The German Cruise Line AIDA has announced the construction of the world’s largest cruise ship named AIDAflex, surpassing Symphony of the Seas by size and capacity. The so-called Tethys-class mega ship scheduled to be completed in 2024, will come in at a staggering 260.900 tons. Its total capacity will be 8,400 passengers, not including crew - a new all-time record for the cruise industry. Compared to the Symphony of the Seas which has a maximum capacity of 6,680 passengers AIDA flex will be able to accommodate +1720 passengers.
With a length of 380 meters, AIDAflex will surpass the Royal Caribbean largest cruise ship by about 19 meters and will be 14 meters taller. The crew members capacity was not presented at the chart but most likely will exceed 3000 shipboard personnel. The ship will feature the worlds largest Body & Soul Spa on 5,265 m2.
AIDA Cruises is owned by Carnival Corporation, which manages its European cruise lines under the Costa Cruises umbrella. The German cruise line based in Rostock operates a fleet of 13 modern cruise ships, and by 2024 will expand to include 17 vessels.
Below is the comparison between Symphony of the Seas and AIDAflex:
| Symphony of the Seas | AIDAflex |
| Year built: 2018 | Year built: 2024 |
| Tonnage: 230,000 | Tonnage: 260,900 |
| Length overall: 1188ft (362m) | Length overall: 1246.72ft (380m) |
| Beam: 154ft (47m) | Beam: 200.13ft (61m) |
| Draught: 30ft (9.1m) | Draught: 34.77ft (10,6m) |
| Max Capacity: 6,680 passangers | Max Capacity: 8,400 passangers |
| Crew: 2,200 | Crew: n/a |
| Guests Staterooms: 2,759 | Guests Staterooms: 3826 |
Update: AIdaFlex photo was published by AIDA on April 1st as an Aprils's joke. The ship will not be constructed. We are sorry if we caused any inconvenience.
