Storm Causes Cruise Travel Chaos — Three AIDA Ships Affected

Bahar O.

A severe autumn storm named Joshua has disrupted cruise schedules across Northern Europe, forcing three AIDA cruise ships — AIDAprima, AIDAperla, and AIDAnova — to significantly alter their routes for safety reasons.

AIDAprima, which has been sailing the popular “Metropolis Route” since October 19, had to end its stop in Cherbourg early and head directly to Le Havre, which will now be its final port before returning to Hamburg. The planned stop in Zeebrugge was cancelled. Passengers will instead have an extended stay in Le Havre until the ship departs on October 24.

Meanwhile, AIDAperla, on a Norwegian cruise since October 18, also changed its route to avoid worsening weather. Planned visits to Ålesund and Haugesund were cancelled, with the ship instead making an unscheduled stop in Bergen. To ensure a safe return, AIDAperla is heading back early to Hamburg, arriving on Friday morning (October 24) for an overnight stay. Passengers on the following cruise have been asked to board earlier than planned due to the adjusted schedule.

The AIDAnova faced even more difficulty in Copenhagen, where it became stuck in port on Thursday. Two attempts to depart for Århus failed due to strong winds, with a third tug-assisted attempt scheduled later that night.

Despite the disruptions, AIDA Cruises assured guests that all changes were made for passenger safety as storm Joshua brings high winds and rough seas across Northern Europe.

In the video below, AIDAperla is seen cruising through stormy weather in Hamburg in 2018.