AIDA Cruises has presented its leisure, sports and educational activities for children, teens and families onboard its vessels for the 2026 season.

These range from professionally supervised swimming lessons and basketball camps to hands-on workshops and creative programs.

DLRG Swimming

Swimming courses will again be offered on selected cruises onboard the AIDAprima, AIDAperla and AIDAnova during school holidays in 2026.

Two certified German Lifesaving Association (DLRG) swimming instructors will accompany the program on each cruise, which will be offered over five days.

The course program includes two formats.

The first one is Water Familiarization (ages 3-5), where children learn the fundamental skills of breathing, floating, diving, gliding and jumping.

The second is the Seahorse Course (ages 5-7), which focuses on breaststroke.

Sports

The Unique Freestylers, whose repertoire ranges from trick football and hip-hop to street dance and parkour aerobics, will host workshops and entertain AIDA guests on select itineraries from June through October 2026.

Next, the Hamburg Huskies will come aboard on five cruises between April and October 2026 and teach kids aged 10 and up all about the AIDA fleet flag football, a low-contact version of American football.

Together with the Rostock Seawolves, AIDA Cruises is organizing two basketball camps for children aged 12 to 14 on board the AIDAnova and, for the first time, also the AIDAmar.

In addition to daily training sessions led by coaches, the program includes team challenges and games against local clubs in selected ports.

Puppet theatre and music school

The Bielefeld Chamber Puppet Theatre returns to Studio X on the AIDAnova in the 2026 season.

Children can experience classic characters like “Little Raven Sock” or “The Sams” in what AIDA says is a high-quality puppet theatre production.

Onboard the AIDAcosma and AIDAperla, The Hamburg Music School for Children will make music with kids aged 3 and up as part of the “Dwarf Orchestra,” culminating with a family-friendly concert at the end of the cruise.

Holiday formats

For Easter, Pentecost and Halloween, AIDA will once again offer family-friendly programs ranging from creative activities and scavenger hunts to themed parties for kids and teens.

There is also the AIDA Family Festival: interactive stations, such as a button-making workshop and a children’s tattoo studio, where families can play, exercise and have fun, with proceeds supporting the AIDA Cruise & Help initiative.