Costa Cruises held the traditional coin ceremony for its new ship Costa Venezia at Fincantieri, one of the world’s largest shipbuilding groups. She will be the first Costa ship built and designed specifically for Chinese guests, and will be the second brand new cruise ship ever to sail from Dubai.

Costa Venezia is scheduled to enter service in 2019. At 135,500 tons and with a passenger capacity of 5,260 passengers, she is just marginally smaller than Quantum of the Seas and Ovation of the Seas, sister ships that are both the largest cruise ships ever to dock at Dubai Cruise Terminal.

The ship is being built specifically for the Chinese market, as she’ll be deployed year-round out of Shanghai after her launch, however, she will offer a two week cruise to Singapore from Dubai during her repositioning cruise and the approach that Costa is taking to the Chinese market reveals similarities in how they have made themselves a market leader in the Middle East.

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“Costa Cruises is thrilled to have a new ship that is built to offer the best experience to Chinese consumers,” said Michael Thamm, CEO of Costa Group and Carnival Asia. “The Costa Venezia demonstrates our strong commitment and confidence in the world’s fastest growing cruise market. Her arrival in 2019 will further enhance our offerings for Chinese guests to reinforce our leading position in China.”

During the coin ceremony, one newly minted commemorative coin was officially placed in the ship’s keel as a symbol of good luck and blessings for the crew and passengers on-board the ship and her future journeys.

The event connected Italy and China to mark this milestone, which was attended by government officials, trade partners and senior executives from Costa Cruises.

The design of the ship will be dedicated to the city of Venice. Guests on-board will enjoy a once-in-a-lifetime experience immersing themselves in a multi-sensory “virtual” trip in Venice, featuring food, art, music and entertainment.

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Come nightfall, guests may join an on-board version of the Carnival of Venice, the city’s famous festival known for its elaborate masks.

“With the Costa Venezia, Costa Cruises is proud to showcase the allure of one of Italy’s most famous and culturally rich cities and regions,” said Mario Zanetti, president of Costa Group Asia.

“The planned addition of the ship to our Asia fleet is part of our continued efforts to innovate and consistently exceed our guests’ expectations by providing authentic and memorable Italian experiences to everyone who sails with us,” he added.

The inaugural cruise of Costa Venezia will be departing in early March 2019 from Trieste (Italy) to Shanghai, visiting countries such as Greece, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, Malaysia, Vietnam and Japan, following Marco Polo’s famous journeys between Italy and China.

Costa Venezia is the first in a new class of cruise ships, a second identical vessel will be delivered by Fincantieri in 2020. This ship will also be based in the Asian market, which means that Middle East cruise passengers looking for exciting Dubai cruise departures will get two new options in the coming years.

Those looking for more regular cruises from Dubai will be pleased to know that Costa Cruises homeport annually in the UAE during the winter cruise season. Between December 2017 and March 2018, Costa Cruises are deploying Costa Mediterranea to the Arabian Gulf, offering 5 and 7-night roundtrip cruises from Dubai.

Costa cruises are marketed in the Middle East as “Italy at Sea”, offering an authentic Italian and European experience for Chinese guests, with high-quality hospitality, style, cuisine and entertainment.