AIDA Cruises will be the first of Carnival Corporation’s nine cruise lines to resume cruises when the cruise line restarts in early August.
Following an industry-wide pause in operations in mid-March, three of its cruise ships will restart sailing next month. AIDAperla will be the first to set sail on August 5 from Hamburg, followed by AIDAmar from Rostock-Warnemünde on August 12 and AIDAblu from Kiel on August 16. Bookings start today, July 9.
The first cruises will take place with an adjusted passenger capacity and without calling at another port. AIDA guests can look forward to a versatile vacation program on board with the usual five-star service for guests, with the implementation of necessary hygiene standards and rules for avoiding contact and keeping distance.
Supported by the theme – “With certainty the most beautiful vacation” – AIDA Cruises has worked with several global and national health authorities to develop a comprehensive set of health and hygiene protocols to help facilitate a safe, healthy and phased-in return to cruise vacations. The cruise line will provide extensive information about the enhanced protocols and procedures it will implement against COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus.
Starting with the booking process through individual travel preparation, embarking and disembarking in port, and medical care on board, AIDA Cruises has introduced a variety of preventive measures to complement existing health and hygiene standards.
These measures range from the digital health questionnaire prior to the cruise, to temperature measurements before check-in for guests and crew, to physical distancing guidelines and routing systems on arrival and departure and on board, to closely managing capacities at venues such as restaurants, bars, theatres, sports and wellness areas.
The enhanced protocols are supplemented by additional hygiene and safety measures, such as increased cleaning and disinfection measures, which take place in all cabins and public areas according to a defined protocol, as well as additional disinfection dispensers at check-in and on board.
Onboard medical care for all guests and crew is available around the clock. The cruise ships are equipped with PCR-test-kits and diagnostic devices for the immediate evaluation of suspected COVID-19 cases, and the medical team on board is trained in the relevant test procedures and treatment methods.
Together with the responsible authorities, extensive processes have been developed to facilitate medical care, safe disembarkation, and a safe return home as quickly as possible for patients diagnosed with a confirmed COVID-19 case.
The comprehensive health concept and the measures taken to manage suspected and confirmed COVID-19 cases have been developed with medical experts and are based in part on the current guidance from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the German Robert Koch Institute (RKI) as well as other governmental and health authorities. Additionally, the renowned independent testing company SGS Institut Fresenius will check the implementation of the comprehensive hygiene standards and the processes of preventive measures against COVID-19.
AIDA Cruises is already working intensively on the next steps. Depending on the opening of further European ports for cruise ships, the first foreign destinations could be integrated into the itinerary.
In a third phase, the gradual return to the original itinerary will be possible, naturally taking into account current developments in the destinations and in compliance with the respective international and national regulations of health and hygiene authorities and AIDA’s own high standards.
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