Cruiseship: A Diva Cooks Live

 
AIDAdiva is the youngest flagship of Aida Cruises and the prototype of a completely new generation of cruise lines. The club ship sets new standards not only with regard to wellness and entertainment but is also something special when it comes to foodservice. On board there are no less than seven restaurants and nine bars, covering the spectrum from market and gourmet restaurants to sushi bar, steakhouse and wine bar – more than ever before. Foodservice has become an important aspect of the overall concept.
 

 
The AIDAdiva has become a public event since its spectacular launch in April 2007. The pompous naming ceremony in Hamburg attracted over 300,000 visitors while millions more watched the television broadcast. Never before has there been such enthusiasm for a cruise liner in Germany. “The hype is enormous,” says Hansjörg Kunze, spokesman of Aida Cruises. Naturally, the cruise line itself has not played a minor role in this. With a casual, club-holiday concept revolving around fun and sport, Aida aims at completely new target groups and has made a significant contribution to the 10% p.a. expansion of the cruise market in German-speaking Europe. What makes the Diva so special? With a length of 252 m and 13 decks, the fun liner with the red lips painted on the bow is the biggest and most colourful club ship on the German market. Moreover, it has room for 2,050 passengers in 1,025 cabins – almost twice as many as on the older Aida ships. Although the Diva is a small fish compared to American cruise giants, it is distinguished by numerous innovations. For example, by the glass ‘Theatrium’ that the architects have carved out of three decks in the ship’s hull.
 
Here, the theatre, bars and market place merge to create a special feeling of space. And then there’s the wellness area with an opening glass roof where passengers can perspire, train and relax on 2,300 sq m – never before has there been so much room for spa and sport. A new approach is also to be seen on the foodservice side.
 

 
“We have completely revised our catering concept and the variety is now greater than ever before,” explains Michael Mohs, Manager New Building of Aida Cruises. Passengers have a choice of seven restaurants and nine bars (restaurant area: 3,478 sq m) – older ships, such as the AIDAvita and AIDAcara, have three restaurants and five bars each. The cruise line has always been managing the foodservice side without outside assistance. Typical of Aida are the big buffet restaurants where passengers serve themselves at plentiful food stations. There are no set meal times or serving in two sittings – all guests are free to decide when and where they want to eat.
 

 
On the Diva, they can choose from four buffet restaurants – all food and beverages consumed here are included in the price of the cruise. Anyone who doesn’t want to eat a buffet meal must pay extra in one of the three à la carte restaurants. When the weather is fine, all passengers can be seated at once on the AIDAdiva,” says Mohs. The indoor capacities are sufficient for 87% of the passengers.
 

 
| 10 August 2007 |