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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.

Cunard To Add 30 New Cabins to Queen Mary 2

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Cunard To Add 30 New Cabins to Queen Mary 2

Deck plans published on Cunard’s website show that the company is planning to add 30 new staterooms to the Queen Mary 2.

Set to undergo a major refurbishment program in 2027, the 2004-built vessel will see the introduction of new suites and inside cabins.

Designed as the world’s first modern ocean liner, the Queen Mary 2 currently carries 2,620 passengers in double occupancy, and that will now increase by approximately 2.5 percent..

Most of the extra staterooms will be added to a section of Deck 13 that is being turned into a new accommodation area.

Currently housing a sun deck, the space will offer 18 Princess Grill Suites, as well as five inside staterooms.

On Deck 9, the current Concierge Lounge is being converted into four additional inside cabins, while a new Penthouse Suite is being added to Deck 8.

The premium accommodation takes over an area adjacent to the ship’s library, which is currently occupied by a book store.

Cunard is also replacing part of the Queen Mary 2’s Teens and Kids Zone on Deck 6 with four new inside staterooms.

Other changes to the vessel’s deck plan include the addition of a new sun deck on Deck 14, as well as the removal of the Boardwalk Café from Deck 12.

While no details of the refurbishment have officially been confirmed at press time, Cunard’s website confirms that the Queen Mary 2 will undergo enhancements ahead of next year’s summer season.

The 151,400-ton ship is expected to enter drydock in late March 2027 before welcoming guests back on May 9, 2027.

The cabin additions follow a recent trend in the cruise industry, which has seen  cruise lines adding significant numbers of new staterooms to their older ships.

As previously reported by Cruise Industry News, Royal Caribbean, Silversea, Norwegian, Holland America and Celestyal are among the brands that added capacity to vessels in drydock recently.

Storylines Secures $500M Guarantee; Second Shipyard, Refunds in Focus

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Storylines Secures $500M Guarantee; Second Shipyard, Refunds in Focus

Storylines is nearing the completion of a restructuring and recapitalization process that has secured the company access to a $500 million cash-backed bank guarantee, according to CEO and Co-Founder Alister Punton who also addressed pending resident refunds in a video update and confirmed the company is working with a secondary shipyard as a future-proofing and geopolitical backup for its purpose-built vessel, the Narrative.

Launched in 2018, the company aims to offer a residence cruise ship concept onboard the Narrative, previously having switched from a business plan that called for the acquisition of a secondhand ship.

In 2022, the startup announced it had ordered the 1,250-passenger ship from the Brodosplit Shipyard in Croatia and had targeted a start up date of 2025.

In the company’s recent update, Punton said that, in addition to restructuring itself, Storylines is “fully focused on bringing funding together.”

He said that the company is working on recapitalizing as part of a go-shop notice that it has put out, as that the process took longer than anticipated.

“It took a whole lot more work than I anticipated, not only for myself but very much for the legal counsel who has been working around the clock to expedite that and get that done,” Punton said.

With work now in the final stages, the process is expected to be completed soon, he continued, noting that Storylines will then be able to move on to step two of its recapitalization plan.

“This consists of closing on the balance of the funding, which this new partner will be able to achieve for us.”

At their request, the investors will not be revealed until “all goes through,” Punton said, adding that the partnership has already given the company instant access to “some incredible networks and hospitality brands.”

He added that Storylines now has access to a $500 million cash-backed bank guarantee, noting that the company is working to secure a facility to monetize this guarantee.

“We have a couple of options looming over that for the moment, and we’ll keep you posted as that progresses,” Punton continued.

He also mentioned that the entire project is wrapped in insurance with one of the largest insurance groups in the world.

“That, combined with the refund guarantees provided by the shipyard, means we have all of the pieces of the puzzle together now,” Punton added.

“Thank you to those who have been very patient in all of this. That hasn’t gone unnoticed,” he added.

Punton also addressed client refunds, saying that he has limited time to answer repeated emails about the subject.

“For those waiting on refunds outside of the trust account, I just ask that you hold on a little bit longer,” he said, underlining that he was referring primarily to $10,000 refundable deposits.

These amounts will be released once the company goes through its restructuring process, which will either free up or bring more capital to it, he explained.

Passengers who are short on refunds from the mentioned trust account will be contacted by Storylines to start a process that will see the balances returned as well, Punton continued.

He also noted that, earlier this year, Storylines decided to remove all but the core operations and construction teams.

“They were being stood down, so we made the decision to preserve capital and also in preparation for this restructuring process,” he explained, adding that the company’s communications have been more sporadic as a result.

The company has also been working with the shipyard, having completed the hull design of the Narrative through tank testing in Holland.

“By all accounts it was a success; there were a few minor changes that we made, but nothing out of the ordinary that you wouldn’t normally expect,” Punton said.

Storylines is also working with a secondary yard as a future-proofing scenario and geopolitical backup, he added.