AIDA Cruises confirms AIDAnova for Dubai 2021/22 cruise season

Just days after it appeared to drop its 2021/22 Dubai cruise season for AIDAcosma, AIDA Cruises has confirmed that it will instead be deploying her sister ship AIDAnova in the region.

AIDAnova, which at the time of her launch in 2018 was the world’s first LNG-fueled cruise ship, will homeport in Dubai, cruising roundtrip from the city on 7-day voyages in the Arabian Gulf.

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AIDAnova will depart Palma de Mallorca on November 5th, 2021 or her respositioning cruise to Dubai and Abu Dhabi, and will remain in the Middle East cruise market until April 7th, 2022, when she will sail for Hamburg, Germany.

The announcement means that there will be five cruise ships homeporting in Dubai for the coming cruise season. AIDAnova will join MSC Virtuosa, MSC Opera, Mein Schiff 6, and Costa Firenze, all of which will be sailing week-long roundtrip cruises from Dubai.

AIDA Cruises has not confirmed exact itineraries for AIDAnova yet, but they are likely to feature Abu Dhabi, Muscat, Doha, Khasab and Sir Bani Yas Island.

AIDAnova features exciting new features for AIDA Cruises, such as the Beach Club, the Theatrium with its 360-degree stage, TV studio and the lavish Body & Soul Organic Spa.

At 183,000-gross tons and carrying a maximum of 6,654 passengers, she is slightly larger than MSC Virtuosa, making her the largest cruise ship ever to homeport in Dubai, and the largest ever to spend an entire cruise season in the Arabian Gulf.

According to a press release, guests will have extensive options for dining and entertainment with 17 restaurants and 23 bars.

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The ship also features a rock-climbing wall, a waterpark with a double water slide and a spacious pool deck at the stern, which extends across the entire width of the ship and is home to a large infinity pool.

The announcement of AIDAnova’s winter cruise season was accompanied by the news that her sister ship, the newer AIDAcosma (which was previously scheduled to cruise from Dubai) will instead cruise roundtrip from the Canary Islands on one-week cruises.

Before the Canary Islands season starts, AIDA Cruises will offer a special voyage over Christmas and New Year’s Eve, with the AIDAcosma embarking on December 22nd, 2021, on a unique repositioning cruise from Hamburg to Gran Canaria.

AIDAcosma will homeport in Gran Canaria from January 5th, 2022, until Aprril 9th, 2022. Then on April 13th, 2022, she’ll depart for the Mediterranean, where she’ll sail seven-day cruises to popular Mediterranean destinations from Palma de Mallorca or Barcelona.