TUI Cruises
This family-friendly ship has some fine facilities and a bucketful of style
The Ship. Mein Schiff 5 is a close sister ship to Mein Schiff 3 and Mein Schiff 4, but with 16 more cabins. It is strongly recommended for youthful German-speaking families. The ship features a wide choice of dining venues, has an excellent spa, and, for younger cruisers, there’s an enthusiastic team of children’s activity hosts (kids should keep a lookout for Captain Sharky). Also, the propulsion system is extremely quiet, with no vibration anywhere.
An outstanding 82ft (25m) lap pool (long by cruise ship standards and half the length of an ‘Olympic’-sized pool) is outdoors – together with a large movie screen and sports area for basketball and volleyball, while a second, indoor, pool and adjacent hot tubs provide plenty of choice.
High on Deck 14 (aft) is ‘Blue Balcony,’ a 118-sq-ft (11-sq-m) glass-floored platform 121ft (37m) above the sea, giving a sensation of ‘floating’ over the water.
There are numerous public rooms (in a slightly different arrangement from on Mein Schiff 3 and Mein Schiff 4); these include a superb Studio auditorium, designed to a high acoustic specification, a shore-excursion information and booking lounge, and shops selling upscale items.
What makes a cruise aboard Mein Schiff 5 really user-friendly for families is the inclusive nature of the pricing, though this excludes spa treatments, excursions, and the extra-cost restaurants: Hanami Restaurant and Sushi Bar, Gosch Sylt, Surf ’n’ Turf Steakhouse, and Schmankerl Osteria (for Austrian cuisine). The diamond in the crown is a two-deck-high glass enclosure, which houses three different restaurants – with fine views over the ship’s stern.
This is a very comfortable ship, with a laid-back feel, and little sense of crowding anywhere, except the pool deck on a sunny day. It boasts a number of outstanding passenger-friendly features, including water-dispenser units on each accommodation deck (special quartz crystals are provided in each cabin to add to the water pitcher for negative ion purification); a large dry-ageing meat (proving) cabinet adjacent to the Surf ’n’ Turf Restaurant; and smartphone food ordering for waiters – sent electronically to the galley (kitchen), so the waiter stays at his station to attend to you. The dress code is smart casual.
Accommodation. There are numerous accommodation price grades; the price depends on the size, location, and grade you choose. Strangely, even-numbered cabins are on the starboard side – contrary to nautical tradition, with even-numbered lifeboats on the port side.
All accommodation grades have a Nespresso coffee machine, hairdryer, and personal bathroom amenities. Also, note that all doors open outwards, not inwards.
From the smallest to the largest, there’s something for all needs, including three types of family-friendly suites that can sleep up to six. One example measures about 452 sq ft (42 sq m), plus an extensive balcony of 506 sq ft (47 sq m), totaling 958 sq ft (89 sq m).
Premium veranda cabins offer large, diagonal terraces, and there are three suite categories. Each of the spacious Sea & Sky Suites has its own large 312 sq ft (29 sq m) roof terrace, and private lounging/sunbathing space (including a large hammock, upscale sunbeds, and shaded areas). A Captain’s Suite, at 581 sq ft (54 sq m), is the largest; it is located near the navigation bridge.
Dining. With a total of 12 dining venues (some at extra cost), there is plenty of choice. Atlantik, the main restaurant, is included in the cruise fare. It is divided into three, each with a different menu: Classic (for dishes such as steak with roasted shallots and a chili-chocolate reduction); Mediterranean (for choices including homemade pasta); and Brasserie (for French-style grilled fish and lamb with Provençal herbs, etc.).
Aft of the ship, a 1,798-sq-ft (167-sq-m) multifaceted glass structure (nicknamed the ‘diamond’) spans two decks. It contains three restaurants: Schmankerl (for Austrian regional specialties); Hanami, which means flower-watching (particularly cherry blossom), for pan-Asian cuisine and incorporating a sushi bar with sit-up stools; and Surf ’n’ Turf Steakhouse, which features a large glass-enclosed meat dry-ageing display cabinet with various cuts of beef, and an open-view kitchen.
Gosch Sylt has about 130 seats and features fresh fish and all kinds of well-prepared seafood dishes, plus daily specials (including fresh oysters from the German island of Sylt, and lobster), which are listed on a blackboard.
Day & Night Bistro provides regional and international snacks, including Currywurst, around the clock, while in a modern coffee lounge baristas brew an array of superb international specialist coffees and also the ship’s own hand-crafted pralines and truffle chocolates.
Osteria is for hand-made pizzas, pasta, and other Italian culinary favorites.
A real bakery, an adjunct of the self-serve food court-style buffet restaurant Anckelmannsplatz, features freshly baked bread, rolls, paninis, cakes, and pastry items (including gluten-free selections). You can also buy artisan bread – specially baked and packaged on the last day of the cruise – to take home).
Entertainment. The Theater is a three-deck-high showlounge with approximately 950 seats. It’s used for colorful, trendy production shows and major cabaret acts.
What is really innovative is the Klanghaus concert hall/movie theater, developed in conjunction with renowned acoustics experts. It provides an outstanding setting for live classical and jazz concerts, theatrical readings, lectures, and movies with surround sound.
Numerous bands, small musical units, and solo musical entertainers provide live music in several of the lounges.
Spa/Fitness. The Spa and Meer wellness and fitness facilities are extensive, and include a large (mixed-gender) sauna, steam rooms, and numerous body-pampering treatment rooms (including a private (rentable) spa room for couples, with integral sauna, massage tables, shower, and relaxation areas), a double-sided vertical wall of living plants, and juice/tea bar.
Sports facilities include a large arena in the aft section of the ship for volleyball, basketball, and football. Sport bikes are also carried.