Built by Mitsubishi Shipbuilding in Nagasaki, Japan, for AIDA Cruises, the AIDAperla was delivered in May 2017 and formally christened in June 2017 by her godmother, German fashion model Lena Gercke. The vessel is a giant of the seas, measuring 300 meters long with a gross tonnage of 125,572, and offering space for 3,286 passengers in 1,643 cabins across 16 passenger decks. It is powered by sophisticated engineering, utilizing three Caterpillar diesel engines and one dual-fuel engine to achieve a service speed of roughly 22.5 knots. In October 2023, the ship was involved in a notable incident when a crew member was reported missing, presumed overboard, off the coast of Ramsgate in the UK. Despite a nine-hour search involving the HM Coastguard and RNLI, assisted by the AIDAperla itself, the individual was not found and the rescue operation was called off.