TUI Cruises has told guests on select sailings they cannot board if they have booked a pre-cruise stay or an overnight before the start of their trip, according to Schiffe und Kreuzfahrten, a leading German blog covering cruising.
Coming on the heels of the news the company will require booster shots, the German brand is essentially telling guests to fly straight to the ship with no pre-cruise activity.
The company also said it will only take bookings with arrival and departure packages (i.e. flights) it books for guests along with the cruise, allowing it to control the full journey. Post-cruise stays are still okay.
Exceptions are being granted for guests that have already booked flights or other transportation, which will be checked by the cruise line at embarkation.
Ships/Itineraries Impacted:
Mein Schiff 2 from Jan. 28 to April 11
Mein Schiff 3 from Jan. 20 to April 24
Mein Schiff 4 from Jan. 23 to April 24
Mein Schiff 5 from March 6 to May 22
Mein Schiff 6 from Jan. 24 to Feb. 28
The Mein Schiff 1 is exempt as it continues to sail from German homeports, which are easily accessible for the company’s German-speaking passengers.
With its cruise restart plan picking up pace, the Royal Caribbean Group will achieve a major milestone in August.
By the end of the month, more than half of the group’s 61-ship fleet have will be back in commercial service.
The 34 vessels sailing around the world mean 56% per cent of the company’s fleet is now operating with passengers in several destinations.
This fall, more ships, homeports and itineraries are set to return. Here are the latest plans, brand by brand:
Royal Caribbean International Status: 13 ships in service; three more to follow through October Ships: Quantum of the Seas, Adventure of the Seas, Freedom of the Seas, Anthem of the Seas, Jewel of the Seas, Serenade of the Seas, Odyssey of the Seas, Allure of the Seas, Ovation of the Seas, Symphony of the Seas, Independence of the Seas, Harmony of the Seas and Mariner of the Seas in service; Oasis of the Seas, Liberty of the Seas and Spectrum of the Seas set to follow Regions: Asia, Caribbean, Bahamas, Mediterranean, United Kingdom and Alaska
More than half of the Royal Caribbean International 25-ship fleet has now returned to commercial service.
With 13 active vessels, the brand is currently sailing to several destinations around the world, including the Caribbean, the Mediterranean, Asia and Alaska.
In September and October three additional ships are set to resume service, including the Oasis of the Seas.
Celebrity Cruises Status: Seven ships in service; two more to follow in September and October Ships: Celebrity Apex, Celebrity Edge, Celebrity Silhouette, Celebrity Flora, Celebrity Millennium, Celebrity Xpedition and Celebrity Equinox in service; Celebrity Summit and Celebrity Xploration set to follow Regions: Mediterranean, Caribbean, Bahamas, United Kingdom and the Galapagos
In North America, the Celebrity Summit recently completed a series of Caribbean sailings from St. Maarten.
The vessel is now poised to return to the United States, offering short cruises to Mexico and the Bahamas.
The Celebrity Edge, the Celebrity Equinox and the Celebrity Millennium are also in service in Europe, while other ships are in operation in Europe and the Galapagos.
TUI Cruises Status: Six ships in service Ships: Mein Schiff 1, Mein Schiff 2, Mein Schiff 3, Mein Schiff 4, Mein Schiff 5 and Mein Schiff 6 Regions: Mediterranean, Northern Europe, Greece and Italy
Silversea Cruises Status: Three ships in service; two more to follow Ships: Silver Origin, Silver Moon and Silver Muse in service; Silver Shadow and Silver Spirit set to follow Region: Galapagos, Mediterranean, Alaska, Northern Europe and British Islands
After completing its first season in Iceland, the brand is now ready to add new itineraries in the Mediterranean, British Islands and Northern Europe.
Hapag-Lloyd Cruises Status: Five ships in service Ships: Europa 2, Europa, Hanseatic Nature, Hanseatic Inspiration and Hanseatic Spirit Region: the Mediterranean and Northern Europe
Germany-based Hapag-Lloyd Cruises currently has all of its five-ship fleet in commercial operations. The luxury brand is presently offering several different itineraries in the Baltic, the Norwegian Fjords and the Mediterranean.
The new Hanseatic Spirit was the most recent addition to the active fleet. Recently delivered, the expedition vessel departed Hamburg on its inaugural cruise on August 26.
Málaga has become the first port in Spain’s mainland to host a cruise ship upon the restart of operations after a 15-month pause.
According to a press release, TUI Cruises’ Mein Schiff 2 arrived from the Canary Islands on June 16 at 6:15 a.m.
Carrying 1,275 passengers, she stayed in the port until 7 p.m. of the same day, when she departed for Palma de Mallorca to start domestic itineraries in Spain.
The Mein Schiff 2 will be visiting Málaga again on June 22 and July 6, according to the MedCruise Association.
To mark the special first sailing, representatives from the port and the destination have met with Tom Roth, the captain from Mein Schiff 2, and handed a commemorating plaque.
“Today is a very important day for Málaga, (which) proves how governmental bodies have worked together, and will keep working together, for Málaga, a cruiser-friendly destination,” said the President of the Port Authority of Malaga Carlos Rubio.
The Mayor of Malaga Francisco De la Torre said that cruise tourism will help reactivate tourism in Málaga, which is an “essential cruise destination for cruise lines.”
Roth highlighted that “this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.”
According to the press release, TUI Cruises developed a “bubble” cruise experience, allowing only organized excursions, which guarantees that the anti-COVID-19 safety measures are respected, thus benefiting both the passenger and the crew, as well as the population of the destinations visited.
In Málaga, cruise passengers visited the city and other towns nearby in small groups, having chosen emblematic places of the historical city centre of Málaga, as well as Ronda, Mijas or Marbella, among others, supporting the recovery of the economy.
The Mein Schiff 4 was also in the Málaga port on June 16, arriving at 3 p.m. for a technical stop with no passengers.
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