ROSTOCK – 30 June 2026: AIDA Cruises will not operate its planned Middle East programme during the winter 2027-28 season, withdrawing AIDAperla from previously announced cruises in the region.
According to an official notice issued by the cruise line, the decision was taken because the situation in the Middle East remains difficult to assess reliably. AIDA said the early programme change was intended to provide greater planning certainty for guests and travel trade partners.
The cancellation follows AIDA’s earlier decision to withdraw its winter 2026-27 Middle East programme.
AIDAperla voyages affected
The change affects all AIDAperla Middle East cruises scheduled between 17 December 2027 and 16 April 2028.
The ship had been due to operate seven-night itineraries from Dubai, with Abu Dhabi also available as an embarkation and disembarkation port. The original programme included calls in Qatar, Oman, Bahrain and at Sir Bani Yas Island, with selected routes combinable as 14-night voyages.
Associated repositioning sailings around the Canary Islands and Africa in autumn 2027 and spring 2028 have also been cancelled.
Several European voyages connected to the planned deployment are affected, including selected departures from Hamburg scheduled before AIDAperla’s intended repositioning towards the Middle East.
New European programme planned
AIDAperla will instead operate from Kiel during the winter 2027-28 season, offering cruises to Northern Europe.
The revised programme is expected to include sailings to Norway and the Benelux countries, along with an extended “Große Winterpause Kanaren” voyage to the Canary Islands.
AIDA has also identified alternative cruises from Hamburg along the Atlantic coast and short Scandinavian sailings from Warnemünde as options within its wider winter programme.
Detailed itineraries for AIDAperla’s replacement deployment are due to be released at the end of July 2026, when the new cruises are expected to open for booking.
Second consecutive Middle East season withdrawn
AIDA had opened bookings for its winter 2027-28 Middle East season in January 2026, presenting the programme as a return to the region after the cancellation of its 2026-27 deployment.
The newly announced withdrawal means the cruise line will now remain absent from the Middle East for a second consecutive winter season.
AIDA said affected guests and travel agency partners would be contacted about the changes. Payments already made for the cancelled cruises and related pre-booked services will be refunded through the original payment method.
The decision removes the previously announced Dubai and Abu Dhabi programme from AIDA’s winter 2027-28 schedule, while shifting AIDAperla to an alternative European deployment.
Source: AIDA Cruises, “Information on AIDAperla voyages between 23 October 2027 and 27 May 2028”, published 30 June 2026.
Related: AIDA originally announced its winter 2027-28 Middle East programme in January 2026. Read the earlier report.
