AIDAluna Now Has More to Smile About

AIDAluna returned to service today after a two-week stay in Blohm+Voss' floating dry dock at Hamburg.

The 69,000-ton ship had a number of routine maintenance and technical projects completed while in the yard, but a couple of items on the list added new features, including a unique new one that passengers aboard Carnival's German brand will especially enjoy.

The complete story appeared in the April 16 issue of Cruise News Daily. 

Photos courtesy of AIDA Cruises. All rights reserved. May not be copied or used without express permission.

Cruise News Daily Headlines for June 5, 2014

* Charlie the Tuna Sends His Thanks
In case it wasn’t marked on your calendar, this is World Ocean Day. In case you didn’t get around to celebrating, Carnival Corp sent a nice enough gift nobody will notice that you forgot.
   The world’s largest cruise company is donating $2.5 million to The Nature Conservancy's global marine protection priorities.
* No Arrest in Navigator Assault
Last week we told you about an alleged sexual assault of a woman by two male passengers aboard Navigator of the Seas when it was in international waters just outside Jamaica. Information is slowly beginning to come out, but once the ship reached Galveston, something important happened.


* Other Things You’ll Want to Know
CND subscribers also read about it being a wonder there's any left for the rest of us ... and the new show on AIDA is not your grandfather's production show (see below).

The complete articles appeared in the e-mail edition of Cruise News Daily delivered to our subscribers.

The cast of Nayeli aboard AIDAluna. (The Village People were just ahead of their time.)

Photo courtesy of AIDA. All rights reserved. May not be copied or used without permission.

AIDAluna Named

AIDAluna was named Saturday night by German supermodel Franziska Knuppe. Photos are on the Cruise News Daily website.

AIDAluna Delivered

Meyer Werft delivered AIDAluna to Carnival Corp on Monday, and the previews for the trade and media are underway. Even if you don't speak German, this amateur video will give you a good look around the interior of this ship delivering AIDA's unique product.



We have additional photos on the CND website.

AIDAluna Leaves Papenburg

Last weekend AIDAluna left Meyer Werft at Papenburg en route to its sea trials. Since the yard is inland at Papenburg (Germany), the ships must transit the Ems River to get to the sea. The 24-hour process involves towing the ships with tugs the complete distance backwards for safety reasons. As the ships have become larger, they just barely fit through the drawbridges.

It's an interesting sight, and local people come out to watch all along the way. There were quite a few videos uploaded, but we felt this amateur video captured the real mood of what the slow process is like and kind of gave you the real feeling of what it's like to be a spectator along the river.



This Deutsch Welle report covered the delivery process giving some background on the float out and shipbuilding in Papenburg. It proves interesting even if you don't speak German.