AIDAstella’s Positioning Cruise: Maiden Calls and Challenges on the Way to Asia

The crew of AIDAstella has been closely monitoring the weather in the Indian Ocean over the past few days. A cyclone is approaching the ship’s current route. To ensure the planned maiden call in Port Louis on Wednesday, November 20, 2024, AIDAstella will arrive approximately two hours earlier than originally scheduled. To achieve this, the ship will sail at an increased speed overnight to dock at the pier around 6:00 a.m.

Despite challenging weather conditions, the bridge crew anticipates that both the docking in the early morning and the scheduled departure on Wednesday evening can proceed safely. During their stay in Mauritius, passengers will have a full day to explore the island. Should departure not be possible due to weather, the ship will remain in port until conditions improve.

This autumn, AIDAstella is navigating a southern route around Africa for the first time and will debut in Asia for the winter season 2024/25. Along the way, the ship is making several maiden calls in ports across Africa, the Indian Ocean, and Southeast Asia. The decision to take the southern route stems from the ongoing security risks in the Red Sea. The repositioning cruise is divided into three stages: from Palma de Mallorca to Cape Town, then to Dubai, and finally to Laem Chabang, Thailand, near Bangkok.