Tag Archives: Azores

TUI’s Winter Program Includes Two Ships in the Caribbean, Return to Asia

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Mein Shiff 3 entering the River Mersey Liverpool, photo credit Spacejunkie2 (flickr)

With its entire seven-ship fleet in service, TUI Cruises has a global footprint for the winter 2022-2023 cruise season.

While most of the fleet is set to offer traditional fly-cruises in the Caribbean and the Canaries, the brand will also offer itineraries in other parts of the world, such as Northern Europe and the Middle East.

Another highlight of the season is the return to Asia, with voyages visiting both the Far East and Southeast Asia onboard the Mein Schiff 5.

Cruise Industry News looked into the company’s full program or the upcoming winter season. Here’s the breakdown:

Caribbean

Mein Schiff 1
Capacity (at 100% Occupancy): 2,900 guests
Built: 2018
Homeports: La Romana (Dominican Republic) and Montego Bay (Jamaica)
Length: 14 nights
Itineraries: Caribbean and Central America visiting Jamaica, Mexico, Belize, Honduras, Costa Rica, Panama and Colombia
Sailing Season: October 28 to March 31

Mein Schiff 2
Capacity (at 100% Occupancy): 2,900 guests
Built: 2019
Homeports: La Romana (Dominican Republic) and Bridgetown (Barbados)
Length: 14 nights
Itineraries: Eastern and Southern Caribbean with visits to St. Maarten, Tortola, St. John’s, Martinique, St. Vincent and more
Sailing Season: November 4 to April 7

Canaries, Madeira and Azores

Mein Schiff 4
Capacity (at 100% Occupancy): 2,500 guests
Built: 2015
Homeport: Gran Canaria (Spain)
Length: Seven nights
Itineraries: Canary Islands, Madeira and Morocco visiting La Gomera, Tenerife, Arrecife, Funchal, Agadir and more
Sailing Season: October 30 to March 26

Mein Schiff Herz
Capacity (at 100% Occupancy): 1,850 guests
Built: 1997
Homeport: Tenerife (Spain)
Length: Seven nights
Itineraries: Azores and Cape Verde, in addition to Canaries and Madeira
Sailing Season: November 10 to April 6

Northern Europe and Roundtrip Cruises from Germany

Mein Schiff 3
Capacity (at 100% Occupancy): 2,500 guests
Built: 2014
Homeport: Bremerhaven (Germany)
Length: Four to 35 nights
Itineraries: 26- to 35-night cruises to the Canary Islands, Cape Verde, the Azores and the Caribbean sailing roundtrip from Germany, in addition to four- to 14-night itineraries in Northern Europe
Sailing Season: November 1 to April 23

Southeast Asia and the Far East

Mein Schiff 5
Capacity (at 100% Occupancy): 2,500 guests
Built: 2016
Homeports: Singapore and Hong Kong
Length: 14 nights
Itineraries: Southeast Asia visiting Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam in December, January and February, in addition to Far East cruises to China, Japan, Taiwan and South Korea in March and April
Sailing Season: December 7 to April 26

Middle East

Mein Schiff 6
Capacity (at 100% Occupancy): 2,534 guests
Built: 2017
Homeport: Dubai (United Arab Emirates)
Length: Seven nights
Itineraries: United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Oman including overnight stays in Dubai and visits to Sir Bani Yas, Abu Dhabi, Doha, Khasab and more
Sailing Season: October 29 to March 18

New Rotterdam Completes First Year in Service

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The Rotterdam VII is completing its first year in service.

After being delivered a few months earlier, the new Holland America Line flagship welcomed its first guests on October 20, 2021.

On that day, the 2,650-guest vessel departed the Netherlands for a 14-day transatlantic to the United States.

Sailing from Amsterdam to Fort Lauderdale, the one-way voyage featured visits to five destinations, including the Azores, a Portuguese archipelago located in the middle of the Atlantic, and Brest, in France.

Upon arriving in North America in November, the Rotterdam began its inaugural season in the region, which included five- to 11-night itineraries to the Southern, Western and Eastern Caribbean, as well as the Bahamas.

During its first year in service, the vessel also sailed a summer program in Northern Europe – where it was christened by Princess Margriet of the Netherlands in May.

Currently sailing Holland America’s 150th-anniversary transatlantic crossing, the Rotterdam is now set to offer a second season of Caribbean and Bahamas cruises starting on October 30, 2022. 

The program includes ten- and 11-night itineraries to the Southern and Eastern Caribbean departing from Fort Lauderdale to popular destinations such as Curaçao, Grand Turk and Martinique.

A sister to the 2016-built Koningsdam and 2018-built Nieuw Statendam, the new Rotterdam is part of Holland America’s Pinnacle class.

The seventh ship to carry the name of the company, it offers enhanced amenities and features, such as the Rolling Stone Rock Room, where guests are able to relive rock history with iconic hits performed by live bands.

The Rotterdam also offers 11 different dining experiences, including the Grand Dutch Café, a nod to Holland America Line’s heritage, as well as Italian, Asian and French speciality options.

Another highlight of the ship’s public areas is the theatre. Named World Stage, the showroom is equipped with a round stage and a two-story LED screen that creates a wraparound display.

Disney Wonder on Her Way To Dry dock

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The Disney Wonder in an previous dry dock. Taking advantage of the downtime in operations, Disney Cruise Line is performing routine regulatory class work and upgrades on its fleet, according to sources familiar with the work.

The Disney Wonder, built in 1999, is on her way to a dry dock in Brest, France and was in Ponta Delgada in the Azores for a technical stop last week where she took on fuel having sailed from Port Canaveral.

Disney has not released information on the details of the dry dock projects.

The Wonder, meanwhile, has seen sailings through Dec. 15 cancelled.

The ship is scheduled to sail her winter season of short cruises from Galveston before a short stint in New Orleans. Next spring, the ship is based in San Diego prior to her 2021 summer season in Alaska.