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.
Canada will allow cruise ships back into its waters starting in November as the COVID-19 pandemic fades, but they must fully comply with public health requirements that have yet to be finalized, Ottawa said on Thursday.
Earlier this year, Canada extended a ban on cruise ships until February 2022, citing the need to protect public health. Transport Minister Omar Alghabra said in a statement that the restriction would now be lifted on Nov. 1, 2021.
“We will welcome cruise ships – an important part of our tourism sector – back in Canadian waters for the 2022 season,” he said.
The news should please major operators who complained that Canada’s ban was hurting their business on the West Coast. U.S. law obliges foreign-flagged cruise ships sailing from Washington state to Alaska to make a Canadian stop.
Canada, however, has not yet lifted a ban on non-essential travel with the United States. A Canadian government official said Alghabra’s announcement would allow both countries to work on ways of safely managing the cruise sector.
“We’re working hard through our embassy, through our officials, myself, through our department, and ensuring that we maintain business as usual,” Alghabra told reporters.
He gave no indication of when the border between the United States and Canada would reopen to tourists.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told reporters in Montreal on Thursday that Ottawa would make an announcement on the next steps to reopening the border in the coming weeks.
A day earlier he had said it “would be catastrophic and heartbreaking to have to go back into lockdown, as some countries are now looking at with surges in the Delta variant, because we were overly eager to reopen by a few weeks.”
The MSC Seashore is currently in the final stages of construction at Fincantieri’s Monfalcone shipyard. The third ship in the Seaside Class, its scheduled to enter service on August 1.
MSC Virtuosa Year Built: 2021 Capacity: 4,888 guests Location: United Kingdom
One of the MSC ships in service, the MSC Virtuosa is currently cruising in the United Kingdom.
MSC Virtuosa arriving in Liverpool, photo by Dave Jones
MSC Grandiosa Year Built: 2019 Capacity: 4,888 guests Location: Western Mediterranean
Like the MSC Virtuosa, the MSC Grandiosa is back in service. The vessel is presently offering a 7-night itinerary to Italy, Spain and Malta with calls in ports such as Naples, Civitavecchia, Barcelona and La Valletta.
MSC Seaside Year Built: 2017 Capacity: 4,140 guests Location: Western Mediterranean
Another MSC ship back in service, the MSC Seaside is presently sailing in the Western Mediterranean. The vessel offers seven-night cruises in the region, visiting Italy and Malta.
The MSC Preziosa remains docked in the Port of Naples, Italy. Until late 2020, the Fantasia-class ship was spending the operational pause in the Bahamas, along other U.S.-based MSC ships.
The MSC Magnifica welcomed the passengers back on June 20, offering cruises to the Eastern Mediterranean. The vessel is currently sailing from Venice, on a seven-night itinerary with calls in Bari, Piraeus, Mykonos and Split.
Sailing from Trieste, the MSC Splendida resumed service on June 12. The Fantasia-class ship is now offering seven-night cruises to the Eastern Mediterranean, with calls in Greece, Croatia and more.
MSC Fantasia Year Built: 2008 Capacity: 3,300 guests Location: Malta
The MSC Fantasia is presently in Malta. The vessel recently docked in the port of La Valletta, near the Palumbo Group Shipyard, which was partly acquired by MSC in 2020.
On June 5, the MSC Orchestra became the first MSC ship to resume service in the Eastern Mediterranean. The Musica-class ship is currently sailing from Venice, offering a seven-night itinerary to Greece and Croatia.
MSC Musica Year Built: 2006 Capacity: 2,550 guests Location: Genoa, Italy
After some time in Augusta, in Southern Italy, the MSC Musica recently arrived in Genoa. The vessel is currently docked at the Ponte dei Mille Cruise Terminal.
MSC Opera Year Built: 2004 Capacity: 1,712 guests Location: Augusta, Italy
The MSC Opera is anchored off the Port of Augusta, in the island of Sicily, Italy.
MSC Lirica Year Built: 2003 Capacity: 1,560 guests Location: La Valletta, Malta
Along with the MSC Poesia, the MSC Sinfonia is docked in Trieste. The vessel arrived in Italy in December, from Brazil.
MSC Armonia Year Built: 2001
Capacity: 1,554 guests Location: Ocean Cay, the Bahamas
The MSC Armonia is currently near Ocean Cay, MSC’s private island in the Bahamas. As the other U.S.-based vessels of the fleet, it has been spending the operational pause in the region.
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