“Sail away” for AIDA’s fifth voyage around the world // Gate of lights projected into the sky // 111th call of an AIDA cruise ship in the Port of Hamburg in 2023

The cruise ship AIDAsol has several reasons to celebrate today in the Port of Hamburg: With approximately 2,000 guests, it will embark on its first World Cruise in the evening. This is already the fifth AIDA world cruise from/to Hamburg. At the same time, today’s call of AIDAsol marks the 111th call of an AIDA cruise ship in the Port of Hamburg in 2023. By the end of the year, the AIDA fleet will have made 124 calls with nine ships, accounting for about half of all cruise calls at the River Elbe.

The final preparations for the XXL adventure aboard AIDAsol are currently underway at the Cruise Center Steinwerder. Prior to that (from October 1 to 15, 2023), AIDAsol spent two weeks at the shipyard in Hamburg where she was spruced up for her big voyage. The crew is full of excitement in anticipation, including the “Rothe Family,” who are in command on board the ship. Captain Felix Rothe (42) and Hotel Director Heidi Rothe (42) are neither relatives nor in-laws, but part of the big AIDA family: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xuenXKV0WNM. With Felix Rothe, who already circumnavigated the globe last year on AIDAmar, is an experienced world cruise captain is on the bridge: “For many guests, the world cruise is a long-desired lifelong dream. It fills me and my crew with pride that we are helping to make this dream come true. We will create unforgettable moments for our guests ashore and on board,” Felix Rothe is convinced. Heidi Rothe looks back on a career of almost 19 years within the AIDA fleet – from scout to General Manager/Hotel Director.

Meanwhile, the first World Cruise guests are arriving, including the Fückel family of five from Germany’s Eifel region with three small children, who were the first guests to cut the red ribbon together. As a farewell, a premiere show on the Elbe awaits guests and crew at around 8:00 p.m.: AIDAsol first makes a lap of honor in front of Hamburg’s Elbphilharmonie Concert Hall and then leaves Hamburg, the gateway to the world, through a gate of lights projected into the sky. Pure emotion and goose bumps for all globetrotters! After 117 days, the ship will return to the Hanseatic city on February 21, 2024. Guests and crew can look forward to 42 ports in 20 countries on four continents, two equator crossings and dream destinations such as Cape Verde and Tierra del Fuego, Tahiti and Fiji, Mauritius and Southern Africa. The Christmas holidays will be spent by the guests of the world cruise on the snow-white beaches of Vanuatu in the South Pacific. In Sydney, Australia, they are among the first to welcome the New Year. The party against the legendary backdrop of the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge is simply magical. With Mystery Island (Vanuatu) on December 26, 2023, and Lifou (New Caledonia) on December 27, 2023, guests can look forward to very exciting island specials. The on-board program also promises a variety of entertainment at the highest level: from edutainment with lecturers such as extreme athlete, coach and author Robby Clemens, European and World Champion Alexander Leipold, sports scientist Dr. Pedro Gonzales, author Stefan Aust, saxophonist Katja Lau and cave diver Dr. Florian Huber, to musical guest artists such as Wayne Morris, Tobey Wilson, Eric Paisley, the Cologne Symphony Orchestra and many more, as well as gourmet patrons Andrea Schirmaier-Huber, Franz Schned, Stefan Marquard and Felicitas Then, who will provide culinary delights.

For spontaneous travelers, legs of the world tour can still be booked – a perfect opportunity to fulfill the dream of a unique journey in shorter stages: For example, guests can travel from Mauritius to Hamburg in 33 days, circumnavigate the Cape of Good Hope and go on safari in South Africa. Or how about the 48-day leg from Chile to Mauritius? This voyage takes guests through the South Pacific to the Australian continent.