AIDAperla Breaks Free of Berth, Strikes Quay in Le Havre; Zeebrugge Stop Cancelled
If you're sailing AIDAperla's September 5-12 Hamburg round-trip, know that the Zeebrugge stop on September 9 was cancelled after the Le Havre incident, though Rotterdam on September 10 and the Hamburg return on September 12 are still scheduled. If you were among the roughly 500 guests ashore on excursions in Le Havre, confirm reboarding and any itinerary updates with AIDA Cruises directly. Also check with AIDA if you're booked on the September 12 Hamburg departure, since combined 14-night bookings could be affected.
A 35-mph gust snapping mooring lines on a 3,286-passenger ship is a reminder that port weather risk doesn't need a storm to bite — it needs a gap in line tension and bad timing. The stern hit is the costly part: gangways lost, a mandatory classification-society clearance before AIDAperla can even leave Le Havre, and a neighboring TUI ship, Mein Schiff 3, held by tugs and delayed two hours as collateral damage. AIDA's decision to cut Zeebrugge but keep Rotterdam and the September 12 Hamburg return intact tells me the inspection cleared enough of the hull to keep the loop mostly whole — that's the number I'd watch for guests on the linked 14-night combo. No injuries reported is the best line in the whole piece. If I were booked on that September 12 departure, I'd call AIDA now rather than wait for a press release, because classification clearance timelines aren't guaranteed to move fast.