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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.

AIDAdiva Returns to Germany Following World Cruise

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AIDAdiva Returns to Germany Following World Cruise

The AIDAdiva has recently returned to the port of Hamburg in Germany following AIDA’s 2025-26 world cruise.

After undergoing a major refurbishment as part of AIDA’s Evolution refit program, the vessel embarked on the voyage in early November 2025.

The AIDAdiva then visited 53 destinations in 27 countries before arriving back at its homeport on March 23, 2026.

Covering 35,000 nautical miles, the itinerary was highlighted by milestones for AIDA Cruises, including the company’s return to New York City following a six-year hiatus.

The cruise also marked the brand’s first visits to ports on the West Coast of North America, as well as in Japan and Hawaii.

The 2,030-passenger ship also spent New Year’s Eve docked in Honolulu during its first visit to the Aloha State.

Other highlights of the itinerary included AIDA’s first-ever transit of the Panama Canal, which took place on December 6, 2025.

Following the completion of its world cruise, the AIDAdiva is now set to offer summer cruises out of ports in Germany.

The ship’s schedule includes a series of four- to 14-night cruises to destinations in Scandinavia and the Baltic Sea.

Ports of call set to be visited include Vik in Norway, Visby in Sweden, Gdynia in Poland and Aarhus in Denmark.

In late August, the 2007-built ship is scheduled to reposition to North America for fall cruises departing from New York City.

The 12-night itineraries are highlighted by visits to destinations in Canada and New England, as well as Florida and the Bahamas, including Portland, Boston, Miami and Nassau.

In late October, the AIDAdiva sets sail to La Romana in the Dominican Republic ahead of a winter season offering cruises to the Southern and Eastern Caribbean.

AIDA’s next world voyage is scheduled to depart from Hamburg in mid-October 2026 onboard the AIDAsol.

The 126-night cruise will follow a different itinerary that will include stops in South America, the South Pacific, Australia, Africa and the Indian Ocean.

TUI Cancels Additional Sailings for Middle East Ships

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TUI Cancels Additional Sailings for Middle East Ships

TUI Cruises cancelled additional departures onboard two of its vessels due to the current conflicts in the Middle East.

According to a statement issued on Tuesday, the cancellations now include all sailings set to take place onboard the Mein Schiff 4 through March 23, 2026.

For the Mein Schiff 5, the cancellations include all the cruises scheduled to take place through March 29, 2026. TUI explained that the cancellations follow a travel and security advisory from Germany’s Foreign Office.

The company said that all affected passengers have been directly informed of the cancellations by its teams.

“Should further adjustments become necessary, we will promptly and proactively contact the booked guests,” TUI added.

“We are continuously assessing the situation and making decisions based on current official recommendations,” the statement added.

TUI noted that all guests and numerous crew members have now disembarked both the Mein Schiff 4 and the Mein Schiff 5 safely.

“The primary goal now remains to ensure the safety and well-being of the remaining crew onboard,” the company explained.

“Furthermore, our crisis team is working in close coordination with the relevant authorities, the Foreign Office, the responsible embassies, international security experts and the security teams of both parent companies on an ongoing assessment of the situation and derived scenarios,” TUI added.

The company also said it set up an information hotline for families of crew members that are still onboard the vessels in the Middle East.

The information service can be reached from Monday to Friday by phone at +800 5353 3333. TUI’s team is also available to answer questions and concerns via email at FamilyCrewHelpLine@seachefs.com.

The recent round of cancellations includes Mein Schiff 5’s repositioning voyage to Europe, which was set to depart from South Africa to Spain starting on March 29, 2026.

Sailing between Cape Town and Palma de Mallorca, the 19-night cruise was set to visit destinations in Namibia, Cape Verde, the Canary Islands and the United Kingdom.

The Mein Schiff 5 is now expected to resume service in late April, ahead of a summer season in the Eastern Mediterranean.

With its Dubai – South Africa cruise previously cancelled, the Mein Schiff 4 is scheduled to welcome guests back in Cape Town for a repositioning voyage to Europe on April 11, 2026.