TUI Cruises’ Ships Running on Renewable LNG

Posted on 9 August, 2026 by Spacejunkie2

TUI Cruises’ Ships Running on Renewable LNG

Two TUI Cruises ships are currently operating on bio-LNG, according to a statement shared on social media.

The company said that the Mein Schiff Relax and the Mein Schiff Flow are running entirely on renewable LNG during their summer seasons in Europe.

TUI noted that this greener fuel is based on biomethane, which can significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions compared to fossil fuels.

“Thanks to the use of bio-LNG alone, we were already able to save around 26,000 tons of CO2 by July 2026 and are expected to reach around 50,000 tons by the end of the year,” the company stated.

In addition to burning cleaner fuels, TUI highlighted other initiatives aimed at improving sustainability, including the use of shorepower.

Various ships were retrofitted with connections over the past few years, including the Mein Schiff 1, the Mein Schiff 2 and the Mein Schiff 5.

Ships also use sustainable textiles and operate under the watch of dedicated environmental officers, who are said to work to keep operations as green as possible.

The company reduced the use of plastic onboard and shifted its shore excursions program to focus on environmentally friendly tours.

In 2024, TUI also launched the industry’s first methanol-ready cruise ship with the debut of the Mein Schiff 7.

The Mein Schiff Relax is currently offering itineraries departing from Germany to destinations in the Baltic and Scandinavia.

After debuting earlier this year, the Mein Schiff Flow is spending its maiden season in the Western Mediterranean with cruises to Spain, Italy, France, Morocco and Portugal.

Built by Fincantieri, the 4,000-passenger vessels introduced a new design to the fleet, becoming the company’s largest ships at 161,000 tons.

TUI is now working with Fincantieri on two additional LNG-powered vessels, which are scheduled to debut in 2031 and 2032.

TUI Cruises Starts Homeporting Season in Portugal

Posted on 26 July, 2026 by Spacejunkie2

TUI Cruises Starts Homeporting Season in Portugal

The Mein Schiff 6 recently kicked off a series of cruises to Western Europe and Morocco departing from Leixões in Portugal.

Located near Porto, the homeport serves as the starting point for two seven-night itineraries that sail to other destinations in Portugal, in addition to ports in Spain, Morocco, the United Kingdom and France.

Heading north, one of the itineraries features visits to Vigo, La Coruña, Bilbao and Le Verdon before returning to Leixões.

The second weeklong cruise heads south and includes stops in Lisbon and Cádiz, as well as Tangier and Gibraltar.

Guests are also able to book a 14-night voyage that combines both itineraries into a single cruise that does not repeat ports of call.

The Mein Schiff 6 will continue to offer similar cruises departing from Portugal through early September, when it is scheduled to embark on a repositioning voyage to the Western Mediterranean.

Sailing from Leixões to Palma de Mallorca, the eight-night cruise sails to a mix of destinations in Spain, Portugal and Morocco.

Highlights of the open-jaw itinerary include visits to Lisbon, Cádiz and Tangier, in addition to Málaga and Barcelona.

After a short fall season in the Mediterranean, the 97,000-ton ship embarks on a 53-night repositioning voyage to Southeast Asia.

The three-part cruise starts with a seven-night cruise to the Canary Islands that sails from Palma de Mallorca.

The 2,500-passenger ship will then operate a 20-night voyage to Cape Town, visiting Morocco, Cape Verde, Namibia and South Africa.

Before arriving in Singapore in early December, the Mein Schiff 6 also offers a 25-night voyage to the Indian Ocean and Southeast Asia.

Departing from Cape Town, the cruise will sail to South Africa, Mauritius, Réunion, the Maldives, Sri Lanka and Malaysia.

As part of its 2026-27 winter season in Southeast Asia, the 2,534-passenger ship is set to offer a series of 13- to 15-night cruises to Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam and more.

Built at the Meyer Turku shipyard in Finland, the Mein Schiff 6 was delivered to TUI Cruises in May 2017.

AIDAprima Guests Test Self Check-In Terminals in Hamburg

Posted on 25 July, 2026 by Spacejunkie2

AIDAprima Guests Test Self Check-In Terminals in Hamburg

AIDA Cruises tested digital guest check-in with all guests for the first time in a pilot project at the Steinwerder Cruise Center in Hamburg.

According to a company statement, guests were able to embark independently for a cruise aboard the AIDAprima at one of the 20 digital check-in terminals on July 23, 2026.

During check-in, a photo was taken of each guest, which is stored in the ship system for the duration of the trip. The image was then compared with the photo on guests’ ID documents based on biometric data.

Digital check-in was found to speed up the embarkation process at the terminal, offering more flexibility in combination with the personal service available at a classic counter.

The new service was developed in collaboration with Lufthansa Industry Solutions over a period of two years, adapting self-service check-in terminals from aviation for use in cruises.

This included, among other things, the integration of printers for boarding passes and the connection to the ship’s systems.

The boarding pass is RFID-encoded, serving as a means of payment onboard and as a key to the cabin, among other things.

AIDA noted that it intends to use the findings from the pilot project to explore further use of this technology.