AIDA Cruises
Encyclopedia
AIDA Cruises is a British
-American
owned German
cruise line
based in Rostock
, Germany
.
Originally founded as Deutsche Seereederei with a ship called Völkerfreundschaft
("Friendship Between Peoples"), the company entered the cruise industry in the 1960s and was later acquired by P&O Princess Cruises PLC
in 2000. In 2003, P&O Princess merged with Carnival Corporation, to form Carnival Corporation & PLC
, the worlds largest cruise holiday company. Following the merger, executive control of AIDA Cruises transferred to Costa Cruises Group
, one of the main operating companies of the Carnival Group, with responsibility for the groups European brands.
AIDA Cruises is now one of eleven brands operated by the Carnival Group accounting for 6.5% of its share of revenue and has its own executive team, led by company President Michael Thamm. AIDA ships cater to the German-speaking market and are renowned for their youthful style and casual service. As seagoing "club resorts", AIDA ships have many on-board amenities and facilities that attract younger, more active vacationers.
for P&O Cruises Australia
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
-American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
owned German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
cruise line
Cruise line
A cruise line is a company that operates cruise ships. Cruise lines have a dual character; they are partly in the transportation business, and partly in the leisure entertainment business, a duality that carries down into the ships themselves, which have both a crew headed by the ship's captain,...
based in Rostock
Rostock
Rostock -Early history:In the 11th century Polabian Slavs founded a settlement at the Warnow river called Roztoc ; the name Rostock is derived from that designation. The Danish king Valdemar I set the town aflame in 1161.Afterwards the place was settled by German traders...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
.
Originally founded as Deutsche Seereederei with a ship called Völkerfreundschaft
MS Athena
MS Athena is a cruise ship owned and operated by Classic International Cruises. She was built in 1948 as the MS Stockholm by Götaverken in Gothenburg for the Swedish America Line...
("Friendship Between Peoples"), the company entered the cruise industry in the 1960s and was later acquired by P&O Princess Cruises PLC
P&O Princess Cruises PLC
P&O Princess Cruises plc was a shipping company that existed between 2000 and 2003, operating the P&O Cruises, Princess Cruises, P&O Cruises Australia, A'Rosa Cruises, AIDA Cruises and Ocean Village branded cruise lines...
in 2000. In 2003, P&O Princess merged with Carnival Corporation, to form Carnival Corporation & PLC
Carnival Corporation & plc
Carnival Corporation & plc , is a American-British Company, and the world's largest cruise ship operator. It is a dual listed company, with headquarters at Carnival Place in the Miami suburb of Doral, Florida, USA, and at Carnival House in Southampton, England, UK...
, the worlds largest cruise holiday company. Following the merger, executive control of AIDA Cruises transferred to Costa Cruises Group
Costa Cruises
Costa Cruises is a British-American owned Italian cruise line, based in Genoa, Italy.Founded in 1924, the company originally operated cargo ships, until the introduction of passenger services in 1947, with regular services between Italy and South America...
, one of the main operating companies of the Carnival Group, with responsibility for the groups European brands.
AIDA Cruises is now one of eleven brands operated by the Carnival Group accounting for 6.5% of its share of revenue and has its own executive team, led by company President Michael Thamm. AIDA ships cater to the German-speaking market and are renowned for their youthful style and casual service. As seagoing "club resorts", AIDA ships have many on-board amenities and facilities that attract younger, more active vacationers.
Current fleet
| Ship | Built | Builder | Entered Service for AIDA | Gross Tonnage Gross tonnage Gross tonnage is a unitless index related to a ship's overall internal volume. Gross tonnage is different from gross register tonnage... |
Flag | Notes | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AIDAcara AIDAcara AIDAcara is the first cruise ship in the fleet of German cruise company AIDA Cruises.-History:... |
1996 | Aker MTW | 1996Present | 42,289 tons |  Italy |
AIDAvita AIDAvita AIDAvita is the second ship in AIDA Cruises' fleet. AIDAvita was built in 2002 by the German shipyard Aker MTW in Wismar. She is identical to AIDAaura.-External links:* *... |
2002 | Aker MTW | 2002Present | 42,289 tons | Italy |
AIDAaura AIDAaura AIDAaura is the third ship operated by the German cruise line AIDA Cruises. AIDAaura was built in 2003 by the German shipyard Aker MTW in Wismar. She is identical to AIDAvita.-External links:* *... |
2003 | Aker MTW | 2003Present | 42,289 tons | Italy |
|
| AIDAdiva AIDAdiva AIDAdiva is a cruise ship operated by the German cruise line AIDA Cruises. The ship was built at Meyer Werft in Papenburg, Germany.-External links:*... |
2007 | Meyer Werft Meyer Werft The Meyer Werft is one of the remaining large German shipyards, headquartered in Papenburg. Since 1997, it has been part of the Meyer Neptun Group together with Neptun Werft in Rostock.-History:... |
2007Present | 69,203 tons | Italy |
|||||||||||||
| AIDAbella AIDAbella AIDAbella is a cruise ship operated by AIDA Cruises. Built at Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg, Germany, she is a sister ship to AIDAdiva and AIDAluna. The ship has a passenger capacity of over 2,050. The name AIDAbella was chosen after a competition to name the new ship... |
2008 | Meyer Werft | 2008Present | 69,203 tons | Italy |
|||||||||||||
| AIDAluna | 2009 | Meyer Werft | 2009Present | 69,203 tons | Italy |
|||||||||||||
| AIDAblu AIDAblu Pacific Jewel is a cruise ship currently operated by P&O Cruises Australia, and operating from Sydney, Australia. Built by Fincantieri and launched in 1989 for Sitmar Cruises, ownership of the vessel was transferred to P&O Princess Cruises PLC after P&O acquired Sitmar... |
2010 | Meyer Werft | 2010Present | 71,300 tons | Italy |
|||||||||||||
| AIDAsol AIDAsol AIDAsol is a Sphinx class cruise ship, built at Meyer Werft for AIDA Cruises. She is the fifth Sphinx series ship, preceded by sisters AIDAdiva, AIDAbella, AIDAluna and AIDAblu. AIDAsol is scheduled for delivery in Spring 2011... |
2011 | Meyer Werft | 2011Present | 71,300 tons | Italy |
Under construction
| Ship | Delivery | Builder | Gross Tonnage | Planned flag | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AIDAmar | 12 May 2012 | Meyer Werft | 71,300 tons | Italy |
Future ships
| Ship | Delivery | Builder | Gross Tonnage | Planned flag | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name Unknown | Spring 2013 | Meyer Werft | 71,300 tons | Italy |
|
| Name Unknown | Spring 2015 | Mitsubishi Mitsubishi The Mitsubishi Group , Mitsubishi Group of Companies, or Mitsubishi Companies is a Japanese multinational conglomerate company that consists of a range of autonomous businesses which share the Mitsubishi brand, trademark and legacy... |
125,000 tons | Italy |
AIDA's largest ship ever |
| Name Unknown | Spring 2016 | Mitsubishi | 125,000 tons | Italy |
Former fleet
- AIDAblu (2003-2007) - Since 2007-2009 became the Ocean Village 2 for Ocean Village - Since 2009 became the Pacific Jewel
for P&O Cruises Australia
P&O Cruises Australia
P&O Cruises Australia is a British-American owned cruise line with corporate headquarters at Carnival House in Southampton, England and operational headquarters in North Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...