''AIDAprima'' is the flagship of

AIDA Cruises AIDA Cruises is a German cruise line founded in the early 1960s and organized as a wholly owned subsidiary of Carnival Corporation & plc since 2003. Based in Rostock, Germany, AIDA Cruises caters primarily to the German-speaking market; as seag ...

, built by Mitsubishi Shipbuilding at their shipyard in Nagasaki, Japan. The

cruise ship Cruise ships are large passenger ships used mainly for vacationing. Unlike ocean liners, which are used for transport, cruise ships typically embark on round-trip voyages to various ports-of-call, where passengers may go on tours known as ...

entered service on April 25, 2016, after suffering several construction delays. She is the first AIDA vessel not to be built in

Meyer Werft Meyer Werft is one of the major German shipyards, headquartered in Papenburg at the river Ems. Founded in 1795 and starting with small wooden vessels, today Meyer Werft is a builder of luxury passenger ships. 700 ships of different types have be ...

since the completion of '' AIDAaura'' in 2003. She is also the first Carnival Corporation & plc vessel to be built in Mitsubishi since the completion of the ''

Sapphire Princess ''Sapphire Princess'' is a cruise ship owned by Princess Cruises that entered service in 2004 as the sister ship of . At the time she was one of the world's largest cruise ships, with a capacity of 2,670 passengers and is the second Gem-class ...

'' in 2004.

History

Originally, the vessel was planned for delivery in the first half of 2015, with an inaugural trip to 22 countries, but the shipbuilder was unable to complete the vessel on time and the delivery was postponed to December 2015 after several minor accidents during construction. The ship was christened on 7 May 2016 in Hamburg, Germany as part of the 827th Hamburg Port Anniversary ( Hafengeburtstag). The ship's godmother is

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

child actor The term child actor or child actress is generally applied to a child acting on stage or in movies or television. An adult who began their acting career as a child may also be called a child actor, or a "former child actor". Closely associated t ...

Emma Schweiger Emma Tiger Schweiger (born 26 October 2002) is a German-American actress. She is known for playing the role of Cheyenne Blue in the 2007 film ''Keinohrhasen'' and its 2009 sequel ''Zweiohrküken'' and the role of Magdalena in ''Kokowääh'' and ...

. In September 2017, AIDAprima was one of the guests at the Hamburg Cruise Days and a part the Blue Port light show.

Design

''AIDAprima'' has an overall length of , moulded beam of , and maximum draft of . The vessel has a capacity of 3,300 passengers and 900 crew members. ''AIDAprima'' has 18 passenger decks, 15 dining options, indoor and outdoor pools, as well as shops, cafes, and bars. The AIDA Beach Club pool area, which is covered by a transparent UV-permeable membrane dome, allows passengers to relax in a beach setting with natural light despite inclement weather. The Four Elements features the longest indoor

water slide A water slide (also referred to as a flume, or water chute) is a type of slide designed for warm-weather or indoor recreational use at water parks. Water slides differ in their riding method and therefore size. Some slides require riders to s ...

on a cruise ship, a rock climbing wall, and a lazy river. At night, the Beach Club serves as a

discotheque A nightclub (music club, discothèque, disco club, or simply club) is an entertainment venue during nighttime comprising a dance floor, lightshow, and a stage for live music or a disc jockey (DJ) who plays recorded music. Nightclubs gene ...

, with stars or

laser show A laser lighting display or laser light show involves the use of laser light to entertain an audience. A laser light show may consist only of projected laser beams set to music, or may accompany another form of entertainment, typically mus ...

s projected onto the dome.

Engineering

''AIDAprima'' is driven by three MaK 12VM43C diesel engines and one MaK 12VM46DF dual-fuel (

LNG Liquefied natural gas (LNG) is natural gas (predominantly methane, CH4, with some mixture of ethane, C2H6) that has been cooled down to liquid form for ease and safety of non-pressurized storage or transport. It takes up about 1/600th the volu ...

oil An oil is any nonpolar chemical substance that is composed primarily of hydrocarbons and is hydrophobic (does not mix with water) & lipophilic (mixes with other oils). Oils are usually flammable and surface active. Most oils are unsaturated ...

) engine, which give 53,150 hp to the propulsion system. The engine has computer-controlled fuel injection to increase fuel economy. The ship is propelled by

ABB ABB Ltd. is a Swedish- Swiss multinational corporation headquartered in Zürich, Switzerland. The company was formed in 1988 when Sweden's Allmänna Svenska Elektriska Aktiebolaget (ASEA) and Switzerland's Brown, Boveri & Cie merged to crea ...

Azipod XO units, which allows a service speed of 22 kts. The ''AIDAprima'' uses

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries is a Japanese multinational engineering, electrical equipment and electronics corporation headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. MHI is one of the core companies of the Mitsubishi Group and its automobile division is the predecessor of Mitsubishi Mo ...

's proprietary Mitsubishi Air Lubrication System (MALS), which releases small air bubbles to cover the bottom of the vessel, reducing the friction between the hull and the surrounding water. This is predicted to reduce CO₂ emissions and fuel consumption by more than 7%.

References

External links

AIDAprima Cruise Ship
{{DEFAULTSORT:AIDAprima Ships of AIDA Cruises 2014 ships Ships built by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries