Costa Crociere, the Italian unit in the Carnival Corp & plc group, which will celebrate its 65th anniversary this year, has launched its 2014-15 programme that introduces its largest ship, Costa Diadema.
The programme comprises about 1,000 cruise holidays to choose from, with a total of around 250 destinations to visit plus the convenience of being able to depart from 44 different ports of embarkation, the company said in a statement.
The new Costa Diadema of 132,500 gross tons, currently under construction, will make her debut sailing from Venice on 5 November 2014 on a 5-day cruise to Savona, which will be the ship’s homeport throughout the winter season. “From here she will be deployed on a 1-week itinerary including the chance to visit two of Italy’s must-see cities – Rome and Florence – on the one cruise. The port calls are Savona, Marseille, Barcelona, Palma de Mallorca, Civitavecchia and La Spezia,” Costa said.
Once the Costa Diadema has joined the fleet, Costa’s offering in the Mediterranean in winter 2014/15 will rise by some 50%. Another growth area in winter 2014/15 will be the United Arab Emirates, with an increase of around 20% as a result of the positioning of a larger ship, while Company operations will be boosted by 20% in Northern Europe in summer 2014 on account of the deployment of five ships compared to 4 in 2013.
In the Mediterranean, Costa will be offering year-round itineraries 13 ships deployed in the region. Mini cruises will also be back. This type of holiday is extremely attractive in terms of both affordability and duration, from three to five days on journeys of discovery amidst sun, sea and culture in places like Barcelona, Palma de Mallorca, Ibiza, Marseille and Ajaccio.
“For a more leisurely look at the physical, architectural and cultural landscape of the Mediterranean, there are longer cruises, from 10 to 14 days, with more port calls, longer stopovers and more out of the ordinary destinations in exotic places such as Egypt and Israel, the Black Sea, Lisbon and Casablanca.”
“The main innovation is the Greece and Turkey route including an overnight stopover and two days in Istanbul, allowing visitors to make the most of the incredible cultural diversity of this city straddling East and West.”
Once again in 2015 the Company will be offering an around the world cruise; of 115 days on the Costa Deliziosa, She sails from Savona on 6 January 2015, on a world voyage westbound to extraordinary destinations on five continents.
In summer, Costa’s Northern Europe programme will be enhanced by the addition of a fifth ship, as opposed to four operating in 2013, by virtue of the arrival of the Costa Mediterranea, with homeport Hamburg.
“There will be a wide range to choose from, with cruises lasting between a week and 16 days, giving you the chance to discover – from the unique vantage point of a Costa cruise ship – wonderful Baltic cities like St Petersburg, Tallinn, Stockholm and Helsinki, the staggering scenery of the Norwegian fjords, and the majestic natural spectacle of North Cape, Spitsbergen Island and Iceland.” In the Caribbean Costa will be offering cruises with three ships in the winter of 2014-15. “For a winter beat to the rhythm of the tango and the samba, there will be cruises to Soiuh America on two ships – the Costa Favolosa and Costa Pacifica – touring Brazil, Uruguay and Argentina.”
Another option is the one-week “The thousands and one nights” cruise to the UAE & OMAN on the Costa Serena, featuring the luxury and futuristic architecture of cities like Dubai and Abu Dhabi or the striking beauty of Muscat, the capital of Oman. Meanwhile the seven -day Red Sea itinerary on the Costa Voyager includes the splendid barrier reef and the must-see ancient civilizations of Israel, Egypt and Jordan. The atmosphere of the Far East will be on offer throughout 2014 and winter 2014/15 with two ships operating in the region – the Costa Victoria and Costa Atlantica.
