AIDA Cruises, the Carnival Corporation brand that caters to the German market, confirmed the dry dock dates for two more Sphinx-class ships, which will undergo major refits as part of the line’s AIDA Evolution program.
AIDALuna’s dry dock period is set for October 22, 2025, to December 10, 2025, while AIDAbella will enter the dry dock for her renovation from January 21, 2026, to March 11, 2026.Â
The cruise line introduced its AIDA Evolution project in February 2024, when it announced that AIDAdiva would be the first in the class to receive a revamp, from February 3, 2025 to March 22, 2025.
All three ships were built by the Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg, Germany, and will be refitted at the Chantier Naval shipyard in Marseille, France.
AIDAdiva and AIDAbella both entered service in 2007, while AIDAluna debuted in 2009. AIDAbella is the largest of the three, accommodating 2,500 guests, while AIDAdiva and AIDAluna each have capacity for 2,100.
The line in May 2024 detailed more about the refits of each ship, including new interior designs in staterooms and public areas, and the creation of more suites on each vessel. Guests booking suites will have access to new exclusive areas and services, however, the line has not provided specifics yet on what these will be.
The AIDA Evolution upgrades align with the company’s goal to cut its carbon footprint by 20% by 2026, through reducing fuel consumption, conserving resources, and increasing energy efficiency.
The ships will also receive new culinary offerings, featuring more restaurants and additional service options. Popular signature bars will be added to the ships’ lounge rosters, while the vessels’ theaters will be refurbished, with new seating installed. New activity areas for families and children are also part of the refits, although no details have yet been revealed.
The ships currently offer several dining venues, including the Market Restaurant buffet; the Best Pizza @ Sea specialty restaurant; Rossini; Bella Vista buffet; Alpine Hut specialty venue; Buffalo Steakhouse; and SushiBar.
The Sphinx-class ships also feature the Body and Soul Spa, a fitness center, and several lounges, including Beach Bar, Anytime Bar, and Time Out Bar, Wine Shop, and Pool Bar.
Where the AIDA Cruises Ships Are Sailing Now
AIDAdiva’s summer 2024 schedule has her sailing 7- and 14-day roundtrip voyages from Warnemunde-Rostock, Germany, on cruises with port calls in Scandinavia and the Baltics, such as Riga, Latvia; Tallinn, Estonia; Helsinki, Finland; Stockholm, Sweden; and Eidfjord, Vik, Maly, and Bergen, Norway.
The ship in November 2024 will reposition to Palma de Mallorca for a winter series of 9- and 12-day sailings to destinations in Portugal, the Canary Islands, and Spain. Following her dry dock, AIDAdiva in April 2024 is slated to return to Warnemunde-Rostock for 6-, 7-, and 14-day cruises to Scandinavia and the Baltics.
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AIDAluna is currently based in Hamburg, Germany, sailing a 19-day voyage to ports in Scotland, Iceland, and Norway. She will continue with lengthy Northern Europe cruises from Hamburg until September 2024, when her homeport will switch to Kiel for shorter sailings to Denmark and Norway.
In November 2024, AIDAluna repositions to La Romana, Dominican Republic, where she will sail 14-day Caribbean cruises between La Romana, Montego Bay, Jamaica, and Fort de France, Martinique, through March.
AIDAbella is based in Kiel, Germany, during the summer of 2024, sailing 14-day voyages to Scotland, Iceland, and Denmark. In October, the ship will sail to La Romana and, like AIDAluna, will sail 14-day cruises between that port and Montego Bay and Fort de France.
Each of the ships’ seven-week-long dry docks will force the cancellation of some cruises. AIDA Cruises has not yet revealed dry dock plans for its four additional Sphinx-class ships, AIDAblu, AIDAsol, AIDAmar, and AIDAstella.
