Surely everyone remembers when, in full confinement due to COVID, the cruise ship AidaNova, docked in the port of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, lit up on the night of March 26, 2020for half an hour, to project a message of encouragement to the population both towards the land side and towards the sea.
The ship, docked at the Ribera Dock of the Anaga Dock, in the alignment corresponding to the Tenerife Cruise Terminal, concessionaire of Carnival Cruisesstars every Wednesday in a spectacular image in the city, which today is a common sight.
Two years later, after putting the pandemic on hold, the captain of this mega-cruise, Marc Dominique Tidow, wanted to thank the entire city of Santa Cruz for the “warmth” with which he was treated and the constant messages of encouragement to the crew who found during confinement on the ship. “It has been one of the greatest sensations I have experienced,” he said yesterday during an organized visit to the ship. “In the hardest moments, the city was there. From the balconies of the buildings (located on Avenida de Anaga) they greeted us and sent us messages. We felt like we were interconnected,” he said.
After these hard times, the AidaNova has returned to its routine and continues to have the Archipelago as one of the best destinations. It is a mega-vessel 337 meters long and 42 meters wide, with a top gross record of 183,200 tons. In addition, her commitment to her sustainability is clear since she is propelled with Liquefied Natural Gas. The weekly tour that she makes takes her from Funchal (Madeira) to the Islands, passing through Puerto del Rosario (Fuerteventura), Arrecife (Lanzarote), Las Palmas (Gran Canaria) and Santa Cruz de Tenerife.
The AidaNova mainly displaces German tourists. In fact, almost 99% of its passengers are of this nationality. On 20 decks it houses a fully digitized casino, 17 restaurants that offer all kinds of food, from American and German, to Argentine, French, Japanese and fish. It has the largest theater on board with capacity for 1,800 passengers and three floors of shops as if it were a shopping center. It transports 5,200 passengers divided into 2,600 cabins of 19 types, depending on the category chosen, which will be served by a crew of 1,650 people. They can also enjoy a huge gym with views of the sea, mini golf and spa, as well as luxurious lounges where you can read or enjoy good live music. One of the novelties is that a German beer is brewed on the ship with salt water. For the little ones there are games and fun, and a climbing wall.
The captain highlighted the enormous impact that the ship has in Spain. She docks at 513 ports. She transports 1.7 million passengers and generates more than 2,400 jobs. The captain calculates that the economic impact is 405 million euros.
One of the most important aspects and one for which the company has opted for the Canary Islands is due to the satisfaction rates. “The interest in this destination is clear, because in all the islands we visit, more than 60% of the passengers choose to get off the ship, either to visit the city on their own or to go on an excursion, but the decision is to get off the boat. This shows that tourists are interested in the destination, ”he insisted.
Tidow also highlighted the commitment to the sustainability of the ship. In fact, it is the first ship powered by Liquefied Natural Gas, which reduces emissions. All technologies used on board are efficient. In addition, she has test projects for the battery storage system and the use of biofuel cells.
But, likewise, the entire community under the umbrella of AidaCruisses & Help helps children in need with more than 37 projects, including schools.
