AIDA Cruises has unveiled its 2027/28 winter program, which includes more than 300 cruises to a wide variety of destinations, including South Africa, the Indian Ocean, the Canary Islands, the Caribbean, South America and Northern Europe.
The German shipping company confirmed it will return to South Africa for the first time in several years, while Middle East cruises will remain suspended.
According to AIDA's announcement, the new season will offer itineraries ranging from 7 to 48 days, operated by ten ships in its fleet. Highlights include the "great winter breaks," longer voyages to warmer regions connecting the Caribbean with South America.
The AIDAblu will once again sail South Africa and the Indian Ocean, with an expanded program combining both destinations. Its South African itineraries, between November 2027 and March 2028, will offer 14-night cruises departing from and returning to Cape Town, visiting East London, Durban, and Port Elizabeth, as well as Walvis Bay in Namibia.
Selected itineraries will include stops in Reunion, Mauritius and Madagascar, combining African coastal landscapes with the tropical experience of the Indian Ocean islands.
According to the published schedule, the AIDAblu will also operate a series of Indian Ocean cruises from Port Louis (Mauritius) in early 2028, visiting Seychelles, Madagascar and Reunion, before repositioning towards Europe for the summer season.
Three ships —AIDAbella, AIDAluna and AIDAprima— will operate in the Caribbean and Central America, offering itineraries of 14 to 21 nights from La Romana (Dominican Republic) and Bridgetown (Barbados), with multiple stops at Caribbean islands.
The AIDAmar will depart from Hamburg, including a 48-day trip to Brazil and South America, as well as a 21-day cruise to the Azores and Morocco.
The AIDAnova will also be based in Hamburg, with routes to Scandinavia, Denmark and ports in Western Europe, while the AIDAsol, AIDAstella and AIDAcosma ships will be deployed in the Canary Islands and Madeira.
Cruises from Cape Town during the 2027/28 season mark a new step in the recovery of the cruise sector in South Africa after the pandemic.
AIDA announced that guests who book cruises for the 2027/28 season before April 30, 2027 will receive early booking discounts, 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 on board.
The program does not include Middle Eastern cruises, as AIDA has paused its operations in the region following the cancellation of its 2025/26 season in the Persian Gulf. The cruise line made no mention of plans to resume operations in the area for 2027/28, indicating that its strategy will focus on strengthening its established markets in Europe, Africa, and the Indian Ocean during the upcoming season.
AIDA Cruises has had a presence in the Middle East during the winter season since 2006/07, when it launched its regional program with the AIDAcara, offering weekly cruises from Dubai. Since then, several of its ships—including the AIDAdiva, AIDAblu, AIDAstella, AIDAprima, and AIDAnova—have operated in the region, the latter being its largest class of ship.
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