Tag Archives: tui

TUI Expects to Restart Cruise Ships With Less Occupancy, More Changes

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Mein Schiff 2
Tui’s new Mein Schiff 2

TUI Group has said it expects to restart cruise service this summer, but with less occupancy.

The company, which oversees the TUI, Hapag-Lloyd and Marella brands, said the changes will start at boarding, with new health questionnaires. screening preboarding and staggered boarding groups.

The company also said it plans to start with less than 1,000 guests on each ship until August 31, 2020, meaning TUI’s big ships, with capacity for just under 3,000 guests, would be sailing at approximately one-third occupancy, allowing for much more distance in public areas.

Other changes include the elimination of self-service food. Public venues will also be limited to one-third of their capacity. Only 10 children will be allowed in the Kids’ Club aboard, the company said.

In addition, the ships will operate at what TUI called OPP-3 (Outbreak Prevention Plan Level 3), meaning constant cleaning of touched services, every 30 minutes or less. The company said it expects to have COVID-19 testing capabilities aboard with additional medical staff.

The cruise line will work closely with ports to develop joint procedures to handle any possible COVID-19 cases, according to a statement.

TUI Poised to Be Biggest Premium European Cruise Line

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TUI Cruises' Mein Schiff 6
Mein Schiff 6

The runaway growth from TUI Cruises targeting German cruise passengers will have an unintended effect for the cruise line: it will become the biggest operator in Europe offering a premium level product experience in the near future.

Come 2019, the brand will have a fleet of six modern large Mein Schiff ships, plus the existing Mein Schiff 2, for a total of seven vessels and over 17,500 berths, with a projected capacity of over 650,000 guests.

This will move them past P&O UK, which has been the largest premium European brand for some time, which has a projected 2019 capacity of around 550,000 cruise passengers with seven ships and 17,311 berths.

Other premium lines in Europe include Cunard Line, Fred. Olsen and Saga Cruises.

Royal Caribbean and Ctrip to Kill SkySea Brand

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SkySea Golden Era

Royal Caribbean Cruises and Ctrip announced that they are ending the SkySea Cruise Line joint venture, which has carried well over 200,000 Chinese passengers since launching service in 2015.

The two companies had formed the joint venture in 2014 and installed a new management team early last year, led by Ken Muskat, CEO.

Despite a number of positive major changes for the brand, including an early deployment announcement last August, the joint venture will come to an end later this year.

The news comes on the heels of a number of changes in the Chinese cruise market that has capacity moving downward in 2018 and 2019, according to the 2018-2019 Cruise Industry News Annual Report. It’s also in stark contrast to once bullish growth plans for SkySea.

TUI AG’s Marella Cruises has agreed to purchase Golden Era, with delivery expected in December 2018, according to Royal Caribbean.

After the sale of Golden Era, it is expected that SkySea will wind down its business operations before the end of 2018. The companies expect that favourable business conditions in China and elsewhere will allow them to absorb most SkySea employees into available positions at Royal Caribbean and China.

Through its Royal Caribbean International brand, Royal Caribbean will continue to serve the Chinese market, with the largest fleet deployment in the region and a strong collaborative relationship with Ctrip, the company said.