For decades, modern cruise ships have been discernible by way of their swooping clipper bows, a departure from the vertical straight variety more common to classic ocean liners before them, but AIDA Cruises has recently returned to form with its striking new AIDAprima.
Gone on the ship is a bow nose cantilevered far out over the waterline, and in its place is a bold 90-degree forward angle, drawing a vertical line from the waterline to the top of the bow. The resulting aesthetic is unmistakable, as the space between the outer tip and bulbous hull below is effectively filled in with much more steel.
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Most cruise ships have a bulbous bow just below the water's surface looking like a submarine-like structure extending forward. The ramrodding element creates a better flow of water around the bow and hull for reduced drag and increased fuel efficiency. In the case of the AIDAprima, its smaller bulbous section does not extend beyond and is immediately topped with the vertical plane.
I had the opportunity to speak with master naval architect Stephen Payne aboard his design masterpiece of Cunard Line's Queen Mary 2, and I asked him what he thought of AIDA's approach, wondering what he might think of it from a functional and structural standpoint. In fact, he did not view it as a "retrograde." Of course, the hybrid form of the bow, whether beautiful or not, is in the eye of the beholder.
Either way, it does make quite a visual statement when seen in port and at sea, and the layout of the ship's deck plans has also positioned a number of public venues out over it. In the past, Princess Cruises has wrapped its promenade deck access all the way out to the tip first on its Grand-class, and Disney Cruise Line has nestled its Vibe teen clubs there on the Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy. However, AIDA has sort of done both.
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On the AIDAprima, the forward bow features a small outside deck that extends forward from the indoor Spray Bar behind it. This allows for a unique perspective of the lower bow as it cuts through the waves immediately below - provided you only minimally stick your head out safely over the rail (no "Titanic" king-of-the-world-style stuff) - and the bar is a neat undulating venue in a clever location that could perhaps use a few more windows to peer out from.
Next, the AIDAperla will repeat the design as it is currently under construction at Mitsubishi in Japan, and it may be the last too. A pair of larger AIDA ships beyond it are scheduled which will likely sport a new design, with or without the dramatic straight bow.
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