TUI Cruises has completed the departure of approximately 2,500 guests who had been sailing aboard Mein Schiff 5 in Doha, Qatar, following adjustments to cruise operations in the region in recent weeks.

The vessel, together with sister ship Mein Schiff 4, had remained alongside in Gulf ports after regional developments affected maritime operations and flight availability across parts of the Middle East.

Mein Schiff 4 had been docked in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, while Mein Schiff 5 remained in Doha. The majority of guests aboard Mein Schiff 4 departed earlier through flights arranged from Dubai and Muscat.

For passengers travelling on Mein Schiff 5, travel arrangements required a combination of transport options due to limited flight capacity and temporary airspace restrictions in the region.

Charter flights were arranged from Riyadh in Saudi Arabia to several destinations in Germany, including Munich, Frankfurt, and Cologne.

Guests travelled overland from Doha to Riyadh before boarding those flights. Additional seats were secured on Qatar Airways services departing directly from Doha where available.

The departure of passengers from both ships has now been completed, according to reports in German cruise media.

Alongside the movement of passengers, the cruise line has also begun arranging travel for crew members. Some crew have already left the ships, while further rotations are expected to take place in the coming days.

Both Mein Schiff vessels are expected to remain in their current ports for the time being. With no passengers aboard, the ships are operating with reduced crew numbers as arrangements continue for their next movements once conditions allow.

Their departure from the region is currently constrained by the situation in the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow maritime passage linking the Arabian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman and the wider Indian Ocean.

Ongoing security uncertainty affecting shipping traffic through the strait has prevented several cruise vessels from repositioning out of the Gulf while authorities and operators assess safe navigation conditions.

The developments follow earlier adjustments to the ships’ cruise schedules. TUI Cruises had previously cancelled several planned sailings aboard both vessels as the situation in the region continued to evolve.

Cruises scheduled aboard Mein Schiff 4 through March 23rd, 2026, have been cancelled, while sailings aboard Mein Schiff 5 through March 12th have also been removed from the programme.

The two ships had been operating winter itineraries in the Arabian Gulf linking ports in the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and Oman, including calls in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Muscat, and other regional destinations.

Winter cruise seasons in the Gulf typically run from November through early spring, with several international cruise lines deploying ships to the region during that period.

Adjustments to cruise schedules across the region have been made by multiple operators as companies monitor conditions affecting maritime operations and air travel connections.

The ships are expected to remain alongside in Abu Dhabi and Doha until the next operational steps are confirmed. Crew onboard continue to maintain the vessels and support ongoing logistical arrangements while the cruise line assesses future sailings.

TUI Cruises has not yet announced when either ship will resume regular passenger operations, though further updates are expected as the situation in the region develops and travel planning for future voyages becomes clearer.