Tag Archives: winter season

AIDA Announces Deployment for 2027-28 Winter Season

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AIDA Announces Deployment for 2027-28 Winter Season

AIDA Cruises opened bookings for its 2027-28 winter season on Wednesday, the company announced in a press release.

The deployment includes over 300 cruises to a wide range of destinations, including the Canary Islands, Northern Europe, the Caribbean, South America, the Indian Ocean and South Africa.

Among the highlights of the season are the itineraries to tropical destinations, including the Caribbean and Central America.

According to AIDA, three ships will sail in the region: the AIDAbella, the AIDAluna and, for the first time, the AIDAprima.

The vessels will offer a series of 14- to 21-night island-hopping cruises departing from ports like La Romana in the Dominican Republic and Bridgetown in Barbados.

Other highlights include the “big winter breaks” onboard the AIDAmar, which offers round-trip cruises to warmer destinations from Hamburg, Germany.

The ship’s lineup includes a 48-day itinerary to Brazil and South America, in addition to a 21-day journey to the Azores and Morocco.

Also sailing from Germany, the AIDAnova is set to offer a series of winter sailings departing from Hamburg that visit ports in Scandinavia, Denmark and major ports in Western Europe.

The Canary Islands are set for a strong season, with the AIDAsol, the AIDAstella and the AIDAcosma offering itineraries that sail to Madeira Island.

The AIDAblu will offer a mix of itineraries that sail to both the Indian Ocean and South Africa, visiting destinations in Mauritius, Seychelles, Madagascar and La Réunion, in addition to Cape Town, East London, Durban, Port Elizabeth and Walvis Bay, Namibia.

According to the company’s press release, guests who book sailings of the new season by April 30, 2027, will receive discounts of up to 975 euros per person.

Additional benefits include free choice of cabin, a Rail&Fly ticket valid throughout Germany for travel by train and two bottles of mineral water onboard daily.

Of note, AIDA did not announce plans to offer itineraries in the Middle East and the Arabian Gulf in 2027-28.

Earlier this year, the company decided to cancel all of its sailings in the region scheduled for 2025-26 due to security concerns.

MSC Grandiosa Completes Drydock Ahead of Winter Season in Brazil

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The MSC Grandiosa recently set sail from the Palumbo Shipyard Malta after spending three weeks in drydock at the facility.

Set to spend the upcoming winter season in South America, the ship arrived in Genoa, Italy, to kick off a repositioning cruise on Nov. 16, 2024.

Following visits to destinations in France, Spain and Portugal, the trans-Atlantic crossing is set to end at the Brazilian port of Santos in early December.

Among the ports of call set to be visited by the Grandiosa during the 21-night itinerary are Barcelona in Spain’s Catalonia region and Funchal on Portugal’s Madeira Island.

Upon arriving in Santos, the 2019-built vessel is poised to kick off a five-month deployment that features a series of seven-night cruises to Brazilian destinations.

Set to be offered through early April, the ship’s regular itinerary includes visits to Búzios, Santos, Maceió and Salvador.

Except for Búzios, passengers can start the cruise, which also features three days at sea, at any of the ports of call.

Leading a six-ship winter season in the region, the MSC Grandiosa is the largest ship ever to sail in South America.

Before starting its repositioning cruise, the 4,888-guest ship underwent routine maintenance and class work as part of its three-week drydock in Valletta.

The work also included technical updates, as well as the upkeep of public areas and staterooms with the replacement of tiles, carpets, upholstery and more.

After completing its winter season in Brazil, the 177,100-ton vessel is set to kick off a summer deployment in the Western Mediterranean in late April 2025.

The ship continues to operate week-long cruises to Italy, Spain and France through late December, when it’s set to embark on a repositioning cruise to the United States.

Debuting in the country, the MSC Grandiosa offers cruises to the Bahamas and the Caribbean from Port Canaveral during the 2025-26 winter season.

Silversea Opens Pre-Sale on Winter 2025-26 Sailings

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Silversea has opened an exclusive pre-sale on its winter 2025-26 winter season, with over 150 new sailings to more than 200 destinations.

Departing between September 2025 and April 2026, also include nine maiden calls and two new grand voyages.

 “Broadening the most diverse and immersive destination offering in ultra-luxury cruise travel, we are pleased to open this exclusive pre-sale on over 150 new voyages for winter 2025-26,” said Barbara Muckermann, president of Silversea. “We are continuing to innovate for our guests’ enjoyment. Complementing opportunities for deep travel to iconic destinations with new calls to remote shores, the varied range of experiences offered with our latest voyage collection is simply unmatched. Our well-traveled guests will find inspiration, self-enrichment, and memories that will last a lifetime as they journey to the ends of the earth in Silversea’s trademark level of comfort.”  

Highlights of Silversea’s winter 2025-26 voyage collection include:

  • The 75-day Grand South Pacific Expedition 2025 sailing from August 20-November 2, 2025, from Fremantle (Perth) to Valparaiso;
  • The 47-day Grand Australia 2025 voyage sailing roundtrip from Melbourne from October 14-November 30, 2025;
  • 17 new voyages in Australia aboard the Silver Nova and Silver Moon:
  • The brand’s first-ever circumnavigation of Australia onboard the Silver Nova;
  • Maiden calls in Robe, on Australia’s Limestone Coast, and North Port, Marsden Point, in New Zealand;
  • 38 expeditions to Antarctica onboard three ships;
  • 43 sailings in the Caribbean and Central America
  • 25 voyages aboard the Silver Origin in the Galapagos with two seven-day holiday sailings;
  • Seven voyages to South America, including three scenic cruises to Antarctica aboard the Silver Whisper;
  • Six voyages to Africa and the Indian Ocean, including safari opportunities in South Africa.