The cruise vessel, AIDAbella has called Valletta for the first time, following regular calls by sister ships AIDA Cara, AIDA Diva and AIDA Vita during 2009.
 
As she entered Valletta’s Grand Harbour, AIDAbella was accompanied by a Tug Malta tug boat performing water displays, while an eight-cannon salute was fired from the Lower Barrakka Gardens. Meanwhile as she berthed at VISET Malta’s Pinto 1 and 2 quays, she was greeted by a local village band playing a number of lively tunes.

Roman soldiers set the scene for guests who had the opportunity to enjoy a nativity crib exhibition inside the chapel on the Valletta Waterfront promenade.

Meanwhile VISET’s Chief Financial Officer, Mr. Stephen Xuereb presented AIDAbella’s Captain Muller with a locally-crafted glass plaque showing the historic Valletta Waterfront buildings.  Mr. Xuereb stated that VISET Malta is delighted to be welcoming yet another AIDA cruise ship to its terminals. He also said that AIDA has been one of the first lines showing confidence in winter cruising in the Mediterranean, this winter choosing to call Malta on a regular basis once again.

Part of the Carnival Group, AIDA Cruises is a tailor-made product for the German-speaking market. AIDAbella is one of the ships in the new AIDA’s generation. Built at Meyer Werft, AIDAbella is in the same category as sister ships AIDAdiva, AIDAluna and AIDAblu, the latter to be christened in February 2010 in Hamburg. With a length of 224.97 metres and a beam if 32.19 metres, AIDAbella has a passenger capacity of 2,500 passengers. The name AIDAbella was chosen after a competition, with the name meant to signify the beauty of this ship.

During the New Year AIDAbella will be calling Valletta on a number of calls.