The shipping company AIDA Cruises starts the Kiel cruise season with the AIDAblu in mid-August 2020. The AIDAbella will also call at the port of Kiel several times this year, but only in September 2020.
The corona virus has dealt all cruise lines worldwide a major setback in the 2020 cruise season. Only a small part of the planned cruises this year could be carried out at the beginning of the year. Then came Corona and the associated numerous trip cancellations and a sometimes difficult return campaign for cruise guests who were still on cruises all over the ocean at the beginning of the Corona pandemic. This was followed by a standstill for months. Also in Kiel. After a very successful 2019 cruise season with around 800,000 cruise passengers, the intention was to build on the numbers of the previous year and with thenew terminal building at Ostseekai 28, this would very likely have been at least as successful a year. The building at Ostseekai is now complete, but there was no big opening ceremony in March.
To make matters worse, there have been no cruises in the past few months since the terminal opened. Of course because of Corona. Minimum distances and social distancing are difficult to combine with cruises. But it’s not completely impossible. And so AIDA Cruises, TUI and other shipping companies are now trying to carry out at least a few more cruise trips in the second half of the year. Of course, the seaport of Kiel, as the operating company of the port of Kiel, is also pleased about this, including the cruise terminals at the Ostseekai. After all, the shipping companies pay mooring fees to the seaport every time a ship calls. And since every cruise passenger also spends one or two euros in Kiel, above all in retail and in the catering sector, the Kiel economy will also benefit from the planned calls by the AIDA ships. But of course it all has its downsides. What if, due to cruise passengers from all over the world, the corona virus occurs more frequently in the state capital and the number of cases increases again?
From mid-August, thousands of cruise passengers will be visiting the state capital again. AIDA Cruises is planning a total of 12 calls for this year with the two ships AIDAblu and AIDAbella. It starts in about a month on August 16, 2020 with the AIDAblu. However, it is not possible to board for 7 days, 10 days or even longer as usual. All 12 AIDA cruises from/to Kiel are short trips lasting a total of 3 or 4 days.
Cruise season 2020 with hygiene and health concept and fewer passengers on board
Understandably, there will be some changes to these cruises, first and foremost to protect passengers and crew. The ships will not welcome the usual 2,000 passengers on board, but significantly fewer with almost 1,200 passengers. Wearing mouth and nose protection on some parts of the ships such as elevators or stairwells, changed check-in procedures, carrying out corona tests on board and schedules for disembarking sick passengers are just some of the measures that everyone involved can take safe and carefree cruise on the Baltic Sea in times of Corona should be provided.
Dates AIDA cruises from Kiel at a glance
3 days Baltic Sea from/to Kiel with AIDAblu
- 08/16/2020 to 08/20/2020
- 08/20/2020 to 08/23/2020
- 08/23/2020 to 08/27/2020
- 08/27/2020 to 08/30/2020
- 08/30/2020 to 09/03/2020
More information: Baltic Sea cruise with the AIDAblu from Kiel
3 days short trip to Denmark from/to Kiel with AIDAbella
- 09/10/2020 to 09/13/2020
- 09/17/2020 to 09/20/2020
- 09/24/2020 to 09/27/2020
4 days Norway & Denmark from/to Kiel with AIDAbella
- 09/06/2020 to 09/10/2020
- 09/13/2020 to 09/17/2020
- 09/20/2020 to 09/24/2020
- 09/27/2020 to 10/01/2020
More information: Baltic Sea cruise with the AIDAbella from Kiel
Ostseekai Kiel AIDA cruise ship
Leave A Comment