AIDA brings the festive magic on board
AIDAprima offers ice-skating fun and AIDAnova transforms into a winter wonderland
New Year's Eve fireworks over the Atlantic or enjoying Christmas Eve in a cosy bar far away from stress - this and many more entertainment, culinary and wellness specials await guests on board the AIDA fleet for the upcoming holidays. In addition, guests can choose from a diverse selection of attractive destinations: Ten ships set course for the Orient, the Caribbean, the Canaries, the Mediterranean and Northern Europe.
Christmas highlights
During Advent and Christmas, AIDAprima's Sports Deck is transformed into a festively decorated Christmas market with hearty mulled wine, candied apples and other culinary delights. The main attraction is the 200m² floating ice rink, which offers guests the opportunity to strap on their skates on the high seas. AIDAnova will come with a Winter Wonderland for its new launch from 14 December 2021: numerous oversized Christmas light installations are waiting to be marvelled at by guests young and old.
On the two premiere voyages of AIDAnova from Hamburg from 14 to 19 and 19 to 22 December 2021, AIDA gourmet godmother Andrea Schirmaier-Huber will be on board. Guests will have the opportunity to create tasty biscuits and Christmas chocolates together with the well-known TV chef. The AIDA Show Ensemble will return on board AIDAnova and AIDAprima in time for the festive season. The singers and dancers will provide magical Christmas moments in the Theatrium. The excursion programme in the destinations served will also be festive - with Christmas-themed excursions through to visits to traditional Christmas markets wherever possible. From 16 December 2021, for example, AIDAnova guests will be able to explore the Christmas market in Kristiansand (Norway) individually or with the AIDA "Come ashore" tours, admiring the unique 3D light show at the cathedral.
Culinary festive feast
This year, the traditional Christmas buffet will be joined by a special culinary feature in all buffet restaurants: entertaining live cooking. The 3-course menu, which is prepared right in front of the guests, starts with a seafood platter, followed by a braised ox cheek for the main course, and the crowning glory is a gingerbread slice designed by Andrea Schirmaier-Huber. In the speciality restaurant Brauhaus, a 3-course menu based around the delicious Christmas goose will be served for the first time on both Christmas Eve and 25 December. Oversized gingerbread houses created by the crew themselves already put guests in the right Christmas mood at the entrance to the restaurants. Sweet news at the end: Christmas pastries are already being distributed everywhere on all Sundays in Advent and at Christmas. The tempting treats are rounded off by three specially made Christmas ice creams.
Festive entertainment and pleasant relaxation from A to Z
An extensive entertainment programme on board all AIDA ships will put guests in the right holiday mood. From Advent handicrafts and knitting for the whole family to a Christmas film classic for the festive season and a joint musical tune-up to a cinnamon infusion in the saunas of the AIDA Body & Soul Spa - there is something for every guest, young and old, during the Advent and Christmas season. Guests can also look forward to the popular participatory shows "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire", "Voice of the Ocean" and "Crew Meets Band" with a Christmas theme on selected voyages. A special dance treat is planned for AIDAsol's Christmas and New Year's Eve voyage from/to Hamburg to the Caribbean, starting on 25 November 2021: The top-class dance couple Renata and Valentin Lusin will bring other great programmes on board in addition to dance workshops for guests. A special entertainment programme is being designed at the fleet-wide AIDA Christmas Gala: Each ship's crew will create their own individual and intercultural show for their guests. The festive programme is complemented by selected guest artists.
What must not be missing on Christmas Eve: The traditional video devotion for very special reflective moments and the giving of presents to the little ones with a visit from Father Christmas on board the AIDA ships, who will distribute the parents' presents to their children. The Christmas atmosphere on board is rounded off by lovingly decorated ships and glowing Christmas trees.
New Year under a sea of stars
Finally, the new year can be welcomed on board the AIDA ships again and enjoy the view of the endless horizon. Guests on AIDAblu and AIDAnova can enjoy a special play of colours in the sky as they experience one of the most spectacular fireworks displays live and from the front row off Funchal at the turn of the year. The fireworks on Madeira are world-famous and even listed in the Guinness Book of Records. Guests on AIDAprima celebrate the New Year with a view of the Hanseatic city of Hamburg. On all ships, guests experience a roaring New Year's Eve. Glittering light decorations put guests and crew in the right mood, while the New Year's Eve Gala promises the best entertainment with thrilling entertainment. The culinary scene is also glamorous: the New Year's Eve menu tempts guests with the most delicious dishes from all over the world. The caviar buffet, a midnight snack and an extensive New Year's breakfast make the turn of the year perfect.
Inspiration around the AIDA Festive Magic can be found at www.aida.de/weihnachten and will be shared in the AIDA News via the official AIDA Facebook account. Further information and booking at travel agencies, online at www.aida.de or at the AIDA Customer Centre on +49 (0) 381 / 20 27 07 07. Festive menus, Christmas gifts or shore excursions can already be booked before the voyage via MyAIDA (www.aida.de/myaida).
