Sunday, December 15, 2013

Profile and Photo Tour of cruise ship AIDAbella



This week we have a new cruise ship profile. AIDAbella is a 69,000 gross ton ship, which entered service for AIDA Cruises in 2008. As with all AIDA ships, she is instantly recognizable by the Egyptian-inspired mural on her bow and sides.

AIDAbella is an intriguing ship. When you hear that she is only 69,000 gross tons, you may well think that she is a relatively small ship. However, she has her own version of all of the features and amenities that you would expect in a contemporary cruise ship. Still, she does not feel crowded or over packed. This is perhaps due to the very non-traditional open architecture inside.

The ship is also intriguing because of AIDA's non-traditional approach to cruising. Many cruise lines have either done away with or give the guests the option of dispensing with set dining times and assigned tables. However, at AIDA, they have even dispensed with the main dining rooms. Instead, the ship has three buffet restaurants and, of course, they are not your standard buffet venue.

Along the same lines, many ships now have some form of entertainment in the ship's atrium. On AIDAbella, the atrium has become the theater with a stage and very sophisticated theatrical equipment. This is where the production cast and visiting performers put on their shows.

AIDAbella is geared for the German market. However, even for non-German speakers it is interesting to look at what is happening on the Bella. Its club-like approach is clearly non-traditional. However, will the concepts that AIDA has already put into practice be incorporated by the more traditional cruise lines tomorrow?

Our profile of AIDAbella is at http://www.beyondships.com/AIDAbella-Profile.html The multi-page photo tour of the ship begins at http://www.beyondships.com/AIDAbella-Tour-1.html


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