2026 - June - Palermo with the Palazzo Butera
Just over two years ago, we spent several days in Palermo. I believe it is a wonderful place with much morbid charm. I had already summarized the highlights of the city for you...
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2026 - June - Christening voyage of Mein Schiff Flow
Published: 25.06.2026
Worth seeing
Triest
Triest, Italien
Worth seeing
Koper
Koper, Slowenien
Worth seeing
Palermo
Palermo, Italien
Worth seeing
Palma de Mallorca
Palma de Mallorca, Spanien
Attraction
Lipica
Lipica, Slowenien
Attraction
Höhlen von Škocjan
Škocjan, Slowenien
Drive
Koper → … → Höhlen von Škocjan
Slowenien
Bus
Koper → Piran
Slowenien
Let's start with Alberto. Alberto is the port drone of Palermo. It makes raptor noises and circles around the ships, including the Mein Schiff Flow. The purpose of Alberto is to scare away seagulls since Alberto acts like a dangerous bird of prey!
Such and similar anecdotes are told alongside a lot of technical details by Captain Jan G. Rautawaara during the 'Nautical Technical Q&A'. It's a great event where the eloquent and very experienced Finn presents facts about this brand new ship. The captain demonstrates not only a wealth of expertise but also showcases his wonderfully dry humor. By the way, he also plays the bass guitar on various occasions, such as on the evening of the White Night together with the band.
But now you must be wondering how the christening of the Mein Schiff Flow and the accompanying voyage went.
The journey began in Trieste, which was particularly lovely for us as we love the city and its ambiance. The Mein Schiff Flow docked here for two days, followed by a day in Koper (Slovenia) and then another two days, one of which was the day of the christening. Some people were a bit weary of Trieste because of it, but we loved it. Of course, you can also make wonderful excursions from here. For instance, we independently visited Lipica, the world-renowned stud farm, and the Škocjan caves. Additionally, we took a bus from Koper to Piran. (See my separate reports below.)
However, a cruise is also an opportunity to finally wear all your lovely clothes. We had perfect weather for that: always sunny and hardly any wind, which meant a peaceful sleep, and of course, warm evenings on deck.
By the way, we found a lot of recognition in the sister ship Mein Schiff Relax. And to avoid confusion, we even had the same cabin number again: 11169.
But what was different about the christening? While Mein Schiff Relax was christened in April 2025 in Málaga, this time it was in June. In the Mediterranean, that usually means guaranteed sunshine.
At that time, Robbie Williams was the big show act before the christening, and incidentally, also the reason for the chosen date. An absolute hit with a fantastic concert. Additionally, there was a major fleet meeting during that trip with a total of three ships. That alone was exceptional. This year's christening couldn't compete with that.
Rea Garvey did stop by this year for a concert on the eve of the christening, but his performance was on a much smaller scale. He was pleasant and approachable, creating a good atmosphere, but he ended his program quite abruptly without responding to calls for encores.
The day of the christening itself began at 2 PM with a program referred to as a festival. This meant that alternating artists, a mentalist, and other smaller shows performed on various stages of the ship. Unfortunately, compared to the previous year, this was quite weak for me. I envision a festival differently, with bigger music acts and a clearer overall concept.
The idea of having three godmothers also fizzled a bit. The three super fans were styled and guided by Guido Maria Kretschmer. Two of them also said a few words, while the third hardly showed up.
A genuine goosebumps moment was the small fleet meeting withMein Schiff 4. Our ship, theMein Schiff Flow, had already left the port of Trieste and was located slightly outside the actual harbor basin. We were greeted enthusiastically and loudly as we passed by. It felt like all the guests from the sister ship had their towels in hand and were waving from the balconies, over the railings, and from the outer decks. The ship's horns sounded repeatedly. That was indeed something special.
The fireworks after the christening in the darkness of the night were also spectacular. My photos capture this quite well. Even though it looks like the ship next to the fireworks is the Mein Schiff Flow, what you see is actually the Mein Schiff 4, alongside which the rockets were launching.
Those who wanted to listen to Tim Bendzko after this ceremony stayed up on Deck 16 on the Agora. We preferred to go to the Silent Disco with three DJs, which I really found fantastic (see my separate report below).
In conclusion, I would say that the Mein Schiff Relax delivered the more spectacular christening for me. However, I found both christening trips to be good.
Speaking of the christening trip: This was certainly not over with the smashing of the champagne bottle. After a relaxing day at sea, we had already arrived in Palermo (with drone Alberto) and then after another day at sea, reached our destination in Palma de Mallorca.
By the way, the ship was not fully booked on this trip. It was apparently intentionally capped at about 3,000 guests, even though the Mein Schiff Flow can typically accommodate nearly 4,000 passengers.
However, will the new concept with many relaxation, yoga, and breathing courses succeed in the long run? I certainly saw far fewer guests participating in the sports offerings than those lying on the sun loungers. Perhaps it was also simply due to the perfect weather. Moreover, age certainly plays a role. On average, Mein Schiff guests are said to be 52 years old. In our case, they appeared to be significantly older.
It was also noticeable that many of the younger people on board apparently came from the shipyard or travel agency environments. Typical families were hardly represented (only about 49 children in total). This is likely to change significantly during holiday periods.
As a small wish for future trips, I would like to have more readings, lectures, or other informative events. Especially on sea days, I would have wished for a more extensive offering.
What I found great, however, was the colorful crew from all over the world. A total of 1,413 crew members from 45 nations work on the Mein Schiff Flow. On the farewell evening on the Agora, you could see some of them waving flags. A lovely presentation.
I think many cruise ships have a similar colorful mix, even though most crew members come from the Philippines and Indonesia.
What’s still missing is an anecdote from Captain Jan G. Rautawaara:
He told us what to do in the case of high waves in a harbor entrance: Only call for a tugboat in emergencies. Because they are very expensive. In the port of Palma de Mallorca, for example, it costs a whopping 96,000 euros! So, it's best to avoid that. Just like jumping overboard, of course. Despite the relatively small turning circle of the Mein Schiff Flow, without a life jacket, nobody will find you in the dark, says Captain Jan G. Rautawaara, smiling mischievously.
Then he treated himself to a sip from his
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Answer (2)
Utaabout 1 month ago
Tolle Erlebnisse, die man nicht vergisst.
Sehr Umfangreiche Fotos mit Beschreibungen.
Danke, für die hübschen Fotos.
Nun muss man wieder eine Weile warten bis zum nächsten Mal.
Auf wieder sehen in der Heimat. LGKatrinabout 1 month ago
Tolle Info's und ein Beitrag der mit viel Humor gespickt ist:-))
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