Blue Dream Melody

The 2002-built (as AIDAvita) cruise ship Blue Dream Melody was the second-oldest and smallest in AIDA's fleet - following the sistership AIDAaura/now Celestyal Discovery. For the Chinese travel brand Blue Dream Cruises, the ship's fleetmate is Blue Dream Star (2001-built).

Before the ownership change in January 2024, the AIDAvita vessel (IMO number 9221554) was Portugal Madeira-flagged (MMSI 255919000) and registered in Funchal. During its AIDA service (until February 2023), the vessel was Italy-flagged (MMSI 247114900), with port of registry Genova.

The vessel is currently Liberia-flagged (MMSI 636022869) and registered in Monrovia.

History - construction and ownership

On June 14, 2022, was announced that the 20-year-old AIDAvita will not resume operations as the ship is sold and leaves the fleet. There were speculations that AIDAvita is acquired by Cordellia Cruises India.

Vita's last AIDA schedule had listed a total of 30x voyages (departures between July 24, 2022, and February 26, 2024) all of which were canceled.

During the COVID crisis and up to July 2023, AIDAvita spent most of the time docked at Port Tallinn Estonia, being maintained by a skeleton crew.

Currently (since January 2024), the ship Blue Dream Melody is owned by Suzhou Taihu International Travel Ltd (China) via its subsidiary Fujian China Transport Investment Group Co Ltd (China/2016-founded) which owns the company/travel brand Blue Dream Cruises China.

The shipowner Fujian China Transport Investment Group also owns the Chinese travel brands "Diamond Cruise Line" and "National Cruise".

On January 12, 2023, the Chinese company acquired the vessel (temporarily named AVITAK) from the previous owner Beta Marine Ltd (1987-founded, Hardwicke England-based manufacturer of marine diesel engines and generator sets). The vessel left Tallinn on Jan 26th (at 16:23 UTC), en route to China.

The 1300-passenger ship AIDAvita was designed as "club ship", ultra-casual like all vessels in AIDA's fleet. The five AIDAvita bars are also designed in a casual mood. The popularity of AIDA ship family made AIDA services appreciated and famous by the cruising community.

Before the start of revenue operations for the new Chinese owner, the ship entered drydock for extensive refit/modifications (technical overhaul, maintenance works, classification inspections, superstructure and hull cleaning/repainting) and a shore-power connection was added. A major interior refurbishment (redesign/renovations of all public spaces and staterooms, new carpeting and flooring throughout) was done to make the ship attractive to Chinese travelers.

Decks and Cabins

AIDAvita staterooms (633 total, in 9 grades) include 2 Suites, 62 Balconies, 357 Oceanviews, and 214 Inside cabins. The largest accommodations are the Forward-Facing Premium Suites (sized 355 ft2 / 33 m2 plus private sundeck terrace sized 270 ft2 / 25 m2).

The boat has 12 decks, of which 10 are passenger-accessible and 5 with cabins.

Shipboard dining options - Food and Drinks

There are a couple of bigger restaurants onboard, the one of which is called the Calypso and the other - Markt Restaurant. Both offer open-seating, buffet meals. There are no strict dress codes or fixed dining times. Basic beverages, including house wines and beer, are free of charge during meals at the buffet restaurants. There are also several beverage packages that may be bought at reduced rates. The extra-tariff a la carte Rossini includes waiter service and near-gourmet food with good quality.

Follows the complete list of AIDAvita restaurants and food bars.

• Rossini (a specialty, dinner-only restaurant at surcharge, reservations required; offers waiter service and 6-course a-la-carte menu)
• Markt Restaurant (complimentary main dining room; self-service buffet restaurant with a variety of food stations and a small terrace)
• Calypso Restaurant (the second main dining room; complimentary buffet restaurant with indoor/outdoor seating).

Shipboard entertainment options - Fun and Sport

AIDAvita entertainment facilities include the theatre (Das Theater) - the largest public room onboard, and the huge AIDA Bar & Anytime Disco. Onboard AIDAvita you can practice swimming (a pool is provided), volleyball, basketball, and golf. Try also the fitness center Fit & Fun. The SPA Body & Soul will really make you relax. The pool deck area is designed like a beach - with many palm trees, artificial rock formations, volleyball and basketball courts. AIDAvita guests may choose from several shore excursion options.

Follows the complete list of AIDAvita lounges, clubs and other entertainment venues for kids, teens, and adults.

• Kids Club (AIDA Cruises kids program is complimentary, with supervised, age-appropriate activities: the 3 age groups include Seahorses for 3-6 yo, Dolphins for 7-9 yo and Sharks 10-11 yo; the Kids Club has an outdoor area with a paddling pool)
• Internet stations with printers (located in the Reception/Lobby area; Wi-Fi coverage is available shipwide, including in all guests rooms)
• Ocean Bar (cocktail bar with outdoor seating)
• The Theater (750-seat, 2-level main show venue for large-scale show productions; also hosts daily lectures, trivia games, Bingo)
• Conference Room (45-seat Konferenzraum / Seminarraume; part of the venue is the AIDA TV Studio, producing video films related to AIDAaura itinerary and activities, and a daily radio program)
• Art Gallery (Kunstgalerie; sells original artworks of renowned art schools and German artists; hosts art auctions)
• AIDA Bar (big-capacity lounge with panoramic windows)
• Photo Gallery & Shop (professional photo & video services, duty-free accessories and equipment; new feature are the photo kiosks with touch-screens /face-recognition system)
• AIDA Shop (duty-free merchandise at discount prices; the shopping arcade has a general store selling liquor and tobaccos, as well as small boutiques for jewelry, luxury watches, perfumes, brand fashion clothing, AIDA logo goods)
• Nightfly Bar (adults-only cocktail bar & nightclub with panoramic windows and live music entertainment)
• Beauty Salon (Friseur; provides hairdresser, barber services, professional manicure/pedicure)
• Body & Soul Sports Fitness Centre (with a modern Gym and separate area for classes)
• Mini Golf (indoor putting green area); Golf simulator (virtual golf courses)
• Sunbathing area (Freibereich, served by the Pool Bar and the Pool Grill /American fast food fare)
• The Hemingway Lounge (the Library /Bibliotek; offers card and board games)
• Anytime Bar (Diskothek / disco nightclub with DJ program and themed dance parties; during the day hosts organized dance classes)
• Time Tunnel (Video Games Arcade with Playstation consoles)
• Waikiki Lounge (teens club with supervised activities in two age groups - Orcas for 12 -13 yo and Teens 14 -17 yo; complimentary)
• Sports deck area (Sportaussendeck with a combined sports court for basketball/volleyball). The sports area itself is wheelchair accessible.
• Pool deck (with one swimming pool, 3 whirlpools, Pool Shop for towels, deck games - Shuffleboard, Giant Chess, Table Tennis, Backgammon, sunbathing areas; a stage for live performances, bingo evenings, nightly pool parties, laser shows is also available)
• Body & Soul SPA complex (with Beauty Salon & Spa Reception, massages /treatments rooms, indoor whirlpool, Aroma Sauna, Finish Sauna, Steam Room, relaxation room)
• Sundeck / sunbathing area (Freibereich, located above the swimming pool; with loungers and 2 whirlpools; the ship's Top Deck is dedicated to Freikorperkultur / FKK Bereich nudist area with sun loungers)
• Power Walking/Jogging Track

Blue Dream Melody itineraries

In May 2024, Blue Dream Cruises scheduled longer itineraries for the Blue Dream Melody ship leaving from China in 2024.

The 33-night/34-day Around Asia Cruise titled "Epic Voyage to the West" (departure November 26th/2024, roundtrip from Shanghai) visits 17 ports in 10 countries, including China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia, Singapore, Brunei. Shorter itineraries (all roundtrips from Shanghai) visit port cities in Korea (Busan) and Japan (Kumamoto, Nagasaki, Osaka/Kobe, Tokyo, Shimizu, Kochi, Fukuoka, Okinawa, Amami, Kagoshima) with itinerary lengths 7-nights/8-days, and 11-nights/12-days.

AIDAvita itineraries

AIDAvita itinerary program was based on Northern European and Canaries voyages leaving roundtrip from Germany (homeports Hamburg and Warnemunde-Rostock). Itineraries visited ports in Norway (Norwegian Fjords), England UK, France (Honfleur), Holland (Rotterdam), Portugal's Madeira Island, Spain's Canary Islands (Gran Canaria, La Gomera, La Palma, El Hierro, Tenerife, Fuerteventura, Lanzarote), Iberia (seaports in Spain and Portugal).

Due to the Coronavirus crisis, the AIDA ship Vita was paused for 3+ years (March 2020 through February 2023) but was scheduled to resume passenger shipping operations after 2 years (on March 31, 2022). However, the restart date was rescheduled several times and eventually canceled entirely (see the ship's Wiki section/page-bottom). The Russia-Ukraine crisis also played a role in the cancellations.

Some of AIDAvita's canceled voyages were assigned to AIDAbella.