AIDA Cruises has launched its 2027/28 winter programme, featuring more than 300 cruises across a range of destinations including South Africa, the Indian Ocean, Canary Islands, Caribbean, South America, and Northern Europe.
The German line confirmed that it will return to South Africa for the first time in several years, while cruises in the Middle East remain suspended.
According to AIDA’s announcement, the new season will feature itineraries lasting between seven and 48 days, operated by ten ships across its fleet. Among the highlights are extended “big winter breaks” to warmer regions, with voyages stretching from the Caribbean to South America.
AIDAblu will return to South Africa and the Indian Ocean, offering an extended programme of voyages combining both regions. The ship’s South African itineraries, departing between November 2027 and March 2028, include 14-night roundtrip sailings from Cape Town visiting East London, Durban, and Port Elizabeth, as well as Walvis Bay in Namibia.
AIDAblu
Select cruises feature calls at Reunion, Mauritius and Madagascar, blending African coastal destinations with tropical island experiences.
According to the published sailing schedule, AIDAblu will also operate a series of Indian Ocean itineraries from Port Louis, Mauritius, during early 2028, visiting Seychelles, Madagascar and La Réunion before repositioning for the European summer season.
Three ships, AIDAbella, AIDAluna and AIDAprima, will operate in the Caribbean and Central America, offering island-hopping voyages of 14 to 21 nights from La Romana in the Dominican Republic and Bridgetown in Barbados.
AIDAmar will sail roundtrip from Hamburg, featuring a 48-day voyage to Brazil and South America, as well as a 21-day cruise to the Azores and Morocco. AIDAnova will also sail from Hamburg with itineraries to Scandinavia, Denmark and ports in Western Europe, while AIDAsol, AIDAstella and AIDAcosma will be based in the Canary Islands and Madeira.
AIDA’s Cape Town cruises for 2027/28 mark the sector’s ongoing post-pandemic recovery
AIDA confirmed that guests who book cruises for the 2027/28 season before April 30th, 2027, will receive early booking discounts of up to €975 per person, along with additional benefits such as free cabin selection, a Rail&Fly ticket for train travel within Germany and two bottles of mineral water daily onboard.
Absent from the deployment is the Middle East, where AIDA has paused operations following the cancellation of its 2025/26 Arabian Gulf cruises due to regional security uncertainty.
AIDA Cruises made no mention of resuming operations in the area for 2027/28, signalling that its focus will remain on strengthening established markets in Europe, Africa, and the Indian Ocean during the upcoming season.
AIDA Cruises has homeported in the Middle East for the winter season since 2006/07 when it began its Middle East programme with AIDAcara, offering weeklong cruises from Dubai, and has since rotated several vessels through the region, including AIDAdiva, AIDAblu, AIDAstella, AIDAprima, and AIDAnova, its largest class of vessel.
AIDAblu 2027/28 Cape Town departures
Ship: AIDAblu
Homeport: Cape Town, South Africa
Season: November 2027 – March 2028
- 24 November 2027 – 14 nights “Südafrika & Namibia”
Cape Town → East London → Durban → Port Elizabeth → Walvis Bay → Cape Town - 24 November 2027 – 28 nights “Südliches Afrika mit La Réunion & Mauritius”
Cape Town → East London → Durban → Port Elizabeth → Walvis Bay → Cape Town → Port Louis (Mauritius) - 8 December 2027 – 28 nights “Südafrika, Seychellen, Mauritius & Madagaskar 1”
Cape Town → Port Elizabeth → East London → Durban → Maputo → Saint-Denis (La Réunion) → Port Louis (Mauritius) → La Digue (Seychelles) - 16 February 2028 – 27 nights “Südliches Afrika mit La Réunion ab Mauritius”
Port Louis (Mauritius) → Saint-Denis (La Réunion) → Maputo → Durban → East London → Port Elizabeth → Cape Town → onward return to Mauritius - 29 February 2028 – 14 nights “Südafrika & Namibia”
Cape Town → Port Elizabeth → East London → Lüderitz → Walvis Bay → Cape Town
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Appeared first on: Cruisearabiaonline.com
