As travel restrictions begin to ease and ports start to reopen, TUI Cruises has announced dates for the resumption of its cruises. Although operations will be subject to restrictions, the cruise line has decided to begin a phased return after nearly five months of inactivity due to the coronavirus.
TUI Cruises plans to resume service under its Mein Schiff brand. Arriving in time for the summer holiday season, the Mein Schiff 2 will return to service on July 24, sailing from Hamburg on three- and four-day non-stop North Sea cruises.
Tine Oelmann, Director of Destination Management and Operations at TUI Cruises, commented: “We are delighted to announce that TUI Cruises will resume its cruise operations with three- and four-day 'blue cruises' (non-port cruises) from Hamburg starting July 24.”
Among the steps TUI announced for its cruises, it will limit capacity to 60% of its usual 2,900 passengers and will only allow bookings for balcony cabins and suites. Cabins will be disinfected before passengers arrive, and in the pool area, seats will be placed two meters apart. Working with medical experts, TUI Cruises has also developed a health and safety plan to resume cruise operations.
TUI has initially announced four cruises as a first phase, followed by a second phase in August in which the company plans to launch cruises from Kiel, Germany, including longer 11-day cruises to Norway on the Mein Schiff 1 and eight-day cruises to Baltic ports on the Mein Schiff 4. In mid-August, the Mein Schiff 6 will resume service from Kiel, also sailing to Baltic ports. During July and August, the company has a total of 13 cruises planned.
