In 2008, 906,000 Germans took a cruise vacation. That’s nearly a million cruisers. And even with the economic downturn, analysts are predicted an 11% upsurge in 2009. Accommodating this burgeoning new market is the TUI Cruise Fleet, which just partnered with Royal Caribbean to launch its first ship. It’s called Mein Schiff which, even if your German is rusty, you should still be able to deciper (”My Ship”). By the way, the ship got its name in a naming contest.

After the inaugural cruise, Mein Schiff will sail the Baltic in the summer of 2009 and then reposition to the Caribbean for the winter, with a home port in the Dominican Republic.

In 2010-2011, Mein Schiff will offer Nordic Seas itiniaries (including Iceland) as well as Eastern and Western Mediterranean including the Rock of Gibralter, Canary Islands, and Morocco.

Mein Schiff accommodates 1,914 passengers and was formerly the Celebrity Galaxy of the Celebrity Cruise line. The ship got a complete makeover and is completely tailored to meet the tastes and expectations of a mainly German clientele.

This entry was posted on Saturday, May 23rd, 2009 at 9:10 pm and is filed under 2010-11 Season, Caribbean, Europe, Royal Caribbean. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.