Aidaprima & Marella Dream at Funchal 22 January 2018

Somehow, we're already reached the end of my photos from January's visit to Funchal, Madeira. But I think you'll agree they were the best of the bunch.

Aidaprima

IMO 9636955
Built 2016, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Nagasaki, Japan
Tonnage 125 572 GT
Length 299,95 m
Width 37,65 m
Draugth 8,25 m
3 250 passengers (lower berths)
4 Caterpillar-MaK diesels, combined 43 200 kW
2 azipods
2 bow thrusters
Service speed 22 knots

Marella Dream

IMO 8407735
Name history: Homeric, Westerdam, Costa Europa, Thomson Dream, Marella Dream
Built 1986, Meyer Werft Papenburg, West Germany
Tonnage 54 763 GT
Length 243,23 m
Width 29,00 m
Draugth 7,20 m
1 533 passengers (lower berths)
1 756 passengers (all berths)
4 MAN B&W diesels, combined 54 763 kW
2 propellers
2 bow thrusters
1 stern thruster
Service speed 19 knots

Two new ships in one entry, so I guess we also have a double history entry too. Well, the Aidaprima's is fortunately short: She is the lead ship of Aida Cruises' Hyperion-class, contracted in 2011 from Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) for delivery in March 2015. MHI found they had bit off more than they could chew, and the ship was delayed by a year, finally entering service in Spring 2016.

The Marella Dream is an altogether more complex affair. She was the last new ship commissioned by Home Lines, being delivered from the Meyer Werft in West Germany in 1986 as the Homeric - she was the start of Meyer's entry into building cruise ships, in which they have become one the world's leading yards.

The Homeric's career with Home Lines was short, as the company was absorbed by Holland America Line in 1988, and the Homeric became the Westerdam. In 1989-1990, she returned to her builders to be "stretched" with the addition of a 39-metre midsection (the added bit can clearly be seen, as the windows in it are of a different size from the originals). The ship remained with Holland America until 2002, when she was transferred within the Carnival Corporation to the fleet of Costa Cruises as the Costa Europa. In 2010, she changed owners again, being told to TUI UK for their Thomson Cruises brand and became the Thomson Dream. With TUI AG deviding to harmonise their brands during the middle of the decade, Thomson Cruises was due to be rebranded TUI Cruises, with the name prefixes of the Thomson fleet due to be changed to TUI. However, someone at TUI realised there was a high chance of confusion between the German-market TUI Cruises and the to-be-ex-Thomson Cruises for the UK market. However, instead of doing the logical thing and simply keeping the Thomson brand, Thomson Cruises was renamed Marella Cruises (unintentionally recalling the name of a 1970s Viking Line ferry), with the Thomson Dream becoming the Marella Dream in November 2017.

The photos below show the Aidaprima and Marella Dream in the port of Funchal, Madeira on the evening of 22 January 2018. Photographed from different locations along the Praça Do Povo. As always, click on the link to see the images in larger size.

I admit we happened to be in the right place at the right time purely by accident. Concrete fences and the ground make a decent replacement for a tripod if need be.

Impressive illuminations on the Aidaprima here.

Even more impressive a few minutes later, with the sun having just set.

The same location but with both ships. Unfortunately, I couldn't get a decent image of only the Marella Dream from this viewpoint.

Next time: Stena Scandinavica

Aidablu at Funchal, 20 January 2018

As it happens, I have photographed an Aidablu at Funchal before. But it was a different Aidablu from the one we are discussing today.

AIDAblu

IMO 9398888
Built 2010, Meyer Werft Papenburg, Germany
Tonnage 71 304 GT
Length 251,89 m
Width 32,20 m
Draugth 7,20 m
2 050 passengers (lower berths)
2 500 passengers (all berths)
4 MaK diesels, combined 36 000 kW
2 azipods
2 bow thrusters
2 stern thusters
Service speed 19,5 knots
Maximum speed 21,8 knots

Not much to say about this particular Aidablu. She is a member of the ubiquituous Aidadiva-class (or Sphinx-class as it's also known), members of which seem to regularly visit Helsinki all the time during the summer season. However, encountering a members of the class in Funchal in January of course created additional interest in photographing her. The photos below show the ship arriving in Funchal on the afternoon of 20 January 2018, photographed from Santa Catarina Park. As always, click on the images to see them in larger size.

Surprisingly dramatic lighting, even though it's just regular sea and sun. Notice the pilot boat to the right of the ship.

The roof of the cruise terminal intruded in the shot.

The sun decided to hide behind a cloud as the ship was turning, so we're skipping forward a bit.

Can't have a photo set from Funchal without palm trees!

She actually came in to the quay on the land side and not the actual terminal.

Next time: Pride of Rotterdam at Gdansk, methinks.

Aidavita in Helsinki, 18 October 2017

The summer cruise season for Helsinki ended last Thursday, and thanks to my lovely wife, I actually managed go out and photograph the the relevant ship. Due to the presenced of a tiny new human in my life, and the work on Innovation and Specialisation: The Story of Shipbuilding in Finland, this was only the third time this year I was out to photograph visiting cruise ships this year. Next year will hopefully be better. Oh yes, and speaking of the book, it should be out from the printers next week. I will write about it in more detail once I have my own physical copies at hand. In the meantime, let's look at this year's last cruise ship.

AIDAvita

IMO 9221554
Built 2002, Aker MTW Wismar, Germany
Tonnage 42 289 GT
Length 202,85 m
Width 28,10 m
Draught 6,30 m
1 266 passengers (lower berths)
1 687 passenger berths
4 Wärtsilä diesels, combined 27 550 kW
2 controllable pitch propellers
2 bow thrusters
2 stern thrusters
Speed 19,4 knots

Delivered in 2002, the Aidavita was Aida Cruises second newbuilding ever. Although externally quite similar to the company's first ship, the Turku-built Aidacara (originally named just Aida), the Aidavita and her sister Aidaaura were built by the Aker MTW shipyard in Wismar in former East Germany - rather fitting, as Aida Cruises themselves started out as an offshoot of the former East German state-owned shipping company Deutsche Seereederei. However, by the time the Aidavita was delivered, Aida Cruises'  ownership had passed under P&O Princess Cruises, which of course subsequently merged with the Carnival Corporation to become Carnival Corporation & PLC. The Aidavita's career appears to have been rather uneventful, so let's proceed right to the photos.

The images below show the Aidavita departing from Helsinki's Länsisatama (West Harbour) in the afternoon of 18 October 2017, photographed from Vattuniemi. The lighting conditions were far from ideal, so I ended up editing these quite a bit; I quite like the end result myself but it is hardly "natural", and I can understand if it isn't everyone's cup of tea. As always, click on the images to see them in larger size.

I think the Aidavita and her sister are particularly successful externally, with a nicely balanced profile already evident in the first Aida ship, but with the covered bridge wings giving an extra touch.

The later Aida newbuilds have, alas, not been as successful (visually) if you ask me.

Yes, I did "cut out" the ship and edit it separately from the background. How ever did you guess?

`The reason why I've been out photographing so little this year on the left - and a more natural lighting of the ship on the right.

I really dig the aft design on this ship; a wedge similar to that of the Sally Albatross, but done better.

AIDAbella in Helsinki, 3 August 2013

AIDAbella

IMO 9362542
Built 2008, Meyer Werft Papenburg, Germany
Tonnage 69 203 GT
Length 251,89 m
Width 32,20 m
Draugth 7,20 m
2 500 passengers
4 MaK diesels, combined 36 000 kW
2 azipods
2 bow thrusters
2 stern thusters
Service speed 19,5 knots
Maximum speed 21,8 knots

As I may have mentioned before, I find it very hard to get excited about AIDA Cruises ships... especially the Sphinx-class ones. There are so many, and they don't really have any individual identity at all. Still, that doesn't change the fact the exterior design of the ships is quite interesting.

AIDAbella departing Helsinki West Harbour in the afternoon of 3 August 2013, photographed from Sisä-Hattu. Click on the images to see them in larger size.

I was displaying a Bruce Peter -esque paparazzing of unsuspecting bystanders for the foreground, it seems.

Upright shots seem to be in fashion for me these days.

Foreground reeds and the AIDAbella.

This one I really like.

The Photogenic Tree returns once again.

Here comes the sun.

Next time: Translandia & Nordlandia

AIDAbella in Helsinki, 28 June 2013

AIDAbella

IMO 9362542
Built 2008, Meyer Werft Papenburg, Germany
Tonnage 69 203 GT
Length 251,89 m
Width 32,20 m
Draugth 7,20 m
2 500 passengers
4 MaK diesels, combined 36 000 kW
2 azipods
2 bow thrusters
2 stern thusters
Service speed 19,5 knots
Maximum speed 21,8 knots

Not much to say about the AIDAbella. She was completed as the second ship of AIDA Cruises' Sphinx class of newbuildings, and as such lacks the additional structures above the bridge introduced in the latter ships of the series (such as the AIDAmar featured in the previous entry).

The photographs below show the AIDAbella departing from Helsinki West Harbour in the afternoon of 28 June 2013, photographed from Sisä-Hattu. Click on the images to see them in larger size.

Today's foreground theme: The Japanese Rose (Rosa rugosa).

Now with a sprinkling of added Rowan.

Next time: Probably the Vision of the Seas.

AIDAmar in Helsinki, 26 June 2013

AIDAmar

IMO 9490052
Built 2012, Meyer Werft Papenburg, Germany
Tonnage 71 304 GT
Length 253,33 m
Width 32,20 m
Draugth 7,30 m
2 192 passengers (double occupancy)
2 500 berths
4 MaK diesels, combined 36 000 kW
2 azipods
2 bow thrusters
2 stern thrusters
Speed 19,5 knots

The AIDAmar is the second-to last ship in Aida Cruises (too) extensive Sphinx-class that started with the AIDAdiva back in 2007 and ended this year with the AIDAstella, with five other ships between them. Not much to say about the AIDAmar that wouldn't have been covered in the technical details above. She was ordered in December 2007, her keel was laid in October 2008 and she was delivered to her owners in May 2012.

The photographs below show the AIDAmar departing Helsinki West Harbour in the afternoon of 26 June 2013, photographed from Sisä-Hattu. Click on the images to see them in larger size.

It's nice to look at these photos today, at the opposite end of the year then it's dark, gloomy and the sun is barely seen.

The (un?)expected return of The Photogenic Tree.

Not a big fan of the Sphinx class in terms of exterior, though I hear the interiors are very nice.

Artsy foreground rocks.

Next time: If we continue in chronological order, the next time will feature more AIDA-ing with the AIDAbella.

AIDAblu in Funchal, 15 January 2007, and Arrecife, 18 January 2007

AIDAblu

IMO 8521220
Name history: Crown Princess, A'Rosa Blu, AIDAblu, Ocean Village Two, Pacific Jewel
Built 1990, Fincantieri Monfalcone, Italy
Tonnage 70 285 GT
Length 245,08 m
Width 32,25 m
Draugth 7,90 m
1 748 passengers
1 748 berths
4 MAN-B&W diesels, combined 24 000 kW
2 propellers
2 bow thrusters
2 stern thrusters
Speed 19,5 knots

So, the AIDAblu. Not the current, 2010-built AIDAblu but rather the first AIDAblu built in 1990 for Princess Cruises as the Crown Princess.

Although the ship was delivered to Princess Cruises, she was in fact originally ordered by Sitmar Cruises as the second ship in the three-ship newbuilding spree the company commissioned shortly before it was sold to P&O. P&O purchased Sitmar in 1988 and merged their US cruise operations into their Princess Cruises brand (Sitmar did survive as a separate brand in Australia for some years). The Sitmar-ordered newbuildings were delivered to Princess Cruises as the Star Princess, Crown Princess and Regal Princess. The Star Princess had already been named Sitmar Fairmajesty before the sale, but the original planned names - if any - of the Crown and Regal Princesses are unknown at least to me.

Anyway, the Crown Princess was delivered to Princess Cruises in June 1990 and entered service with them the following month. She stayed with Princess for a dozen years, until in 2002 P&O decided to create an entirely new brand for the German market to compliment their existing Aida Cruises brand: the A'Rosa Cruises brand, which was essentially an attempt to make an upmarket version of Aida. In June 2002 the ship entered service for A'Rosa Cruises as the A'Rosa Blu. A'Rosa was not a success and the brand was closed down two years later, with the A'Rosa Blu moving under the Aida brand as the first AIDAblu.

AIDAblu's Aida career would not be long either, as the non-purpose-built ship was not well suited for Aida's brand. When the new AIDAdiva was delivered in spring 2007, the AIDAblu was transferred to Ocean Village Cruises, which was an attempt by P&O Cruises (which by this time was Carnival PLC of course) to recreate the success of Aida Cruises for the UK market. Ocean Village had one ship at this point, the Ocean Village (ex-Star Princess), and her near-sister joined her as the Ocean Village Two.

Despite the addition of a second ship under the Ocean Village brand it was not as successful as Carnival Corporation & PLC had hoped, and in 2008 they made public the plan to close down Ocean Village Cruises, moving the ships to Australia under the P&O Cruises (Australia) brand. Personally I find this to be a huge loss, purely due to the fact that I really really liked Ocean Village Cruises' visual identity - their livery was awesome. The Ocean Village Two was the first one to leave the Ocean Village brand, sailing for Australia in late 2009, entering service as the Pacific Jewel in early 2010. The Ocean Village joined her as the Pacific Pearl a year later. Both ships remain the P&O Australia fleet. Interestingly, the third unit in the fleet is the Pacific Dawn (ex-Regal Princess), aka the Pacific Jewel's sister ship. In other words, the P&O Australia fleet consists solely of ships ordered by Sitmar.

The photographs below show the AIDAblu at Funcal on 15 January 2007 and in Arrecife on 18 January 2007. Click on the images to see in larger size.

Departing Funchal, as photographed from my private balcony on the Thomson Destiny. Mind you, we actually paid for the cheapest possible cabin but got upgraded due to this having been our honeymoon.

During the cruise it did seem that where-ever the AIDAblu went, the Thomson Destiny followed.

Next time: Volcan de Timanfaya.

AIDAsol in Helsinki, 9. July 2012

AIDAsol

IMO 9490040
Built 2011, Meyer Werft Papenburg, Germany
Tonnage 71 100 GT
Length 253,33 m
Width 32,20 m
Draugth 7,30 m
2 194 passengers (double occupancy)
2 500 berths
4 MaK diesels, combined 36 000 kW
2 azipods
2 bow thrusters
2 stern thrusters
Speed 20,5 knots

Helsinki is looking very autumnal these days and yesterday marked the second-to-last cruise visit of the year with CMV's Marco Polo (the very last will be Fred. Olsen's Black Watch in late November - the first time to my knowledge that the cruise season has extended that far). Photographs of the Marco Polo's visit will be forthcoming, but in keeping with posting photos in chronological order, today's subject is the AIDAsol. In keeping the other recent posts, these photos were taken from Sisä-Hattu as the AIDAsol departed Helsinki West Harbour. Click on the images to see them in larger size.

As I have undoubtedly mentioned before, I'm not a fan of the latest Aida ships' looks. But there surroundings make any ship look good. ;)

How I managed to get almost the entire photo into focus I do not know, as I was actually using a fairly large aperture.

Foreground rocks, part 1.

And part 2.

Next time: Seven Seas Voyager (or alternatively the recent Marco Polo shots).

AIDAsol in Helsinki, 6 May 2012

AIDAsol

IMO 9490040
Built 2011, Meyer Werft Papenburg, Germany
Tonnage 71 100 GT
Length 253,33 m
Width 32,20 m
Draugth 7,30 m
2 194 passengers (double occupancy)
2 500 berths
4 MaK diesels, combined 36 000 kW
2 azipods
2 bow thrusters
2 stern thrusters
Speed 20,5 knots

AIDAsol had the honour of opening the summer cruise season in Helsinki this year - which in itself is somewhat unusual, as usually it has been Hurtigruten's Fram that has opened the season (or before the Fram, other Hurtigruten ships that were used for cruising during the winter off-season). This also meant that unusually the cruise season opened in the West Harbour, not the South Harbour.

We had been enjoying nice sunny spring weather recently - except in the afternoon of 6 May, which meant the AIDAsol departed in overcast weather and the images required some work to be presentable. Whether or not they are acceptable is up to you to judge.

Click on the images to see in larger size.

AIDAsol in decided un-solly weather.

In our ongoing series of "Crap in the Foreground", rocks. The water level was unusually low, hence the relatively large amount of green in the form of seaweed.

The sky looked brilliant, but it was a lot of trouble trying to make the ship stand out from the photo without losing the sky.

Past Pihlajasaari, with some brave soul out sailing - the weather was not exactly warm either, and I suspect the experience of sailing was rather unpleasant.

AIDAsol in Helsinki, 3 August 2011

AIDAsol

IMO 9490040
Built 2011, Meyer Werft Papenburg, Germany
Tonnage 71 100 GT
Length 253,33 m
Width 32,20 m
Draugth 7,30 m
2 194 passengers (double occupancy)
2 500 berths
4 MaK diesels, combined 36 000 kW
2 azipods
2 bow thrusters
2 stern thrusters
Speed 20,5 knots

AIDAsol is the fifth ship in AIDA Cruises seven-ship Sphinx class, delivered in 2011. I don't really have anything else to say about her. The photos below show the AIDAsol departing from Helsinki West Harbour on 3 August 2011, photographed from the small Sisä-Hattu island. Click on the individual images to see in larger size.

3 August was a busy day, with four different cruise ships in port. This strategically selected image of the AIDAsol departing hides the Norwegian Sun and Superstar strategically behind the AIDAsol (though you can see the exhausts from the Norwegian Sun if you look carefully).

I'm puzzled by the vast windowless expanse on the superstructure below the blue stripe. What could be worth sacrificing so much well-placed superstructure space? (Galleys, presumably).

Passing Pihlajasaari. Notice the reflection of the sun reflecting on water on the midship "bowl" window.

The shape of the Sphinx-class' aft superstructure is interesting - when you look at the ship from bow-on, it looks like a similar wedge-shape as on the previous-generation AIDA ships. But seen from this direction, it doesn't look like that at all.

AIDAcara in Kiel, 22 May 2011

AIDAcara

IMO 9112789
Name history: Aida, Aidacara
Built 1996, Kvaerner Masa-Yards Turku New Shipyard, Finland
Tonnage 38 557 GT
Length 193,30 m
Width 32,60 m
Draught 6,20 m
1 230 passengers
1 230 berths
4 MAN diesels, combined 21 720 kW
2 controllable pitch propellers
2 bow thrusters
Speed 21,5 knots

AIDAcara is Aida Cruises oldest ship and as such the very beginning of the veru successful casual cruising brand. Yet the history of the ship is a bit more complex than just being the first Aida ship.

During the first half of the 1990s the German cruise line Deutsche Seetouristik began planning building or acquiring a new ship, to complement their existing Arkona (which sails today as the Saga Pearl II). It's perhaps worth noting that Deutsche Seetouristik was originally an East German company. In any case, Deutsche Seetouristik were looking for a casual, club-like ship. Initially the company considered buying the Silja Line cruise ship Sally Albatross (today sailing as Louis Cruises' Cristal) but in the end opted for a newbuilt ship. The resulting ship does however bear strong resemblance to the Sally Albaross, and the looks have been carried over to the subsequent Aida Cruises ships.

However, Aida Cruises was still nonexistant at the time the ship, originally named simply Aida, was delivered in 1996. As a marketing slogan, she was referred to Das Clubschiff. Some sources claim this was also the ship's name at some point during her career, but this is not the case. Aida was a very successful cruise ship and her success attracted the attention of larger players in cruise business. In 1999 P&Oacquired 51% of Arkona Reisen (as the Aida's owners were now known) and established a new brand, Aida Cruises, for the Aida and planned new ships in similar vein. (The Arkona continued sailing for Arkona Reisen until 2001 but she was, naturally, never a part of the Aida Cruises fleet).

In late 2001 the Aida was renamed AIDAcara in preparation of the delivery of Aida Cruises second ship, the AIDAvita in 2002. Also in 2002 P&O Princess Cruises (as Aida Cruises' owners were now known) merged with the Carnival Corporation to form Carnival Corporation & plc. As a result of the merger, Aida Cruises now became a part of the Carnival Corporation's main European arm, Costa Cruises. Aida Cruises was never the less retained as a separate brand. Following Aida Cruises' extensive newbuilding programme, the AIDAcara is today the smallest ship in the fleet.

The photographs below show the AIDAcara departing the Ostseekai cruise terminal in Kiel on the evening of 22 May 2011. Click on the individual images to view larger size.

Reversing away from the terminal...

...and backing to the pool next to the HDW shipyard (in the background).

Notice the added balconies above the boat deck. They don't look too bad, for balconies added on later, but they don't seem very private - especially as the partitions between them seem very low.

The certainly eye-cathing livery with the eyes and the lips draw from the same original as the ship's name: Verdi's 1871 opera Aïda. According to a popular misconception the opera was written commemorate the opening of the Suez canal, but this is not the case (Verdi had been asked to write a piece for the occasion, but had declined).

Heading out after turning. Interestingly, the blue stripe along the superstructure windows was originally in a shade of darker blue (perhaps in reflection of her role model Sally Albatross' black-striped livery).

The funnel colours fit the rest of the livery beautifully, consdering the rest of the livery predates the funnel colours by several years. (Naturally) the ship originally carried Deutsche Seetouristik's bird symbol on her funnel.

Heading out for a Baltic Sea cruise.

AIDAdiva, 27 May 2009

AIDAdiva

IMO 9334856
Built 2007, Meyer Werft Papenburg, Germany
Tonnage 69 203 GT
Length 251,89 m
Width 32,20 m
Draugth 7,20 m
2 500 passengers
4 MaK diesels, combined 36 000 kW
2 azipods
2 bow thrusters
2 stern thusters
Speed 19,5 knots

AIDAdiva is the lead ship of AIDA Cruises' Sphinx-class (there isn't, at least yet, a ship in the class called AIDAsphinx, however), part of AIDA Cruises large-scale newbuilding plan encompassing six ships. AIDA Cruises is in fact a part of Costa Cruises and as such a member of the world's largest cruise company Carnival Corporation & PLC. However, unlike all other Carnival brands, which trust Italy's Fincantieri to provide their ships, AIDA's Sphinx-class ships have been built at Germany's Meyer Werft and to a design that's (at least thus far) unique to AIDA's fleet, instead of being a generic design spread though the various Carnival brands. Perhaps this is in part due to AIDA's brand as an informal, club-like cruise line that is quite different from other Carnival brands (there was an attempt to establish a similar brand for the UK market with Ocean Village, but that was a failure. In the US market the informal cruises are provided by Carnival's competitor Norwegian Cruise Line).

Externally AIDAdiva has the same design elements that have been present in all newbuilt AIDA ships since the original AIDA (from 2001 named AIDAcara), with the wedge-shaped stern, rounded forward superstructure and swept-back funnel (interestingly, much of the design has reportedly been based on the rebuilt Sally Albatross of 1992, which AIDA's original owners Deutsche Seereederei apparently considered buying before deciding on a newbuilt ship instead). AIDAdiva and her sisters add interesting new elements to the design, such as the two-level bridge structure reminescent of the Baltic cruiseferry Finnjet (and Disney Cruise Line's ships) and the large bowl-shaped window protruding from the ship's side. Though these features certainly make the ship more interesting on the inside (and I admit that's the part that really matters), on the exterior the ship does look less well-designed than the previous AIDA newbuilds. The Sphinx-class ships lack coordination of design elements what the AIDAcara and the AIDAvita/AIDAaura sisters had.

AIDAdiva in the harbour of La Goulette, Tunisia on 27 May 2009, photographed from onboard MSC Sinfonia. Click on the image to view full size.