TUI Cruises Scraps More Sailings Aboard Two Ships Stuck in the Middle East
Key Aspects:
TUI Cruises has cancelled more cruises aboard two ships stranded in Middle Eastern ports.
Scheduled sailings of Mein Schiff 4 and Mein Schiff 5 are nixed at least through late March.
The ships are unable to leave the area via the Strait of Hormuz due to the ongoing conflict.
Still unable to move two of its ships through the closed Strait of Hormuz, TUI Cruises has cancelled more itineraries that were to be operated aboard Mein Schiff 4 and Mein Schiff 5 in the coming weeks.
The strategically crucial strait, which separates key Persian Gulf ports from the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea, remains off limits as the US-Israeli war against Iran continues.
Mein Schiff 4 is currently docked in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, while sister ship Mein Schiff 5 is in Doha, Qatar.
A new statement from TUI Cruises on March 17, 2026, confirms that Mein Schiff 4’s scheduled cruises up to and including its March 23 departure are cancelled, and Mein Schiff 5’s itineraries through its March 29 departure are cancelled. The ships accommodate 2,506 and 2,534 guests, respectively.
TUI Cruises is based in Hamburg, Germany, and caters to the German market. The eight-ship line is a joint venture between the Germany-based TUI AG and Royal Caribbean Group, each of which owns a 50% stake.
In addition to regional hostilities caused by the widening conflict, the cruise line cited the German Foreign Office’s travel warnings, which were recently updated to include 11 Middle East destinations.
Where the Cruise Ships Were Scheduled to Sail
Mein Schiff 4 was due to sail from Dubai, UAE, on March 22, operating a 20-day voyage to Cape Town, South Africa. Port calls were scheduled for Muscat, Oman; Mahe Island, Seychelles; Mauritius Island; Reunion Island; and Port Elizabeth, South Africa.
The next scheduled cruise onboard the ship, if it is able to reposition via a Strait of Hormuz transit, departs April 11, 2026, and sails a 20-day cruise from Cape Town to Palma de Mallorca, Spain.
According to its statement, TUI Cruises advised guests booked on future voyages that they would receive details about next steps if additional changes are required.
As for Mein Schiff 5, the ship’s next cruise was to depart on March 29, 2026, from Cape Town and sail a 19-day voyage to Palma de Mallorca. Guests were to visit Walvis Bay, Namibia; Santiago Island, Cape Verde; Tenerife, Canary Islands; and Gibraltar.
Her next scheduled cruise, a 7-night sailing from Palma de Mallorca to Crete, Greece, is to depart on April 17, 2026.
TUI Cruises also confirmed that all guests and many crew members have disembarked Mein Schiff 5 and are en route to their home destinations.
“The primary objective now remains the safety and well-being of the remaining crew on board Mein Schiff 4 and Mein Schiff 5,” a statement from TUI Cruises said.
Line’s Crisis Management Team Working on Solutions
Meanwhile, TUI Cruises’ crisis management team is working with authorities such as the German Foreign Office, various embassies, and security officials of its parent companies to continually assess the precarious situation in the region.
The company is also preparing possible scenarios to resume its ships’ scheduled itineraries. Its message to booked guests specifically requested that individuals with reservations to sail on future cruises avoid trying to contact the line about upcoming itineraries, saying it will keep them updated.
TUI Cruises had previously cancelled the March 1, 2, 3, 8, and 9 sailings of Mein Schiff 4, and the February 28 and March 5 voyages of Mein Schiff 5.
The cruise line joined several other brands that cancelled voyages because their ships were stranded in Middle Eastern ports, with no way to transit the Strait of Hormuz. These included MSC Cruises’ MSC Euribia, and Celestyal Cruises’ Celestyal Discovery and Celestyal Journey.
TUI Cruises Scraps More Sailings Aboard Two Ships Stuck in the Middle East