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Special needs

Guests with individual health impairments

We are passionate about our service and ensure that guests with special requirements also enjoy their time on board. They should be able to get around as independently and without barriers as possible. Our AIDA website provides detailed information on the barrier-free topic. Of course, we gladly support our guests and their accompanying persons as needed. Our trained employees also provide assistance.

This can take the form of:

Competent consultation by the barrier-free team at the AIDA Customer Center before the booking
Special check-in for guests with special requirements
Initial information and assistance for guests on all issues related to orientation and support on board
Installation, explanation, and maintenance of technical devices
Invitation to a “barrier-free get-together” with proactive, individual advice on suitable excursions and vacation planning on board
Contact partners for all special questions related to orientation and support on board
Reading out menus and other printed materials

Allergies

At AIDA we are sensitive to our guests with food allergies or food intolerance. For example, our buffet restaurants always offer gluten-free and lactose-free options. Guests suffering from specific food intolerances can inform the AIDA Customer Center even before their trip. On the day of arrival, our reception staff then gives them a time to meet with the head chef who explains the various restaurants on board and also gives them valuable tips for enjoyable meals in spite of their particular food intolerances.

This initiative is our way of offering safety, helpful information, and a comfortable vacation experience to our guests with food allergies. All dishes in the buffet restaurants on AIDA ships are labeled so that people with food allergies can easily select the options that will work for them. Our trained staff is happy to assist guests with any questions.

Guests with reduced mobility

In order to make an AIDA voyage as comfortable as possible for guests with reduced mobility right from the start, we begin supporting them from the moment they start their journey. We believe that it should be possible for every guest to take an AIDA voyage without difficulties and additional costs. That is why we have been assuming the additional costs for special transfer arrangements (when an AIDA arrival/departure package is booked). We ensure short wait times at a special check-in counter and our trained employees here attend to the special needs of the guest. This naturally applies for all types of special needs.

Our barrier-free staterooms are available at no extra charge. More details about the features of these staterooms can be found on our 360-degree tour and in the FAQs at www.aida.de. Almost all areas on board are wheelchair accessible. Should detours be necessary, they are clearly marked with signage. Special seats are reserved for wheelchair users in the theater and buffet restaurants. Our staff members are happy to continue offering assistance during shore excursions. In 2013, we equipped all ships with wheelchair caterpillar lifts where technically possible to help transport wheelchair users on the occasionally steep gangways. Previously this had to be done manually.

On our youngest ship, AIDAprima, all barrier-free staterooms have automatic stateroom and bathroom door openers while veranda staterooms additionally have an automatic opener for the veranda door. All elevators have a wheelchair-accessible control panel to select floors. A special pool elevator facilitates entry into the main pool on AIDAprima for our guests with reduced mobility.

For a nominal fee, we offer guests the option to rent wheelchairs and, as of 2015, walkers. They can be used both on board and on shore excursions.

In our excursion brochures we identify the excursions that are best suited for people with special requirements. They also provide information about our “barrier-free get-togethers”. When it comes to shore excursions, we always take local circumstances into account. Moreover, we continue to exert influence on our partners at the individual destinations to establish suitable requirements so that our guests can move freely without barriers on shore as well.

Guests with hearing impairments

In order to support our guests with hearing impairments, we rely on the ideal combination of technology and people. We make cutting-edge technical devices available, while our AIDA service team naturally provides professional, personal assistance.

To its guests with hearing impairments, AIDA also provides a stateroom set, which transforms the sounds of warning signals, door knocks, telephone rings, and alarm clocks into light or vibration signals. We have also installed inductive audio systems at the reception desk and in the onboard theater or “Theatrium” on all of our ships. They amplify the volume of speech of reception personnel and the voices and sounds on the stage in hearing aids and implants. For the first time on one of our ships, the Theatrium of AIDAprima features a wireless system for hearing support. With the help of a mobile pocket receiver and accompanying induction loop, our guests can use these and enjoy the full range of seating.

Guests with visual impairments

Guests with visual impairments will find signage on board with high-contrast tactile lettering and Braille. The signage is located at a height of 1.22 meters. Almost all public areas on board, including bars, restaurants, elevators, stair handrails, public restrooms, and staterooms, are equipped with it.

The stairs and floor coverings have different aesthetics and textures. The main passageways are equipped with handrails. At least one handrail runs through all areas and continues up the stairs. The glass doors on board also feature contrast panels.

We provide our guests with key safety information and a deck plan in a font size they can read or in Braille.

Certified guide dogs may be brought on board under certain conditions and can replace a chaperone.

Medical care

We offer our guests and crew members professional medical care on board our AIDA ships.

The excellently equipped hospital is comparable to a shoreside emergency room. Alongside its facilities for outpatient treatment, it also contains beds for inpatient and intensive medical care. A broad range of modern diagnostic tools such as X-ray, ultrasound, laboratory testing, ECG, pulmonary function testing, etc. makes it possible to reliably diagnose and treat patients. There are also defibrillators on board. Along with these localized facilities, the ship's doctors also have telemedical treatment options available to them. Using the Internet, the ship's doctors can consult highly specialized shoreside doctors based at renowned hospitals at any time.

The medical personnel consist of two ship's doctors and two to three qualified nurses experienced in emergency medical care. In addition to this, every crew member is regularly trained in first aid in order to guarantee that guests and crew receive the best in first-aid treatment.

If an illness cannot be sufficiently treated on board, further care will be administered at a doctor’s office or hospital on shore. Our cooperation partners are available to provide patients with guidance and resources. If needed, we can also organize interpreters and attendants on site.

When they book their trip, guests who are receiving medical treatment or who have a special request should notify us about important issues such as medication requirements and the potential need for medical care while on board. We are happy to provide information and advise our guests on the extent to which it is possible to receive individually required health care on the desired voyage.

Cruises often travel to foreign countries. For this reason, we keep our guests well informed about which vaccinations and health measures are necessary or recommended for the respective destinations.

Physical therapy, including medical massages, is also available on board. Our guests can take advantage of these services in our Body & Soul spa areas. Furthermore, our onboard hospitals offer additional services such as diving fitness examinations, chiropractic therapy, Kinesio taping, acupuncture, and first aid courses. More information is available for our guests on board.