TUI Under Scrutiny Again After Child’s Shocking Fall Aboard Mein Schiff 7
A two-year-old was taken to a hospital in Madeira on Wednesday after suffering a significant fall on a TUI Cruises vessel while it sat in port — and the child is now reported to be in stable condition.
The incident unfolded aboard the Mein Schiff 7 on the morning of April 22, 2026, as the ship was moored overnight at Funchal, the capital city of Portugal’s Madeira archipelago.
Portuguese media described the child as a foreign national who was on board with their parents. According to local reports, the toddler fell somewhere between 10 and 13 feet.
What exactly led to the fall has not been officially confirmed, though local speculation has pointed to a possible balcony drop. Investigators are still working to establish the facts.
Madeira’s emergency services responded swiftly. The island’s Integrated Medical Emergency System deployed its Rapid Intervention Medical Team — known locally as EMIR — to the ship, alongside an ambulance and Red Cross personnel.
By the time they arrived on deck, the child was conscious and already in the care of the vessel’s onboard medical team, with a parent present. Following an initial assessment at the scene, the toddler was transferred by ambulance to Dr. Nélio Mendonça Hospital in Funchal for further monitoring.
TUI Cruises subsequently issued a statement seeking to calm concerns. The cruise line stressed that at no point was the child’s life in danger, and that the hospital visit was precautionary in nature.
As of the latest update, the toddler was said to be in good condition and reunited with family. An internal review into how the accident happened has been opened, running parallel to the official port authority inquiry.
The Administration of the Ports of the Autonomous Region of Madeira confirmed the incident publicly, clarifying that it took place while the ship was berthed but within the vessel itself. Port officials had noted earlier that morning that Mein Schiff 7 was carrying nearly 3,000 passengers and over 1,000 crew on what was the ship’s final scheduled Madeira stop of the season, with a return not expected until November.
The Voyage Continues
Launched in June 2024, Mein Schiff 7 is among the most recently delivered ships in TUI’s fleet, with a passenger capacity approaching 4,000. The ship had set off from Gran Canaria on April 20 on a week-long Atlantic Islands roundtrip. Funchal was an overnight port call, and since departure wasn’t due until April 23, the ship’s schedule was unaffected by the incident.
The itinerary continues through La Palma, Tenerife, and Fuerteventura before the vessel circles back to Gran Canaria on April 27.
A Pattern of Concern for the Fleet
Wednesday’s accident adds to a sobering recent history for TUI’s cruise operations. Back in October 2022, a passenger lost their life after plunging multiple decks from a cabin balcony aboard Mein Schiff 6 while sailing the Aegean. Then, just last November, a 76-year-old went overboard from the Marella Explorer 2 off the Canary Islands — a Spanish coast guard search was launched but the individual was never found.
The Madeira port authority’s investigation into the toddler’s fall remains ongoing. Our thoughts are with the child and their family as they recover from what was clearly a frightening experience.
