costa asia cruise

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Costa Serena Restarts Cruises in Asia

Costa Cruises has announced the much-anticipated return of Costa Serena to service in Asia. Following two successful cruises between Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam, Costa Serena set sail today from the port of Busan in South Korea, with Nagasaki and Yatsushiro in Japan as its next destinations. This marks a significant milestone as the first outbound cruise to resume in South Korea after the lifting of travel restrictions.

The resumption of outbound cruises dedicated to South Korea and soon to Taiwan signifies a historic event for the cruise industry in Asia. Costa Cruises takes pride in being the pioneering company to restart cruise operations in these regions after the hiatus caused by the pandemic. Mario Zanetti, President of Costa Cruises, expressed his enthusiasm, stating, "It's a very important moment for the recovery of the cruise industry in Asia. We achieved this significant result thanks to our historic presence in Asia and established relationships with local partners and institutions."

From June to October 2023, Costa Serena will operate a series of "charter" cruises in Asia in collaboration with local travel partners, totaling thirty-five cruises. Eight of these cruises in June and October will be dedicated to the South Korean market, while an additional twenty-seven cruises from July to October will cater to Taiwanese passengers.

The itineraries, spanning from 4 to 7 days, showcase some of East Asia's most captivating destinations, particularly in Japan. Passengers will have the opportunity to explore Otaru, Muroran, Hakodate, Aomori, Fukuoka, Sasebo, Nagasaki, Yatsushiro, Kagoshima, Naha, Ishigaki, and Miyakojima. Departures are scheduled from the ports of Busan, Sokcho, and Pohang in South Korea, as well as from Keelung and Kaohsiung in Taiwan.

Costa Serena, an Italian-flagged ship constructed by Fincantieri and introduced in 2007, boasts a gross tonnage of 114,000 tons and can accommodate up to 3,780 guests. Onboard, passengers will be treated to a delightful array of Italian-style gastronomic experiences and entertainment, infused with local touches. Additionally, the itineraries promise visits to the stunning destinations included, allowing guests to immerse themselves in the beauty and culture of the region.

With the return of Costa Serena to Asia, Costa Cruises aims to revitalize the cruise industry and create a memorable and enjoyable experience for passengers. This exciting development signifies a step forward in the recovery of the tourism sector in Asia and reinforces Costa Cruises' commitment to providing exceptional cruise vacations.

Photo credit: Costa Cruises Asia Pacific

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Costa Cruises (Costa Crociere SpA, CostaCruise.com) is a British-American-owned Italian company based in Genoa Italy . Costa is one of the main operating companies in Carnival Group ( Carnival Corporation subsidiary) and a member of the exclusive WLCLA (World's Leading Cruise Lines Alliance). WLCLA also includes Carnival, Cunard, Holland America, Seabourn, Princess, Windstar.

Company history and changes

The sister brands Costa and CCL-Carnival Cruise Line are currently ranked the world's cheapest. Costa is also ranked "best" for Mediterranean itineraries and among the best travel brands for families, ruling in Southern Europe with its "Italian Style Cruising".

The company's main competitor on the European market is MSC Cruises .

Costa's USA headquarters is in Hollywood Florida.

Costa Crociere SpA's current leadership team includes Mario Zanetti (President), Michael Thamm (CEO/Chief Executive Officer), Roberto Alberti (CCO/Chief Commercial Officer), Roberto Alberti (Senior VP and CCO/Chief Corporate Officer), Francesco Muglia (Senior VP of Global Marketing & Sales), Giovanna Loi (VP of Global Marketing & Customer Experience Innovation).

Until 2023, Costa Group's and Carnival Asia's CEO was Michael Thamm. As his position was not filled, AIDA's and Costa's presidents now report directly to Josh Weinstein (Carnival Corporation's CEO).

In 2023, Costa Cruises marked its 75 years of passenger shipping since its first passenger ship - SS Anna C (1955-built), departed from Genova/Milano to Buenos Aires (Argentina) on March 31, 1948, carrying a total of 768 guests.

The 1854-founded company was originally named "Giacomo Costa fu Andrea" and established by Giacomo Costa for trading in olive oil/textiles. Costa's first Transatlantic liner (SS Anna C) was the first to cross the South Atlantic following WW2 (1935-45) and also the first to have air-conditioned passenger staterooms.

As of 2023, Costa has a fleet of 22 vessels.

IMPORTANT " On June 22, 2022, CCL-Carnival and Costa announced the "COSTA by CARNIVAL" cruise program targeting CCL's North American source market. The program is based on two newbuild Costa ships transferred to CCL - Venezia (starting in April 2023 with homeporting in NYC New York USA ) and Firenze (starting in 2024 with homeporting in Long Beach/Los Angeles California USA ). Both Costa liners are CCL-managed (while operating out of the USA) and were scheduled for drydock refurbishments prior to the Carnival service.

IMPORTANT : On June 23, 2021, CCL-Carnival announced plans to add 2 boats to its fleet - an EXCEL-class newbuild (2023-built Carnival Jubilee ) and Costa Magica (2004-built). The Costa boat was to be drydock refitted and fully refurbished, Carnival-named, and to join CCL in 2022-H1. However, on June 15, 2022, was announced that instead of Costa Magica, to CCL will be transferred Costa Luminosa (2009-built) starting operations in November 2022 as "Carnival Luminosa".

On October 4, 2021, was officially introduced (on Smeralda ) the company's new logo design.

Costa is well-known for its energetic mix of traditional (exotic) experiences based on Mediterranean cuisine, festive onboard atmosphere, dynamic entertainment, affordable travel comfort, popular itineraries (visiting large port cities), and convenient homeports/departure ports. Costa ships operate budget-priced voyages and their clientele is predominantly European (mostly younger couples and singles) while many Americans and Canadians enjoy Costa's Asian-South American-Arabian destinations.

In late-September 2017, Costa announced its partnership with Juventus (football club). The deal allows Costa to offer exclusively a Juventus onboard experience on all Costa Asia ships. This includes Juventus football content available 24/7 on all cabin TVs, talks and presentations (club history and memorabilia) at the ship's Juventus Museum and purchasing branded souvenirs at the themed "Juventus Shop". All Costa Asia ships also feature a Juventus-branded mini club and character meetings by Juve's official Jay Mascot (zebra). Onboard sports activities include a Juventus football training program (for all kids ages 5 to 14) modeled after the club's Juventus Academy (soccer school). The program is managed by Juve-trained coaches. The ever first "Juventus Museum" at sea was opened on Costa Serena on January 31, 2018.

In late-November 2019, Costa announced its partnership with FlixBus (2011-founded German travel brand owned by FlixMobility GmbH), with sister brands FlixTrain and FlixCar. The Munich -based FlixBus specializes in intercity premium bus services in Europe and the USA. The Costa-FlixBus deal allows now Costa customers to pre-book (add upon cruise booking) FlixBus return transfers from any of the European port cities that FlixBus serves. Currently, FlixBus has Europe's largest intercity bus network with 400,000+ daily connections to 1000+ destinations in 30 countries.

In mid-September 2021 Costa signed a partnership deal with Caffe Vergnano the "Made in Italy" espresso beverages and coffee-based delicacies fleetwide. The iconic Italian coffee company was founded in 1882 as a family business (by Domenico Vergnano) and is still run by the Vergnano family. Vergnano's sales in 2020 were EUR 80,6 million (~USD 94,5M / ~GBP 68,8M). Costa's first ships with "Caffe Vergnano 1882" (brand coffee shops) were the newbuilds Smeralda (2019) and Toscana (2021).

In mid-October 2021, Costa and ITA Airways (Italia Trasporto Aereo SpA/state-owned airline, Italy's flag carrier, fka Alitalia) signed an LoI (letter of intent) for joint commercial initiatives promoting new products and services. Via the partnership, Costa made ITA its "preferred air carrier" for fly-cruises (flight+cruise packages) to medium- and long-range travel destinations served by Costa ships. The deal was signed by Mario Alovisi (Costa's VP Revenue Management) and Emiliana Limosani (ITA's CCO).

In mid-January 2022, Costa signed an exclusive partnership with Ryder Cup for "Ryder Cup 2023" (to be held at Golf Marco Simone - premium golf course in Guidonia Montecelio/ Rome ). Ryder Cup is a 1927-established men's golf championship (biennial) between European and American teams. Through this partnership, on Costa Smeralda was introduced the new "Cruise & Golf" package (available since May 2022). Two packages (inclusive of either 3 or 4 club fees) allow golf aficionados and their families a unique "golfing vacation" to visit and play at premium golf clubs in Italy (from Savona, Palermo Sicily, Civitavecchia-Rome), France (from Marseille) and Spain (from Barcelona and Palma de Mallorca) during the 7-day itinerary's port calls.

In July 2023 was announced the "Costa Journeys" itinerary program (2023-2024) that groups longer exotic voyages in Europe/Mediterranean.

In September 28-October 1, 2023, Costa was Ryder Cup's Official Cruise Line. The exclusive partnership also involved the ships Smeralda and Toscana, offering golf-themed onboard events/competitions and a special "Cruise and Golf" package for visiting some of the Mediterranean's best golf courses - Circolo del Golf Roma Acquasanta/Rome, Golf Garlenda/Savona, Sant’Anna/Genoa, Marco Simone/Guidonia, Golf Bastide de la Salette/Marseille, Real Club de Golf El Prat/Barcelona, Golf Son Gual Mallorca/Palma. Costa's packages also offer golfing in the UAE (Dubai's Emirates Golf Club and Els Club, Abu Dhabi's Golf Club and Yas Links), Oman (Muscat's Al Mouj Golf and Ghala Golf), and Qatar (Doha Golf Club).

In March 2024 were introduced "Sea Destinations” (onboard programming) themed on the current itinerary's ports/island destinations.

In July 2015, Carnival Corporation signed a shipbuilding agreement with Meyer Werft for the construction of all 4 new class vessels. Contracts were finalized in April 2016. Of these 4 new cruise ships , 2 liners are for Costa and the other 2 for AIDA Cruises (Carnival's German brand).

The new Costa ships were scheduled for delivery in 2019 ( Costa Smeralda , December) and 2021 ( Costa Toscana ). Costa ships were built in Turku Finland , AIDA ships - in Papenburg Germany . Each vessel has a gross tonnage of 183,000 GT tons, over 2,600 cabins, double-occupancy passenger capacity 6600 and crew capacity ~700. Ship's design features more efficient use of both indoor and open-deck spaces, with several multi-functional areas.

These new (Excellence/Helios-Class) ships are the industry's first fully LNG-powered vessels , generating 100% of their onboard and propulsion power from LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas) - both in ports and at sea. With the new liners, Costa Group had a fleet of 7 ships on order (total capacity 41,000 berths) to total Costa fleet capacity 110,000 berths.

The 4-vessel contract was part of a previously announced larger shipbuilding order with Fincantieri (Italy) and Meyer Werft for all 9 new vessels with scheduled deliveries between 2019 and 2022. Managed by Costa Group, the combined Costa-AIDA fleet became Europe's largest. In 2014, one out of every two cruise ship tourists in Europe sailed on either AIDA or Costa ship. In 2015, Costa Group had 20 offices in 14 countries, around 27,000 shipboard employees and total passenger capacity of over 68,000 berths (across the combined fleet). Costa Group also is the leader of China's rapidly growing cruise market in Asia.

In January 2016, Carnival Corporation signed an MoA (memo of agreement) with Fincantieri to build 4 new vessels. Contracts were finalized in April 2016. Of these, two boats were for Costa Asia (Venezia and Firenze), one for Princess (Enchanted Princess) and one for P&O UK (Arvia). With this shipbuilding order, Carnival Corporation had a total of 17 new ships scheduled for deliveries between 2016-2020. The four vessels were built at Fincantieri's shipyards in Monfalcone and Marghera and delivered in 2019-2020.

Three of the vessels are designed with GT tonnage 133,500 tons, LOA length 323 m (1060 ft) and capacity 4000 passengers plus 1450 crew (2 are for Costa Asia, 1 for P&O AU). One larger unit (GT 143,700 tons, capacity 3560 passengers) is for Princess (Enchanted Princess). Both Costa ships are exclusively for the booming Chinese market. Each vessel is powered by two MAN diesel engines (model 14V48 / 60CR) plus three MAN diesel engines (medium-speed, model 8L48 / 60CR), providing total power output 62,400 kW. The engines are Tier-II compliant.

Costa cruise ship experience

• Dining: authentic Italian cuisine, prepared by European chefs, midnight buffets, gala dinners, healthy menu options. Spa suites, permanent room service.
• Costa ships specials: the 2-level Samsara Spa (6,000 sq.m., with many exotic treatments), a 3-level Theater, a 4D Cinema (hybrid), up to 4 onboard pools (2 with retractable roofs), a Grand Prix simulator, an 18-hole golf simulator. Every ship has a small chapel, suitable for intimate weddings.
• Traditional on-board celebration parties: "Benvenuto A Bordo", "Buon Viaggio" and "Notte Tropical". Costa's festive theme nights: the tarantella dancing and pizza dough tossing during the Festa Italiana, playing games of boccie, ice carving, "Roman Bacchanal Parade" and "Roman Toga Party".
• "Costa Kids' Club" - supervised interactive programs, ages 3 to 17. PlayStation World center onboard for video game tournaments.
• Entertainment: European-style casino, bingo, Internet cafe, musical revues, live performances by comedians, acrobats, and mime artists; classical concerts in lounges. Italian language and cooking classes on board. "Via Condotti" boutiques with premier Italian goods.
• For cruises starting April 2018, the cruise line restructured its fares into 4 categories, ranging from a Basic, no-frills version, to Deluxe level which includes just about everything. Costa announced its new pricing plan in North America after rolling it out in core European markets. The plan does not apply to a number of Asia-based vessels or world cruises. Unlike airlines, Costa is not charging for amenities that used to be free, with just one exception: The cheapest level doesn't include the ability to choose a cabin.
• Basic level, which is the least expensive option, includes dining in venues that have always been included in the price of the voyage, onboard entertainment, and use of pools and fitness areas. Guests who choose the Basic option don't get to choose cabin assignment. Total Comfort Classic includes all basics plus a cabin choice and unlimited beer, wine, and soft drinks with lunch and dinner. A step up from it is Total Comfort Premium, offering a choice of cabins in a prime location, the ability to select 1st or 2nd dinner seating, as well as unlimited drinks anytime. Deluxe is the top option, including a suite, unlimited drinks, spa access, invitations to special events, free minibar, in-suite daily fruit, and other amenities.

Costa has Europe's youngest cruise fleet and all its ships are Italy- flagged (registered in Genoa ). Costa's current fleet consists of liners in the following classes (low to high): SPIRIT, FORTUNA, Concordia , EXCELLENCE, VISTA.

MSC and Costa are the leaders on the Mediterranean market (Costa being the "most fun" brand) and among Europe's best family cruise lines providing best family-fun "Italian-Style Cruising" experiences by cheap deals, traditional cuisine, unique shipboard facilities, activities, amenities and services on big- and mid-sized ships.

• operator (Costa Cruises Group)
• shipowner (Carnival Corporation)
• hallmark ("Cruising Italian Style")
• flag-state/registry (Italy/Genoa)
• builders - Fincantieri (Italy) and Meyer Werf ( Turku, Finland )

Costa ship classes

• Excellence/Helios-Class: SMERALDA, TOSCANA
• Vista Class: VENEZIA, FIRENZE
• Hybrid Spirit-Vista Class: LUMINOSA, DELIZIOSA
• Concordia Class (Modified): FAVOLOSA, FASCINOSA
• Concordia Class: Costa CONCORDIA ( sank in 2012 ), SERENA, PACIFICA
• Fortuna Class: FORTUNA, MAGICA

Costa Cruises private island Sir Bani Yas

In June 2016, MSC Cruises announced it had created an exclusive "beach oasis" for vacationers on Abu Dhabi and Dubai cruises from 2016-2017 winter. The 1.5-mile stretch of land on the natural Sir Bani Yas Island , off the southwest coast of Abu Dhabi, features shaded cabanas, hundreds of palm trees and over 2,000 sunbeds across 387,500 sq.feet of beaches.

Starting from December 2016, MSC Fantasia added the destination available exclusively to MSC passengers when the cruise ship calls at the island, to Emirates itineraries. The development is on a smaller isle connected to the main island by wooden boardwalk. Other facilities include food, refreshments, MSC Aurea Spa area with a menu of massages, sports facilities (beach volleyball, tennis), family and kids-dedicated area with parents' pergola, Bedouin tent offering arts and crafts created by local communities, lounge space with live music and a bar. The MSC Cruises company has been working closely with ecologists and Abu Dhabi Port Authorities for more than 2 years to develop the project and support the ongoing preservation work.

The isle is one of the largest wildlife reserves in the region due to decades of conservation work and ecological investment to maintain its biodiversity. The Arabian Wildlife Park on the Sir Bani Yas main island is home to over 13,000 endangered and indigenous animals, as well as millions of plants and trees. The first sailing of the winter season departs on December 3, 2016, and calls at the island on December 5. Prices started at US$719 per person for a 7-night itinerary.

In July 2016, Costa Cruises announced thar Sir Bani Yas Island will be added as a 1-day stopover (port of call) on UAE Cruises (season 2016-2017) on Costa neoRiviera ). Costa passengers had access to a private (Costa exclusive) beach with VIP areas with cabanas. Shore excursion options included jeep safaris (in the wildlife park), sea kayaking, diving, snorkeling.

Costa cruise ship robots

An innovative AIDA and Costa Cruises program implemented the latest cyborg technology fleetwide. Humanoid robots (named Peper) greet and guide passengers upon embarkation. They also assist them throughout the cruise by providing information and tips on shipboard dining, entertainment, pre-scheduled events, shore excursions, and tours.

Peper robots are able to communicate in 3 different languages (English, German, Italian), to move fluidly and even to interpret human emotions by analyzing voice tones and face expressions.

The new technology was first tested on AIDAstella where Pepper learned to engage with passengers and crew. The first set of robots were introduced on Costa Diadema and AIDAprima in April 2016. By the end of summer 2016, Pepper robots were added on all AIDA and Costa ships.

(new) Shipboard-made mozzarella

Since 2017, Costa ships offer onboard-made, certified (top-quality) mozzarella produced from buffalo milk. The new product is branded "Latteria del Curatino" and created via a partnership with two Campania-based dairy companies - "Comat" (dairy equipment manufacturer) and "Podere dei Leoni" (creamery, leading Italian producer of certified buffalo mozzarella).

With this new food product, Costa became the world's first cruise company serving its passengers a fresh-made mozzarella. The new service was introduced first on Costa Diadema . The shipboard-made mozzarella is produced by a Comat-manufactured steam machine (powered by electricity) that uses the curd of cow and buffalo milk sourced from Salerno 's Piana del Sele area. The stretched curd is then rolled into a ball to form a mozzarella or hand-shaped and molded by the cheesemaker to become buffalo mozzarella cheese.

Costa ships' fresh-made mozzarella, as well as other onboard-made traditional Italian cheese specialties, can be ordered from the special "Goccialatte" menu available in the Costa Cruises' signature pizzerias "Pummid'oro". The menu has a mozzarella roll (with salad, vegetables and smoked salmon), tomato and buffalo mozzarella (made in 3 different ways), tuna (with Doganella oil, red onions and burrata), beef carpaccio (with a chicory salad and smoked scamorza), warm focaccia, mortadella and stracciatella cheese (served with pickled vegetables), Neapolitan peasant bread, porcini mushrooms, fior di latte (onboard-made cheese) and guanciale (cured pork meat).

The fresh-made Fior di latte cheese and buffalo mozzarella are also used in some Pummidoro pizzas, prepared with sourdough and select ingredients. By the end of 2017, these unique cheeses were also included in the menus served in other onboard restaurants.

Costa's 4GOODFOOD program

In February 2018, the company announced its 4GOODFOOD program for decreasing by 50% food waste fleetwide by the year 2020. As of 2018, on Costa ships are served annually around 54 million meals.

Following the company's review of the shipboard food service and food processing, it decided to remodel both with a new sustainability approach, engaging all passengers and crew in responsible consumption. It was estimated that this program engages nearly 2 million passengers per year, plus around 19,000 crew.

For the project, Costa established partnerships with Banco Alimentare, Cittadinanzattiva Onlus, UNISG (University of Gastronomic Sciences), Slow Food Foundation and Winnow Solutions. The company Winnow Solutions specializes in food processing optimization in professional kitchens, As part of the program, Winnow trained around 2400 galley crew/kitchen workers fleetwide.

The project was first tested in 2016 on Costa Diadema . The results were around 50% reduction in food waste. The onboard self-service buffet restaurants reported lowered food consumption by 20%. In 2017, Costa Cruises started to donate all the surplus food in Port Civitavecchia (Rome) - over 32,000 meals per year. The same policy was implemented since 2018 in the Mediterranean ports Palermo, Bari, Venice, Cagliari (Sardinia Island), Marseille, Barcelona, Piraeus (Athens), Valletta (Malta).

(new) Costa cruise booking system

Starting April 2018, Costa Cruises has a new, restructured cruise booking system with fares based on 4 main categories. They range from Basic to Deluxe (all-inclusive). The new pricing plan doesn't apply to the Asia-based ships and also on world cruises . All previously free-of-charge (complimentary) amenities remain, with the exception that the cheapest (Basic) level doesn't include the option to choose a cabin.

• "Basic" level is the cheapest booking deal and includes dining in all complimentary venues, onboard entertainment, use of swimming pools and fitness facilities. However, cabin assignment is not available.
• "Total Comfort Classic" level includes all Basic level perks plus cabin choice and unlimited drinks (beer, wine, soft beverages / with lunches and dinners).
• "Total Comfort Premium" level includes premium cabin locations, option to select 1st or 2nd dinner seating, unlimited drinks anytime.
• "Deluxe" level is the all-inclusive option that includes Suite, unlimited drinks, unlimited spa access, invitations to onboard special events, free mini-bar, in-suite daily fruits.

New Costa cruise ship livery (2019)

Celebrating its 70th anniversary, in 2018 Costa Cruises changed the company's ship livery/hull logo fleetwide. The first liner with the new logo was Costa Mediterranea .

The new livery is a stylized Italian flag (under the vessel's name / new font, larger lettering) painted on the bow. The project (scheduled completion by 2018's end) covered all active ships in the fleet plus the new vessels under construction - Smeralda and Venezia .

For its 70th Anniversary, Costa organized a special voyage exclusively for CostaClub (loyalty program) members. The 12-day Mediterranean itinerary was on Costa Pacifica and visited 18 different countries. The special voyage was booked by nearly 3000 people. It featured a live concert by Gloria Gaynor (US singer) and a 3-meter high pyramid of gourmet eclair cakes (created by Chef Christophe Adam). The "birthday cruise" was attended by the company's President Neil Palomba. Michelin Chef Bruno Barbieri directed a cooking show and presented his new (Costa fleet exclusive) menu.

On July 7, 2018, during the company's 70th-anniversary celebrations in Genoa (Costa Zena Festival) was constructed a waterslide with length 340 m (1115 ft) designed to break Guinness World Record for "longest slid in 1 hour". The slide was installed on Via XX Settembre street and helped to establish the world's new record of 775 km (481,6 ml) sliding in 1 hour. Another world record broken was for longest bunting string - 2070 maritime signal flags were connected into 2 km long line along the festival's areas. At Old Port and Piazza Caricamento were performed live 60 performers (street musicians, dancers, artists, acrobats), 29 singers, DJs, comedians. Piazza de Ferrari had for kids' games, workshops and parties with mascots. The evening concert (at 8.30 pm) was on Radio 105 stage (opposite Piazza delle Feste) and included performances by popular Italian singers and bands.

Costa Asia is Carnival Corporation 's subsidiary company that manages all the corporation's Asian cruise shipping operations. The Costa Asia company has offices in China (including Hong Kong), Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, and India. Costa Asia is also the operator of all Asia-based Costa cruise ships.

Since May 2017, Costa Asia-managed cruise vessels (of all Carnival Corporation brands) allow using Alipay payment services onboard. The partnership between Carnival Corporation and Ant Financial Services Group (a subsidiary of Alibaba, China's biggest online trading company) enables Chinese cruise passengers on all Carnival Corp ships in Asia to pay for onboard services and products using their Alipay (mobile payment platform) accounts. Among these onboard services and products are shopping, tours/excursions, food, and drinks. These expenditures are added to the passenger's cabin folio, then cleared via his/her Alipay account on a nightly basis.

(Coronavirus crisis) passenger shipping pause 2020-2021

Due to the COVID pandemic, Costa partially suspended its fleet's passenger shipping operations by canceling all Italy-visiting voyages with pre-scheduled departures in the period March 9 through October 1, 2020. Operations were planned to resume on August 21 (ship Pacifica), with 5x ships only. In early-December was canceled the remaining 2020 program.

Next are listed Costa's first scheduled departure dates by ship/destination - SMERALDA (May 1, 2021/Mediterranean), LUMINOSA (May 16, 2021/Mediterranean-Trieste), DELIZIOSA (June 26, 2021/Mediterranean-Venice-Bari), PACIFICA (June 4, 2022/Mediterranean-Bari), FAVOLOSA (October 7, 2022/Mediterranean from Tarragona Spain), DIADEMA (Sept 26, 2021/Mediterranean-Savona), FASCINOSA (Sept 23, 2021/Mediterranean-Savona), FORTUNA (June 11, 2022/Baltic-Icealnd from Bremerhaven), FIRENZE (July 4, 2021/ Maiden Voyage/ Mediterranean from Civitavecchia-Rome), VENEZIA (Aug 2, 2021/ Asia-Tianjin China ), SERENA (Sept 5, 2021/ Asia- Otaru Japan ), TOSCANA (March 5, 2022/ Maiden Voyage /Mediterranean from Savona).

With rebooking, all affected bookings received full refunds (100%) in FCC (future cruise credit), including on prepurchased through Costa Cruises packages and services.

• On August 13, Costa announced that its passenger shipping operations start in September 2020 with two ships - Costa Deliziosa (Sept 6, from Trieste) and Costa Diadema (Sept 21, from Genoa). These voyages were for Italian citizens only. The 7-day roundtrips visited only ports in Italy - Deliziosa (to Bari, Brindisi, Corigliano-Rossano and Sicily - Siracusa and Catania) and Diadema (to Civitavecchia-Rome, Naples, Cagliari Sardinia, Palermo Sicily, La Spezia). Costa Smeralda (departure October 10) was added with 7-day roundtrips from Savona (to Genoa, La Spezia, Cagliari Sardinia, Naples, Messina Sicily, Civitavecchia-Rome).
• Costa's South America 2021-2022 winter program (Favolosa from Santos, Pacifica from Rio de Janeiro) was canceled.
• Costa's Baltic 2021 program (Diadema, Fascinosa, Favolosa, Fortuna) was canceled.
• PACIFICA's Red Sea from Dubai program (winter 2021-2022) was canceled.
• FORTUNA's Caribbean program (winter 2021-2022, roundtrips from Guadeloupe and Dominicana) was canceled.
• MAGICA was transferred to CCL-Carnival in June 2021.
• In mid-June 2020, Carnival Corporation (shipowner) sold Costa Victoria to San Giorgio del Porto (shipyard in Genoa Italy ). The new shipowner soon sold the vessel for scrapping (in Piombino Italy ).

Itinerary of Costa Cruises

Costa Pacifica's schedule for summer 2023 (June 3 thru October 7) lists Taranto Italy s both a homeport (also reached with a fly-cruise package) and a call/transit port for passengers embarking in other ports, particularly Catania. Taranto (a total of 19x calls/Saturday visits/port stay 8 am and 5 pm) was included as part of a 7-day Greek Islands itinerary also visiting Catania (Sicily), Valletta (Malta), and Greece's Mykonos Island and Santorini Island.

Costa Journeys itineraries (2023-2024)

In July 2023 Costa announced "Costa Journeys" - a new itinerary program that groups longer (most are 2-week long) exotic voyages in Europe/Mediterranean scheduled for 2023-2024.

Next are listed the Costa Journeys ships and their voyages open for booking when the program was inaugurated.

( Costa Pacifica ) 14-day "Egypt and the Holy Land" itinerary itinerary visits ports in Italy (Savona, Naples, Catania) France (Marseille), Spain (Barcelona), Malta (La Valetta), Egypt (Alexandria-Cairo, Port Said), Israel (Haifa), Crete Greece (Heraklion). Roundtrip departures (in October-November 2023) are available from 4 ports (Savona, Haifa, Barcelona, Marseille). Similar "Holy Land" voyages were scheduled for Costa Fortuna in 2024.

( Costa Fascinosa ) 14-day "From the Mediterranean to Madeira and the Azores" itinerary visits ports in Italy (Savona), France (Marseille), Spain (Barcelona, Malaga, Cádiz-Sevilla), Portugal's Madeira (Funchal) and Portugal's Azores (Ponta Delgada, Praia da Vitória). Roundtrip departures (in April 2024) are available from 3 ports (Savona, Barcelona, Marseille).

( Costa Fortuna ) 14-day "Turkey, Greece and Tunisia" itinerary visits ports in Italy (Savona, Civitavecchia-Rome, Catania), Spain (Barcelona), France (Marseille), Tunisia (La Goulette-Tunis), Greece (Piraeus-Athens), and Turkey (Izmir, Istanbul). Roundtrip departures (in April 2024) are available from 3 ports (Civitavecchia-Rome, Barcelona, Marseille).

( Costa Favolosa ) 10-day "Morocco and Gibraltar" itinerary visits ports in Italy (Savona), France (Marseille), Spain (Valencia, Malaga), UK (Gibraltar), and Morocco (Tangier, Casablanca-Marrakesh). Roundtrip departures (in December 2024) are available from 2 ports (Savona, Marseille).

Itinerary changes 2024-2025

Costa's Mediterranean 2024 schedule has 3 ships in the Western Med ( Smeralda , Toscana , Pacifica ). The week-long voyages visit ports in France, Italy and Spain.

Smeralda departs from Genoa every Friday, starting March 22nd, to call at Marseille, Barcelona, Cagliari (Sardinia Italy), Naples and Civitavecchia-Rome. Toscana departs from Savona every Saturday, to visit Marseille, Barcelona, Palma (Mallorca), Palermo (Sicily), and Rome-Civitavecchia. During summer 2024, Palma is to be replaced by Ibiza.

Pacifica departs from Savona every Sunday, to Rome-Civitavecchia, Ajaccio (Corsica France), Palma de Mallorca, Marseille and Valencia, with La Spezia replacing Ajaccio during the autumn.

In 2024, Deliziosa is deployed in the Eastern Mediterranean, with a Greek islands itinerary visiting Venice/Marghera ,  Bari , Mykonos ,  Katakolon , Santorini . Also included are voyages from  Taranto / Catania , bound for Valletta Malta and the Greek islands.

During summer 2024, 3 Costa ships are deployed in Northern Europe - Diadema, Fascinosa, and Favolosa. Diadema offers 7-day roundtrips from Kiel Germany , bound for Copenhagen and the Norwegian Fjords. Favolosa sails on 4 different itineraries from Amsterdam Netherlands , visiting Greenland, Iceland, Ireland, England, and Norway's Lofoten Islands . Fascinosa offers 12-day sailings to North Cape/Nordkapp and 9-day Baltic voyages visiting Helsinki, Stockholm, Riga, and Tallinn.

In spring and fall 2024, 3-day and 4-day Western Mediterranean mini-cruises are scheduled for Fascinosa and Pacifica.

In autumn 2024, the Costa ships Diadema and Favolosa sail the Mediterranean and Spain's Canary Islands, with a 2-week itinerary, or Lisbon+Morocco with 10-day sailings. In spring Fascinosa also visits Portugal's Azores.

Costa Deliziosa 's World Cruise 2025 visits destinations in Tierra del Fuego/Chilean Patagonia, Polynesia, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa. For the first time, the departure is in early December 2024/not in January, to enjoy the holidays on a cruise. New Year’s Eve in Brazil's Rio de Janeiro is with the fireworks display from Copacabana Beach.

For summer 2024 (June 7th to September 13th), Costa Fortuna departs on Fridays from Piraeus-Athens to Istanbul and the Greek islands (Crete, Rhodes, Mykonos, Santorini). On some of the departures, the itinerary visits Bodrum instead of Rhodes.

Costa's flight+cruise package is available from all major European countries.

In the spring and fall of 2024, Costa Fortuna offers short (3 to 5 days) Western Mediterranean voyages, as well as a range of 2-week itineraries. These itineraries visit Morocco, Lisbon, Israel, Egypt, and Tunisia, Turkey, Greece, the Greek islands, Ibiza.

In summer 2024, Fascinosa offers 7-day roundtrips to Malta and the Greek islands, and 2-week roundtrips to the Canaries, while Favolosa and Diadema operate in Northern Europe. Favolosa has 3 different itineraries (out of Hamburg ) visiting Nordkapp/North Cape, the Lofotens, Iceland, and Greenland. A new 8-day itinerary visits the UK/Scotland. Diadema offers week-long roundtrips to the Norwegian Fjords.

Costa's winter 2024-2025 schedule lists voyages in Europe/Mediterranean, the Caribbean, and the UAE, including an Around the World Voyage departing in December 2024.

The Mediterranean-deployed Costa Toscana offers 7-day voyages to Italy, France, Spain, and the Balearic Islands. The schedule features extended port stays (10+ hours) at each call port - Savona ,  Marseille ,  Barcelona , Palma de Mallorca ,  Palermo , and  Civitavecchia/Rome .

The Caribbean-deployed Costa ships Fortuna and Fascinosa offer two alternating one-week itineraries (each) that can be combined into two-week B2Bs. The "flight+cruise" package is recommended. Costa Fortuna will exclusively sail between the Lesser Antilles, with itineraries featuring destinations such as Guadeloupe, Tortola, St Marteen, Antigua, St Lucia, Martinique, and Trinidad-Tobago. Costa Fascinosa's itineraries explore Dominicana (La Romana, Amber Cove, Samana, Catalina Island ), Jamaica (Ocho Rios), Grand Turk, St Lucia, Barbados, Guadeloupe, Antigua, BVI/British Virgin Islands.

The UAE-based Costa Smeralda offers 7-day Red Sea cruises from Dubai (two-day/overnight stay) visiting Muscat Oman, Doha Qatar, and Abu Dhabi UAE.

Costa Deliziosa 's World Cruise 2025 departs on December 7th, 2024, and its highlight is New Year's Eve in Rio de Janeiro .

In June 2023 was announced Costa Serena's India program developed as an extension of the ship's East Asian deployment. Serena's India schedule (November 4th, 2023, thru January 1st, 2024) included 23 sailings, following the voyages in Thailand, Taiwan and Korea. Costa's India 2023-2024 cruises visit exclusively domestic destinations, targeting predominantly Indian tourists. The itineraries (ranging between 2 to 5 days) visit  Mumbai ,  Cochin ,  Mormugao/Goa , as well as the Lakshadweep Archipelago.

Ship deployments, homeports, itineraries

The next table shows all Costa ships with their homeports (departure ports) and itinerary program reviews.

IMPORTANT : Three Costa ships ( Luminosa , Firenze , Venezia ) were transferred to CCL-Carnival Cruise Lines for the "COSTA by CARNIVAL" cruise program. These liners are CCL-managed while operating out of the USA.

(NEWEST) Excellence-class (aka Helios-class)

• gross tonnage 180,000 tons, LNG powered, passengers 5200, cabins 2600
• shipbuilder Meyer Turku
• vessels - Costa Smeralda (2019), Costa Toscana (2021)

building cost USD 950 million per unit

(NEW) Vista-class

• Costa Venezia (2019), Costa Firenze (2020)
• new class ships for the Asian market (homeported in China)
• gross tonnage 135,500 tons, passengers 4200
• shipbuilder Fincantieri

building cost USD 780 million per unit

Dream-class ships

• GT tonnage 92,700 tons
• LOA length 294 m, width 32 m, draft 7 m, decks 12
• speed 42 kph, 1130 staterooms, capacity 2828+1100 (passengers+crew)
• vessels - Costa Diadema (2014) , Costa Deliziosa (2010) , Costa Luminosa (2009)

building cost: USD 600 million per unit

Concordia-class ships

(Modified) Concordia-Class Ships Specifications: tonnage 114,500 GT, length 290 m, beam 32 m, draft 8 m, decks 13, speed 40 km/h, 1500 staterooms, capacity 3780+1100 passengers+crew. Cost US$670 million per unit.

vessels - Costa FASCINOSA (2012) , Costa FAVOLOSA (2011) , Costa PACIFICA (2009) , Costa SERENA (2007)

Concordia-Class Ships Specifications (Modified Conquest-class): tonnage 114,500 GT, length 290m, beam 36m, draft 8m, decks 14, speed 40 km/h, 1500 staterooms, capacity 3780+1100/passengers+crew.

Fortuna-class ships

Fortuna-Class Ships Specifications (identical to the Carnival Destiny-class): tonnage 105,000 GT, length 271m, beam 37m, draft 8m, decks 13, speed 37 km/h, 1,358 staterooms, capacity 2,720+1,027 passengers+crew.

Costa FORTUNA (2003) - all present and past Costa ships are displayed as models in the Atrium.

Sky-class ships

Sky-Class Ships Specifications: tonnage 76,000 GT, length 252m, beam 32m, draft 8m, decks 12, speed 40 km/h, capacity 1,928+766 passengers+crew, builder: Bremer Vulkan, Germany.

Costa VICTORIA (1996) - the first cruise ship with later added balconies.

The vessel was sold and scrapped in 2020.

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Costa Serena Resumes Service in Asia

• May 30, 2023

Marking the return of the entire Costa Cruises fleet, the Costa Serena resumed service in Asia earlier this month.

Welcoming guests earlier than initially planned, the 2007-built vessel kicked off a series of charter operations for local travel agencies in Southeast Asia and the Far East.

The first voyage included a program of short cruises departing from Laem Chabang, in Thailand.

Visiting Vietnam, Cambodia and other destinations in Thailand, the operation will be followed by a series of charter cruises in South Korea.

Extending through the end of June, the program includes departures from the ports of Busan, Sokcho and Pohang.

The Costa Serena is then setting sail to Taiwan in July. Spending the remainder of the summer season sailing from local ports, the vessel is set to offer a series of four- to seven-night cruises to ports in Japan, such as Sasebo, Kagoshima, Otaru, Hakodate, Naha, Miyakojima, and Ishigaki.

Sailing year-round in Asia since 2015, the Costa Serena was serving the Chinese market along with the Costa Venezia and the Costa Atlantica when the COVID -19 pandemic broke out in early 2020.

While the other two vessels ended up leaving the company’s fleet, the Serena remained out of service ever since. After spending most of the operational pause in the Middle East, the ship sailed back to Singapore in March .

While being prepared to welcome guests back, the Serena was also drydocked at the Southeast Asia port , undergoing technical maintenance, regular hotel upkeep and class work.

Originally launched in 2007, the Costa Serena was built by the Fincantieri shipyard at its Sestri Ponente shipyard in Genoa.

With capacity for over 3,000 guests, the 112,000-ton vessel offers an array of public areas and facilities that include one of the largest wellness centers at sea, two swimming pools with retractable glass roofs, four restaurants and more.

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