AIDA Cruises to refurbish all seven oldest ships as part of AIDA Evolution refit project

AIDA Cruises has confirmed its intention to refurbish all seven of its Sphinx class ships, the oldest group of vessels in the fleet, as part of the ongoing AIDA Evolution refit programme.

In an interview with the Hamburger Abendblatt, Felix Eichhorn, CEO of AIDA Cruises, confirmed that all seven ships would be upgraded by 2028.

The first ship to undergo a refit as part of the AIDA Evolution program was the AIDAdiva, which emerged from a seven-week drydock last March.

“We have a clear program until 2028,” said Eichhorn. “AIDAluna will follow this fall, followed by AIDAbella in early 2026. After that, it’s the turn of the remaining four.” 

Eichhorn’s comments come amid parent company Carnival Corporation’s ongoing fleet revitalisation and optimisation project, which began in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, and has seen many of the group’s older vessels sold out of service or scrapped.

Eichhorn said that the size and features of the ships, which entered service between 2007 and 2013, make them a valuable addition to the fleet, providing flexibility in terms of itineraries, while also remaining popular with guests.

“They can be used very flexibly – and we continue to see strong demand for ships with around 1,000 cabins. Therefore, these are now gradually being brought up to date, both technically and conceptually,” he said.

AIDAdiva’s upgrades, which included the creation of new suites, as well as the addition of a series of new public areas and venues, are expected to be mirrored aboard the other Sphinx class vessels.

“All cabins have been renovated, new restaurant concepts such as the French Kiss and the new Lanai outdoor bar have been introduced and the spa area has been upgraded,” Eichhorn said, adding that the investment has paid off in terms of record guest satisfaction.

After debuting its new features in Northern Europe this summer, the newly upgraded AIDAdiva is set to embark on AIDA Cruises’ 2025-26 world cruise from Hamburg in early November, visiting a wide range of destinations in North America, the Caribbean, Asia, the Indian Ocean and Africa.

AIDA Cruises Sphinx Class includes AIDAdiva, AIDAluna, AIDAbella, AIDAblu, AIDAsol, AIDAmar and AIDAstella.