TUI Cruises cancels Dubai cruises aboard Mein Schiff 5 due to Asia pull out

TUI Cruises has suspended Mein Schiff 5’s cruise season in Asia due to ongoing travel restrictions for multiple countries the ship was due to cruise to, and her Dubai cruise for 2021 has been cancelled as a result.

Mein Schiff 5 was due to cruise from Dubai on her to and from her Asian cruise season, which has been indefinitely suspended because of COVID-19 travel restrictions throughout the region.

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“The Mein Schiff 5 will initially take a break starting at the end of October,” TUI Cruises said in a statement.

“The reason for this is that we unfortunately cannot start the Asia season with Mein Schiff 5 in November as planned due to the ongoing corona-related travel restrictions in the region,” it added.

Mein Schiff 5 was scheduled to cruise from Dubai in November, 2021 on her way to Asia, and then begin a cruise season with itineraries sailing from Singapore, Vietnam, Hong Kong and Japan.

The suspension of her cruise season means that Mein Schiff 5 will be placed back in warm lay-up in November. She is currently sailing Greek Islands itineraries, which she commenced in May.

Along with her Dubai cruise in November, Mein Schiff 5’s May, 2022 cruise from Dubai will also be cancelled if she doesn’t commence her Asian deployment by next year.

That 15-night cruise itinerary, departing Dubai on May 14th, 2022, bound for Iraklion, Greece, remains open for booking on the TUI Cruises website at the time of writing.

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Mein Schiff 5’s Mediterranean cruise itineraries for 2022, commencing in June, with cruises from La Valetta and Trieste, are likely to remain unchanged.

Crew aboard the 2,500-passenger vessel have been told of the decision, according to a report by Cruise Industry News.

TUI Cruises said that individual solutions for the ongoing contracts are currently being found for all crew members.

TUI did not specify whether the Asian program will be starting later or if an alternative deployment is being considered for the Mein Schiff 5.

While Mein Schiff 5’s Dubai cruise in November has been cancelled, her sister ship Mein Schiff 6 is still scheduled to begin her Middle East cruise season out of Dubai in late October.