Mein Schiff 4

Mein Schiff 4 is the second of a four ship class built for TUI Cruises, delivered by Meyer Turku in Finland in May 2015 at 99,526 gross tons and entering service that June out of Kiel into the eastern Baltic. Published sources call her largely a copy of her sister Mein Schiff 3: 1,253 staterooms and 2,500 lower berths on a hull close to 300 metres long. The defining fact is the audience. TUI Cruises, a joint venture between TUI AG and Royal Caribbean Group, targets German speaking customers wanting a premium cruise, tailors food, entertainment and amenities to German tastes, and uses German as the main language on board.

The signature spaces come with the class. Aft sits the Große Freiheit lounge and restaurant, designed by Tihany Design around a faceted glass structure, the Diamant, which gives the stern its identity and the room inside its view. Wilson Butler Architects handled the open decks, the main theatre and the Klanghaus, billed as the first concert hall at sea. Dining follows the fleet pattern: the Atlantik restaurant, the Japanese Hanami, the steak room Richards, GOSCH Sylt for fish and the Anckelmannsplatz buffet. Pool provision is unusual: one of the longest pools at sea at 25 metres, a covered pool aft of it, and the SPA & Meer complex anchoring the wellness and sport offer.

Critical assessment in English is sparse; this ship has been examined at length mainly in German media. The point that recurs is sameness. The published record calls Mein Schiff 4 largely a copy of Mein Schiff 3, and Mein Schiff 5 and 6 mainly similar with only minor differences, so anyone hoping for a step change from the lead ship will not find one. The second fair criticism is the fare, which is generous against mainstream lines but stops short of premium spirits and the specialty restaurant covers, so the all inclusive promise has edges worth reading before booking.

Suitability follows from the language. This is a German language ship for a German speaking market. Announcements, the daily programme, stage shows and menus are in German, and an English speaker without German will spend the week at a remove from the entertainment and from ordinary service conversation. For those comfortable in German the case is strong: premium positioning, a Baltic summer out of Kiel, and seven day winter runs to the Canary Islands, Morocco and Madeira.

**What this means for choosing a cabin.** The cabin mix is the strongest practical argument for the class. With roughly 1,250 staterooms and 2,500 lower berths, most of them carrying balconies, the odds of outside space beat those on many ships this size, and the standard balcony rather than the suite is where the value sits. A middle accommodation deck amidships is the safest choice for motion and for walking distance to the lifts. The top accommodation deck beneath the pool decks is worth avoiding, since chairs move early around the 25 metre pool, as are cabins above the aft lounge and theatre, where late music carries. Aft cabins buy quiet at the cost of a longer walk forward.