AIDAnova Marks Successful Start to Canaries and Madeira Season

AIDANova in the port of Oslo, Photo Credit Spacejunkie2 (Flickr)

AIDA Cruises announced a successful start to its Canaries and Madeira season with the AIDAnova along with positive feedback after an official dialogue series with local partners.

AIDA just completed the first official dialogue series aboard the AIDAnova, the company said in a press release.

The dialogue series took place from November 23 to November 28, 2022, attended by numerous official representatives from politics, the port industry and tourism.

The goal of the dialogue was to inform local partners of AIDA’s current goals as well as to engage in a joint venture.

“We are happy and grateful to know such reliable partners at our side and look forward to making an important contribution to tourism on these beautiful islands again this season,” said Captain Marc-Dominique Tidow.

The AIDAnova made calls at Tenerife, Fuerteventura, Lanzarote, Gran Canaria and Madeira, which were very well received by the partners in the region.

During the winter season, the AIDAnova will set sail on seven-day cruises to the Canaries including the exploration of the volcanic landscapes of Gran Canaria, Tenerife, Lanzarote and Fuerteventura, as well as the Portuguese archipelago of Madeira.

In April 2023, the AIDAnova will set course for the Norwegian fjords while the summer itineraries will include visits to Bergen, Nordfjordeid, Alesund and Stavanger.

Explora Journeys Reveal Maiden Itinerary from Southampton.

Explora Journeys has revealed details of the maiden voyage for its first of six ships, Explora I, which will set sail in July next year.

The brand will make its debut with a 15-night inaugural journey to northern Europe, with calls to 12 ports.

Explora I will leave Southampton on 17 July 2023 on its first voyage, entitled A Maiden Journey into Epic Fjords and the Arctic Circle.
 
The ship will call at Zeebrugge before proceeding to Norway, where it will visit Geiranger, Trondheim, Molde, Leknes, Bronnoysund, Flam, Bergen and Stavanger. It then sails to Denmark, with visits to Skagen and Copenhagen.

Michael Ungerer, the chief executive, said: “Our vision and purpose from day one has been to create a travel and ocean experience like no other, and we are thrilled that our ground-breaking new class of ship, Explora I, will introduce guests during her maiden journey to some of the most breath-taking destinations in northern Europe while enjoying the finest luxury hospitality at sea.”

Expedition Cruise Ship Grounds in Norway During Shipyard Return

An expeditionary cruise ship belonging to Norwegian cruise line Hurtigruten ran aground and was later refloated in western Norwegian fjord north of Bergen on Friday. The ship, MS Richard With, was not carrying any passengers at the time and all 67 people on board were not harmed in the incident.

Richard With was returning to Bergen from a shipyard maintenance period when the grounding occurred Friday morning on the northern end of Sognefjord due to a “technical system error which led to the ship temporarily losing control,” Hurtigruten said in a statement.

Following the grounding, the Richard With was joined by the Norwegian coastguard-contracted KV Bergen and the anchor handling tug (AHTS) Skandi Iceman belonging to DOF Group. But the was refloated at the next high tide without the assistance of tugs, according to an update at around 5 p.m. CEST.

Hurtigruten said the vessel sustained only minor damage to its bulb and forward ballast tank and no environmental pollution has been reported. She is currently sailing to the shipyard for repairs.

The 67 people on board at the time comprised of 54 crew members and 14 service personnel performing follow-up work following the shipyard stay.

Hurtigruten said it expects to have the ship ready by its next scheduled sailing date on August 20.