Tag Archives: AIDAmar

AIDA Ship to Enter Drydock with Passengers

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AIDA Ship to Enter Drydock with Passengers

The AIDAmar is scheduled to enter drydock with passengers onboard as part of a special itinerary in Northern Europe.

According to the company’s website, the new 10-night itinerary allows guests to live a “shipyard experience,” with a visit to a facility in the Netherlands.

The unique cruise departs from the German port of Warnemünde on June 28, 2026, and visits destinations in the Baltic and the North Sea.

But the highlight is a 24-hour call to a shipyard in Rotterdam.

“This very special journey takes you not to the typical tourist terminals but directly into the vibrant, industrial heart of Europe’s largest seaport,” AIDA stated.

The company added that the visit to the historical shipyard in Rotterdam offers AIDA fans and seafaring enthusiasts a rare opportunity to accompany the AIDAmar during its drydock.

AIDA noted that passengers will enjoy a unique atmosphere onboard as the ship undergoes scheduled maintenance at the facility.

The Carnival brand also described the cruise as an “authentic maritime experience, far from the usual holiday routes.”

AIDA said it is currently studying the possibility of allowing guests to disembark the vessel during its drydock.

“As this is an active industrial site subject to strict security regulations, disembarking on foot across the shipyard grounds is strictly prohibited for safety reasons,” the company explained.

“Any possibilities for leaving the ship depend on the operational procedures on site and, if feasible, will only be carried out in an organized manner.”

In addition to the visit to the shipyard in Rotterdam, the cruise will also sail to Visby, Stockholm and Karlskrona.

The theme cruise will cater to soccer fans as well, with a series of activities designed to celebrate the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Part of AIDA’s Sphinx class, the AIDAmar was built at the Meyer Werft Shipyard in Germany and entered service in 2012.

The 71,000-ton vessel is scheduled to undergo a major refurbishment in November 2026 as part of the AIDA Evolution refit program.

AIDA Announces Deployment for 2027-28 Winter Season

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AIDA Announces Deployment for 2027-28 Winter Season

AIDA Cruises opened bookings for its 2027-28 winter season on Wednesday, the company announced in a press release.

The deployment includes over 300 cruises to a wide range of destinations, including the Canary Islands, Northern Europe, the Caribbean, South America, the Indian Ocean and South Africa.

Among the highlights of the season are the itineraries to tropical destinations, including the Caribbean and Central America.

According to AIDA, three ships will sail in the region: the AIDAbella, the AIDAluna and, for the first time, the AIDAprima.

The vessels will offer a series of 14- to 21-night island-hopping cruises departing from ports like La Romana in the Dominican Republic and Bridgetown in Barbados.

Other highlights include the “big winter breaks” onboard the AIDAmar, which offers round-trip cruises to warmer destinations from Hamburg, Germany.

The ship’s lineup includes a 48-day itinerary to Brazil and South America, in addition to a 21-day journey to the Azores and Morocco.

Also sailing from Germany, the AIDAnova is set to offer a series of winter sailings departing from Hamburg that visit ports in Scandinavia, Denmark and major ports in Western Europe.

The Canary Islands are set for a strong season, with the AIDAsol, the AIDAstella and the AIDAcosma offering itineraries that sail to Madeira Island.

The AIDAblu will offer a mix of itineraries that sail to both the Indian Ocean and South Africa, visiting destinations in Mauritius, Seychelles, Madagascar and La Réunion, in addition to Cape Town, East London, Durban, Port Elizabeth and Walvis Bay, Namibia.

According to the company’s press release, guests who book sailings of the new season by April 30, 2027, will receive discounts of up to 975 euros per person.

Additional benefits include free choice of cabin, a Rail&Fly ticket valid throughout Germany for travel by train and two bottles of mineral water onboard daily.

Of note, AIDA did not announce plans to offer itineraries in the Middle East and the Arabian Gulf in 2027-28.

Earlier this year, the company decided to cancel all of its sailings in the region scheduled for 2025-26 due to security concerns.

AIDAsol and AIDAmar Connect to Shore Power Simultaneously

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In a cruise industry first, AIDA Cruises marked the beginning of the season with a double call of the AIDAsol and AIDAmar in Rostock-Warnemünde, where the two cruise ships connected simultaneously to shore power, according to a press release.

“We are delighted by this successful shore power premiere in Rostock-Warnemünde. Thanks to the opening of further shore power facilities in European ports, we will be able to expand our commitment this year. Our goal is to be able to use shore power in all ports in the future. We, therefore, welcome the decisions of other ports to develop a corresponding solution. With our commitment to decarbonization, we are not only driving the energy transition in the cruise sector, but we are also providing an example of how to shape local value creation in our destinations sustainably,” said Felix Eichhorn, president of AIDA Cruises.

The two ships using shore power to supply energy is an important contribution to reducing carbon emissions while ships are docked in port, AIDA said in a press release.

The first shore power facility for cruise ships opened in the Baltic Sea region in 2021 with the AIDAsol in Rostock-Warnemünde during the 12th German National Maritime Conference.

The shore power plant in Warnemünde can supply two ships simultaneously at berths P7 and P8.