Ship reference

AIDAnova

Ship specifications and sources.

Quick facts

Cruise line
AIDA Cruises
Class
Helios
Entered service
2018
Status
In service

About us AIDAnova

AIDAnova entered service in December 2018 as the first Helios-class ship for AIDA Cruises. Meyer Werft built the vessel in Papenburg, and IMO 9781865 identifies it. Current insurance and technical sources give 183858 gross tons, rather than treating the builder's rounded 183900 as an additional exact value. Its significance lies partly in being the first cruise ship designed to use LNG for its hotel and propulsion operation, with diesel capability retained in the individual operator specification.

For passengers, the covered Beach Club and Four Elements activity area help explain the appeal of a ship designed for different weather conditions. Waterslides and climbing activities create a different day from sitting in Theatrium for a performance or spending time in a quieter lounge. Check the actual programme and participation conditions for each activity instead of interpreting their presence as unrestricted access at any time.

Dining includes an interactive Time Machine dinner concept as well as buffet, snack and specialty options. The later Best Pizza @ Sea addition is now listed on the current individual ship page. It formed part of the 2024 Rotterdam work, alongside changes to the ice-cream counter, upholstery, mattresses, floors and technical equipment. The completed refurbishment year is distinguished from an original launch feature, and an old restaurant list does not describe every present option.

The individual current operator page and charter inventory agree on 2626 rooms and twenty total decks. Charter material explicitly identifies 6654 maximum passengers, corroborated by a separate ship database. This does not establish double occupancy. Rounded corporate lower-berth figures and ambiguous older summaries are not used to invent an exact lower-berth total. Length is 337 metres from operator and builder; a technical database's 325.08-metre entry is inconsistent with those overall-length references and is not adopted.

LNG/diesel-electric is the supported machinery description. The experimental methanol fuel-cell installation is a separate matter: the group's 2024 sustainability report states that it was decommissioned in 2024 because flag-state approval was lacking. It is therefore not described as a current methanol propulsion system. Later operator reporting of Bio-LNG purchases also does not establish that every sailing uses only that fuel. Crew and maximum speed remain open where precise current definitions have not been reconciled.

Specifications

AIDAnova — Specifications
SpecificationValue
Year built2018
Entered service2018
Gross tonnage (GT)183,858
Guests at double occupancy—
Maximum guests6,654
Crew—
Cabins2,626
Decks (total)20
Length (m)337
Beam (m)42
Last verified refurbishment year2024
Maximum speed (knots)—
IMO9781865
ShipyardMeyer Werft, Papenburg, Germany
FlagItaly
Propulsion / fuel descriptionLNG/diesel-electric

A dash means no independently verified value is available. Guest counts at double occupancy and maximum capacity are different measures. GT measures enclosed volume, not weight.

Highlights

Other ships in the same recorded class

Shared class does not guarantee identical cabins, venues or deck layouts.

Selected ships in this reference. A dash means no verified value is available.
AIDAcosmaHelios2021183,774

Last checked:

Sources