Tag Archives: AIDA Cruise

AIDA Cruises To Sail in Greece From May 23

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AIDA Cruises has announced that it will be offering new cruises in Greece from May 23, 2021, with seven-day cruises departing from Corfu and travelling through the Greek islands to Crete and Rhodes, as well as to Katakolon (Olympia) and Piraeus (Athens).

Guests will be able to enjoy the amenities onboard with multiple restaurants, bars, cultural activities and sports facilities, as well as organized shore excursions to explore the ports of call.

According to AIDA’s press release, Greece is one of the most popular vacation destinations for German travellers. From May 14, 2021, the Mediterranean country will reopen for tourism.

Booking starts on Apr. 20, 2021, with 23 dates to choose from between May 23 and October 24, 2021. The Greek cruises can also be booked as 14-day trips, AIDA said.

In addition to the new offering in Greece, the AIDAperla is sailing on seven-day voyages around the Canary Islands through June.

All cruises are carried out in compliance with AIDA’s enhanced health and safety protocols, as well as applicable laws and regulations.

With a testing strategy for guests and crew members already utilized on several cruises, AIDA said it is its top priority for all guests to safely enjoy their vacation. The enhanced health and safety protocols — tested by SGS Institut Fresenius and confirmed by the classification society DNV — includes a mandatory PCR test for detecting viruses and bacteria before travelling, as well as regular health checks, social distancing and hygiene protocols, medical care including testing capacities onboard and other measures.

With the “AIDA promise,” the cruise company offers guests more flexibility and security in planning. Generous booking options are part of AIDA’s commitment to its guests, ranging from small down payments to free rebooking. The “AIDA promise” is included in the travel price for new bookings up to May 31, 2021, and applies to departures up to March. 31, 2022.

AIDA said that cruises in other destinations will not be possible at this time, with AIDA cancelling the remaining voyages of April through May.

A trio of Cruise Ships Drydocks To Start 2021

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The cruise ship drydock market will be hot for 2021, as operators push scheduled refits and class surveys forward ahead of returning to service

Work scopes are expected to be mandatory class surveys, inspections, and technical and safety maintenance, as the majority of big projects scheduled for 2020 and 2021 have been pushed back, Cruise Industry News reported in its 2021 Drydocking and Refurbishment Report.

Without passengers on the ship, the drydocking is when the cruise lines pounce to make any changes ranging from repair to hotel and facility upgrades.

Among the cruise ships that recently drydocked is the 1,778-guest Marella Explorer 2. She is staying at Damen in Amsterdam, Netherlands.

The Marella Explorer 2 has had her cabin ceilings and walls resprayed, bathrooms updated. Some of her suites got brand new solid wood floorings, and the Market Place got a contemporary resin floor.

The 2,600-passenger Sapphire Princess, which is operated by Princess Cruises, is currently drydocking at the Sembawang Shipyard in Singapore. The ship was previously scheduled for a drydock in April 2020, which got postponed after the start of the pandemic.

Finally, Dream Cruises’ 1,804-passenger Explorer Dream is not drydocking yet but will be between Feb. 19 and 25. The works will take place in Kaohsiung, Taiwan.

Cruise lines will need agents “more than ever”

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Cruise lines will need agents “more than ever” as the sector emerges from the Covid-19 pandemic over the next year.

Martin Alcock, director at Travel Trade Consultancy, said that cruise “would take a bit longer to bounce back” from the crisis than other parts of the travel industry.

But he added there was significant growth potential as cruise still represents just a “small portion” of the overall holiday market.

“It’s always been a complicated product to sell and cruise lines will need agents more than ever,” said Alcock during Barclays’ Travel Industry State of the Nation online event. “There will be more commission and more in the way of overrides.”

Alcock said that one of the “upsides” to this year’s crisis was that it had “accelerated” the retirement of older vessels which would reduce worldwide cruise capacity by 8%-10% in 2021. Fleets will also be more efficient and sustainable as they comprise more modern ships.

“The 10% reduction in capacity will help from a price perspective,” he added. “There’s plenty of opportunities to grow.”

Alcock said that while the cruise industry’s core demographic had been “more affected” by the pandemic than other age groups, they were also likely to be “inoculated more quickly than other demographics”.


“Cruise has unfairly had a disproportionate share of bad press but I don’t think it’s terrible news. It’s not a total disaster,” he added.

Alistair Pritchard, travel and aviation lead partner at Deloitte, said the extra complexities created by a combination of Covid and Brexit would lead to more consumers looking to the trade for advice and support.

“They [agents] will need to help support customers across the whole journey – not just when booking,” he added. “They [customers] want advice just before travelling and whilst they are abroad. That’s where the consumer wants to support.”