My first cruise – AIDAperla, a great ship!

Life on board the AIDAperla is diverse and varied. There was so much on offer that we didn’t even come close to seeing, trying out and enjoying everything.

If you also take advantage of the excursion program or go ashore on your own, the trip can be exhausting. We went on short excursions to Ajaccio (Corsica), Lucca (Italy) and Palma (Spain) and otherwise enjoyed life on board the AIDAperla.

It was the first cruise for me and will definitely not be the last.

Action and fun on the AIDAperla

It certainly won’t be boring on the AIDAperla. If you don’t want to take part in sporty shore excursions such as diving, cycling or SUP, you can also have fun on board.

The fitness studio not only offers a number of courses during the cruise, you can also let off steam on a wide variety of equipment. We were in the gym every day, as this is where our sports program with Christian Polanc took place. There was always something going on. The equipment was never empty and the passengers on the AIDAperla tried to work off the good food straight away.

Volleyball and soccer were regularly played on the outdoor sports deck.

If you don’t feel like going to the gym, you can use the ship’s climbing garden, for example. Unfortunately, it wasn’t possible for me to try it out with my broken foot. But two friends tried out the course and clearly had a lot of fun.

For those who want to take it a little easier, there is the option of playing minigolf on board or using the pool area with the lazy river and whirlpools.

I couldn’t resist, took off my special shoe and slid down the racer very slowly and carefully. 2 slides go over several decks and end in a small room. Here you can read off the slide speed and take part in small slide speed competitions.

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Wellness on the AIDAperla

If you still have time between all the offers on the ship and the shore excursions, you should definitely make use of the ship’s wellness area. I was thrilled!

Fantastic massage

While countless passengers were making their way to Rome, we treated ourselves to a massage on board. Without further ado, we went to the reception of the wellness area after breakfast and were able to get an appointment for a massage around midday. I opted for a traditional full body massage, while my girlfriend relaxed with a neck and shoulder massage. I really liked the fact that our appointments could take place almost at the same time. My massage lasted a good 55 minutes, so I went into the treatment room a little earlier. The neck and shoulder massage lasted about 30 minutes and we finished our treatments almost at the same time.

My treatment room was a cabin with a window and a view of the harbor basin. The room was at a pleasant temperature, soft music was playing and I could choose one of three possible massage oils. I have rarely experienced such a good massage. It was not, as is often the case, a gentle back massage. This was a real massage. My muscles, tense from walking on crutches, were kneaded in the truest sense of the word until everything was soft and relaxed. Great!

My girlfriend was also completely thrilled with her massage. The price-performance ratio was 100% right for our treatments.

Sauna day

Even before we left Berlin, we had decided not to go ashore in Barcelona. We were both already in the city and preferred to experience the ship’s sauna area. We booked online in advance.

Immediately after breakfast, we slipped into our bathrobes (which were hanging in the cabin) and went to the reception of the wellness area. Our room cards were coded so that we could use the area as often as we wanted throughout the day. First, we took a close look at everything. In addition to several sauna areas with different temperatures, the AIDAperla also offers whirlpools, steam and aroma saunas, various relaxation areas, a private sun deck and a tea/fruit and water bar. The offer is very varied and you can really relax.

What particularly surprised us was that we were almost alone there. During the morning, there were exactly 2 other guests here. In the evening (we were here again after dinner) we met 3 more guests. It’s great to sit alone in a sauna, look through the window into the harbor and just enjoy! We also enjoyed the exit from the illuminated harbor all alone in the relaxation room at the stern of the ship – fantastically beautiful!

For us, the day was pure relaxation and I would always book the offer again on “shore days”!

Spoilt for choice – restaurants on the AIDAperla

You certainly don’t have to starve on a cruise with the AIDAperla. On the contrary, you are spoiled for choice every day – where do I eat today? Many offers are included in the cruise price. In some restaurants you pay extra for drinks. There are also restaurants where a table reservation is necessary or the entire meal has to be paid for separately.

It starts in the morning with breakfast. Depending on the day of travel (i.e. depending on the sea or land day, arrival and departure day), the restaurants open for breakfast from 6 am. Breakfast is served in around 6 restaurants until 11 am. Each restaurant has its own specialties, such as the French Kiss. In addition to the “normal” breakfast, the French sweet breakfast is also offered here.

We mostly had breakfast in the large market restaurant. Here you could enjoy the view from the large window fronts at the rear of the ship, always found a place at a table and the selection of dishes was very varied.

If you were on board at lunchtime, you could eat in at least 3 restaurants from 12 noon, and on sea days even in 6 restaurants until around 2 pm. The family restaurant Fuego even offers lunch until 5 pm. After a late breakfast, we often didn’t get hungry until after 2pm, so we took advantage of the offer in the Fuego restaurant. They mainly offered burgers, pizza and pasta dishes and of course salads, cakes and ice cream.

In between, you can also get coffee and cake. The Casino Bar is completely free, but with a long queue and waiting time. In other places on the ship with additional payment options.

Dinner time begins at 6 pm. A wide variety of food is offered in 11 restaurants until 10 pm. Some offers are fully included in the tour price. Others have to be paid for (sometimes only the drinks).

We tried to try out as many restaurants as possible.

The Bella Donna restaurant mainly offers Italian cuisine in buffet form. The market restaurant offers a wide variety of dishes in buffet form. It is always quite full here. However, it is nice that even larger groups can find a place at large round tables.

I liked the concept of the “Weite Welt” restaurant. Here, there were always dishes related to the region that you had just discovered on a shore excursion. The Corsican specialties were really delicious and made my flying visit to Ajaccio even more enjoyable.

One evening we went to the Asian East Restaurant. In addition to the Asian buffet, we had the opportunity to have fresh ingredients fried in a wok. Of course, the offer was very popular and so it took quite a while until the food was ready. But it was also really good.

Should you still feel hungry and thirsty, there are numerous snack bars and bars on the ship. From currywurst to cake, everyone should find something to satisfy their hunger here.

We couldn’t go past the MAGNUM Pleasur Store. Here you can design your own ice cream. The chocolate layer is drawn over the “ice cream blank” as desired (and it was really thick!). You can also choose from various toppings to sprinkle on the warm chocolate. Really delicious and definitely worth the fun!

Evenings on the AIDAperla

The evening on the AIDAperla is all about good humor. You can relax in the Theatrium with a little show. Whether music or show, the AIDA team always presents a varied program here. However, you should not arrive too late. The number of seats is limited and often some passengers (especially the older passengers) wait long before the show. It’s a case of first come, first served, late arrivals have to stand!

We were lucky enough to be on board at Oktoberfest time and live performances by well-known artists awaited us. One evening we were able to experience a concert by DJ Ötzi. He performed in the Beach Club and quickly turned the AIDA into a party zone. A great concert that I really enjoyed!

Another evening we were able to listen to the Rotzlöffel in the Brauhaus, drink a beer and sing along to the songs.

On other evenings we went to the D6 disco, which I really liked the look of. The music was different every night, as there was always a theme that influenced the style of music. It was always very crowded late at night, so we had to work hard behind the bar.

If you wanted to enjoy the evening a little more elegantly, the Spraybar was the place to be with a glass of champagne. We only had a look in here during the day. Who knows, maybe I’ll have a glass here on my next trip.

Every day you can read in the on-board newspaper what is on offer when and where. Anyone who is bored here really has only themselves to blame.