Costa Cruises brand new Programs for 2012

Costa Cruises - 05.08.2011

Costa Cruises, Italy’s largest tourism group and Europe’s no. 1 cruise company, announces big news for its 2012 itineraries, with several brand new and unique programs that will allow Guests to choose additional different alternatives for their holidays with Costa in Spring, Summer, Autumn 2012. New programs, that will be included in a new release of Costa 2012 annual brochure ready from September 2011, are aimed to respond to changing customer holiday behaviours, driven by the increasing appeal of some destinations and the persisting negative perception of Egypt and Tunisia as a consequence of the recent difficult political and economical situation.

COSTA FASCINOSA DOUBLES HER DEBUT

The new Costa flagship (114,500 gross tonnage and 3,800 total Guests), which is being built by Fincantieri at Marghera (Venice) yards, will make her debut in Spring 2012. In order to satisfy the big demand to discover new Costa flagships immediately after their delivery, coming especially from Costa most loyal Guests, the company introduces 2 new vernissage cruises before the already scheduled inaugural cruise. The first mini vernissage cruise, departing from Venice on 2nd May 2012, will be calling at Dubrovnik (Croatia), Capri (Italy), Savona (Italy); the second one will depart from Savona on 7^th May 2012, calling at Corfu (Greece), Kotor (Montenegro), Venice.

MEDITERRANEAN: BEACH, FUN, CULTURE AND RELIGION ON THE TOP OF THE LIST

On top of the list of Costa 2012 news in the Mediterranean Sea there are new Summer itineraries dedicated to different holiday preferences: beach, fun, culture and religion.

The first one is a fly&cruise program, homeporting in Rhodes. An exciting beach oriented 7-night itinerary in the Aegean Sea, with 6 different Greek islands. From the end of June to Mid September 2012 Costa Atlantica will be departing from Rhodes every Friday to Kos, Samos, Izmir (Turkey), Mykonos, Santorini, Heraklion/Crete Island.

From Sepember 14^th 2012 to November the ship will continue her 7-night cruises from Rhodes with a more cultural itinerary, including Cyprus, Turkey, Israel and Greece.

Another brand new summer itinerary is dedicated to trendy beaches and fun. From June to September 2012 Costa Serena will be offering 7-night cruises including Savona, Rome (Civitavecchia-Italy), Costa Smeralda (Olbia-Italy), an overnight call in Ibiza (Balearic islands) - where it is possible to reach also the beautiful island of Formentera - Palma de Mallorca (Balearic Islands), Marseilles (France) – with shore excursions to Provence.

A new itinerary is scheduled also in the Eastern Mediterranean to discover the beautiful Dalmatian coast. During the whole summer season Costa Classica will be offering a 7-night itinerary including a full day in Dubrovnik that will allow excursions to Medjugorje, which is one of the most important pilgrimage sites in the world and represents a absolute highlight. These are the calls of Costa Classica new itinerary: Trieste, Ancona, Dubrovnik/ Medjugorje, Cefalonia (Greece), Corfu (Greece), Kotor (Montenegro), Split (Croatia).

Last but not least, the new 7-night Western Med Summer itinerary of Costa Concordia, for holidays always in the sun: Savona (Italy), Barcellona (Spain), Malta, Palma de Mallorca (Balearic Islands), Catania (Italy), Naples (Italy). 

MEDITERRANEAN: MORE ITINERARIES IN THE BLACK SEA, PORTUGAL, ISRAEL

Egypt will be replaced with a growth of the offer in some destinations with an increasing appeal: Israel, Black Sea and Portugal. In April 2012 and for the departures between September through to November 2012, Costa Pacifica 11-night cruises including Egypt will be replaced by a Greece/Israel/Turkey itinerary with 2 days in Israel, at Ashod and Haifa to visit Jerusalem and the Holy Land. Costa Mediterranea will also be offering 2 additional 13-night Black Sea cruises as well 4 new 10- night cruises to Lisbon and Casablanca with overnight in Lisbon.

In autumn 2012 Costa Fortuna will be replacing 10-night cruises to Egypt with the already existing 9-night cruises to Lisbon and Casablanca.

MEDITERRANEAN:  CAGLIARI REPLACES TUNIS

The Italian port of Cagliari will be replacing Tunis for the 7-night Western Mediterranean Summer cruises of Costa Allegra, for the 7-night Western Mediterranean Winter cruises of Costa Concordia and for all Costa Deliziosa mini cruises in December 2011 and April 2012.

NORTH EUROPE:  MORE CRUISES IN THE FJORDS

In order to satisfy the stronger demand for this area, in Summer 2012 Costa Luminosa and Costa Fortuna will be offering additional 7-night cruises to the Fjords, that will substitute the Baltic ones.

Furthermore, on Costa Deliziosa, North Cape cruises will replace Baltic on 2 departures.

NORTH EUROPE:  NEW ITINERARIES FOR THE NEW “COSTA neoROMANTICA”

During next Winter Costa Romantica will be completely refurbished to become a brand new ship:  Costa neoRomantica. After initial 11-night Canary Island cruises, from the end of March until mid September 2012 the ship will be dedicated to different new programs of 14-night cruises, with exclusive itineraries covering North Europe: 4 cruises to discover the most interesting destination on the Atlantic Sea, such as Amsterdam, Bruges, Le Havre, St. Malo, Bordeaux, Oporto, Lisbon; 6 unique cruises that for the first time will bring together the best destinations of the Fjords and Baltic Capitals; 2 cruises to Spietzbergen Islands.

GRAND CRUISES TO INDIAN OCEAN, FAR EAST & AUSTRALIA

Costa Cruises also introduced new long cruises on ancient navigators’ Routes, especially dedicated to “cruise fans”. From 19 September 2012 Costa neoRomantica will be offering new 21-night “Grand Cruises” from Italy towards the Arabian Gulf, Indian Ocean, Far East and Australia and return. There are several wonderful destination included in these grand cruises, such as Israel, Jordan, Oman, India, Seychelles, Mauritius, Maldives, Sri Lanka, Thailand , Indonesia , Australia, New Zealand.

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Brand new itineraries further enriches Costa’s offer for 2012. Here is a list of all Costa itineraries for 2012:

MEDITERRANEAN

Mediterranean - Winter 2011/2012

-      In December 2011 Costa Deliziosa will be offering 3 mini-cruises in the Western Mediterranean including also Cagliari. 

-      Costa Serena will be offering 11-night cruises to Canary Islands and also 11-night cruises to Greece, Israel and Turkey, with 2 days in Israel (Ashod and Haifa);

-      Costa Concordia will be offering 7-night Western Mediterranean cruises including Savona, Marseille, Barcelona, Palma, Cagliari, Palermo, Civitavecchia;

-      From 20^th February to 24th March 2012 Costa neoRomantica will be deployed on 11-night cruises to the Canary Islands.

Mediterranean- Spring 2012

-      Designed for those who would like to experience a Costa cruise without having a full week available, in Spring 2012 Costa Atlantica will offer brand new 3/4/5-night mini-cruises (calling Savona, Barcelona, Ibiza/Palma de Mallorca, Ajaccio, Marseille) and allowing embarkation from Savona, Barcelona and Marseille. 

-      Costa Pacifica will be offering 11-night cruises to Greece, Israel and Turkey, including 2 days in Israel (Ashod and Haifa).

-      Costa Serena will be offering 7-night itinerary to Savona, Civitavecchia, Palermo, Palma, Valencia, Marseilles.

-      Costa Magica will be offering 10-night cruises including Marseille, Livorno, Palermo, Athens, Izmir, Rhodes, Malta.

-      In April and May Costa Fortuna will depart on 7-night cruises to Venice, Bari, Olympia, Santorini, Rhodes, Dubrovnik.

Mediterranean - Summer 2012

-      Costa Fascinosa, the new flagship, will debut with 2 vernissage cruises from Venice on 2^nd and Savona on 7^th May, followed by a 10-hight inaugural cruise with overnight in Haifa. For the rest of the Summer season, until November 2012, Costa Fascinosa will be offering 7-night cruises with to Venice, Bari, Olympia, Santorini, Rhodes, Dubrovnik;

-      From April to November 2012 Costa Favolosa will depart on 7-night cruises to Venice, Bari, Olympia, Izmir, Istanbul, Dubrovnik.

-      From May to November 2012, Costa Classica will leave from Trieste and Ancona on new 7-night cruises to Dubrovnik/ Medjugorje, Cefalonia, Corfu, Kotor, Split.

-      From April to November 2012 Costa Concordia will be offering new 7-night cruises to Savona, Barcelona, Malta, Palma, Catania, Naples.

-      From June to September 2012 Costa Serena will be offering 7-night cruises including Savona, Civitavecchia, Costa Smeralda/Olbia, an overnight call in Ibiza, Palma de Mallorca, Marseille.

-      From June to September 2012 Costa Atlantica will be departing from Rhodes on brand new Greek Island itinerary to Kos, Samos, Izmir, Mykonos, Santorini, Heraklion/Crete.

-      From July to August 2012 Costa Allegra will be offering 7-night cruises including Barcelona, Villefranche, Livorno, Capri, Malta, Cagliari, Minorca.

-      From March to November 2012 Costa Mediterranea will offer 13-night cruises to the Black Sea, 11-night cruises to the Canary Islands, 10-night cruises to Lisbon and Casablanca with overnight in Lisbon and 11-night cruises to Greece, Israel and Turkey, with 2 days in Israel (Ashod and Haifa). 

Mediterranean - Autumn 2012

-      Costa Deliziosa will be offering 11-night cruises to Canary Islands.

-      Costa Luminosa will be offering 3/4/5 night mini cruises in the West Med, calling Savona, Barcelona, Ibiza/Palma de Mallorca, Ajaccio, Marseilles.

-      Costa Atlantica will continue her 7-night cruises from Rhodes with a more cultural itinerary, including Cyprus, Turkey, Israel and Greece.

-      Costa Fortuna will be offering 9-night cruises to Lisbon and Casablanca.

-      Costa Pacifica will be offering 11-night cruises to Greece, Israel and Turkey, including 2 days in Israel (Ashod and Haifa).

-      Costa Serena will be offering 7-night itinerary to Savona, Civitavecchia, Palermo, Palma, Valencia, Marseilles.

-      Costa Magica will be offering 10-night cruises including Marseille, Livorno, Palermo, Athens, Izmir, Rhodes, Malta.

NORTHERN EUROPE – Summer 2012

-      Costa Magica will depart from Amsterdam on 8-night cruises allowing Guests to visit 6 of Europe’s top capital cities on the one cruise:  Paris, London, Amsterdam, Berlin, Copenhagen and Oslo. 

-      Costa Deliziosa will depart from Amsterdam on 7 11-night cruises to North Cape, one 14-night cruise to Spitzbergen islands, and a 11-night cruise in the Baltic.

-      Costa Luminosa will be operating out of Amsterdam on 7-night cruises to the Norwegian fjords and Baltic cities. 

-      Costa Pacifica will be positioned in Germany (homeports Kiel and Hamburg) for 10- to 16-night cruises to North Cape, Iceland, the Spitzbergen Islands and Baltic cities. 

-      Costa Fortuna will homeport in Copenhagen on 7-night cruises to the Norwegian fjords and Baltic cities.

-      From the end of March until mid September 2012 Costa neoRomantica will be dedicated to new programs of 14-night cruises with exclusive itineraries covering North Europe: 4 cruises to discover the most interesting destination on the Atlantic Sea, such as Bruges, Le Havre, St. Malo, Bordeaux, Oporto, Lisbon; 6 cruises including for the first time both Fjords and Baltic Capitals; 2 cruises to Spietzbergen Islands.

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES – Winter 2011/12

From December 2011 to April 2012, the Costa Favolosa will be operating on 1-week cruises with 2 days in Dubai and one-day calls at Muscat (Oman), Fujairah (UAE), Abu Dhabi (UAE), Khasab (Oman) and an additional overnight stay back in Dubai. 

INDIAN OCEAN - Winter 2011/12

From December 2011 to February 2012 the Costa Allegra will sail from Mauritius on 14-night Indian Ocean cruises with port calls in the Seychelles, Madagascar and Reunion on an exclusive route only offered by Costa Cruises.

RED SEA – All year long

From December 2011 to the end of 2012 Costa Voyager will be offering 7-night Red Sea cruises from Sharm el Sheik. The itinerary includes Sharm el Sheik, an overnight in Eilhat (Israel), Aqaba (Jordan), Safaga (Egypt) and Sokhna (Egypt) before returning to Sharm el Sheik. Costa Voyager is a ship which will be transferred from Iberocruceros and operated by Costa Cruises.

FAR EAST - All year long

-      Until March 2012 Costa Classica will depart from Singapore on a 14-night itinerary, which can be broken down into two 7-night segments, sailing to Thailand and Malaysia; she will also operate out of Hong Kong on 5 and 4-night cruises to Taiwan and Vietnam. 

-      From May to October 2012 Costa Victoria will offer mini-cruises and 7-night cruises to Japan and South Korea from Shanghai. In November she will depart from Singapore on a 14-night itinerary, which can be broken down into two 7-night segments, sailing to Thailand and Malaysia.

CARIBBEAN - Winter 2011/12

-      For the first time Costa Luminosa will be positioned in the Caribbean on 7-night cruises out of Guadeloupe and calling at a different Caribbean island each day, including Martinique, St. Marteen, Dominican Republic, Costa Private Island (Catalina Island), Tortola, Antigua. Also for the first time the Costa Luminosa will bring to the Caribbean “wellness cruises” thanks to the shipboard Samsara Spa.

-      Costa Mediterranea will be offering 7-night Caribbean cruises from Guadeloupe alternating two different itineraries which includes the most renowned and beloved venues in the Caribbean such as Aruba, Curacao, Costa Private Island (Catalina Island), Isla Margarita, Santa Lucia, St Marteen, Antigua, Dominica, Barbados.

-      Costa Atlantica will be deployed on a 10-night route departing from Miami and porting at Grand Turk, Ocho Rios (Jamaica), Grand Cayman, Roatan (Honduras), Cozumel (Mexico) and Nassau (Bahamas).

SOUTH AMERICA – Winter 2011/12

-      Costa Pacifica will make her debut in this part of the world, with cruises focused on Brazil.

-      Costa Magica will be offering cruises to Brazil, Uruguay and Argentina.

-      Costa Fortuna will be offering cruises to Brazil, Uruguay and Argentina. 

-      Costa Victoria will be positioned in Santos for 9-night cruises in South America calling Rio de Janeiro, Buenos Aires, Montevideo, Porto Belo, Ilhabela.

ROUND-THE-WORLD CRUISES

On 28th December 2011 and 6^th January 2013 the Costa Deliziosa will set sail from Savona on 2 100-day round-the-world trips, with the westbound route embracing all 5 continents: from Savona to Los Angeles; from Los Angeles to Singapore; from Singapore to Savona.

GRAND CRUISES FROM SOUTH AMERICA TO ASIA

Departing from Santos on March 7th 2012 Costa Victoria will sail to Shanghai with an exclusive 72-night cruise made up by four different sections consumers can buy singularly. The first leg from Santos to Savona on a 17-night cruise (calling Rio de Janeiro, Salvador de Bahia, Recife, Cape Verde, Canary Islands, Madeira, Lisbon, Gibraltar, Barcelona). The second leg: on March 24th 2012 Costa Victoria will sail from Savona to Dubai on a 18-night cruise (calling Naples, Port Said, Suez Canal Transit, Sharm el Sheik, Safaga, Aqaba, Salalah, Muscat). The third leg of ship’s positioning to China will start on April 11th 2012. Costa Victoria will sail from Dubai to Singapore on a 20-night cruise (calling Mumbai, Goa, Cochin, Malè, Colombo, Phuket, Port Klang-Maldives). Then Costa Victoria will offer the fourth leg of the positioning to Shanghai through a 17-night cruise calling Bangkok, Ho Chi Min City, Da Nang, Halong Bay, Hainan and Hong Kong. 

GRAND CRUISES FROM ITALY TO AUSTRALIA

From 19th September 2012 Costa neoRomantica will be offering new wonderful 21-night and 23-night “Grand Cruises” towards the Arabian Gulf, Indian Ocean, Far East and Australia and return. The first grand cruise will depart from Italy to reach Dubai, calling Naples, Egypt, Suez canal, the Red Sea, Israel, Jordan, Oman and United Arab Emirates. The second one, departing from Dubai on 10th October 2012, will go to Mauritius, including India, Seychelles, Madagascar, Reunion. The third grand cruise, from Mauritius on 31^st October 2012, will call Seychelles, Maldives, India, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore. The fourth Grand cruise, departing from Singapore on 21^st November 2012, will reach Melbourne (Australia), calling Giava, Bali, Lombok (Indonesia), Brisbane and Sidney (Australia). The fifth one will leave from Sidney on 14^th December 2012 visiting Australia and New Zealand. On 5th January 2013 Costa neoRomantica will depart from Melbourne to come back to Italy through four 21-night grand cruises: Melbourne-Singapore; Singapore-Mauritius; Mauritius-Dubai; Dubai-Savona.

For more information. Please contact:

Ask Mr Cruise

Møllergaten 4
0179 Oslo, Norway

tlf. (+47) 23 62 82 00

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Costa Cruises is Europe’s no. 1 cruise company (www.costacruise.com). For over 60 years its ships have plied the seas of the world, offering the best in Italian style, hospitality and cuisine and providing dream holidays with the utmost in terms of fun and relaxation. Its fleet has a total of 15 ships, all flying the Italian flag, each with her own distinctive characteristics and unique style; together each year, they offer the chance to visit some 250 separate destinations in the Mediterranean, Northern Europe, the Baltic Sea, the Caribbean, South America, the United Arab Emirates, the Far East, the Indian Ocean and the Round-the-World cruise. Two more new ships have been ordered from Fincantieri and will be delivered in Spring 2012 and October 2014. Costa Cruises has been certified by RINA (Italian Shipping Register) with the BEST4, an integrated system of voluntary certification of corporate compliance with the highest standards governing social accountability (SA 8000, issued in 2001), environment (UNI EN ISO 14001, 2004), safety (OHSAS 18001, 2007) and quality (UNI EN ISO 9001, 2008) (www.costacruise.com/Best4).  Costa Cruises has been an official partner of WWF Italia (www.costacruise.com/wwf) for the protection of the Mediterranean Sea since 2005.  All the ships in the Costa fleet have been assigned RINA’s Green Star notation certifying that they are operated in compliance with the highest environmental protection standards. In the “Global Reputation Pulse” 2010 international study, Costa Cruises is in 1^st place among Italian “service industry” companies; Pulse scores are a measure of the corporate reputation (in terms of trust, esteem etc.) of the 600 largest enterprises located in 32 countries worldwide. Costa Cruises was awarded the “2010 Leonardo Prize for Italian Quality” by the President of the Italian Republic Giorgio Napolitano, for promoting and enhancing the Italian excellence around the world.  With revenues of 2.9 billion euros and 2.15 million total Guests in 2010, Costa Crociere S.p.A. is the largest Italian travel group and comprises the brands Costa Cruises, AIDA Cruises and Iberocruceros.  Costa Crociere S.p.A. is one of Italy’s top 10 most profitable companies and ranks 49^th in terms of sales in Mediobanca’s 2010 survey of over 3700 Italian enterprises that recorded revenue of at least 50 million euros the previous fiscal year.  Costa Crociere S.p.A. is a member of Carnival Corporation & plc (NYSE/LSE: CCL; NYSE: CUK), the world’s largest cruise operator.