AIDA Cruises

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

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 13 ships, with one additional ship on order.

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] The Seetours cruise business, that had been acquired by P&O, 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/SeereedereiRostock 1974—1990/1993
Deutsche Seereederei Touristik & Seetours 1994—1997
Arkona Touristik 1998—1999
AIDA Cruises 1999—present

Fleet[]

Current fleet[]

Ship Class Built Builder Entered Service for AIDA Gross Tonnage Flag Notes Image
AIDAvita 2002 Aker MTW 2002 – present 42,289 tons  Italy AIDAvita at Pier 25 in Tallinn 18 September 2016.jpg
AIDAaura 2003 Aker MTW 2003 – present 42,289 tons  Italy Malta-Aida.JPG
AIDAdiva Sphinx 2007 Meyer Werft 2007 – present 69,203 tons  Italy AIDAdiva in Kiel.jpg
AIDAbella Sphinx 2008 Meyer Werft 2008 – present 69,203 tons  Italy Hamburg Cruise Center Steinwerder 09 (cropped).JPG
AIDAluna Sphinx 2009 Meyer Werft 2009 – present 69,203 tons  Italy AIDAluna 06.jpg
AIDAblu Sphinx 2010 Meyer Werft 2010 – present 71,304 tons  Italy The name was used for a former AIDA ship from 2004 to 2007. Hamburg Cruise Center Steinwerder 09 (cropped).JPG
AIDAsol Sphinx 2011 Meyer Werft 2011 – present 71,304 tons  Italy AIDAsol in Warnemünde.jpg
AIDAmar Sphinx 2012 Meyer Werft 2012 – present 71,304 tons  Italy AIDAmar at Pier 24 in Port of Tallinn 17 August 2015.JPG
AIDAstella Sphinx 2013 Meyer Werft 2013 – present 71,304 tons  Italy AIDAstella, 6.jpg
AIDAprima Hyperion 2016 Mitsubishi 2016 – present 125,572 tons  Italy Delivered on 14 March 2016[19] and began operating on 25 April [20] (Flagship of AIDA) AIDAprima 2016-04a.jpg
AIDAperla Hyperion 2017 Mitsubishi 2017 – present 125,572 tons  Italy Delivered on 27 April 2017[21] and began operating on 28 May AIDAperla (39028672710).jpg
AIDAnova Excellence 2018 Meyer Werft 2018 – present 183,858 tons  Italy Largest ship ever built and operating for AIDA

Delivered on 12 December 2018[22] and performed inaugural cruise on 19 December 2018[22]

At Playa de Las Teresitas, Tenerife 2021 010 (cropped).jpg
AIDAmira Mistral 1999 Chantiers de l'Atlantique 2019 – present 48,200 tons  Italy Transferred from Costa Cruises and formerly sailed as Costa neoRiviera; debuted on 4 December 2019[23] At Playa de Las Teresitas, Tenerife 2021 018 (cropped).jpg

Future fleet[]

Ship Scheduled delivery date Builder Gross Tonnage Planned flag Notes Image
AIDAcosma December 2021 Meyer Werft 183,858 tons  Italy Steel cutting ceremony 15 August 2019[24]

Former fleet[]

As Deutsche Seereederei/DSR/Arkona Touristik[]

Ship Built In service
for Deutsche Seereederei		 Gross Tonnage Flag Notes Image
Völkerfreundschaft 1948 1960–1985 16,144 GRT  East Germany Ex-Stockholm. Later sailed as Volker, Fridtjof Nansen, Italia I, Italia Prima, Valtur Prima, Caribe, Athena, and Azores for various cruise lines. Former Astoria for Cruise & Maritime Voyages. Bundesarchiv Bild 183-71706-0047, MS "Völkerfreundschaft", erste Fahrt.jpg
Arkona 1981 1985–2001 18,853 GRT  East Germany/ Germany Originally operated by HADAG as Astor. Was later sold to Transocean Tours as Astoria in 2002. Sailed as Saga Pearl II with Saga Cruises. MS-Arkona 1989 Ostsee.jpg

As AIDA Cruises[]

Ship Class Built Builder In service
for AIDA Cruises		 Gross Tonnage Flag Notes Image
AIDAblu Crown 1990 Fincantieri 2004–2007 69,845 tons  Italy Before entering AIDA fleet in 2004: Crown Princess and A'Rosa Blu After exiting AIDA fleet in 2007: Ocean Village Two, Pacific Jewel, and Karnika. Scrapped in Alang in 2020. AIDAblu LaPalma (recropped).JPG
AIDAcara 1996 Kvaerner Masa-Yards (Finland) 1996 -2021 38,557 tons  Italy Previously AIDA. Sold in 2021 to a currently unnamed company. 0906 Kreuzfahrt Norwegen 1937.jpg
TBD Excellence 2023 Meyer Werft Never entered service 183,858 tons  Italy Ordered on 27 February 2018 with Meyer Werft[25] Ship transferred to Carnival Cruise Line during construction. [26]

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b c 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. ^ Jump up to: a b 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. ^ Jump up to: a b 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. ^ Jump up to: a b "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. ^ Jump up to: a b "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.
  26. ^ "Carnival Cruise Line To Grow Fleet By Two Additional Ships by 2023 – Carnival Cruise Line News". Carnival Cruise Line. Retrieved 23 June 2021.

External links[]


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