TUI Cruises, the German joint venture of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd and TUI AG, has decided to name its first vessel Mein Schiff following a competition. More than 11,000 people sent in over 30,000 ideas to the competition for finding a name for TUI Cruises´ first ship. The competition was carried out in cooperation with Bunte, a German celebrity magazine.

Indeed the new ship from TUI Cruises will be christened Mein Schiff on May 15th. The exterior design of the TUI Cruises ship emphatically reveals the style of the new cruise brand: the ship’s name, together with an abundance of emotional associations with maritime holidays, are emblazoned in flowing calligraphy on the vessel’s side and transform it into an imaginary passenger diary, the company said in a statement. 

 “We were overwhelmed by the tremendous response to our search for a name and are most grateful for the sea of creative names,“ said Richard J Vogel, Chief Executive Officer of TUI Cruises. “The name Mein Schiff, which so many entrants decided on, completely satisfies all the criteria we set for the selection of a name,“ he explained and summed up: ”This name is in the German language, unique in the cruise industry and expresses our core ideas of individuality and room to move“.

 Also the exterior design of the ship is terse and to the point. Designed by the Hamburg agency Gürtlerbachmann Werbung – which just recently won the Agency of the Year 2008 award – the exterior design brings classic colour components of the shipping world together with innovative design ideas.

On the deep blue background of the ship’s hull are catchphrases such as “Sound of the sea“ and “Calm“, which in their composition put across the idea behind the Mein Schiff and as such behind the new concept of holidaying at sea. The lettering has the character of handwriting and so conveys a very personal touch. The TUI logo on the funnel rounds off the pleasing exterior appearance, TUI Cruises said.