Mein Schiff 5

Background

At the 31st of august in 2019, Mein Schiff 5 visited Amsterdam and here she is seen docked at the quay of the Passenger Terminal Amsterdam. The terminal is very conveniently located very close to the city center,but the new city council is now in favour of relocating the terminal to the outer harbour or getting rid of it totally. A huge increase in taxation in the beginning of 2019 caused many lines to skip Amsterdam in total and have their ships docked in IJmuiden (20 km away) or Rotterdam instead. TUI still chooses Amsterdam as their port of call. Other RCCL-connected companies have moved already, Celebrity Cruises to Rotterdam and Pullmantur to IJmuiden.

Formed in april of 2008 by Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines and TUI Travel, TUI Cruises started sailing for the German market in may 2009 with their first ship named Mein Schiff, which was the former 1996-built Galaxy from Celebrity Cruises. Another former Celebrity Cruises ship followed in 2011, the former Mercury that was built in 1997. She was renamed Mein Schiff 2 and the first ship became Mein Schiff 1. But it wasn't meant for TUI Cruises to get more of the 'older' tonnage from RCCL companies as they had ordered a 99.500-ton ship for delivery in 2014 with the option for a second one. They knew that the German market, which was one of the most active in Europe, was capable of handling newly built giant ships. The naming continued as it started, so the first newbuild became Mein Schiff 3 in 2014, followed by Mein Schiff 4 in 2015. Then Mein Schiff 5 followed in 2016 and Mein Schiff 6 in 2017, creating a class of four. The company mostly sails in northern Europe, the Caribbean and the Mediterranean Sea, although with the extra growth they were more often spotted on world-wide itineraries.

Construction and general statistics

On the 4th of august in 2014, the German wharf of Jos L. Meyer in Papenburg announced that they were going to buy the STX Finland wharf at Turku. The Finnish wharf had been in financial troubles for quite a while, but Meyer knew they could turn the tide and also, the growing German wharf would be able to build more and larger cruiseships. In Papenburg, the wharf is restricted as the wharf is located far inland with the narrow river Ems as the only way to the sea. In Turku, there are none of those restrictions.

At the same time, Meyer announced that they had recieved the order for two more cruiseships of the Blue Motion-class for TUI Cruises, and those ships would become the first cruiseships built in Turku under the new Meyer management. They were planned to enter service in 2016 (Mein Schiff 5) and 2017 (Mein Schiff 6). This order became firm when also the Finnish government gave Meyer the permission to buy the wharf at Turku. Just some interiour differences are ther between both ships and between the two earlier ships of the Blue Motion-class, the Mein Schiff 3 and Mein Schiff 4. Also two more ships were taken in as an option, but those were later changed into the larger units Mein Schiff 1 and Mein Schiff 2.

The construction of Mein Schiff 5 began with the first cutting of the steel at the 18th of november in 2014 and she was going to be built under yardnumber 1389. This was just one month after Mein Schiff 4 had left the drydock. At the 23rd of june in 2015, the keel for Mein Schiff 5 was laid and at the same day, the steelcutting for Mein Schiff 6 commenced. The 15th of january in 2016 was the day that Mein Schiff 5 floated out of her building dock and was relocated to the quay for completion. Delivered to TUI Cruises at the 20th of june in 2016, she left Turku for the German port of Kiel. This was ten days ahead of scedule and she was the first ship that was constructed and delivered totally under the name of Meyer in Turku.

The tonnage measurement of Mein Schiff 5 is 98.785 and her lenght is 295,26 meters, her width is 35,83 meters and her draft reaches 8,05 meters. Aboard, there is space for 2534 passengers as based on two persons per cabin (maximum count is 2794) and also 1267 crewmembers are aboard. Her diesel-electric engines can provide a normal sailingspeed of around 21,7 knots. The ship is home-ported in Valletta, flying the Maltese flag.

Design

Mein Schiff 5 is, just like her sisters, designed with mainly spaciousness and passenger well-being and wellness in mind. Aboard there are 13 restaurants and 14 bars and lounges, so there is a lot of space and choices for everyone. Like aboard other ships of TUI Cruises, the ship is almost all inclusive so there will be no high bills at the end of your cruise. All gratuities, almost all restaurants, fitness and sauna and most drinks are included in the overall price.

The ship has 15 passengerdecks and there are 1267 cabins and suites of which 127 are inside, 97 are outside, 963 are balconycabins, 64 are junior suites and 16 are themed suites. Two cabins are wheelchair accessible. 

New aboard is the Japanese restaurant Hanami, where the Berlin-chef Tim Raue created the menu. He is very famous in Germany and beyond and his restaurant in Berlin enjoys having two Michelin stars. Also an Austrian restaurant is aboard, named Schmankerl - Entspannt Geniessen. For a quick snack, the new Bosporus Snackbar on deck 12 serves fresh Döner Kebab and Belgian fries. The reception area on deck 3 is also redesigned and now features with the Talia readinglounge and a Nespresso bar. Outdoors, the Lagune is a great pool newly designed at deck 14.

As environmental technology also developped, the ships emissions output is again lower then that of her earlier sisterships, that were also made eco-friendlier then earlier ships. Before emissions are exhausted, they are treated with a desulfurization unit with catalytic converters to significantly reduce harmfull particles to be spilled into the air. With this technology, sulfur emissions are reduced by 99% and nitrogene oxide emissions are reduced by 75% also. Also the energy usage aboard is 4 percent lower then that of Mein Schiff 3. 

Carreer

The new ship arrived at the port of Kiel at the 23rd of june in 2016 before setting sail for her Maiden Voyage in the Baltic Sea. She was named by Lena Meyer-Landrut in front of the port of Travemünde at the 16th of july in 2016. Some 15.000 people watched the event from the main beach of Travemünde. By using a hand-hold laser that was pointed towards the 119-meter high Maritim Strandhotel,which then re-routed the laser towards the ship to cut the rope holding a 3-liter bottle of champagne. Of course, the ceremony was ending with a large-scale fireworks presentation. More known as just Lena, the 1991-born Godmother is a German singer and the winner of the 2010 Eurovision Songcontest. She has been a juror in many German songcontests afterwards.

The ships normal sailingscedule takes her to the Baltic Sea, the coast of Norway and western Europe in the summermonths, next to Caribbean sailings in wintertime.