English
During the national holiday on November 17 and 18, the German cruise line AIDA Cruises' ship AIDAprima will visit the port of Riga for the first time. According to tradition, a ceremonial exchange of coats of arms will take place on board the ship on November 18 to welcome the crew on their first visit to the Port of Riga. To mark this important occasion, the ship’s Master and crew will also receive a special gift in honour of the national holiday - an anniversary cake in the colours of the Latvian flag..
AIDAprima is the largest of the AIDA Cruises ships to visit the Port of Riga to date. It was built at the Japanese shipyard Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and is one of two Hyperion-class ships in the AIDA Cruises fleet. The Hyperion class is the cruise company's first step into the large 300-meter cruise ship segment. Its design was created specifically for the German cruise market, with a special emphasis on comfort for passengers with families and energy efficiency.
The 300-meter-long cruise vessel can accommodate 3,300 passengers and 900 crew members. Its 18 decks feature 12 restaurants, 18 bars and clubs, 6 swimming pools, a spa zone and an impressive sun deck covering an area of 4,484 m². The Beach Club pool area is covered by a transparent UV-permeable membrane dome, so that passengers can relax in a beach setting despite inclement weather. At night, the Beach Club serves as a discotheque with stars or laser shows projected onto the dome.
AIDA Cruises is one of the best-known cruise lines in Europe and its vessels have been frequent visitors to the Port of Riga since 2024. This season, 11 ships from the AIDA Cruises fleet are scheduled to call at the port, which is the largest number of visits by a single cruise operator to the port this year. AIDA Cruises’ ships mainly bring German tourists to Riga. In recent years, Riga has become a popular cruise destination for German travellers - this season, German tourists make up more than a third of all cruise passengers at the Port of Riga. AIDAprima will stay in port for two days, so that its passengers can enjoy the city's festive program, while providing an additional boost to Riga's tourism and hospitality businesses.
The 2025 cruise season at the Port of Riga is progressing very well. Already, 82 cruise ships have visited Riga, nine of which included Riga in their itineraries for the first time. By the end of the year, four more cruise ships are expected to visit during the Christmas season, including another arrival of the AIDAprima. According to current forecasts, a total of 86 cruise ships is expected to visit Riga this season, serving approximately 115,000 passengers, which is 40% more than last year providing a new record for the Port of Riga - the largest number of cruise passengers served in a single year.
According to the ship call schedule for the coming years, the cruise segment at the Port of Riga will continue to grow. For the 2026 season, 97 cruise ship calls are already confirmed—an increase of 13% compared with this year. Looking even further ahead, the number of scheduled ships’ calls for the 2027 season has already surpassed 100.
According to the port’s calculations, each tourist arriving by cruise ship generates up to EUR 50 in revenue for the city’s tourism and hospitality sector by taking part in various private and group excursions, using guide services, visiting museums and cafés, and purchasing souvenirs.
The current cruise ship schedule is provided on the Riga Freeport Authority website - rop.lv/en/passengers.
Information for media
- [email protected], +371 670 308 53
- Freeport of Riga Authority
- 12 Kalpaka blvd, Riga, Latvia, LV-1010
