2025 - April - Christening Journey of the Mein Schiff Relax

Captain Tom is currently on vacation. This morning he flew to Hamburg to be with his family. He has been with the Mein Schiff Relax from the beginning – from the construction to the christening journey, where, of course, he was also at the wheel. Tom indeed has a last name: Roth. And his full name is actually Thomas. However, Tom greeted us every morning cheerfully over the loudspeaker just with his nickname. Then there was a short weather report and an explanation of why there might have been some rocking during the night. Finally, he wished us a nice day – and promised to take good care of the “little ship” with his crew during this time.

Now all guests of the christening journey are departing together with him. It feels a bit strange that our “relief” is already wandering around the ship while we are still sitting in our favorite spots.

Personally, we preferred to start our days at the Mein Schiff Bar with a latte macchiato. The bar is actually open around the clock. And although we leisurely sipped coffee in the morning, champagne, cocktails, or beer were already being ordered all around.

In the evenings, when the waiters and bartenders of the Mein Schiff Bar were in good spirits, spontaneous singing would sometimes occur – and all the guests joined in!

Of course, we also tested the restaurants. The 5-course menu at the Atlantik restaurant in the stern ultimately became our favorite. The buffet at the Harbour Market was disappointing, as was the Greek restaurant. However, I can recommend Tim Raue's “Fugu”, despite its high price.

But the absolute highlight was, of course, the christening. Hands up, who was there because of Robbie Williams? I admit: cruises have not particularly excited me so far. But the combination of a christening journey and a concert with Robbie really got me hooked.

And Robbie gave it his all! The concert was simply amazing. We had Golden Circle tickets and stood quite far forward. However, to be right at the front of the stage, we would have needed to be there four hours earlier – that’s just not for me. To be honest, it has never been for me.

The christening ceremony was moving – especially since another crew member was allowed to christen the ship, just like with Mein Schiff 7. I found that very nice.

Did I actually mention that there were two more ships? No? There was indeed a real fleet meeting! Mein Schiff 5 was the first to enter the port of Málaga, followed by Mein Schiff 7. Our Mein Schiff Relax was welcomed by both upon arrival. A special moment – even if we didn’t have a prime spot to watch.

By the way, such a fleet meeting with three Mein Schiff cruise ships has never happened before. And the city of Málaga was also very pleased to host this major event.

Am I now a cruise fan? No, not really. Even though the christening journey was beautiful, there are several things that bother me about this type of travel. Especially the short stops in cities – that just doesn’t match my way of traveling. I want to explore at my own pace and like to stay several days in one place.

That’s why I also built a trip around the cruise. Before boarding, we had already briefly visited Paris and Barcelona. And after the cruise, of course, it continues.

Feel free to follow me – it remains exciting!