AIDAcosma kicks off Dubai Harbour cruise season a week after TUI from Port Rashid

Dubai’s new seafront district Dubai Harbour has received its first cruise ship of the 2022/23 Arabian Gulf cruise season with the arrival of AIDAcosma.

AIDAcosma is a German mega ship for AIDA Cruises, carrying more than 5,500 passengers, and at 180,000-gross tons is one of the largest cruise ships to homeport in the region.

Although AIDAcosma is the first cruise ship to arrive at Dubai Harbour, she is not the first ship of the season for Dubai, as Mein Schiff 6 of TUI Cruises arrived at Port Rashid last week.

Like MSC World Europa, AIDAcosma is homeporting in Dubai for her maiden cruise season, and will sail roundtrip 7-day cruises from the city to ports in the UAE and Oman.

Dubai Harbour Cruise Terminal officials marked the occasion with a plaque exchange with the ships captain, a maritime tradition, to commemorate its maiden call.

AIDAcosma will contribute to the more than 300,000 cruise tourists that are expected to visit Dubai through Dubai Harbour during the current cruise season, making up a significant portion of the more than 800,000 expected in the city as a whole.

AIDAcosma features a range of exciting experiences and amenities including a Fun Park, children’s pool, water slide, an outdoor sports deck, and 17 restaurants and 23 lounges, serving a wide variety of cuisines from around the world.

“We are excited to return to Dubai Harbour – this time round with the maiden call of our youngest fleet member AIDAcosma,” said Alexander Ewig, Senior Vice President Marketing & Sales at AIDA Cruises.

“Through AIDAcosma, we are continuing on our path to green cruising and are elated to be collaborating with Dubai Harbour to do so,” he added. “We are sure our guests will have a great time, as they set sail on a tour of the region this winter 2022/2023, specifically at Dubai Harbour with its line-up of entertaining events and activities, alongside the magnificent Dubai skyline.”

The cruise terminals, which are part of the Dubai Harbour development, showcase the Dubai JBR skyline to guests and offer a wide array of amenities and services for passengers and crew – from ample seating areas to washrooms, currency exchange outlets, ATMs, Emirates Airline Check-in facility, cafes, retail outlets, Duty-Free, dedicated parking, taxi stands and more.

All facilities are wheelchair accessible and complimentary WIFI is enabled for passengers and crew to stay connected.

The wider Dubai Harbour is home to a wide range of upscale living, retail and hospitality experiences that combine to form a vibrant maritime lifestyle offering. The area is also within easy reach of the city’s key landmarks – including the Burj Al Arab, Ain Dubai, Bluewaters Island, and Palm Jumeirah.

As part of the Carnival Corporation group, AIDA Cruises has exclusively access to Dubai Harbour alongside Costa Cruises. The Dubai Harbour Cruise Terminal was built in partnership by Shamal Holdings and Carnival Corporation to be the cruise company’s regional base of operations.

The Dubai Harbour Cruise Terminal comprises two terminal buildings that offer passengers and crew a safe, comfortable, and seamless experience.

Designed to process over 3,250 passengers per hour, the highly efficient and modern terminals are located on a 910-metre pier, and can accommodate two mega cruise ships simultaneously.

All other cruise lines visiting Dubai and cruising from the city continue to use Port Rashid, which is home to the Dubai Cruise Terminal, one of the largest cruise infrastructure projects in the world.