AIDA Cruises is a British/American owned German cruise line based in Rostock, Germany. Originally founded as Deutsche Seereederei with a ship called Völkerfreundschaft ("Friendship Between Peoples"), the company entered the cruise industry in the 1960s.The company was acquired by P&O Princess Cruises in 2000. In 2003, P&O Princess merged with Carnival Corporation, to form Carnival Corporation & plc, the worlds largest cruise holiday company.