ship Casino features 6x electronic roulettes plus 14x other Merkur gaming machines, and a separate gambling lounge with 4x M-Box Buzzer (multi-gaming machines) and a blackjack table for live gaming. For 2020, Gauselmann AG reported revenue EUR 2,56 billion (~USD 3B / ~GBP 2,2B). Since 2012, Gauselmann owns the British company Praesepe Ltd (now Merkur Casino UK) which owns the Cashino brand (street gambling arcade chain).

TUI schiff einkaufsbummel (onboard shopping)

TUI schiff SPA und Sport

TUI schiff sonnenbereiche und poolbereiche (sundeck and pool deck areas)

Itineraries

TUI's Mein Schiff 1 itinerary program is based on European itineraries. The ship offers mainly roundtrip departures from homeports Hamburg and Kiel (Baltic Sea cruises to Norwegian Fjords, Scandinavia and Russia) and Las Palmas, Gran Canaria Island (Mediterranean Sea, Madeira and Canaries cruises).

The new Schiff 1 is TUI's 5th liner built in Turku Finland. The vessel was ordered on July 1, 2015. The steel-cutting ceremony (with which its construction officially started) was held on August 16, 2016. On February 13, 2017, was the keel-laying ceremony (hull number TUI NB-1392) at Meyer Werft's Turku Shipyard. On September 29, 2017, was the vessel's launching ceremony (float-out from drydock). The ceremony was attended by Wybcke Meier (TUI Cruises company's CEO) and Jan Meyer (Meyer Turku company's CEO). On April 25, 2018, the cruise liner was officially delivered to TUI AG. The ceremony was attended by Jan Meyer (shipbuilder's CEO) and Wybcke Meier (TUI's CEO).

The christening ceremony was on May 11, 2018, held in Port Hamburg Germany (at HHLA Container Terminal Burchardkai). The ship has two godmothers - Kira Walkenhorst and Laura Ludwig (both beach volleyball Olympic champions). The onboard show was held on the pool deck and led by Yared Dibaba. Aerial acrobatics were performed from the surrounding gantry cranes.

Schiff 1 is approx 20 m (66 ft) longer than the previous "Mein Schiff" series (ships 5 and 6). The added length allowed larger passenger capacity, substantial changes to indoor spaces and adding new attractions. All the new TUI cruise vessels were built with energy-efficient solutions and environmentally friendly power plants that reduce emissions by 30% in comparison to other ships of similar size. Designers of the new TUI liners are Wilson Butler Architects, together with CM Design and Tillberg Design. Fun fact is, that each ship in this new series brings nearly 5000 person-years labor to the Turku shipyard. Each ship's construction engages 800 out of all 1400 workers at the shipbuilding yard. The percentage of German travelers on TUI ships is ~80%.

In comparison to the fleetmates Schiff 3 and Schiff 4, the Schiff 1 is 20 m (66 ft) longer and has new cabins categories (Schone Aussicht Suite, Horizont Suite, Ubersee Suite, Panorama Suite). The vessel is ~10% more energy efficient when compared to Schiff 5 and Schiff 6 and has scrubbers for all engines to reduce NO emissions.

The onboard powerplant is based on four Wartsila marine diesel engines (total output 48 MW), while the propulsion system is based on azimuth thrusters (total power output 28 MW).

Mein Schiff 1 refurbishment 2023 review

The ship's first drydock refurbishment was in 2023 (April 21 - May 1) and was conducted by Blohm+Voss in Hamburg, at Dock Elbe 17.

The drydocking project involved ~1100 employees (crew, shipyard workers and contractors/engineers and technicians) and included installing a shore power connectivity (for which a door was cut into the hull for the power cables to be connected to the berthed ship), upgrading the wastewater treatment system, as well as general maintenance works and hull cleaning and coating (with a silicone paint) to reduce the water resistance/fuel consumption/CO emissions.

Interior works included redesigning the Ebbe & Flut (beer bar), adding an Art Gallery, Lobby Hall renovations (including the Guest Services Desk and the Shore Excursions Desk).

(NEW / neu) TUI Mein Schiff 1 inaugural itineraries 2018

The following tables show the ship's maiden voyages as ports of call.

8 nights / 9 days "Inaugural Cruise" (Norwegian Fjords from Hamburg to Kiel)

2 nights / 3 days Inaugural "Cruise to Nowhere" from Hamburg

10 nights / 11 days Inaugural "Baltic Cruise" to Scandinavia and Russia (themed "Ostsee Baltikum Mit Danzig"

3 nights / 4 days Inaugural "Mini-Cruise" (themed "Kurzreise Goteburg und Kopenhagen"

12 nights / 13 days Inaugural "Repositioning Cruise" from Germany to the Canary Islands

7 nights / 8 days Inaugural "Canary Islands Cruise" (themed "Kanaren Mit Madeira"

(2019) 11 nights / 12 days Inaugural "Mediterranean Cruise" roundtrip from the Canary Islands

Godspeed!