Update March 31, 2023: Southampton is cancelled
AIDAaura is currently on a trans-voyage from the winter trade area of South Africa to the summer trade area of Northern Europe. The last port of the current cruise should actually be the port city of Dover in southern England. Due to the weather forecast it was decided to head for Southampton instead of Dover. AIDAaura arrives in port tomorrow, Friday March 31st. Today the oldest kissing mouth ship is on a sea day in the Bay of Biscay.
The reason for the change of route is strong winds and high waves on the south English coast on Thursday night. The port of Southampton is a little more sheltered than Dover so safe mooring will be possible with tug assistance may be needed. The alternative port does not change the length of your stay in Great Britain. The docking and casting-off times are only pushed forward by two hours.
AIDAaura is expecting the pilot for Southampton tomorrow at 5 a.m. local time. At 7 a.m. the kissing mouth ship will be moored at a cruise terminal. AIDAaura guests have the opportunity to explore southern England on Friday. Popular destinations are London, Stonehenge, Salisbury or downtown Southampton. The departure for Hamburg takes place at 7 p.m. After a day at sea on the North Sea, AIDAaura’s trans-voyage ends on Sunday, April 2 at the Cruise Center Baakenhöft.
The AIDAaura positioning trip from South Africa to Hamburg began on March 6, 2023 in Cape Town. After destinations in Namibia and Cape Verde, AIDAaura reaches Lanzarote, its first European destination, on March 22. On March 23, 2023, there was a change of guests in Tenerife. From there, the cruise continued along the coasts of Western Europe. AIDAaura was scheduled in Lisbon, Porto, Vigo and Gijon. The final destination will now be Southampton tomorrow, Friday.
Updated March 31, 2023
AIDAaura was unable to call at the port of Southampton on Friday morning. Strong winds and waves around three meters high in the English Channel prevented the handover of the pilots, which was planned around five in the morning. Therefore, AIDAaura will not call at a British port. Safe docking of AIDAaura is not possible in Southampton and Dover today. The captain informed his guests regarding this in the morning hours. The Kussmundschiff is now on its way to Hamburg, where the current cruise ends on Sunday April 2nd.