| TUI heralds end of ‘start-up’

TUI Cruises has signed up with STX Finland
for a new 2,500-passenger vessel in a move
which it calls the end of its start-up phase.
The agreement will see the German cruise
line’s fleet bumped up to three, with a new
97,000-ton vessel due for delivery in 2014.
According to TUI Cruises, which is 50%
owned by Royal Caribbean, the ship will cost
around €390m and will stretch 295 metres long,
36 metres wide and feature 1,250 staterooms.
The vessel will be in a similar vein to TUI’s
Mein Schiff 1 and Mein Schiff 2, with a focus
on the German market and “wellness”.