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.

Wartsila and Carnival Extend Collaboration with Lifecycle Agreement

Posted on 21 July, 2026 by Spacejunkie2

Wartsila and Carnival Extend Collaboration with Lifecycle Agreement

Wartsila and Carnival Corporation have entered into an eight-year Lifecycle Agreement covering four cruise ships in the Princess Cruises and Carnival Cruise Line fleets, including two newbuild vessels currently under construction.

The agreement marks the first service contract between the companies covering Carnival LNG-fueled cruise ships.

“The agreement reinforces Carnival Corporation’s ongoing commitment to operational excellence, sustainability and delivering a world-class guest experience,” said Vera Lannek, VP of strategic sourcing and asset management at Carnival.

“By working with Wartsila through a long-term lifecycle agreement, we can further strengthen the performance of the covered vessels while supporting the high standards our guests and operations depend on,” added Lannek.

“This agreement is the latest milestone in the long-standing relationship between Carnival Corporation and Wartsila,” said Andrea Morgante, VP of performance services at Wartsila Marine.

“It reflects our shared focus on ensuring high-performing cruise operations through proactive lifecycle support, data-driven insight and close technical collaboration throughout the vessel lifecycle.”

Wartsila said in a press release that under the agreement, it will provide a lifecycle maintenance solution for the vessels’ Wartsila dual-fuel engines and related equipment.

Wartsila booked the order in Q2 2026, and the Lifecycle Agreement provides long-term lifecycle support focused on optimizing asset performance throughout the vessel lifecycle.

The scope of the agreement includes:

Planned and unplanned maintenance support
Spare parts supply and logistics
Major engine overhauls
Remote monitoring and condition-based maintenance
Technical audits and performance reviews
Advisory services
Crew training, and
Performance management through agreed KPIs and a performance-based framework.

According to the press release, the agreement also provides Carnival with a lifecycle partnership focused on maintaining fleet reliability, increasing asset availability and optimizing total cost of ownership across the covered vessels.

Its performance-based structure also aligns the companies around measurable operational outcomes, including lower unscheduled maintenance costs and fewer unplanned stops.