Thread: Costa Deployments 2007

21st April 2006

2007 will be packed with new developments for Costa Crociere as the company boosts Mediterranean capacity by 34%, adds 30 new destinations and 14 new itineraries, ushers in a new ship and expands its South America program.

In May next year, the new Costa Serena enters service, bringing the fleet to 12 ships with total capacity of 23,000 lower berths. The 112,000gt Costa Serena will sail weekly from Venice to Bari, Olympia, Izmir, Istanbul and Dubrovnik.

For the 2006/07 South America season, Costa Fortuna will be positioned in Santos, Brazil, for the first time, raising capacity by 21%. Santos will again serve as the homeport for Costa Romantica. Next winter also sees new weekly itineraries from Dubai, varied sailings from Singapore and cruises targeted at Chinese customers with new sailings from China.

Caribbean 2006/07 deployment features Costa Magica and Costa Mediterranea from Fort Lauderdale and Costa Atlantica from Guadeloupe. All three vessels will sail at least one new itinerary.

Meanwhile, three Costa ships will operate winter Med cruises from Savona. Costa Concordia will offer 11-day cruises to Egypt, also calling at Civitavecchia; Costa Victoria will head for the Canary Islands; and Costa Europa will offer two alternating 11-day cruises.

In Summer 2007, Costa Victoria will be positioned from Civitavecchia for weekly cruises alternating to the Eastern and Western Med. Costa Concordia will also sail seven-day Western Med cruises from Civitavecchia.

Costa Fortuna will operate weekly routes from Naples. Savona will be the point of departure for Costa Romantica’s 11-day routes to the Canary Islands or Egypt, and Costa Europa’s varied 10- and 11-day cruises to destinations such as Spain and Portugal, the Black Sea, and Egypt and Libya. Costa Mediterranea will depart from Venice and Bari on weekly Greek Islands cruises. Trieste and Ancona will again serve as homeports for Costa Marina’s weekly Greek Islands cruises.

Costa Magica, Costa Atlantica and Costa Classica will return to Northern Europe, with itineraries from Copenhagen, Amsterdam and Kiel.

From December 2006 two ships belonging to the Italian group - the Costa Classica and AIDAcara - will depart every week from the port of Dubai on Arabian Gulf cruises: this is a first for the global cruise industry.
A total of 25 departures and 63,000 passenger movements are forecast.
The itinerary features two nights in Dubai plus one-day stopovers in the ports of Fujairah (United Arab Emirates), Muscat (Oman), Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates) and Bahrain.


Starting from December 2006 the Italian Costa Crociere SpA, the number one cruise company in Europe and South America, which operates the brands AIDA Cruises and Costa Crociere, will be offering cruises with departures from Dubai (United Arab Emirates), in a marketing move which is unprecedented in the global cruise industry.
The official announcement will be made during a series of official meetings, set to take place in Dubai on February 1 and 2, 2006, between a delegation from Costa Crociere - headed by Costa Crociere SpA Chairman & CEO Pier Luigi Foschi, Costa Crociere President Gianni Onorato, and AIDA Cruises SVP Operations Michael Ungerer - and political and administrative leaders from the United Arab Emirates, Jamal Majid Bin Thaniah, Deputy Chairman of DP World, and Khalid bin Sulayem, Director General of the DTCM (Dubai's Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing). A meeting is also planned with the Italian Ambassador to the UAE, Domenico Pedata, at his official residence.

"The local authorities in Dubai," said Costa Crociere SpA Chairman & CEO Pier Luigi Foschi, "have been involved in an important development program aimed at making the United Arab Emirates and the Arabian Gulf a major travel destination for European tourists. I believe that the arrival in Dubai of an international operator like Costa Crociere can make a significant contribution towards achieving this objective. The importance of the cruise industry locally is confirmed by the substantial investments made in the last few years for the construction of a new cruise terminal and related port infrastructure. Finally, I also want to stress that the spirit of cooperation, approachability and commitment of the local authorities has played a vital role in our decision. We hope that in the future Dubai will become a regular destination for our cruises."

For the first time a leading cruise operator has decided to schedule itineraries intended for an international clientele with departures out of Dubai, which is easily accessible from Europe and renowned for its fine, sunny weather and mild winter.
The new Dubai-based cruises will be offered throughout the 2006/2007 winter season by two ships belonging to the Italian group - the Costa Classica and AIDAcara. The seven-day itinerary includes two nights in Dubai and one-day stopovers in the ports of Muscat (Oman), Fujairah (United Arab Emirates), Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates) and Bahrain. The Costa Classica will depart on Saturdays while the AIDA will leave every Friday. In all, the two ships will be deployed on a total of 25 cruises, 17 on the Costa Classica (from December 23, 2006 to April 14, 2007) and 8 on the AIDAcara (from December 22, 2006 to February 9, 2007). A total of around 63,000 passengers will be handled, approximately 44,000 on the Costa Classica and 19,000 on the AIDAcara.
The majority of Guests on the Costa Classica and AIDAcara will be European: exclusively Germans and Austrians on the AIDAcara; mainly Italian, German, Austrian, French and Spanish passengers on the Costa Classica. They will fly to Dubai from Europe and embark in the UAE port.

The Costa Classica and AIDAcara will be positioned in the Arabian Gulf by means of two spectacular cruises via the Suez Canal and the Red Sea. The Costa Classica is due to depart from Savona on December 5 and reach Dubai on December 22, 2006, with stopovers en route in Naples, Alexandria (Egypt), Port Said (Egypt), Sharm el Sheik (Egypt), Aqaba (Jordan) Safaga (Egypt), Hodeidah (Yemen), Mukalla (Yemen), Salalah (Oman) and Muscat (Oman). The AIDAcara will reach Dubai by means of two separate cruises: the first, departing from Palma de Majorca on December 1 and arriving at Sharm el Sheik on December 9, 2006; the second, departing from Sharm el Sheik on December 9 and arriving in Dubai on December 21, 2006.

"The Dubai cruises," commented Costa Crociere President Gianni Onorato, "are a veritable innovation, not only for us, but for the cruise industry as a whole. At present we're the only international operator that's able to provide this vacation option. It further extends the range of choices we're offering our Guests, alongside our winter holidays in the Caribbean, South America and the Mediterranean. The new cruises are intended for our Company's key European markets, in the context of our business development strategy and also in response to the requests of our most loyal Guests who are looking for different itineraries."

"Dubai has been on our radar screen for quite a while - commented Michael Thamm, President of AIDA Cruises - and we are now delighted to be able to offer the Arabian Gulf experience to our guests on AIDAcara next winter. The newly created itineraries, including our attractive Suez Canal cruises, are a perfect addition to our successful Caribbean and Mediterranean program. The exciting Arabian Gulf program will enhance AIDA's position as the leading cruise operator in Germany."

The cruises will include guided excursions in each port of call, with visits to some of the best local tourist attractions - places of natural beauty or historical and cultural interest. The program features desert adventures, trips to some of the most exclusive beaches in the Arabian Gulf, visits to the finest mosques, historical buildings and museums, tours of the city and their typical markets, as well as boating excursions to go dolphin-watching.

Far East: Major New Costa Routes For Winter 2006/2007
Winter season in the Far East with departures from Singapore for the Costa Marina


Five cruises departing from Singapore will visit Hong Kong, India, Vietnam, Malaysia, Thailand, Brunei and Indonesia. Two spectacular positioning cruises
scheduled from Savona to Singapore.
Another major Costa innovation for the 2006/2007 winter season following the announcement of the Costa Classica's itineraries out of Dubai.

Costa Crociere, the leading cruise company in Europe and South America, is continuing in its quest for new, attractive destinations and has announced at the "BIT" International Tourism Fair another major addition to its routes towards the Far East. During the 2006/2007 winter season, the Costa Marina, one of the 10 ships currently comprising the Costa fleet, will be offering Far Eastern cruises out of Singapore for the first time and throughout the winter season.
The program includes five cruises of between 11 and 15 days departing from Singapore and calling at some of the loveliest places in India, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Malaysia, Thailand, Brunei and Indonesia.
The Costa Marina's new cruises in the Far East will be dedicated to the Company's European and American Guests, who will fly to Singapore and embark on the ship from there.
The Costa Marina will be positioned in the Far East by means of two spectacular cruises lasting over thirty days - the outward leg from Savona to Singapore at the end of November 2006, and the homeward leg from Singapore to Savona at the end of February 2007 - and sailing via the Suez Canal, the Arab Peninsula, India, China, the Maldives, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand.

The Costa Marina's cruises out of Singapore follow the rush to book for the Costa Allegra's Far Eastern cruises, which will take place between the end of April and the end of June 2006. The Costa Allegra will be offering a 30-day cruise, with departure from Savona on April 30 and arrival in Hong Kong on May 29, and two cruises between Hong Kong and Mumbai, departing on May 29 and June 14 2006, respectively.

These are the itineraries of the Costa Marina's seven new Far Eastern cruises:

- a 32-day positioning cruise from Savona on November 20 2006, calling at Naples, Egypt (Port Said and Suez), Jordan (Aqaba), Yemen (Aden and Mukalla), Oman (Salalah and Muscat), India (Mumbai, Cochin and Madras), Sri Lanka (Colombo), Andaman Islands, Thailand (Phuket), Malaysia (Penang, Kuala Lumpur), Indonesia (Belawan), and arrival in Singapore on December 22 2006;
- three cruises (two 14-day cruises and one lasting 15 days) from Singapore, departing on December 22 2006, January 17 2007 and February 11 2007. The route includes a two-day stopover in Singapore, from where the ship will leave bound for Vietnam (Ho Chi Minh City - formerly Saigon, Halong Bay, Danang), Honk Kong, Malaysia (Kota Kinabalu in Borneo) and Brunei (Ban Dar Seri Begawan);
- an 11-day cruise, leaving Singapore on January 6 2007 for Thailand (Bankgok and Phuket) and Malaysia (Malacca, Penang, Kuala Lumpur);
- an 11-day cruise, departing from Singapore on January 31 2007, heading for Indonesia (Sulawesi, Comodo Island, Bali, Jakarta) and Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur);
- a 33-day positioning cruise from Singapore, with departure on February 25 2007, a two-day stopover in Singapore, and calls in Malaysia (Malacca and Kuala Lumpur), Thailand (Phuket), Andaman Islands, India (Madras, Goa and Mumbai), Sri Lanka (Colombo), the Maldives (Male), Oman (Muscat, Salalah), Yemen (Mukalla, Hodeidah), Egypt (Safaga, Suez, Port Said), Capri, and arrival in Savona on March 30 2007.


The Costa Marina's new itineraries come hard on the heels of Costa Crociere's recent announcement of new cruises on board the Costa Classica out of Dubai for winter 2006/2007. This 7-day route includes two nights in Dubai and one-day stopovers in the ports of Muscat (Oman), Fujairah (United Arab Emirates), Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates) and Bahrain.


The Costa Marina is 25,600 gross tonnage and has total Guest capacity of 1000 with accommodation in 388 cabins, including 8 suites with private verandas. She stands out on account of the originality of the exterior, with her large windows and transom. The interior design features wood paneling and maritime style décor, as well as works by prestigious Italian artists. The ship underwent major refurbishing from January to March 2002. The ship's facilities include a theater, restaurant, buffet, bars, dance clubs, disco, wellness center, gym, swimming pool and casino.