Carnival Corp’s AIDA Cruises, Germany’s third-largest tour operator, has successfully completed the first of seven major ship refurbishments under its Evolution programme.
Following a seven-week drydocking at the Chantier Naval Shipyard in Marseille, France, from 3rd February to 21st March, 2025, ‘AIDAdiva’ has been redelivered.
From the technology to the upgraded staterooms, new restaurants and expanded entertainment, ‘AIDAdiva’ has been modernised and redesigned from the ground up, the company claimed.
“As part of our AIDA Evolution initiative for the future, we have launched the largest fleet modernisation programme in our company’s history.
“For the first three drydock overhauls alone, we are investing hundreds of millions of euros to make our ships fit for the future – both in terms of the travel experience and the technology.
“We are very proud of this programme. It shows that AIDA continues to evolve – for our guests and the future of cruising,” said Felix Eichhorn, President of AIDA Cruises.
During her upgrade, around 300 main projects and numerous other individual measures were planned, co-ordinated and implemented.
Several thousand shipyard workers and specialists, including over 170 different fitting-out companies, as well as the ‘AIDAdiva’s’ crew have worked together over the past seven weeks to make the project a success.
One of the biggest jobs was the renovation of all guest cabins: canopies, carpets and curtains were redesigned and the colour concept was adapted to bright, modern tones. New chairs and sofas were also fitted in the balcony cabins.
At the same time, some cabins were expanded from a three-person to a four-person occupancy to create further options for families.
At the stern, six new, spacious family-friendly suites with their own sun deck were fitted. These were divided into living and sleeping areas with double beds, with the pull-out couch in the living room allowing for additional sleeping places. In some suites,five-bed occupancy, plus a baby cot, is now possible.
Suite guests also have access to new exclusive retreats – the Sky Deck and the Rossini Lounge.
The public areas on Decks 9, 10 and 11 underwent an extensive redesign, while new restaurant and bar concepts offer an expanded culinary offering.
After the completion of the bars and restaurants, about 35,000 glasses, 30,000 cups and plates, as well as 46,000 cutlery were put back and the entire furniture was replaced or refurbished.
In addition to the innovations in the guest areas, numerous technical and sustainable measures were added.
For the first time, more than 45,700 sq m of carpet was not disposed of, but put to another use. New, recyclable ready carpet was laid in guest and crew areas.
A new reverse osmosis system was fitted to optimise the in-house production of fresh water from seawater. A solid waste processor shreds waste and reduces its volume by up to 95%.
In the ship’s underwater area, almost 9,000 sq m of the sides were coated with around 17,500 liters of a completely new biocide-free paint (see below), which significantly reduces frictional resistance, while a modern, energy-efficient LED lighting system further reduces energy requirements.
The entire IT infrastructure was also redesigned. Among other things, 50 km of new cables had to be laid and 22 tonnes of electronics needed replacing.
In the outdoor area, 6.5 km of wooden handrails were also renewed, large areas of glass and window panes were replaced and around 8,500 litres of colour were refreshed.
“AIDAdiva’s first voyage after its modernisation is an important milestone for us in the radical modernisation of the fleet at AIDA Cruises.
‘AIDAluna’ will follow this year and ‘AIDAbella’ at the beginning of 2026.
“Over the past seven weeks, as well as throughout the pre-planning phase, many thousands of dedicated shipyard workers and specialists have worked hand in hand on this project.
“My special thanks go to our great team and the entire ‘AIDAdiva’ crew, who led the first Evolution shipyard time to success,” Eichhorn added.
As for the new coating, Nippon Paint Marine was responsible for ‘AIDAdiva’s hull, applying its AQUATERRAS.
This application represents the 16th vessel in the Carnival group to fully applied with Nippon’s biocide-free coating.
In 2022, based on previous experience, Carnival applied AQUATERRAS to ‘AIDAdiva’ to provide the highest performance, biocide-free underwater hull protection. She became the third Carnival cruise vessel to have the new coating fully applied.
Although the ship operated in challenging itineraries in both the Caribbean and in Europe, upon her arrival in dock at Marseille, upon inspection, it was noted that ‘AIDAdiva’s’ vertical bottom was completely free of fouling, despite the vessel not undergoing underwater cleaning during her three-year service period.
Arrival in dock photos were taken before any high-pressure freshwater washing had been undertaken.
According to Carnival Maritime, the maritime service unit for AIDA Cruises, the performance provided by AQUATERRAS’s protection from biofouling had reduced the vessel’s environmental impact by both lowering emissions and reducing propulsive power demands.
