AIDA Cruises took delivery of its newest cruise ship, the AIDAcosma, in Bremerhaven from the Meyer Werft shipyard on Dec. 21.
It is the company’s second new building powered by liquefied natural gas, according to a press release, and gives AIDA its 14th ship. AIDA is Carnival Corporation’s German brand.
The ship will enter service in the first quarter, sailing from Hamburg on seven-day so-called metropolis voyages.
On April 9, 2022, the champion athlete Kristina Vogel will christen the new ship in Hamburg.
The new vessel then will sail on a two-week christening voyage, taking passengers to either Mallorca or Barcelona. Further highlights of the itinerary include Lisbon, Cadiz and Malaga as the ship moves to the Mediterranean for the summer season.
From April 23 to October 15, 2022, the AIDAcosma will offer voyages from Palma and Barcelona. The one-week “Mediterranean Treasures” itinerary will also include calls into Florence, Rome and Corsica.
The AIDAcosma will then move to Dubai for the winter 2022-2023 season.
The new experience, titled Mission Control, is set underwater onboard a fictional submarine Arvia II, with a series of live-action puzzles.
The “expedition” is led by fictional Dr Ryan and has multiple storylines, suitable for all ages, with a film-like plot and motion simulation.
P&O Cruises president Paul Ludlow said holidays are “all about new experiences”, and the “immersive” escape room will create “unforgettable action-packed moments with family and friends”.
“Mission Control will expand our onboard entertainment offering even further, giving guests an opportunity to create unique bonding experiences they will talk about for years to come,” he added.
Arvia’s maiden voyage is a 14-night Canary Islands cruise, departing from and returning to Southampton on 9 December 2020. Ports of call are Madeira, Tenerife, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote, Cadiz and Lisbon and prices start from £1,449pp.
The resumption of global cruise operations is keeping drydock busy around the world. With more cruise ships restarting service, cruise companies are rushing to get necessary work done before welcoming the passengers back onboard, as predicted by Cruise Industry News earlier this year.
In Europe some drydocks have seen a dramatic increase in the number of cruise ships projects, almost seemingly overnight.
Popular among several cruise lines, the Navantia Shipyard in Cadiz, Spain, has been one of the busiest facilities.. Working on vessels from brands such as Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, Marella and Azamara, the yard currently has five ships in Cádiz, with two more on the way.
According to the local press, Navantia plans to work on18 cruise ship projects through the end of the year. the year.
The work performed by the facility includes necessary classification society inspections, technical maintenance and modernization. Recent work included the Liberty of the Seas, Harmony of the Seas and Celebrity Constellation, which underwent repairs and revision of propulsion and steering equipment, hydro blasting and application of silicone paint.
Marseilles, has also been a the hotspot, working closely with Carnival Corporation, Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings and Royal Caribbean Group’s Silversea.
Carnival completed four drydocks in the facility recently, with all vessels undergoing regular maintenance and a change of hull colors. A fifth Carnival vessel – the Carnival Legend – is currently at the shipyard, along with Silversea’s Silver Spirit.
Also recently,, the Palumbo Malta Shipyard worked on several MSC ships for their restart operations. Located in Valletta, the yard was partly acquired by the MSC Group in 2020 and currently has the MSC Preziosa docked there.
Bigger Projects Making a Comeback
While most of the current drydock projects are limited to mandatory and technical work, some vessels are also seeing significant refurbishment and conversion projects in 2021.
After virtually all those projects scheduled for 2020 were cancelled or postponed, a few are now being carried out.
Work on Carnival Victory was also resumed recently. The vessel is set to be transformed into the Carnival Radiance with all new interiors and revamped cabins in a $200 million project.
Another big project confirmed for the year is the conversion of the Silver Wind into an ice-class expedition vessel. Previously scheduled for 2020, the project is now set to be completed by the end of 2021.
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