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AIDA Cruises

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AIDA Cruises is a German cruise line founded in the early 1960s and organized as a wholly owned subsidiary of Costa Crociere S.p.A.,[1] which in turn belongs to Carnival Corporation & plc. Based in Rostock, Germany,[1] 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.[2] As of September 2023, the cruise line operates 11 ships.

AIDA Cruises
Company typePublic
IndustryTourism
Founded1960
HeadquartersRostock, Germany
ProductsCruises
ParentCosta Crociere S.p.A.
(of Carnival Corporation & plc)
Websiteaida.de

AIDA Cruises has been Carnival-owned since 2003.[3][4]

History

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The company was founded in 1952 as VEB Deutsche Seereederei Rostock (German Shipping Company Rostock) as the German Democratic Republic's state-owned shipping company, based at Rostock, and became VEB Deutfracht/Seereederei Rostock in 1973.[5] It began its passenger operations with Völkerfreundschaft ("Peoples' Friendship"), in the 1960s.[3] After the reunification of Germany in the early 1990s Deutfracht/Seereederei Rostock was privatised and became Deutsche Seereederei Rostock GmbH.[5] DSR acquired Seetours of Bremen and cruises were marketed under the Seetours brand.[3] On 1 January 1998, DSR split their operations into cargo and tourism, with a new company Arkona Touristik taking over the cruise business.[6] 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%.[7]

As subsidiary of Carnival Corporation & plc

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In 2001, P&O Princess Cruises acquired the remaining 49% interest in AIDA and the cruise business associated with Seetours International.[8] In 2003, P&O Princess merged with Carnival Corporation, to form Carnival Corporation & plc, the world's largest cruise holiday company.[4] The Seetours cruise business, that had been acquired by P&O, was rebranded as AIDA Cruises in 2004.[9]

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.[9][10] 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[11] and has been led by President Felix Eichhorn since 1 September 2015.[12]

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.[13] The ship visited Southampton, Lisbon, Madeira, Rio de Janeiro, Ushuaia, Easter Island, Tahiti, Singapore, and the Maldives, among other destinations.[14] 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.[15] Several of the destinations were new to the company, including South Africa, Namibia, Melbourne, Tasmania, Fiji, Samoa and New Caledonia.[16]

In December 2018, AIDA debuted AIDAnova, the first cruise ship to be fully powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG).[17] Earlier, in May 2016, AIDAprima and AIDAsol had become the first two ships in the AIDA fleet to be simultaneously powered by LNG.[18] In August 2019, AIDA signed an agreement with Corvus Energy to install battery storage systems for the electrification of their ships.[19] 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.[20]

History of AIDA Cruises[6]
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

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Current fleet

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Ship Built Builder Entered Service for AIDA Pax[21] Gross Tonnage Flag Notes Image
Sphinx Class
AIDAdiva 2007 Meyer Werft 2007 – present 2,050 69,203 tons   Italy  
AIDAbella 2008 Meyer Werft 2008 – present 2,050 69,203 tons   Italy  
AIDAluna 2009 Meyer Werft 2009 – present 2,050 69,203 tons   Italy  
Icarus Class
AIDAblu 2010 Meyer Werft 2010 – present 2,192 71,304 tons   Italy The name was used for a former AIDA ship from 2004 to 2007.  
AIDAsol 2011 Meyer Werft 2011 – present 2,192 71,304 tons   Italy  
AIDAmar 2012 Meyer Werft 2012 – present 2,192 71,304 tons   Italy  
AIDAstella 2013 Meyer Werft 2013 – present 2,192 71,304 tons   Italy  
Hyperion Class
AIDAprima 2016 Mitsubishi 2016 – present 3,286 125,572 tons   Italy Delivered on 14 March 2016[22] and began operating on 25 April [23] (Flagship of AIDA)  
AIDAperla 2017 Mitsubishi 2017 – present 3,286 125,572 tons   Italy Delivered on 27 April 2017[24] and began operating on 28 May  
Excellence Class
AIDAnova 2018 Meyer Werft 2018 – present 5,252 183,858 tons   Italy Largest ship ever built and operating for AIDA

Delivered on 12 December 2018[25] and performed inaugural cruise on 19 December 2018[25]

 
AIDAcosma 2021 Meyer Werft 2021 – present 5,464 183,858 tons   Italy Steel cutting ceremony 15 August 2019[26]
Delivered on 21 December 2021		  

Former fleet

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As Deutsche Seereederei/DSR/Arkona Touristik

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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. Laid up as of 2022.  
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. Sold for scrap in 2022.  

As AIDA Cruises

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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.  
AIDAcara 1996 Kvaerner Masa-Yards (Finland) 1996 – 2021 38,557 tons   Italy Previously AIDA. Sold in 2021 to a currently unnamed company, renamed Astoria Grande.  
Unnamed Excellence 2023 Meyer Werft Never entered service 183,858 tons   Italy Ordered on 27 February 2018 with Meyer Werft[27] Ship transferred to Carnival Cruise Line during construction.[28]
AIDAmira Mistral 1999 Chantiers de l'Atlantique 2019 – 2022 48,200 tons   Italy Transferred from Costa Cruises and formerly sailed as Costa neoRiviera. It was sold in 2022 to Ambassador Cruise Line and now operates as Ambition.[29]  
AIDAvita 2002 Aker MTW 2002 – 2023[30] 42,289 tons   Italy Sold, now operating as Blue Dream Melody for Blue Dream Cruises[31]  
AIDAaura 2003 Aker MTW 2003 – 2023 42,289 tons   Italy decommissioned on 21 September 2023, now operating as Celestyal Discovery for Celestyal Cruises[32][33][34]  

References

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  1. ^ a b "Impressum". AIDA Cruises. Retrieved 14 June 2023.
  2. ^ Design 07, ShipPax Information ISSN 1403-3437
  3. ^ a b c Smith, Peter C. (2014). Cruise Ships: The Small-Scale Fleet. Barnsley, S. Yorkshire: Pen & Sword Books Ltd. p. 160. ISBN 978-1-7815-9281-6.
  4. ^ a b Stieghorst, Tom (9 January 2003). "P&O'S Board OKs Carnival Merger". South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Retrieved 13 November 2019.
  5. ^ a b "Meilensteine in der Geschichte der DSR (Milestones in the history of DSR)". Deutfracht/Seereederei DSR (in German). Archived from the original on 10 September 2013. Retrieved 12 February 2023.
  6. ^ a b Schwerdtner, Nils (2013). "Part 2.8". German Luxury Ocean Liners: From Kaiser Wilhelm Der Grosse to Aidastella. Stroud: Amberley Publishing. ISBN 978-1-44560-474-9.
  7. ^ "P&O Cruises buys stake in German company". Travel weekly. 2000. Retrieved 2 December 2019.
  8. ^ Alex (29 September 2000). "P&O/Priness First Half 2000 Earnings". cruiseindustrynews.com. Retrieved 13 November 2019.
  9. ^ a b "Seetours re-brands as Aida Cruises". FVW. 4 October 2004. Archived from the original on 31 October 2019. Retrieved 7 December 2018.
  10. ^ "Costa Cruises, company profile". Archived from the original on 9 April 2010. Retrieved 13 November 2019.
  11. ^ "2012 World Wide Market Share". Cruise Market Watch. 20 November 2011.
  12. ^ Satchell, Arlene (10 August 2015). "Carnival Corp. taps Felix Eichhorn to lead German brand AIDA Cruises". sun-sentinel.com. Retrieved 13 November 2019.
  13. ^ Staff, CIN (12 February 2018). "AIDAcara Returns to Hamburg Following World Cruise". Retrieved 13 February 2018.
  14. ^ Tore, Iuliia (19 October 2017). "AIDA's first world cruise launched from Hamburg | Rus Tourism News". www.rustourismnews.com. Retrieved 15 February 2018.
  15. ^ Staff, CIN (21 July 2017). "AIDAaura Set for 2018 World Cruise". Retrieved 15 February 2018.
  16. ^ Kalosh, Anne. "AIDA charts new destinations in second world voyage". Retrieved 2 March 2018.
  17. ^ "Carnival's AIDA Cruises to test fuel cell technology". Ship Technology. 14 October 2019. Retrieved 13 November 2019.
  18. ^ "LNG Powers AIDAprima and AIDAsol in Hamburg". World Maritime News. 15 May 2016.
  19. ^ "AIDA Cruises Plans Fleet Electrification". The Maritime Executive. Retrieved 30 October 2019.
  20. ^ "Carnival's AIDA Cruises Pioneering the Industry's First Fuel-Cell Technology". TravelPulse. Retrieved 30 October 2019.
  21. ^ "AIDA Cruise Ships". 4 February 2024.
  22. ^ "AIDAprima Delivered". Cruise Industry News. 14 March 2016.
  23. ^ "AIDAprima in Singapore – Cruise Industry News | Cruise News". www.cruiseindustrynews.com. Retrieved 21 April 2016.
  24. ^ "AIDA Cruises Takes Delivery of AIDAperla". World Maritime News. 27 April 2017.
  25. ^ a b "AIDAnova Delivered". Cruise Industry News. 12 December 2018.
  26. ^ Ebelthite, Shaun (15 August 2019). "AIDA Cruises cuts steel for second LNG-powered mega ship". Cruise Arabia & Africa.
  27. ^ "Carnival orders new LNG liner for AIDA Cruises". LNG World News. 27 February 2018.
  28. ^ "Carnival Cruise Line To Grow Fleet By Two Additional Ships by 2023 – Carnival Cruise Line News". Carnival Cruise Line. Retrieved 23 June 2021.
  29. ^ "AIDAmira to Leave Fleet, AIDAsol Joins AIDA Selection Program". 26 January 2022.
  30. ^ "Die "Aidavita" ist jetzt verkauft". 21 March 2023. Retrieved 26 August 2023.
  31. ^ "Η AIDAvita στην κινεζική Blue Dream Cruises". 12 January 2024.
  32. ^ "Dieses Schiff startet zur längsten Reise in der Geschichte der Kreuzfahrt" (in German). 21 September 2023. Retrieved 21 September 2023.
  33. ^ "Das war's: In Bremerhaven endet die letzte Fahrt der "Aidaaura"" (in German). 20 September 2023. Retrieved 21 September 2023.
  34. ^ "Das Ende der "Aidaaura": Kreuzfahrtschiff kommt ein letztes Mal nach Bremerhaven" (in German). 20 September 2023. Retrieved 21 September 2023.
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