AIDAstella Marks 13 Years as It Sails Toward Europe

AIDAstella, the newest vessel in AIDA Cruises’ Selection class, is celebrating its 13th anniversary today, Monday, March 16, 2026.

The ship is currently on a 19-day repositioning voyage from Cape Town to Palma de Mallorca, a journey that could also be booked in shorter segments starting from Mauritius or ending in Antalya. Today’s scheduled stop is Walvis Bay, located on the coast of Namibia.

The vessel was originally christened exactly 13 years ago on March 16, 2013, in Rostock-Warnemünde and was inaugurated during a ceremonial event featuring an unusual tradition: Instead of one godmother, the ship was christened by ten, representing the Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg, the Hamburg-based design firm Partner Ship Design, and AIDA Cruises itself. The celebration concluded with a large fireworks display.

Recently, AIDAstella completed its 2025–26 winter deployment in the Indian Ocean and Southern Africa. For the upcoming summer season in 2026, the vessel will return to the Mediterranean. The season will begin with two ten-day cruises departing from and returning to Antalya, Turkey.

From late May through early October, the ship will once again operate ten- and eleven-day itineraries in the western Mediterranean, sailing roundtrip from Palma de Mallorca as it has done in previous years.

AIDA Cruises has also begun upgrading the generation of ships that includes AIDAstella. As part of the AIDA Evolution modernization program, AIDAdiva, AIDAbella, and AIDAluna have already undergone major refurbishments during extended shipyard visits, introducing new onboard features and updated spaces.

The modernization effort will continue with AIDAmar, scheduled for upgrades in autumn 2026, followed by AIDAblu in spring 2027 and AIDAsol in autumn 2027. The program is expected to conclude with the refurbishment of AIDAstella itself at the beginning of 2028.