AIDA releases itineraries replacing cancelled AIDAperla Middle East 2027/28 season

AIDA Cruises has revealed its replacement winter programme after cancelling its 2027/28 Middle East season.

The cruise line will expand sailings from Germany, with AIDAperla offering a new series of Baltic, Norwegian and Canary Islands cruises from Kiel during the 2027/28 winter season.

The announcement provides the first detailed look at the itineraries replacing the Middle East programme that AIDA withdrew last month, when it cited uncertainty in the Arabian Gulf region amid the ongoing US-Iran conflict.

As previously reported by Cruise Arabia & Africa, AIDA cancelled its planned Gulf deployment more than a year before the season was due to begin, saying it could not reliably assess conditions in the region and wanted to provide planning certainty for guests and travel partners.

The revised deployment will see AIDAperla sail from Kiel between November 2027 and May 2028, offering cruises ranging from three to 11 nights to destinations across Northern Europe.

Itineraries will include calls at Copenhagen, Riga, Tallinn, Helsinki, and Stockholm, while a series of Norwegian cruises will visit destinations along the country’s coastline.

During the festive period, AIDAperla will operate a Christmas cruise departing on December 23rd, 2027, calling at Copenhagen, Kristiansand, and Aarhus before a New Year voyage that includes New Year’s Eve in Oslo.

The Norwegian capital will also feature prominently later in the season, with the ship scheduled to remain alongside for several days during two cruises timed to coincide with the Biathlon World Cup Finals at Holmenkollen in March 2028.

Another seasonal highlight will see AIDAperla sail through Norway’s Hardangerfjord, with a call at Eidfjord.

For guests seeking warmer weather without flying, the cruise line will also introduce a 24-night Grand Winter Break Canary Islands voyage.

Departing Kiel in January 2028, the itinerary combines calls in the Canary Islands with visits to Madeira, Lisbon, and ports in northern Spain. The sailing will also be available as one-way segments between Kiel and Tenerife.

The deployment forms part of a broader expansion of AIDA’s winter programme from Germany.

Alongside AIDAperla in Kiel, AIDAnova will continue operating seven-night cruises from Hamburg to southern Norway and cities along Europe’s Atlantic coast, allowing passengers to begin their holidays directly from German ports.

The announcement follows AIDA’s decision to withdraw from the Middle East for a second consecutive winter season.

The cruise line had previously planned to deploy ships in the Arabian Gulf during both the 2026/27 and 2027/28 winters before reassigning them to European itineraries.

The move came amid continued uncertainty surrounding the region following the March 2026 conflict between the United States and Iran.

Several international cruise operators have revised Middle East deployments in recent years as they continue to monitor the security situation around the Strait of Hormuz.