MV Galaxy
Encyclopedia
MV
Ship prefix
A ship prefix is a combination of letters, usually abbreviations, used in front of the name of a civilian or naval ship.Prefixes for civilian vessels may either identify the type of propulsion, such as "SS" for steamship, or purpose, such as "RV" for research vessel. Civilian prefixes are often...
Mein Schiff 1 is a Century class cruise ship
Cruise ship
A cruise ship or cruise liner is a passenger ship used for pleasure voyages, where the voyage itself and the ship's amenities are part of the experience, as well as the different destinations along the way...
owned and operated by TUI Cruises
TUI Cruises
TUI Cruises is a Germany-based, Joint venture cruise line of the German Tourist firm, TUI AG and the Norwegian-American cruise line operator, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.. The company started operations in 2009 and is marketed in German clienteles, in addition to Hapag-Lloyd Kreuzfahrten. The...
. She was built in 1996 at the Meyer Werft
Meyer Werft
The Meyer Werft is one of the remaining large German shipyards, headquartered in Papenburg. Since 1997, it has been part of the Meyer Neptun Group together with Neptun Werft in Rostock.-History:...
shipyard in Papenburg, Germany as MV Galaxy for Celebrity Cruises
Celebrity Cruises
Celebrity Cruises is a cruise line founded in 1988 by the Greek Chandris Group. In 1997, Celebrity Cruises Ltd. merged with Royal Caribbean International to become Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd., which operates Celebrity, Royal Caribbean International, Azamara Club Cruises, Pullmantur Cruises and CDF...
, and renamed Celebrity Galaxy in 2008. In May 2009 she transferred to the fleet of TUI Cruises
TUI Cruises
TUI Cruises is a Germany-based, Joint venture cruise line of the German Tourist firm, TUI AG and the Norwegian-American cruise line operator, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.. The company started operations in 2009 and is marketed in German clienteles, in addition to Hapag-Lloyd Kreuzfahrten. The...
, a joint venture between Celebrity Cruises' owner Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.
Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.
Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. is a Norwegian / American company based in Miami, Florida. It is the world's second-largest cruise line operator, after Carnival Corporation & PLC. As of March 2009, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd...
and TUI AG
TUI AG
TUI AG is a German multinational travel and tourism company headquartered in Hanover. Until 2001 it was an industrial and transportation company named Preussag AG, which in the mid-1990s decided to reinvent itself as a tourism, shipping, and logistics company...
. The ship was renamed MV Mein Schiff (my ship) on 15 May 2009. In november 2010, she was renamed to Mein Schiff 1. In May 2011, the Celebrity Mercury will re-start as Mein Schiff 2 for TUI Cruises.
The Mein Schiff, when still named Galaxy, was the setting of BBC television
BBC Television
BBC Television is a service of the British Broadcasting Corporation. The corporation, which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a Royal Charter since 1927, has produced television programmes from its own studios since 1932, although the start of its regular service of television...
's docu-soap The Cruise, which made Jane McDonald
Jane McDonald
Jane McDonald is a British singer, actress and media personality and broadcaster, who first became famous following her appearance on the BBC docusoap The Cruise...
famous.
Concept and construction
In March 1993 Celebrity CruisesCelebrity Cruises
Celebrity Cruises is a cruise line founded in 1988 by the Greek Chandris Group. In 1997, Celebrity Cruises Ltd. merged with Royal Caribbean International to become Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd., which operates Celebrity, Royal Caribbean International, Azamara Club Cruises, Pullmantur Cruises and CDF...
had placed an order with the Meyer Werft
Meyer Werft
The Meyer Werft is one of the remaining large German shipyards, headquartered in Papenburg. Since 1997, it has been part of the Meyer Neptun Group together with Neptun Werft in Rostock.-History:...
shipyard in Papenburg
Papenburg
Papenburg is a city in the district of Emsland in Lower Saxony, Germany, situated at the river Ems. It is known for its large shipyard, the Meyer-Werft, which specializes in building cruise liners.-Districts:...
, Germany for a new ship that was eventually delivered as . The contract also included an option for two additional vessels of the same design. Celebrity Cruises decided to utilize the option for additional vessels, but changes to the overall design were made to the subsequent ships compared to the Century. Therefore the second ship, MV Galaxy, was given a 15.4 metre longer hull compared to the Century, and the galley and pantry
Pantry
A pantry is a room where food, provisions or dishes are stored and served in an ancillary capacity to the kitchen. The derivation of the word is from the same source as the Old French term paneterie; that is from pain, the French form of the Latin panis for bread.In a late medieval hall, there were...
areas were completely redesigned.
The keel of the Galaxy was laid on 25 May 1995, she was launched from drydock in May 1996 and delivered to Celebrity Cruises on 10 October 1996. Following a promotional visit to Southampton
Southampton
Southampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...
, the ship sailed across the Atlantic Ocean without passengers. Further promotional visits in Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
, Philadelphia and Port Canaveral
Port Canaveral
Port Canaveral is a cruise, cargo and naval port in Brevard County, Florida, United States. It is one of the busiest cruise ports in the world with nearly 2.8 million multi-day cruise passengers passing through during 2010. As a deep water cargo port, it has a high volume of traffic. Over of bulk...
followed, after which the ship sailed to Port Everglades
Port Everglades
Port Everglades is a port in Broward County, Florida. As one of South Florida's leading economic powerhouses, Port Everglades is the gateway for international trade and cruise vacations. Already one of the three busiest cruise ports worldwide, Port Everglades is also one of Florida's leading...
to begin her commercial career with Celebrity Cruises.
Service history
Galaxy entered service with Celebrity Cruises on 21 December 1996 on a week-long cruise from Port Everglades to the CaribbeanCaribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
. Alongside her near-sistership Century she operated week-long alternating western and eastern Caribbean cruises. During the 1997 northern hemisphere
Northern Hemisphere
The Northern Hemisphere is the half of a planet that is north of its equator—the word hemisphere literally means “half sphere”. It is also that half of the celestial sphere north of the celestial equator...
summer season the Galaxy relocated to the west coast of North America to operate week-long cruises to Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
from Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
, Canada. This pattern was repeated from 1997 up until 2000.
For the 2001 summer season the Galaxy was replaced by the brand-new in the Alaskan service, and as a result the Galaxy was relocated into European waters, cruising the Mediterranean and Baltic Sea
Baltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is a brackish mediterranean sea located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from 20°E to 26°E longitude. It is bounded by the Scandinavian Peninsula, the mainland of Europe, and the Danish islands. It drains into the Kattegat by way of the Øresund, the Great Belt and...
s. On 2 June 2001, while departing Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
in the Netherlands for a two-week cruise the Galaxy touched bottom on an outskirt of Forteiland at IJmuiden due to heavy northwesterly squalls, resulting in major damage to the port side propeller. The ship returned to the Port of Amsterdam for inspection and disembarkation of the passengers. The cruise had to be cancelled as the Galaxy went into drydock at Blohm + Voss
Blohm + Voss
Blohm + Voss , is a German shipbuilding and engineering works. It is a subsidiary of ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems; there were plans to sell 80% of Blohm + Voss to Abu Dhabi Mar Group, but talks collapsed in July 2011.-History:It was founded on April 5, 1877, by Hermann Blohm and Ernst Voss as a...
in Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
, Germany. There it was discovered that all four blades of the port side propeller would have to be replaced; however the ship only carried two spare blades on board. To solve the problem two extra propeller blades carried on board Galaxys sister ship MV Mercury were flown from the Caribbean to Hamburg and installed on the Galaxy. Following repairs the ship re-entered service on 16 June 2001.
For the 2002 and 2003 summer seasons the Galaxy was based in Baltimore
Baltimore
Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
, making 10- and 11-day cruises to the Caribbean.
In February 2008 the Galaxy was renamed Celebrity Galaxy to comply with Celebrity Cruises' new naming scheme.
Transfer to TUI Cruises
In April 2008 Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.
Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. is a Norwegian / American company based in Miami, Florida. It is the world's second-largest cruise line operator, after Carnival Corporation & PLC. As of March 2009, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd...
, the parent company of Celebrity Cruises, announced that the Celebrity Galaxy would cease service with Celebrity in March 2009 and subsequently be transferred to the fleet of TUI Cruises
TUI Cruises
TUI Cruises is a Germany-based, Joint venture cruise line of the German Tourist firm, TUI AG and the Norwegian-American cruise line operator, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.. The company started operations in 2009 and is marketed in German clienteles, in addition to Hapag-Lloyd Kreuzfahrten. The...
, a joint subsidiary of Royal Caribbean Cruises and TUI AG
TUI AG
TUI AG is a German multinational travel and tourism company headquartered in Hanover. Until 2001 it was an industrial and transportation company named Preussag AG, which in the mid-1990s decided to reinvent itself as a tourism, shipping, and logistics company...
aimed at the German cruise market. Following withdrawal from Celebrity Cruises' service, the ship sailed to the Lloyd Werft
Lloyd Werft
Lloyd Werft Bremerhaven GmbH is a dockyard in Bremerhaven, established in 1857 by Norddeutscher Lloyd. The yard employs 500 workers in an area of 260. 000 m². Ships with a draught down to 11,5 m can be accommodated.-External links:* website...
shipyard in Bremerhaven
Bremerhaven
Bremerhaven is a city at the seaport of the free city-state of Bremen, a state of the Federal Republic of Germany. It forms an enclave in the state of Lower Saxony and is located at the mouth of the River Weser on its eastern bank, opposite the town of Nordenham...
, Germany where she received a € 50 million refit to upgrade her facilities and refit her cabins by BLUMARINE Ltd to make her better suited for the needs of the German market. Additional cabins were also fitted on existing outside cabins. Following the 38-day refit the ship was renamed Mein Schiff in Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
on 15 May 2009, and she entered service with TUI Cruises on a Baltic Sea cruise starting from Kiel
Kiel
Kiel is the capital and most populous city in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein, with a population of 238,049 .Kiel is approximately north of Hamburg. Due to its geographic location in the north of Germany, the southeast of the Jutland peninsula, and the southwestern shore of the...
on 23 May 2009.
Facilities
The primary dining area on board the Mein Schiff is the two deck Atlantic restaurant, located in the aft area of the ship. It can host 1,088 diners on a single seating, and is decorated in the art decoArt Deco
Art deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and...
style utilized on ocean liners from the 1930s onwards. Other dining options on the ship include the Anckelmannsplatz Buffet, which serves three meals a day and ice cream between lunch and dinner. There is also a casual dining "boulevard" featuring sandwiches, pizza, and hamburgers. Room service is available 24 hours a day on board. The menu is limited for much of the day, but during lunch and dinner hours suite
Suite (hotel)
A suite in a hotel or other public accommodation, denotes a class of luxury accommodations, the key feature of which is multiple rooms. Many properties have one or more "honeymoon suites", and sometimes the best accommodation is called the "presidential suite".Suites offer multiple rooms, with more...
passengers can order a full menu.
The primary entertainment venue is the Theater, which offers two nightly shows. There is also a dedicated cinema
Movie theater
A movie theater, cinema, movie house, picture theater, film theater is a venue, usually a building, for viewing motion pictures ....
with 200 seats that also doubles as a lecture room. The Fortunes casino
Casino
In modern English, a casino is a facility which houses and accommodates certain types of gambling activities. Casinos are most commonly built near or combined with hotels, restaurants, retail shopping, cruise ships or other tourist attractions...
features gambling, ranging from five-cent slot machines to blackjack tables. The Mein Schiffs duty-free shop
Duty-free shop
Duty-free shops are retail outlets that are exempt from the payment of certain local or national taxes and duties, on the requirement that the goods sold will be sold to travelers who will take them out of the country...
s sell jewelry, perfumes, and liquor. A merchandise shop offers inexpensive jewelry, watches, and formal wear. There are multiple discos and clubs, including the Rendezvous Lounge, a Lounge, a cigar bar, and the Nightclub.
Activities are provided daily, with fewer options available while the ship is in port. The activities staff offers bingo, computer classes, among other things. There are three pools - two saltwater pools outside, and a freshwater pool under a greenhouse-like roof. Near the saltwater pools are five hot tubs. A gymnasium, with cardiovascular equipment, is available. The Japanese-style AquaSpai, operated by Steiner
Steiner
-Surname:*Achim Steiner , German expert in environmental politics*Anton Steiner , Austrian former alpine skier*Ben Steiner , Major League Baseball player*Cecil C...
, has its own rock garden
Rock Garden
The Rock Garden or Rock Garden of Chandigarh is a Sculpture garden in Chandigarh, India, also known as Nek Chand's Rock Garden after its founder Nek Chand, a government official who started the garden secretly in his spare time in 1957. Today it is spread over an area of forty-acres , it is...
and offers many personal services, from massages to thalassotherapy
Thalassotherapy
Thalassotherapy is the unproven medical use of seawater as a form of therapy. The properties of seawater are believed to have beneficial effects upon the pores of the skin. Thalassotherapy was developed in seaside towns in Brittany, France during the 19th century...
.
An extensive collection of art is on display on board the Mein Schiff, personally compiled by Christina Chandris.