Mein Schiff Relax Review (From a Non-German Perspective)

I’ve just stepped off a 7-night cruise onboard Mein Schiff Relax, sailing around the Canary Islands and Madeira. And here’s the thing… I don’t speak a word of German. So, why did I book it? And more importantly, was it as good as my other cruises? Ready for my review?

My Review – TL;DR

Alternatively, I posted 100 Instagram Stories during my Mein Schiff Relax cruise, so if you’d prefer a visual – go check them out!

Who are Mein Schiff / TUI Cruises?

If you’ve never heard of Mein Schiff and you’re just a regular Owen Places reader (thank you, by the way), let’s break it down.

Mein Schiff is a German cruise line jointly owned by TUI and Royal Caribbean Group. Think Marella meets Royal Caribbean or Celebrity Cruises, which is probably where a lot of that Celebrity-style feel comes from.

Alternatively, you might also hear them referred to as “TUI Cruises”. However, since “TUI” can also mean package holidays, river cruises, Marella, or even the travel agency itself, it’s easier to just call them Mein Schiff.

Their closest competitor is AIDA Cruises, as they’re also German and very family-focused.

They currently have eight ships, with a ninth, Mein Schiff Flow, launching in 2026.

Funny story; Mein Schiff used to have a ship called Mein Schiff Herz, which was the former Celebrity Mercury. Subsequently, It’s since been transferred to Marella Cruises and is now sailing as Marella Voyager. Just another example of how connected the cruise world really is.

• Language onboard: German, with some English (menus are available in English via QR code)
• Currency onboard: Euros
• Target demographic: German families

Mein Schiff Relax is the newest ship in their fleet. She launched in 2025, has a capacity of 3,984, 14 restaurants, and 17 bars. From the size alone, she’s comparable to the Edge-class fleet from Celebrity Cruises.

Why did I choose Mein Schiff Relax?

If you’re curious why I booked Mein Schiff Relax, I actually wrote a full blog on it a while back. Alternatively, here’s the short version:

• I watched a few YouTube videos and thought the ship looked stunning. I even said it felt like the German take on Celebrity Cruises.
• I’d already tried a non-English speaking cruise line before with Italy’s own Costa Cruises, so I figured… how different could it really be?
• Mein Schiff Relax came in much cheaper than my other cruises. So the idea of a “budget” Celebrity Cruises experience at a fraction of the cost? Hard to say no.

My review of the itinerary

Mein Schiff Relax was sailing from Tenerife on a Canary Islands roundtrip, and this was the full itinerary:

1. Santa Cruz, (Tenerife), Spain
2. Arrecife (Lanzarote), Spain
3. Las Palmas (Gran Canaria), Spain
4. At Sea
5. Funchal (Madeira), Portugal
6. Sta. Cruz (La Palma), Spain
7. At Sea
8. Santa Cruz, (Tenerife), Spain

This was my first time visiting the Canary Islands and, if I’m honest, it wasn’t for me.

Originally, we were forecast storms all week, and even though the weather actually ended up being pretty good, the issue was the ports themselves. They just didn’t have much going on.

A lot of them felt like ghost towns. Think British seaside out of season, or a quiet high street, and you’ll get the idea.

Maybe these are places where you need to venture further out to really enjoy them. But based on this trip, I wouldn’t be rushing back.

Madeira was the exception. Absolutely stunning. If you’ve never been, I’d highly recommend it. Easily my favourite port of the trip and honestly, one of my favourites ever.

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If you’re considering Mein Schiff Relax and want a straight-talking, no-nonsense review, you’re in the right place. In this post, I’ll cover everything. Embarkation, food, service, and who this ship is actually perfect for.

My package onboard Mein Schiff Relax

My Inside Stateroom

We booked the lowest grade stateroom possible, a guarantee Inside stateroom. And it was mostly what you’d expect an inside stateroom to be; large bed, desk to get ready, wardrobes, and sofa.

I loved our stateroom. It was super spacious and very comparable to other inside staterooms I’ve had. I had no complaints. Sure, a balcony would be better. But when you do 4 cruises a year, sometimes the place you sleep has to be the compromise.

Even though we booked the cheapest option onboard, an inside stateroom, we still got amenities you’d usually only expect in a suite on other cruise lines.

Yes, you read that correctly. I’m talking:

• Espresso machine in your stateroom (that’s replenished daily)
• Large fluffy robes for both guests
• Slippers for both guests
• USB-C charging points
• …Crystals? Yes. We were given crystals in the room. FEEL LIKE THIS NEEDS A TINY REASON/EXPLANATION…to reenergise your water?
• Refillable glass water canteen for your espresso machine
• Evening turndown service – with chocolates on pillows!! (Nobody does an evening turndown service anymore!)

If you’re looking for a quick room tour, I have a YouTube Short that shows you everything!

Drinks, Gratuities and Wi-Fi

Mein Schiff includes a drinks package and gratuities as part of the fare. Incredible, right? That’s a £500+ savings automatically when you compare to Royal Caribbean.

That means cocktails by the pool, wine with dinner, speciality coffees… all covered. There are a few small caveats, but we’ll get to…

For me, this is where Mein Schiff clearly separates itself from my cruise with Costa Cruises. Both are value-focused, but they sit in very different places. Costa doesn’t even include water in the main dining room.

I also noticed a small perk. A complimentary 350MB internet package, which was just about enough for checking WhatsApp here and there.

(That said, I did end up buying a full package after quickly burning through the free allowance.)

The embarkation process

We were originally given a 4pm embarkation time, which felt… very late. But we were expected to sail from Tenerife at 10:00pm.

Mein Schiff does offer an early check-in for €35 per person, letting you board from 10:00am.

By the time you factor in lunch, snacks, and the hassle of dragging a suitcase around Tenerife after hotel check-out, it just made sense to board and start the cruise early.

Wait until 4pm or get on at 10am? No brainer. We paid.

And to their credit, Mein Schiff runs like clockwork. At exactly 10:00am, check-in opened. By 10:15, we were onboard. We were so early, breakfast was still being served. No complaints from me.

My first impressions of the Mein Schiff Relax

Visually, it felt very Celebrity Cruises. Think soft beige interiors, clean lines, and that slightly elevated, modern-luxury vibe. There’s avant-garde artwork everywhere you look, plus a multi-deck atrium that gives the whole ship a real sense of space. Walking through it for the first time genuinely took me back to Celebrity Beyond.

Where the ship really comes into its own, though, is outside.

The open decks are beautifully designed, with loads of unique seating areas that make it easy to just sit back and watch the world go by. At the centre of it all is a huge 25-metre pool, and I think it might be the biggest I’ve ever seen at sea.

Even the restaurants lean into that outdoor lifestyle. Most of them offer al fresco seating, so no matter where you end up for dinner, there’s a view of the ocean. That is one of my favourite moments of cruising, and where I thought some of my past cruises, like Oasis of the Seas, lacked.

The sail away from Tenerife

If I’m honest, the sailaway parties were a bit underwhelming.

Not just the first one, but throughout the whole cruise. Maybe it’s a German thing. Maybe it’s a Canary Islands thing. Or maybe it’s just me.

Most evenings, we didn’t leave port until around 9 or 10pm, so you miss that classic, golden hour sailaway moment.

There was a DJ at one point, but everyone was sat wrapped up in coats as the Canary Islands can get surprisingly chilly in the evenings. Not quite the high-energy send-off you might expect.

For what it’s worth, we got one glorious sunset! And that was on one of the sea days!

The onboard vibe and entertainment

Mein Schiff Relax is a very, well… relaxing cruise. Don’t expect full blown Carnival-level parties as it’s not that. I would say it feels closer to a Celebrity Cruises level of vibe. Live music playing in a couple of the bars, but not the central focus.

But funnily enough, unlike Celebrity Cruises, this is a family-focused cruise line. But no slides, no water park, and no children-only pool. Interesting!

Surprisingly, the children were very well behaved. Even when they were playing in the pool, they weren’t overly loud of invasive of your own space. And even in the evening, you wouldn’t ever see kids on iPads or anything like that. Families would play board games and generally keep to themselves.

The cruise was at full capacity, but you wouldn’t have suspected it!

There was a silent disco one night, and a regular burlesque show running until midnight, so the party vibe can be found if you’re looking for it.

But, in reality. That’s not really me. I was in bed with a peppermint tea at about 10pm.

Additional notes on the entertainment

• Multiple shows throughout the cruise. Some free and some require tickets.
• Shows will generally be in German, with a few songs performed in English.

Let’s talk food onboard Mein Schiff Relax

Mein Schiff Relax has probably the most amount of food options I’ve ever seen on a cruise ship.

And if you’re someone with tolerances or dietary requirements, they will cater for you. You’re able to speak with the chef on day 1 about your needs, and they’ll work with you on a personal menu of foods you can enjoy.

It’s worth noting that all menus are in German with a QR code for the English version.

Mein Schiff Relax has eight included sit-down restaurants and bistros onboard:

Atlantik

Atlantik is your typical Main Dining Room experience, but with a small, curated menu that changes throughout the cruise. Spanning multiple decks and with a dedicated bar attached to it.

I really enjoyed the food here. I was a little surprised that it was five courses by default, but from what the portions lacked in size they make up for in flavour.

My favourite dishes from Atlantik

• Jacket potato with fish quark and salmon caviar
• Lobster ravioli with lobster bisque and mango salad
• Parmesan panna cotta with pine nuts
• Spicy banana meatballs

It’s worth noting that cocktails and spirits can’t be ordered in this restaurant. It’s soft drinks, wine and beers only.

Sur Mer

Sur Mer is the French restaurant onboard, and in my opinion, the best restaurant throughout the ship! We ate here for lunch and dinner multiple times, and actually ended up trying the entire menu. Not a single miss.

The menu doesn’t change so if you don’t manage to try it all in one night, come back again.

But funnily enough, there’s actually a display case of all the food, so you can visually see if it’s for you or not. This was super handy given the fact the menu was a mixture of German and French.

If this restaurant was on a NCL or Princess ship, it would be an up-charge venue.

My favourite dishes from Sur Mer

• Crêpe au Saumon gravé / Engraved Salmon Crepe
• Le Croque-Monsieur Et salade
• Bœuf bourguignon / Beef Bourguignon

Also, the best white wine here. Look for “Sauvignon Blanc IGP Pays d’OC. Charles Rousseau, Gevrey-Chambertin, Frankreich” on the menu.

They even give you it in your own little decanter for you to top up.

Taverna Dionysos

Taverna Dionysos is the Greek restaurant onboard. Personally, this was a miss for me. The service was really slow and the food was too salty.

I ordered the “POIKILIA TIS SCHÁRAS”, and this was the first time ever on a cruise I wasn’t able to finish my meal. It was like walking down to your local takeaway and ordering a kebab. It just felt overly salty and dry.

Osteria – Pizza & Pasta

If you’re looking for a casual dining option, but don’t want the buffet experience, head to Osteria. This is their version of an Italian restaurant onboard.

This was alright. One of those restaurants where you know what you’re going to get. No surprises. But an easy win for the whole family.

But worth noting that it’s pretty much the same pasta sauces you can find in the buffet already.

Harbour Market – Buffet

As with all cruises (well, maybe except Virgin), the cruise buffet is the true test of food quality. And let me tell you, the buffet on Mein Schiff Relax is amazing. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner were all amazing.

Just like most other cruise lines, the buffet is where you’ll see a lot of international cuisines. But Mein Schiff go all out; you have your classic buffet staples like pasta, salad bars, pizza. But then there’s dedicated gluten-free area, traditional German food, British staples, dedicated wok station, and then another East-Asian section. Plus, there’s a small section just for kids!

There’s even self-service beer and wine stations dotted about the buffet too. So you never need to wait for a waiter. You just go up and do it yourself! I absolutely loved this. As sometimes I would just head down to the buffet to get myself a drink.

The buffet really surprised me on Mein Schiff Relax. It’s usually somewhere I try to avoid as it’s mayhem, but Mein Schiff got it right. We found ourself looking forward to see what selection they had each day.

Mein Schiff Bistro

This is a 24 hour little spot just off the central atrium. Here you can get sodas, beers, and wines – all self-served like in the buffet. Plus, fries, currywurst, and made to order burgers (vegan too). This was perfect for those midnight cravings.

Pool Bistro & Pane e Sole Bisto

Mein Schiff Relax actually has two pool-side bistros. Both serving international dishes like falafel bites, pierogis, gyros, and salads! It was such a lovely change to the usual burgers and pizzas.

Ice Cream Stations

If you’re someone who loves ice cream, then you’ll love this. Onboard Mein Schiff Relax, all the sundaes and gelato scoops are free of charge. And they’re like full sundaes too! I’m talking with waffles, cones, candy, all the works.

You will never go hungry onboard Mein Schiff Relax.

Speciality Dining

If you know me, then you’ll know I never go for speciality dining. I never felt the need to try any of the speciality dining venues onboard Mein Schiff Relax as I was perfectly content with the included ones!

But the interiors were really lovely! The Chalet restaurant looked interesting!

Drinks & Cocktails onboard Mein Schiff Relax

Here’s where my review starts to take a little bit of a dip. I wasn’t a huge fan of the drinks onboard this cruise.

I absolutely love a white wine – specifically a Sauvignon Blanc from the Southern hemisphere. But the white wine wasn’t great. I don’t mind if wine is dry or sweet, but the ones onboard were just a little sour. The type of wine that makes you pull a face as you taste it. Except from the French restaurant, that one was absolutely amazing.

I ended up either mixing it with lemonade in the buffet, or making Rosé my default drink in the Main Dining Restaurants, just as I knew it would be a little easier to drink.

As for the cocktails, they weren’t the greatest either. If you’re a pina colada lover like me, then you might be disappointed. They’re not creamy on this ship. They’re more like a pineapple juice over crushed ice sort of thing.

But honestly, once you realise they’re a little different, you kind of get used to it.

Extra charge bars, lounges, and drinks

Even though I said that Mein Schiff Relax was all inclusive, and whilst it technically is… There were a few bars and lounges that don’t honour that. As in, every drink is an up charge.

Barista Bar on deck 3 even charged me for a peppermint tea. And they serve it as a mug of hot water with the tea bag on the side. FYI – this is the exact same tea bag you can get from Bistro Cafe, on deck 4, for free… That is available at a self-serve station. Literally one deck above. Is that not absolutely shocking?

Big mistake on my part.

One of my favourite venues onboard, Captain’s Bar, is an extra-charge lounge. And it’s absolutely stunning. Floor-to-ceiling panoramic windows. Sadly, we didn’t get a drink here as we refused to pay for the same drinks that are free on another deck (even soft drinks!)

Cocktail recommendations

• Berry la Ginger – Vodka, Cranberry syrup, Thomas Henry Ginger Ale
• Banana Bailey’s Colada – Brown Rum, Baileys Irish Cream, banana nectar, coconut syrup, Pineapple juice
• Mein Schiff Spritz – Aperitivo bitter liqueur, Mein Schiff® sparkling wine, Passion fruit juice, Thomas Henry tonic water
• Kalta Cappuccino – Baileys, Kahlúa, Frangelico, cream

Language and Service onboard Mein Schiff Relax

Obviously this is a German cruise, so German is the primary language onboard. The menus are in German, the staff will greet you in German, and the captain makes announcements in German (some are repeated in English too).

Most of the crew will speak English – some as their preferred language. But I did notice that some staff only speak German, so they may just continue to speak German or just find someone else to help you.

There was only one moment onboard where we felt a little out of place. And that was the muster drill. Mein Schiff are a bit old school with their demonstrations and they like to do them in person. Upon arriving for our demonstration, they noticed we didn’t speak German and one member of staff had to come and give us a one-to-one demonstration. This made me us feel slightly out of place and a touch embarrassed. But I still very much appreciated the extra effort they went too. All in all, it was fine.

Owen’s Tip: Download the German langugage on the Google Translate app so you can translate stuff even without data.

Do you need to speak German onboard?

If you’re travelling with someone else, and you’re both not particularly social, then you won’t need to speak German at all.

If you’re travelling solo, and you’re wanting to chat with other guests, then you should expect to speak some German!

Where I think Mein Schiff Relax excels

All outside seating areas

If you’re cruising a warmer climate, then Mein Schiff Relax is an incredible choice. There’s so much outdoor seating. Probably the most I’ve ever seen on a cruise. So you would always find a nice spot to enjoy the sun outside. Wether it’s a sun lounger by the pool or a folding chair on the top decks.

Rather than having multiple, large pools like other cruise ships, Mein Schiff Relax has an extremely large 25 metre pool surrounded by sunbeds, and then at the other side, there’s one small infinity pool surrounded by a sun-trapped courtyard-style deck filled with chairs, tables, and some sun beds.

In addition to that, there’s outside seating for the restaurants, buffet, dedicated smoking sections, and additional nooks and crannies that trap the sun.

Dining options

Like I mentioned above, they are so many dining options onboard Mein Schiff Relax. So wether you’re travelling with children, grandparents, or even solo, you’ll never be short for choice.

I love that they really cater for those with allergies and requirements too.

Family-focused

Mein Schiff Relax is primarily for families. That’s their target demographic, and even though there’s no waterslides or rollercoasters onboard, I think they achieve this really well.

Where I think Mein Schiff Relax lacks

No adult only areas

I know this is a family-friendly ship, but I think if Mein Schiff Relax had one adults-only area, even as an extra charge, this ship would be phenomenal.

I did get a little sneak peek into the suite-only outdoor area, and they were stunning. Swap this to an up-charge, adults-only area and they could seriously rival the big names.

The alcoholic drinks

I personally just didn’t love them as much as I have on other cruise lines. But I know this is a personal preference! It took me a while to find a white wine that I enjoyed, and even then it was only available in one restaurant.

I wouldn’t say this massively impacted my experience onboard Mein Schiff Relax, it’s just one of those things you have to adjust to.

The Captain’s Bar

This was one of the biggest disappointments from the entire cruise. I know that sounds so dramatic, but visually, it was my favourite spot on the ship; tucked away at the back, panoramic views, stunning interiors. But, not a single drink was included here. Even Coke Zero. Extra charge.

Would I cruise onboard Mein Schiff Relax again?

With all things considered… The price I paid, my inside cabin, the food and drinks onboard… I definitely would cruise onboard Mein Schiff Relax again. I think the ship is superb, and it definitely is comparable to Celebrity Beyond.

Knowing what I know now about how Mein Schiff operates, and the German way of cruising, I’d definitely have a much better experience next time. Not that my first trip was bad at all, but hindsight really is 20/20.

Thank you so much for reading my review.

If you’re looking for other reviews:

Celebrity Beyond Review
Oasis of the Seas Review
Costa Smeralda Review
Norwegian Viva Review

Questions you may be wondering

Mein Schiff Relax Video

I’m going to embed a video that I found really useful! It’s a Mein Schiff Relax review from SeaFun, and they also don’t speak German!

You can take a virtual tour of Mein Schiff Relax on the TUI website.

Thank you for reading my Mein Schiff Relax review.