AIDA Cruises

AIDA Cruises is a German cruise line founded in the early 1960s and organized as a wholly owned subsidiary of Carnival Corporation & plc since 2003.[1][2] Based in Rostock, Germany, AIDA Cruises caters primarily to the German-speaking market; as seagoing "club resorts", AIDA ships have on-board amenities and facilities designed to attract younger, more active vacationers.[3] As of December 2019, the cruise line operates 14 ships, with two additional ships on order.

AIDA Cruises
TypePublic
IndustryTransportation
Founded1960
HeadquartersRostock, Germany
ProductsCruises
Websitehttp://www.aida.de/

History

The company was founded as Deutsche Seereederei (German Shipping Company) with a ship called Völkerfreundschaft ("Peoples' Friendship"), and entered the cruise industry in the 1960s.[1] After the reunification of Germany in the early 1990s Deutsche Seereederei was privatised and became DSR. DSR acquired Seetours of Bremen and cruises were marketed under the Seetours brand.[1] On 1 January 1998, DSR split their operations into cargo and tourism, with a new company Arkona Touristik taking over the cruise business.[4] Then during 2000 a company was formed, known as AIDA Cruises; with P&O Cruises acquiring a 51% stake in the new organisation, and Arkona Touristik retaining the other 49%.[5]

As subsidiary of Carnival Corporation & plc

In 2001, P&O Princess Cruises acquired the remaining 49% interest in AIDA and the cruise business associated with Seetours International.[6] In 2003, P&O Princess merged with Carnival Corporation, to form Carnival Corporation & plc, the world's largest cruise holiday company.[2] Seetours was rebranded as AIDA Cruises in 2004.[7]

Following the merger, executive control of AIDA Cruises was transferred to Costa Cruises Group, one of the main operating companies of Carnival Corporation & plc, with responsibility for the group's European brands.[7][8] AIDA Cruises is now one of ten brands owned by Carnival Corporation & plc, based at Miami, Florida, accounting for 6.5% of its share of revenue[9] and has been led by President Felix Eichhorn since 1 September 2015.[10]

In October 2017, AIDAcara departed from Hamburg on the company's first World Cruise. After a 116-day sailing, the ship returned to Hamburg on 10 February 2018.[11] The ship visited Southampton, Lisbon, Madeira, Rio de Janeiro, Ushuaia, Easter Island, Tahiti, Singapore, and the Maldives, among other destinations.[12] On 8 October 2018 AIDAaura left Hamburg on the company's second World Cruise, the 117-day voyage visited 41 ports in 20 countries on four continents.[13] Several of the destinations were new to the company, including South Africa, Namibia, Melbourne, Tasmania, Fiji, Samoa and New Caledonia.[14]

In December 2018, AIDA debuted AIDAnova, the first cruise ship to be fully powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG).[15] Earlier, in May 2016, AIDAprima and AIDAsol had become the first two ships in the AIDA fleet to be simultaneously powered by LNG.[16] In August 2019, AIDA signed an agreement with Corvus Energy to install battery storage systems for the electrification of their ships.[17] In October 2019, AIDA announced that it would test a new fuel-cell technology for large-scale cruise ships aboard the AIDAnova as early as 2021.[18]

History of AIDA Cruises[4]
Company name Dates
VEB Deutsche Seereederei Rostock (DSR)1952—1974
VEB Deutfracht/SeereedereiRostock1974—1990/1993
Deutsche Seereederei Touristik & Seetours1994—1997
ArkonaTouristik1998—1999
AIDA Cruises1999—present

Ships

Current fleet
ShipBuiltBuilderEntered Service for AIDAGross TonnageFlagNotesImage
AIDAcara1996Kvaerner Masa-Yards (Finland)1996 – present38,531 tons ItalyPreviously AIDA
AIDAvita2002Aker MTW2002 – present42,289 tons Italy
AIDAaura2003Aker MTW2003 – present42,289 tons Italy
AIDAdiva2007Meyer Werft2007 – present69,203 tons Italy
AIDAbella2008Meyer Werft2008 – present69,203 tons Italy
AIDAluna2009Meyer Werft2009 – present69,203 tons Italy
AIDAblu2010Meyer Werft2010 – present71,300 tons ItalyThe name was used for a former AIDA ship from 2004 to 2007.
AIDAsol2011Meyer Werft2011 – present71,300 tons Italy
AIDAmar2012Meyer Werft2012 – present71,300 tons Italy
AIDAstella2013Meyer Werft2013 – present71,304 tons Italy
AIDAprima2016Mitsubishi2016 – present125,572 tons ItalyDelivered on 14 March 2016[19] and began operating on 25 April [20] (Flagship of AIDA)
AIDAperla2017Mitsubishi2017 – present125,572 tons ItalyDelivered on 27 April 2017[21] and began operating on 28 May
AIDAnova2018Meyer Werft2018 – present183,858 tons ItalyLargest ship ever built and operating for AIDA

Delivered on 12 December 2018[22] and performed inaugural cruise on 19 December 2018[22]
AIDAmira1999Chantiers de l'Atlantique2019 – present48,200 tons ItalyTransferred from Costa Cruises and formerly sailed as Costa neoRiviera; debuted on 4 December 2019[23]

Future fleet
ShipScheduled delivery dateBuilderGross TonnagePlanned flagNotesImage
AIDAcosmaDecember 2021Meyer Werft183,858 tons ItalySteel cutting ceremony 15 August 2019[24]
TBDOctober 2023Meyer Werft183,858 tons ItalyOrdered on 27 February 2018 with Meyer Werft[25]

Former fleet
ShipBuiltBuilderIn service
for AIDA Cruises		Gross TonnageFlagNotesImage
AIDAblu1990Fincantieri2004–200769,845 tons ItalyBefore entering AIDA fleet in 2004: Crown Princess and A'Rosa Blu

After exiting AIDA fleet in 2007: Ocean Village Two, Pacific Jewel, and Karnika Sold for scrap in 2020.

References
  1. Smith, Peter C. (2014). Cruise Ships: The Small-Scale Fleet. Barnsley, S. Yorkshire: Pen & Sword Books Ltd. p. 160. ISBN 1-7815-9281-0.
  2. Writer, Tom Stieghorst Business. "P&O'S BOARD OKS CARNIVAL MERGER". Sun-Sentinel.com. Retrieved 13 November 2019.
  3. Design 07, ShipPax Information ISSN 1403-3437
  4. Schwerdtner, Nils (2013). "Part 2.8". German Luxury Ocean Liners: From Kaiser Wilhelm Der Grosse to Aidastella. Stroud: Amberley Publishing. ISBN 1-44560-474-4.
  5. "P&O Cruises buys stake in German company". Travel weekly. 2000. Retrieved 2 December 2019.
  6. Alex (29 September 2000). "P&O/Priness First Half 2000 Earnings". www.cruiseindustrynews.com. Retrieved 13 November 2019.
  7. "Seetours re-brands as Aida Cruises". FVW. 4 October 2004. Archived from the original on 31 October 2019. Retrieved 7 December 2018.
  8. "Costa Cruises, company profile". Archived from the original on 9 April 2010. Retrieved 13 November 2019.
  9. "2012 World Wide Market Share". Cruise Market Watch. 20 November 2011.
  10. Satchell, Arlene. "Carnival Corp. taps Felix Eichhorn to lead German brand AIDA Cruises". sun-sentinel.com. Retrieved 13 November 2019.
  11. Staff, CIN (12 February 2018). "AIDAcara Returns to Hamburg Following World Cruise". Retrieved 13 February 2018.
  12. Tore, Iuliia. "AIDA's first world cruise launched from Hamburg | Rus Tourism News". www.rustourismnews.com. Retrieved 15 February 2018.
  13. Staff, CIN (21 July 2017). "AIDAaura Set for 2018 World Cruise". Retrieved 15 February 2018.
  14. Kalosh, Anne. "AIDA charts new destinations in second world voyage". Retrieved 2 March 2018.
  15. "Carnival's AIDA Cruises to test fuel cell technology". Ship Technology. 14 October 2019. Retrieved 13 November 2019.
  16. "LNG Powers AIDAprima and AIDAsol in Hamburg". World Maritime News. 15 May 2016.
  17. "AIDA Cruises Plans Fleet Electrification". The Maritime Executive. Retrieved 30 October 2019.
  18. "Carnival's AIDA Cruises Pioneering the Industry's First Fuel-Cell Technology". TravelPulse. Retrieved 30 October 2019.
  19. "AIDAprima Delivered". Cruise Industry News. 14 March 2016.
  20. "AIDAprima in Singapore – Cruise Industry News | Cruise News". www.cruiseindustrynews.com. Retrieved 21 April 2016.
  21. "AIDA Cruises Takes Delivery of AIDAperla". World Maritime News. 27 April 2017.
  22. "AIDAnova Delivered". Cruise Industry News. 12 December 2018.
  23. "AIDAmira Christened". Cruise Industry News. 1 December 2019.
  24. Ebelthite, Shaun (15 August 2019). "AIDA Cruises cuts steel for second LNG-powered mega ship". Cruise Arabia & Africa.
  25. "Carnival orders new LNG liner for AIDA Cruises". LNG World News. 27 February 2018.


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