Mein Schiff 4 Reaches Antalya After Circumnavigating Africa, Starts 2025 Mediterranean Season

Von Jevgenijs Slihto from Riga, Latvia - Mein Schiff 4, CC BY 2.0, Link
Antalya, Turkey – Following an extensive repositioning cruise from the Orient region, the cruise ship Mein Schiff 4 arrived at the port of Antalya today, Wednesday, April 9, 2025. This day also marks the beginning of the ship's spring season in the Eastern Mediterranean. Until early May 2025, Mein Schiff 4 will operate cruises from Antalya, calling at various destinations in Greece, Turkey, and Cyprus. The first of these voyages departs today and will take passengers on a nine-day journey to Heraklion on the Greek island of Crete.

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The arrival in Antalya concludes an exceptional transfer voyage, which became necessary after the ship spent the past winter season in the Persian Gulf region. Mein Schiff 4 began its journey towards Europe in early March, shortly after completing scheduled maintenance work at the Dubai Drydock World. The 37-day voyage led from Dubai across the Indian Ocean, around the southern tip of Africa, then across the Atlantic, and finally through the Mediterranean Sea to Antalya. This longer and unusual route around Africa was chosen because the originally planned, shorter passage through the Red Sea and the Suez Canal could not be undertaken due to the current security situation in the region. The initial plan had involved a longer deployment in the Orient followed by a shorter transfer voyage.

The upcoming 2025 summer season for Mein Schiff 4 is divided into four phases: Following the spring cruises in the Eastern Mediterranean that are now beginning, the ship will operate week-long cruises in the Western Mediterranean during May, using Savona (Italy) as the embarkation and disembarkation port. From mid-June to mid-July, Mein Schiff 4 will be based in Leixões, near Porto (Portugal), for the first time, offering voyages around the Iberian Peninsula. The summer season concludes with various Northern Europe cruises departing from and returning to Hamburg from late July to mid-September.

Looking ahead to the next winter season 2025/26, TUI Cruises plans for Mein Schiff 4 to return to the Orient region. The company will significantly increase its capacity in the Persian Gulf by deploying a second vessel, Mein Schiff 5, in this operating area. Mein Schiff 5 will also offer week-long cruises there.

Detailed Itinerary of Mein Schiff 4 from April 9 to 18, 2025:

Antalya (Turkey) – Sea Day – Piraeus/Athens (Greece) – Sea Day – Istanbul (Turkey) – Sea Day – Kusadasi (Turkey) – Rhodes (Greece) – Thira/Santorini (Greece) – Heraklion/Crete (Greece)