TUI Cruises Cancels Voyage In Favor of Charter Sailing
A full-charter fitness-themed cruise has scuttled the vacation plans of guests booked on a now-cancelled 10-night TUI Cruises’ voyage in 2026.
However, in an unusual twist, the charter cruise is much shorter than the scheduled sailing, and that has enabled the cruise line to offer booked guests a similar itinerary that departs just a few days later than the original voyage.
Guests booked to sail on the 2,500-guest Mein Schiff 4, roundtrip from Palma de Mallorca, Spain on October 21, 2026, were advised of the charter by letter on June 3, 2025 and told that all reservations were being automatically cancelled.
TUI Cruises, which caters mainly to the German market and is 50% owned by Royal Caribbean Group, announced that fitness company HYROX had chartered the ship for a four-night sailing.
HYROX is a German company that holds indoor fitness competitions. Bookings for the fitness charter can be made only through HYROX.
The shorter length of the fitness cruise, from October 21 to 25, 2026, allowed TUI Cruises to add a voyage on Mein Schiff 4 — a 7-night Mediterranean sailing roundtrip from Palma de Mallorca departing on October 25, 2026.
The cruise line offered a right-of-first-refusal to all guests who had been booked on the cancelled sailing, but those who wanted to switch to the new, shorter cruise were told to make their intention known by June 10, 2025.
“Your booked cruise from October 21 to November 1, 2026, unfortunately, cannot take place as planned. The reason for this is that the Mein Schiff 4 has been booked as a full charter for a 4-day cruise starting October 21, 2026, by the well-known fitness provider HYROX,” the letter from TUI Cruises stated.
“We will automatically cancel your travel booking free of charge in the next few days. We understand that this is a disappointment for you and apologize for the inconvenience,” the letter added.
TUI Offers Impacted Guests a Discount on New Bookings
TUI Cruises’ announcement noted that full charters are common and often lead to the cancellation of published sailings that are already booked.
Indeed, many cruise lines cancel sailings in favor of lucrative charter deals, and since this Mein Schiff 4 voyage is nearly 18 months away disappointed guests have ample time to arrange for another trip.
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Those who wish to rebook with TUI Cruises will receive a 10% discount on a new reservation. The discount will be based on the amount paid so far toward the cancelled cruise.
The line is automatically creating a discount credit for all booked guests, and it can be accessed and redeemed through the Mein Schiff website.
The newly scheduled 7-night voyage aboard Mein Schiff 4 will call at Palermo, Sicily; Salerno and Rome, Italy; and Ajaccio, Corsica. The voyage also will feature one day at sea.
In its letter to guests, TUI Cruises highlighted several other voyages that might tempt the disappointed cruisers. It is showcasing, for example, a 10-night sailing on Mein Schiff 4 that immediately precedes the HYROX cruise.
The cruise departs on October 11, 2026 and sails from Trieste, Italy, to Palma de Mallorca. Cruisers looking to check out another ship can choose a 7-night cruise aboard Mein Schiff 7 that departs on October 22, 2026 and sails roundtrip from Palma de Mallorca.
TUI Cruises currently operates an 8-ship fleet and has one new-build, Mein Schiff Flow, under construction. That vessel is due to be delivered by the Fincantieri shipyard in 2026.
The ship recently held her float-out ceremony, signaling the start of the ship’s interior design.