According to a statement from the company, the upgrade included new and additional restaurants, bars with enhanced service, new activity areas for families and a fresh look for the public areas.
In addition to redesigning guest cabins, new and additional suites were added, as well as exclusive areas such as the Sky Deck and the Rossini Lounge.
Furthermore, technical upgrades were made to reduce energy consumption and improve efficiency.
Approximately 5,100 pieces of furniture were donated to social organizations and 18 tons of aluminum from sun loungers and chairs were recycled, demonstrating circular economy in practice.
The company also refurbished approximately 45,000 m2 of carpets, 10,000 m2 of carpet underlay, 2,500 m2 of artificial turf and over 1,000 mattresses, giving them a new lease on life.
The crew and reception areas got a fully recyclable, allergy-friendly carpet made from Econyl yarn, produced from recycled carpets from the AIDAdiva and AIDAluna.
Thanks to a new reverse osmosis system, the AIDAbella can produce more fresh water from seawater using less energy, the company said.
The consistent use of LED lighting, further optimization of demand-based climate control, and modernized catering technology are meant to contribute to reducing energy and water consumption onboard.
Finally, a special biocide-free coating was added to reduce fouling on the hull, thus also reducing fuel consumption.
The ship’s first itinerary post-modernization is a seven-day roundtrip from Palma that includes stops in Civitavecchia (Rome), La Spezia, Marseille – with a special overnight stay – and Barcelona, before returning to Palma.
AIDA Confident Amid Geopolitical Challenges as Demand Grows
AIDA Cruises is seeing strong demand for cruises and a high share of premium bookings and remains positive despite ongoing geopolitical challenges, the company said in a statement.
Current figures show that just over three million German ocean cruise passengers traveled in 2025, growing by nine percent compared to the previous year.
“Cruising in Germany is driving growth in the tourism market. In 2025, AIDA generated profitable growth with unchanged capacity and record-level occupancy,” said AIDA president Felix Eichhorn.
“With around 1.5 million guests in 2025, AIDA is the clear market leader in the German cruise market. This success is driven by strong demand and long-term bookings.”
For summer 2026, AIDA said it seeing an above-average level of advance bookings, a trend which Eichhorn said continues steadily.
“. The disproportionately high number of high-quality, long-term premium bookings also shows that guests place particular value on quality,” he said.
Trips departing from German ports that can operate year-round, such as Hamburg, Kiel, and Warnemünde, as well as routes to Northern Europe remain especially popular, AIDA noted.
Cruises to the United Kingdom, the Baltic states, and classic Northern Europe routes including Norway, Denmark, and Sweden are also said to be experiencing strong demand.
Multi-generational travel is currently in particularly high demand at AIDA.
A YouGov study commissioned by the company found that 66 percent of Germans have already vacationed with multiple generations of their family.
Around 20 percent of respondents believe cruises are especially suitable for multi-generational travel.
The company is also offering 20 Northern Europe cruises this year where shore power is used during port stays at every port.
The first short cruise starts on March 12 from Kiel and takes AIDAbella via Kristiansand, Oslo, and Copenhagen before returning to Kiel.
“In 2023, we had just over 60 shore power connections; last year, that number already exceeded 400. Thanks to the opening of additional facilities in Europe, we expect a further increase to 600 port calls this year. Nevertheless, further expansion of shore power infrastructure in Europe remains necessary,” said Eichhorn.
Nippon Paint Marine announced that its application of AQUATERRAS, an advanced polymer technology, on the AIDAdiva has resulted in lower costs and downtime, as the need for planned in-water hull cleaning was removed for over three years.
John Drew, director at Nippon Paint Marine, Europe, told Cruise Industry News the patented structure, paired with a hydrolysis-driven self-polishing mechanism, optimises hull smoothness over time and delivers a reduction in fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.
“Our team of experts has a detailed understanding of the challenging itineraries that cruise vessels must operate under, often spending extended periods within regions in which the impact of biofouling is keenly felt, as well as managing stakeholder pressure from consumers where sustainability is a priority,” Drew explained.
Meeting the Industry Where It Is
According to Drew, the industry is adapting to an increasingly complex regulatory environment designed to support the reduction of carbon emissions and increase sustainability.
“Our clients are focused on balancing the need to mitigate emissions from their fleets through enhanced operational efficiencies and the integration of clean technologies while remaining commercially competitive,” he added.
To meet these requirements, the company launched AQUATERRAS, which combines hydrophilic and hydrophobic micro-domains to resist biological adhesion.
Drew added that, while delivering a speed loss of 1 per cent over 60 months, compared to the 5.9 per cent industry average, the attributes enable vessels to generate up to 14.7 per cent in fuel savings and associated emissions reduction.
“Hull performance directly affects both operating costs and environmental impact, so maintaining a clean hull across such varied conditions is critical,” he said. “AQUATERRAS has demonstrated its ability to meet these challenges.”
“For example, following its application to the AIDAdiva in 2022, the vessel operated for three years without the need for any in-water hull cleaning, maintaining a fouling-free vertical bottom despite extensive service in high-biofouling regions such as the Caribbean and Mediterranean,” he explained.
The performance supported sustained fuel efficiency gains and eliminated the environmental risks associated with traditional coatings due to its biocide-free characteristics.
Drew added that the solution, for both drydock and newbuild projects, does not require specialist application equipment and can be applied at any yard.
The Focus for the Future
“Looking ahead, innovation in marine coatings will be shaped by three priorities: advancing sustainability, maximising operational efficiency and ensuring compliance with increasingly stringent and fragmented environmental regulations,” said Drew.
“We expect to see a continued shift away from biocidal systems toward alternative technologies that deliver long-term fouling prevention without environmental trade-offs, as well as a focus on developing low-volatile organic compounds solutions that are designed to minimise the release of harmful organic chemicals into the surrounding environment during application and drying,” he added.
Nippon Paint Marine will invest heavily into research and development leading into 2026, as innovation means looking well beyond the next 12 months, Drew said. Innovations and materials need to be tested over a number of years in varied operating conditions before being launched to market.
Collaboration is the Way Forward
“Working closely with shipowners, operators, shipyards, and research partners is imperative for us, as it ensures our innovations align with the operational challenges our customers face,” Drew said.
“Through working together, we can help our partners meet their various commercial and environmental targets, today and in the long term. This means continuing to innovate while ensuring our products support the highest levels of performance, are cost-effective and support ongoing regulatory compliance.”
Wetravel2u's Weblog 