TUI nearing end of Mein Schiff 4 dry dock in Dubai ahead of repositioning via Cape Town

TUI Cruises is nearing the end of a refit programme being carried out on Mein Schiff 4 during her drydock in Dubai.

The ship was dry docked on February 10th during her ongoing 2025/26 Arabian Gulf cruise season, for routine maintenance and light interior updates.

The refit work, lasting around two weeks, is expected to be completed on February 25th, when the ship will resume her Middle East cruise season with a week-long voyage out of Dubai to Abu Dhabi and Doha.

The project is expected to include general maintenance, class inspections and technical work, as well interior updates.

After arriving at the shipyard on February 10th, the ship is undergoing a 14-day drydock before resuming service on February 25th, 2025.

In early March, Mein Schiff 4 will depart Dubai bound for Antalya, Turkey. The 43-night itinerary features a route that circumnavigates Africa, with visits to destinations including Qatar, Oman, South Africa, Namibia, Cape Verde, the Canary Islands and the UK.

The ship will spend the European summer sailing itineraries in the Greek Isles and Mediterranean before once more repositioning via South Africa back to Dubai for the 2025/26 winter cruise season.

Built for TUI Cruises at the Meyer Turku shipyard in Finland, Mein Schiff 4 entered service for the brand in 2015, the second in a series of six newbuilds.

Dubai has quickly established itself as a premier hub for cruise ship refits, attracting major lines such as Celestyal Cruises, AIDA Cruises, and Carnival Cruise Line since the major refit and renovation works carried out on the former Cunard flagship Queen Elizabeth II. 

The city’s strategic location and advanced shipyard facilities have made it an ideal destination for comprehensive refit work, with AIDAstella leading the charge in 2018. During the project, the Langnese Happiness Station, an ice cream bar, was installed on-board, along with a redeveloped spa, 3,500sqm of new carpeting, and a new teen’s club.

All the ship’s lighting systems were also overhauled, with energy-efficient LED lights installed throughout all public areas.

In 2021, Carnival Cruise Line sent Carnival Spirit into dry dock in Dubai to be re-painted in the new red, white and blue livery design, while also having some technical work done, including minor enhancements and maintenance such as new carpeting, tiling, and other cosmetic changes. 

In 2024, TUI Cruises sent its vessel Mein Schiff 2 into dry dock in Dubai for technical overhauls and class surveys, as well as environmental work such as new shore power plugs.

Celestyal Journey also recently underwent a technical refit in Dubai, emerging with a new livery featuring the brand’s signature hull wave and stars. Technical upgrades included hull treatment with silicon paint and an updated power management system to enhance operational efficiency. 

All the refit works were carried out at Drydocks World in Dubai, which has traditionally been a major shipyard for maintenance and repair of offshore and merchant vessels, but has focused on expanding in the cruise industry in recent years.

Dubai’s emergence as a refit hub underscores its growing significance in the cruise industry, as both a turnaround destination and shipyard hub, offering state-of-the-art facilities and strategic advantages that attract leading cruise operators for their refurbishment needs.