Keel-laying for AIDAcosma at Neptun Werft shipyard in Rostock

AIDA’s second LNG cruise ship has been named AIDAcosma and will sail from Kiel to Norway and the Baltic Sea in summer 2021

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AIDAcosma Image: AIDA Cruises

On October 15, 2019, the first building-block for AIDA Cruises’ second LNG-powered cruise ship was put in place at the NeptunWerft shipyard in Rostock. The two trainees, Charleen Hoffmann (AIDA Cruises) and Kenny Schaft (Meyer Werft shipyard) placed the traditional lucky coin beneath the first of a total of 90 blocks.

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Two trainees, Charleen Hoffmann (AIDA Cruises) and Kenny Schaft (Meyer Werft) place a traditional lucky coin under the first block Image: AIDA Cruises

On the occasion of the keel-laying, the name of the new ship and its first routing were announced: the ship will be named AIDAcosma,and will be cruising from Kiel to the Norwegian fjords and the Baltic Sea from summer 2021.

Together with the Managing Director of the Meyer Werft shipyard Tim Meyer and the head of the Neptun Werft shipyard in Rostock Manfred Ossevorth, AIDA President Felix Eichhorn welcomed numerous guests from the worlds of politics and business including Birgit Hesse, President of the Mecklenburg-Western Pomeraniastate parliament, Rostock’s Mayor Claus Ruhe Madsen,and the President of Rostock’s municipal assembly Regine Lück.In his speech Harry Glawe, the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Minister for Economics, Construction and Tourism emphasized the importance of this maritime location on the Warnow, and praised AIDA Cruises for its great commitment.

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Kiellegung_AIDAcosma_Tim_Meyer_Charleen_Hoffmann__Kenny_Schaft___Felix_Eichhorn Image: AIDA Cruises

AIDA President Felix Eichhorn: “With AIDAcosma we are consistently continuing our sustainable growth. The keel-laying of our second LNG-powered cruise ship here in Rostock is also an expression of our company’s economic and innovative power in Rostock and throughout northern Germany.” In 2018 AIDA Cruises alone contributed over 1.6 billion Euros to northern Germany’s economic growth. The company’s economic performance in Rostock alone (exclusive of ship-building) amounted to around 160 million Euros according to a study carried out by Deloitte & Touchein conjunction with the Universities of Hamburg and Genoa. “AIDA stands for some 8,200 direct and indirect jobs with our suppliers here in the north. With our investments in the development and use of sustainable technologies, we are providing key momentum for research and science clusters throughout Germany,” Felix Eichhorn added. By making investments of over two billion Eurosin Germany by 2023 with the construction of AIDAcosma and a third LNG-powered cruise ship, the company will be contributing to further value creation and the creation of secure jobs in ship-building and the maritime supply industry.

With gross tonnage of 183,900and a length of  337 meters, AIDAcosma will have 20 decks, and space for 2,600 staterooms. A new feature on this ship is the Fun Park at the stern of the ship with a children’s pool, a twin water chute and the Water Slide.

For the first time, the outdoor Sport Deck will have a boulder wall. The Pool Deck in the stern extends across the entire width of the ship. The crowning touch is the breathtaking infinity pool. The ship has more spaces in the sun on the three tiered Sun Decks above. Guests will be pampered in culinary terms at 17 restaurants and 23bars. The diverse range of gastronomic choices is being enhanced with a new restaurant: The Beach House Restaurant will be serving deliciously summery and light dishes. The interior, in soft cream and sand shades, conjures up a pure vacation feel. The specialty restaurant Mamma Mia is also new, offering home-made pasta and fresh Italian cuisine with table service.

The many public amenities include the Theatrium, shops, a disco, a gym area, the lavish Body & Soul Organic Spa, and the clubs for tiny tots, kids and teens.

AIDAcosma will begin her maiden season in summer 2021: From May to October she will be sailing from Kiel on two beautiful northern routes. On alternating weeks,the ship will travel to the Norwegian fjords and to some of the most beautiful cities on the Baltic Sea. Depending on the travel date, AIDAcosma will stay overnight in St. Petersburg, Tallinn or Helsinki. Those who wish to secure their places immediately can pre-book a cruise now. Booking officially opens on November 21, 2019.

With the keel-laying for AIDAcosma, the company is continuing on its current course, making a further contribution to reducing emissions in cruising.

In 2023 the third of AIDA Cruises’ LNG-powered cruise ships “Made in Germany” will be put into service. Thanks to the use of LNG, emissions of particulates and sulfur oxides are almost totally avoided, while emissions of nitric oxides and CO2are long-lastingly reduced.

AIDAcosma FACTFILE

 

IMO No.: TBC

Launch: 2021

Shipyard:  Meyer Werft (Papenburg, Germany)

Building Cost: EUR 700 million (USD $950 million)

Hull No.: TBC

Class: Excellence / Helios Class

Sister Ships: AIDAnova, Costa Smeralda, P&O Iona, Carnival Mardi Gras,               Costa Toscana,

Length:  337 m

Width: 42 m

Gross tonnage:  183,900 GT

Passengers: 5,400

Staterooms & Cabins: 2,600

Decks: 20

Cabin Decks: 11

Crew: TBC

Cruising speed: 23 knots

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New cruise ships still to enter service in 2019

With the first half of 2019, being busy with 12 new cruise ships delivered to various owners the second half of 2019 looks to be just as busy. According to the latest cruise ship order book there are a another 12 new ships set for delivery in the second half of the year, with an average of two ships being delivered each month..

The remaining order book is valued at around $5.5 billion with an estimated 24,190 new berths entering service. Of the ships yet to be delivered, five are expedition vessels and one is LNG-fuelled ship.

2019 New cruise ships

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Take a look at what new ships are due for delivery:

JUNE

Spirit of Discovery

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Image: Meyer Werft

$350,000,000
Capacity: 1,000 Guests

Constructed by Meyer Werft in Papenburg Saga’s first-ever new build, the Spirit of Discovery was delivered in mid-June ahead of her inaugural cruise from Dover in July. Departing from Dover on July 10th, the new ship’s first voyage is aptly named British First, circumnavigating the UK and adding calls to Ireland.

All Saga Discovery ship’s 540 staterooms have private balconies, which also means that the ship has no Inside cabins. Cabin categories include Standard Balcony, Deluxe Balcony, Mid-ship Suites and larger Panorama Suites. 100 single cabins are specifically designed for solo travellers (can be booked with single-occupancy rates and without single supplement), which is approx. 20% of ship’s total capacity.

https://travel.saga.co.uk/cruises/ocean/our-ships/spirit-of-adventure.aspx


Le Dumont-d’Urville

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Image: Ponant Cruises

$110,000,000
Capacity: 180 Guests

Le Dumont d’Urville will be the fourth in Ponant’s six-ship Explorer-class of expedition vessels. Named after the French explorer and naval officer who explored the south and western Pacific, Australia. The Dumont d’Urville scientific station in Antarctica is named after him.
Featuring innovative and environmentally-friendly equipment, elegantly designed staterooms, spacious suites with large windows, and lounge areas that open onto the outside, this new limited-capacity yacht boasting just 92 staterooms and suites will offer you a truly unique cruising experience. the ship will have reinforced hulls for when sailing in polar regions and an aft marina for when it’s in tropical destinations.
Standout features on Le Dumont d’Urville will be an aft marina and the underwater Blue Eye Lounge. The marina, located at the back of Deck 3, gives cruisers easy access to the ship’s fleet of Zodiacs, as well as for entering the water (conditions permitting) for swimming, kayaking and paddle boarding.

https://en.ponant.com/le-dumont-d-urville-eu-2

August

Greg Mortimer

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Image: Sunstone Ships

Cost: $65,000,000
Capacity: 160 Guests

Named after the Australian mountaineer, the “Greg Mortimer” is a modern, purpose-built vessel designed specifically for expedition cruising, and is the first polar expedition  vessel in SunStone Ships’ INFINITY series. Being constructed the CMHI yard in Shenzhen China. Four firm contracts have so far been signed, and six options. The INFINITY Class vessels are 104.4 m long and 18.4 m wide. They have a passenger capacity of 130-200, and a crew capacity of 85-115, and are built to the ice standard PC5, Cat B. The  most striking feature is the X-BOW®, an inverted bow  which results in smoother sailing and increased efficiency. Rather than rising over and then dropping onto waves like a traditional ship, the X-BOW® pierces through them, splitting the wave’s energy.

https://www.polar-navigator.com/antarctica/greg-mortimer?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIoPj-0emD4wIVipXtCh23owPPEAAYAiAAEgKXe_D_BwE

Scenic Eclipse

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Image: Scenic Eclipse

Cost: $185,000,000
Capacity: 228 Guests

Constructed by the Uljanik Group in Croatia “Scenic Eclipse” is a six-star, ultra-luxury mega yacht developed by Australian river cruise operator Scenic. It is the first ocean cruise ship for the company, which specialises in luxury river cruises. The yacht will carry 228 guests (restricted to 200 in Polar Regions) in 114 all-veranda suites. It will carry a crew of 172 for normal regions and 182 for Polar Regions.

https://www.scenic.co.uk/our-offers/2019-20-scenic-eclipse-offers?_$ja=tsid:|cid:1668893272|agid:68275068127|tid:aud-324131906785:kwd-329353149497|crid:329359115984|nw:g|rnd:707794943279525039|dvc:c|adp:1t1&gclid=EAIaIQobChMItpWP3emD4wIVCLLtCh0qJgsCEAAYASAAEgL4pvD_BwE

September

Magellen Explorer

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Image: Antarctica XXI

$50,000,000
Capacity: 100 Guests (max)

The Magellan Explorer was constructed in Chile and will be primarily used for fly-in voyages, with a maximum of 100 passengers it will be sail with 73 passengers for the season, which is the exact number of seats the company has on its plane that flies to King George Island. The ship features comfortable and spacious cabins, with twin, queen or king-size beds. The ship also features dedicated single cabins. All cabins except the Porthole category feature a private balcony and separate sitting area.

https://antarctica21.com/ships-aircraft/mv-magellan-explorer/

October

Hanseatic Inspiration

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Image: Hapag Lloyd Cruises

$155,000,000
Capacity: 230 Guests

The 230-passenger cruise ship Hanseatic Inspiration is the second of three identical ships under construction by Norwegian company VARD Holdings Ltd (a subsidiary of Fincantieri) at Tulcea shipyard (Romania). The vessel has ice-class PC6 (highest for passenger ships) and offers 5-star premium hotel service and amenities, gourmet cuisine, large staterooms, and public spaces. The HANSEATIC inspiration will be an international ship, with all cruises conducted in both English and German.

https://www.hl-cruises.com/ships/hanseatic-nature-hanseatic-inspiration-hanseatic-spirit

Costa Smeralda

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Image: Costa Cruises

Cost: $950,000,000
Capacity: 5,224 Guests

The second of carnivals groups Excellence-Helios class ships is currently under construction at Meyer Werft, Turku shipyard in Finland. Costa Cruises will take delivery its new LNG powered flagship in October. Costa Smeralda’s itinerary program is based on 7-day Western Mediterranean cruises sailing round trip from the Italian homeports Rome-Civitavecchia, Savona, Barcelona, and Marseille. To be able to handle the large cruise liner, Port Savona’s terminal had to be modified. In 2020, two other Carnival brands will take delivery of the same class of ships as Carnival Mardi Gras & Iona enter service.

https://www.costacruises.co.uk/B2C/GB/Ships/Pages/costa-smeralda.aspx

Sky Princess

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Image: Sky Princess Official

Cost: $760,000,000
Capacity: 3,660

Sky Princess is the fourth Royal-class vessel all of which have been constructed by the Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri at its Monfalcone Shipyard. The class offers a unique glass-enclosed walkway over the ocean known as the SeaWalk. There are 1539 staterooms in 38 categories. 36 are the wheelchair-accessible rooms. The ship will also debut the new and innovative Princess Sky Suites. After a three-day preview cruise from Port Everglades, the new ship launches alternating seven-day Eastern and Western Caribbean itineraries roundtrip from Ft. Lauderdale Dec. 7, 2019 – April 4, 2020.

https://www.princesscruises.de/en/ships/sky-princess

Norwegian Encore

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Image: Meyer Werft

$1,100,000,000
Capacity: 4,200 Guests

Norwegian Encore is the fourth and final ship in Norwegian Cruise Line’s Breakaway plus Class. Currently under construction at the Meyer-Werft shipyard in Papenburg, and is the 13th ship built for NCL at Meyer Werft. Norwegian Encore will feature a two-level race track that is larger than the go-“karts at sea” tracks featured on Norwegian Bliss and Norwegian Joy. After her debut in Miami, the Encore will head to Seattle in 2021, sailing seven-day cruises to Alaska.

https://www.ncl.com/uk/en/cruise/norwegian-encore/overview

November

MSC Grandiosa

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Image: MSC Fans

$900,000,000
Capacity: 4,888 Guests

The first of MSC’s MSC Meraviglia-plus class MSC Grandiosa is under currently construction at Chantiers de l’Atlantique in Saint Nazaire.  She is able to accommodate 6334 passengers with 75% of all staterooms featuring private balconies. MSC Grandiosa deck plans feature “cluster cabins” (up to 3 connecting staterooms for families) allowing up to three rooms to be interlinked for max capacity 10 guests. The vessel will spend her inaugural season in the Western Mediterranean. The ship will offer a seven-night sailing calling in Genoa, Civitavecchia, Palermo, Valletta, Barcelona and Marseille, with its first cruise sailing from Genoa on November 16, 2019.

 

Carnival Panorama

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Image: Fincantieri

Cost: $780,000,000
Capacity: 4,000 Guests

The third Vista class ship for Carnival Cruises was originally ordered for P&O Cruises Australia, but in December 2016 was changed to Carnival. She is being constructed by Fincantieri at its Marghera shipyard in Italy. As with the previous sister ships Carnival Panorama features 1965 cabins, of which 48 percent of the staterooms on board have balconies. For the first time in its history, the cruise line announced that the ship would feature a female cruise director with British-born Emma Nixon taking the role. The ship will sail from Long Beach, California, offering seven-day Mexican Riviera itineraries. She will be Carnival’s first new ship homeport on the West Coast in more than 20 years.

https://www.carnival.com/cruise-ships/carnival-panorama.aspx

TBA

Flying Clipper

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Image: Brodosplit Shipyard

 

Cost: $100,000,000
Capacity: 300 Guests

Currently under construction at the Brodosplit Shipyard in Croatia, the ‘Flying Clipper’, is 162 meters long and 18.5 meters wide with a deadweight of 2000 tons. The ship will have five masts and sails with an overall surface of 6.347 square meters, making it the largest sailing ship in the world.  Flying Clipper has five decks, with accommodation for 450 persons, of which 300 are passengers in 150 luxury cabins, and 74 crew cabins for 150 crewmembers.

https://www.starclippers.co.uk/flying-clipper-launch-moved-to-2018.html

Are you booked on any of these new ships?

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