Today (15 March), Rotterdam’s cruise season officially kicked off with the arrival of the AIDAperla (2017 – 125,572 bt).

The AIDAperla arrived in Rotterdam for the first time and docked at the Cruiseport Holland Amerikakade at 8 o'clock. The vessel replaces the AIDAprima (2016 – 125,572 bt), which visited Rotterdam 78 times between April 2016 and November 2017.

SWZ|Maritime editor Gerrit J. de Boer travelled to Rotterdam to watch the AIDAperla arrive. His pictures can be found in the album below. (Please click the pop-out link to view the pictures in their proper dimensions.) A video of the ship arriving by the Port of Rotterdam can also be watched below.

AIDAperla

The AIDAperla was taken into operation in 2017 and is a sister vessel of the AIDAprima. Only the interior differs from the Prima. The vessel will also sail between Hamburg, Southampton, Le Havre, Zeebrugge (Brussels) and Rotterdam on a weekly basis. Until November, the AIDAperla can be admired at the Wilhelminapier in Rotterdam every Thursday.

LNG by Truck

The ultra-modern vessel is equipped to convert LNG on board to power the vessel’s hotel function. A truck will deliver the LNG.

Some 80 Arrivals This Cruising Season

With some 80 arrivals, it promises to be a busy cruising season in Rotterdam. The high points are the arrivals of the Seabourn Ovation (2018 – 40,350 bt) on 2 October, a ‘five-star plus’ vessel, and the AIDAnova (2018 – 183,900 bt) on 21 November, the first LNG-powered cruise ship. A total of seven other cruise ships will arrive from the still young English company, Cruise & Maritime Voyage; all four-star vessels.

Not new, yet always awe-inspiring are the arrivals of the Queen Elizabeth (2010 – 90,901 bt), Independence of the Seas (2008 – 154,407 bt) and Magallan (1985 – 46,052 bt). There is also a special focus on the SS Rotterdam this year, as Rotterdam celebrates the 145th anniversary of the Holland America Line.