Tuffydog

Have just finished the cruise on MS3. What a great concept the all inclusive package is.

Port process was smooth. No major issues at all

Cabin on 10 internal by choice was quiet and roomy with plenty of storage.

Dining we had mostly in the Atlantic. Staff including MD and Terrence and Saida were very accommodating explaining the menu to my wife.

Entertainment was OK and musicians in Meerleben were great accompanied by cocktails.

We did all excursions by ourselves based on suggestions from contributors to the website.

We used the pool and spa area regularly. The pool decks were quite busy on sea days.

Would I recommend Tui Cruises for non German speaking cruisers. My Deutsch is very basic and we survived - most staff are multilingual. As a group I am sure one would enjoy. We loved all the ports. Kevin

We really enjoyed Lisbon.

 

 

As to Honfleur, we took a public bus from right next to the train station in Le Havre. There were a lot of people there waiting for the bus and when it became clear that not all of us would fit into one bus, they brought a second one.

In Honfleur we just walked around and enjoyed the city.

Once we got back from Honfleur, we went to a shopping mall ( Docks Vauban) had a look around and went for coffee before continuing our walk to the city center and taking pictures from the bridge at Bassin du Commerce in Le Havre.

Hi BlueBear4Travel

.

Good to hear that you enjoyed Lisbon. We are planning to do the Sandemans New Europe Walking Tour there.

I have researched Le Havre to Hornfleur, and noted the train station location. I am having trouble with the timetable 3 Sep onwards but it looks like a 20 or 50 will get us there. On the way back if the legs are willing we will explore your suggestions in Le Havre (mall and bridge).

Thanks for the heads up on the demand for the bus.

Tuffydog

Ronbe65 has posted on a Tui Cruises Mein Schiff forum specifically on MS 3 and 4.

It is an excellent blog and has great links to photos and video of the ship.

Copy of commentary with thanks to Ronbe 65 follows:

The ship is a slightly smaller and wow-improved version of Celebrity Solstice. Some issues were inherited (narrow balcony cabins, however the inside cabins are way better), but the result is amazingly refreshing.

This one of a few best cruise ships available at the moment.

The food quality overall (main dining rooms, specialty restaurants, buffet, alternative buffet) is above HAL and Celebrity, and only compares to Oceania.

MS 3 and 4 are the best ships built since 2010. These two ship are standing along in the TUI fleet (the product started rolling down since MS 5 - growing suite privileges ).

Entertainment (shows) is similar to the large HAL & Celebrity ships.

The poolside sailaway parties are much more interesting.

The MS3 is close to 5*-. The MS4 is just a nod below (added verandah of Surf & Turf specialty restaurant slightly compromises the open full-circle promenade deck experience).

The spa (included in the price) is huge. The only important miss: no thalassotherapy pool in the spa that is a must for a top class ship. Thus no 5*...

The review of the MS 3 is here.

The ship appears at 33:08

Happy cruising!

Tuffydog

Hello Ine,

 

The ship is a slightly smaller and wow-improved version of Celebrity Solstice. Some issues were inherited (narrow balcony cabins, however the inside cabins are way better), but the result is amazingly refreshing.

This one of a few best cruise ships available at the moment.

The food quality overall (main dining rooms, specialty restaurants, buffet, alternative buffet) is above HAL and Celebrity, and only compares to Oceania.

 

MS 3 and 4 are the best ships built since 2010. These two ship are standing along in the TUI fleet (the product started rollinig down sibce MS 5 - growing suite privileges ).

 

Entertainment (shows) is similar to the large HAL & Celebrity ships.

The poolside sailaway parties are much more interesting.

 

The MS3 is close to 5*-. The MS4 is just a nod below (added verandah of Surf & Turf specialty restaurant slightly compromises the open full-circle promenade deck experience).

 

The spa (included in the price) is huge. The only important miss: no thalassotherapy pool in the spa that is a must for a top class ship. Thus no 5*...

 

The review of the MS 3 is here.

The ship appears at 33:08

 

Happy cruising!

Hi Ronbe65

This is an excellent blog, and I hope that you wont mind if I post it in my "roll call" forum (incorrectly titled!!)

Tui Cruises Mein Schiff 3 Bremerhaven to Majorca 11 Sep 2018 with the link:https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2534165

Kevin

29 Days to departure of this cruise.

Through the German website a meet and greet has been organised on the first sea day.

12 September 16.00 hours.

Sailing Party if the weather is nice Outer Alster Bar Deck 14.

If the weather is bad to be held in the TUI bar (Deck 4).

Looking forward to meeting fellow travelers.

I will have a toy kangaroo on my lanyard, to help locate us.

Tuffydog

We are thinking of making a cruise to/ from Dubai on that ship this winter. German language isnot a big problem for us. Having sailed at a.o. HAL, Celebrity, we hope to hear from others if we Will like Mein Schiff? Service, food, entertainment etc.?

Thanks

 

Sent from my Lenovo TB-X103F using Forums mobile app

Hi Ine, Floridiana on this site is very well versed in Mein Schiff cruising. Review the posts by that name, but here is the latest with respect to Floridiana.:

We are back from our Western Med cruise on Mein Schiff 6. The ship was fine, but I would never book that many tours again with them. The ports are strenuous. We enjoyed the ones we did ourselves much better. There is a limit to absorb the information from constantly talking guides. We haven't booked another cruise with TUI since we can't find an itinerary we like.

The food was good, often better than on our cruise on Mein Schiff 1, especially the fish dishes. Many servers from Eastern European countries had not yet caught on to the idea of smiling. One Philippino waiter told us that they stress 'friendliness' as part of a waiter's job in the training sessions.

Good luck

Hi Kevin,

Now only three weeks to go ��

 

Gerard

Hi Gerard,

Safe travels and we look forward to hearing of your experiences on Mein Schiff.

Kevin

Hi Kevin,

I found the thread you were referring to.

(Start with the website) then add, /forum/board/423-abfahrten-3-quartal-2018-mein-schiff-3/

I read some of your comments and found you did a great job of writing your comments in German - (written like a professional). The language learning course would have been tough, I think you’ve nailed it.

In a previous “Princess” cruise around New Zealand we didn’t book any shore excursions, we explored the local places on foot. (We are Geocachers - Use GPS to find hidden caches) All of our shore excursions on this cruise have been booked through TUI. We found them to be the best option for us. We probably wouldn’t be disciplined enough to go out on our own with bus/train and run the risk of returning late and being left behind.

Now only three weeks to go ��

 

Gerard

Hi Gerard, those directions were great and saved me a lot of time trying to locate the forum. I have just added a comment, so much appreciated.

It is amazing how effective Google translate is! Back to German lessons after school holidays this Thursday and Friday at U3A in Melbourne and a tutor on Tuesdays but effectively rounding off now before our trip.

Agree with you on the risk of getting back late to the ship, and where complex land transport is involved I would rather pay the ship's inflated price, but manage city walks and near places of interest ourselves. In Stockholm we caught a train back to the ship and about 20 passengers hurried back to the dock from the train as the crew were pulling in some of the gangplank structure. Would they have waited for 20 PAX- I don't know!

I checked out the various webcams in daylight and they provided a great perspective of Bremerhaven and Auswandererhaus, so that it will be easy to locate. I was a little surprised that the Fair Lady to Helgoland would not leave from Cuxhaven perhaps a more direct line?

We are about 4.5 weeks before we fly out so not much different timeline.

Cheers Kevin

Hi Tuffydog,

 

I loaded the “Mein Schiff” countdown timer on my phone - I’m 27 tage und 15 stunden away from cruising:)

I’ve decided that my usual SLR type camera is too bulky to carry on my trip so I’ll be relying on my phone camera only. Not sure if this is becoming the norm but todays phones seem to challenge the need for the old SLR. Just been looking at the Webcam in Bremerhaven - it overlooks the Auswanderhaus and pans around to a passenger ferry pier for “Fair Lady”, leaves most days at 9.30am for Helgoland. When Mein Schiff 3 is in port you can see it in the distance. https://www.wetter.com/hd-live-webcams/deutschland/bremerhaven-neuer-hafen-atlantic-hotel-sail-city/5164f17244254/

 

Turbine001

Hi Turbine001

The German website is back on line, but I am having difficulty finding the the thread again given the changes in the website.

Probably will not bother with any updates given the short time before cruising but you are welcome to have a go.

It is headed up Q3 2018 with appropriate sail dates, departure and arrival ports and ship.

Good luck

Kevin

Hi Tuffydog,

 

I loaded the “Mein Schiff” countdown timer on my phone - I’m 27 tage und 15 stunden away from cruising:)

I’ve decided that my usual SLR type camera is too bulky to carry on my trip so I’ll be relying on my phone camera only. Not sure if this is becoming the norm but todays phones seem to challenge the need for the old SLR. Just been looking at the Webcam in Bremerhaven - it overlooks the Auswanderhaus and pans around to a passenger ferry pier for “Fair Lady”, leaves most days at 9.30am for Helgoland. When Mein Schiff 3 is in port you can see it in the distance. https://www.wetter.com/hd-live-webcams/deutschland/bremerhaven-neuer-hafen-atlantic-hotel-sail-city/5164f17244254/

 

Turbine001

I must have a look at the countdown timer for my phone.

Agree with you regarding photos. My Google Pixel 2 quality is remarkable.

Went to check out the webcam but will need to look in their daylight hours- great find- I wasn't aware of it.

Cheers Kevin

We are back from our Western Med cruise on Mein Schiff 6. The ship was fine, but I would never book that many tours again with them. The ports are strenuous. We enjoyed the ones we did ourselves much better. There is a limit to absorb the information from constantly talking guides. We haven't booked another cruise with TUI since we can't find an itinerary we like.

The food was good, often better than on our cruise on Mein Schiff 1, especially the fish dishes. Many servers from Eastern European countries had not yet caught on to the idea of smiling. One Philippino waiter told us that they stress 'friendliness' as part of a waiter's job in the training sessions.

Good to hear of your travels and the improvement to the quality of the food.

We have struck the "unsmiling" on various travels, and have found that it does improve especially around the time of completing the final surveys. Some ships wouldn't pay the tipping over unless the staff achieved an excellent rating. The word excellent would often appear in their vocabulary around the survey time!!

Kevin

2 MONTHS TO DEPARTURE

Looking forward to this adventure, wondering if my limited German will be an issue, but ready to give it a go!

We haven't touched base with any fellow travelers on this cruise and on this forum, and the German forum is still down.

That said the cruise ports are interesting and varied. All excursions are planned and are to be self managed rather than shipboard excursions (reason- German speaking guides for a German cruise!)

I will stock up on "Australian" gifts of Koalas and Kangaroos to give away.

We are hoping that the warm dry weather being experienced in Northern Germany holds for the cruise, but of course think of the farmers who are experiencing a dry period at the moment.

Tuffydog

Hi Tuffydog,

 

I have just watched a Youtube clip, it's called, "Mein Schiff 3 - Live-Rundgang und Schiffstour". It's a 1hr video tour of the ship with a chap narrating in German. This will test your German :)

 

Turbine001

Hi Turbine001.

That's a great video of the ship and the public areas.

German tested and failed - Langsamer Bitte!!

Tuffydog

Welcome Turbine,

 

We'll be on Mein Schiff 6 next week for a western mediterranen cruise out of Mallorca. It's our 4th cruise with this line and the third as a family group with our adult children on Mein Schiff. Only one of us doesn't speak German. I wonder how that is going to turn out during the excursions since it is the first time that we booked all the excursions through the ship.

Hi Floridiana,

I am impressed that you can still travel as an adult family group, something we have thought of but never managed to achieve because of young grandchildren still emerging.

Thank you for your consistent contributions to this forum.

Enjoy your Western Med cruise.

Tuffydog

Hi Turbine001,

As I understand it Bremerhaven has a quaint cafe and restaurant environment to explore after visiting Auswandererhaus.

Your travels to Helgoland and past travels to Rugen Island have opened my eyes to islands I did not know existed! We had a great time around Warnemumde including Rostock and the Molli Train on the way to St Petersburg.

We are in the East of Melbourne (R'wood area) and are 3rd generation Australian with my German Great Grandfather born in Gerblingerode a small farming village immediately adjacent to Duderstadt.

Safe travels and enjoy the family catch up!

Hi Tuffydog,

 

 

I'm also going on a cruise "Westeuropa mit Bilbao" on Mein Schiff 3, leaving Bremerhaven on 9/08/18. I see you're also from Melbourne, I didn't expect to find a "roll Call" here in Cruise Critic for TUI cruises. I'm going with my Wife and we're meeting up with relatives in Germany and creating some great memories. We previously did the "Ostsee Baltikum cruise" on Mein Schiff 1 in 2010 and it was excellent.. Currently counting down the days - can't wait. (My first post in Cruise Critic)

Hi Turbine001, Great to hear from you and your excellent experience on Mein Schiff 1. My understanding is that MS 1 has now been replaced and upgraded. I think that your Mein Schiff 3 travel experience will prove to be great too!

My only reservation is how my wife will find it not being able to speak German, and how she can mix with people without that language knowledge. I am sure fellow cruisers will try to be inclusive where they can. As far as the "roll call" in this forum goes, there has been a bit of interest but it seems unlikely that we will make contact here with any one on this particular cruise. I have made contact with fellow cruisers on the actual German roll call for this cruise (it is down at present) and have some common travel and excursion interests, and we have been able to communicate.

You are on a shorter countdown to traveling and we hope it goes well. We look forward to reading your review on Cruise Critic if you feel so inclined.

Tuffydog

I see that the German Roll Call is down (off air) until early June.

Perhaps this has something to do with the new European Privacy Laws.

Any thoughts on the reason- missing reading about potential excursions and shipboard activities.

Tuffydog

Specialty Restaurants and Excursions

I received an e-mail from Tui today opening up bookings in advance for Specialty Dining and Excursions.

Tui offers Premium All Inclusive but I assume that doesn't extend to all services and offerings.

To be clear, do specialty restaurants come with a cost?

Are there seating times and reserved tables that you can book at the Atlantic Restaurant or is it as you arrive you are placed? If you can pre book- what is the process?

My Travel planner for Restaurants only shows bookings for Surf and Turf, Hanami and Richards. Other cruise lines give you the option of early or late seating, and size of table before you board.

Tuffydog

Cardiz will be a busy place:

Flavia from the German Roll Call has pointed out that P & O's Britannia with capacity of 4324 passengers is also in Port at Cardiz on the 19th September 2018.

Our port times are 9.30 am -8.00 p.m.

If you are planning any self excursions, it might pay to book early to secure spots at places of interest.

Tuffydog

I have just been researching walking tours in Lisbon.

There are a number of tours available from Sandemans New Europe. We did a number of their Berlin Tours and thoroughly enjoyed them.

The free one available starts at Camoes Monument in Largo de Camoes. It is a 3 hour tour conducted with starting times of 10 am, 11 am and 2 p.m. (last tour is too late for our port hours 0700 to 1600!) A donation to the guide is suggested.

The tours are conducted in English and Spanish or other languages by arrangement . Has anyone undertaken the Lisbon walking tour and if so how did you like it?

Points of interest covered include:

• Bairro Alto
  
• The Great Earthquake of 1755
  
• Chiado
  
• Baixa Pombalina
  
• Carnation Revolution
  
• Rossio Square
  
• Praça do Comércio
  
• Portuguese Inquisition
  
• Carmo Convent
  
• The Age of Discovery
  
• Salazar dictatorship
  
• Santa Justa Elevator
  
• The Jewish Memorial
  

Tuffydog

Here is the current schedule: https://www.cruisetimetables.com/cruisesonmeinschiff6-nov2019.html

Hi Essiesmom.

Thank you for the cruise timetable for MS6 in Nov 2019.

There are 3 new ports for us to experience if we pick the 14 day Singapore return cruise, and my partner said she would love to see Langkawi again.

Decision time after we do this first cruise on Tui in September.

Has anyone explored transfer of "loyalty points" for sailing nights on Tui, to Royal Caribbean/Celebrity Captains Club?

Kevin

 

Now the intriguing news: Mein Schiff 6 in Singapore? I have to research this.

Me too!

Sounds good provided the ports are interesting and it is the right time of the year in the tropics

Tuffydog

Considering sailing on Mein Schiff in the future as Mein schiff 6 is coming to Singapore end of next year.

 

We have been to the ports before so we will probably tour on our own, however we are worried we will be lost in translation on the ship as our German is limited only to a few words.

 

Do you recommend a non-speaking German to cruise on Mein Schiff?

 

Thanks

Hi WaveSplasher,

The last Cruise Critic review posted on Mein Schiff (MS) the reviewer stated (roughly) that they would only recommend travelling on MS it if at least one of your party spoke German.

My German is only basic conversational but I find from my travels in Germany that many Germans can speak English to some extent so that if I am struggling, we can communicate in some form. Indeed I post on the German equivalent of this site in English and German and have had welcome responses in English, plus one has offered to do dinner together with partners!

The Ships house crew they say are from Manila and speak English.

The disadvantage might be the Stage shows -comedy, but musicals should be fine. Ships Excursions would be conducted by German speaking guides but we tend to do our own excursions anyway. You would probably need to know how to read a German menu if you enjoy Restaurant food. Cruising prices and shipboard currency would be in Euro I think.

We did two Costa cruises from Singapore and their Staff were required to speak Italian, The house crew spoke English. Emergency drills were in a couple of languages- so I think it wouldn't be much different to that.

The advantage might be that you get a better class of cruiser, comprised of people who really want to cruise and an all inclusive package that is transparent.

We love Singapore and would again consider cruising from there, including MS to some other ports that we haven't been to.

Kevin

In preparation for our visit to the Auswanderers Haus Bremen (Emigration Museum), we traveled to Adelaide for a long weekend to catch up with friends and undertake further historical/ancestry exploration.

We toured both the South Australian Immigration Museum in Kintore Avenue Adelaide and the Maritime Museum in Lipson Street Port Adelaide. The Maritime Museum display was quite interesting but unfortunately both institutions did not have much detail other than the name of my Great Grandfather and detail of the 3 masted barque Ohio's arrival from Bremen to Port Adelaide arriving in February 1858.

The Maritime Museum entry included a tour of the Port Adelaide Lighthouse and 25% discount on entry to the Birdwood Mill National Motor Museum (if time permitted).

It was great to see these attractions in Adelaide and we were spoiled with beautiful sunny warm days (autumn).

Thanks :)

would you mind sharing the German site link?

 

Harald

Hi Harald,

I can't provide a link on this site but if you put the following together you will find your way there in a google search..

Pool

Deck

24

I have had some German interest and comments in my Roll Call on Tui Mein Schiff 3 listed on this page Other Cruise Lines .

Tuffydog