Costa’ new LNG ship Costa Firenze will cruise from Dubai earlier than planned in 2020

Costa Cruises has announced that Costa Firenze will cruise from Dubai in September instead of October, 2020, as part of a regional re-juggling of its Mediterranean fleet commitment for the summer.

Costa Firenze, currently under construction at the Fincantieri shipyard in Marghera, Italy, will cruise from Dubai a month early because the cruise line are deploying her in Asia earlier than originally planned.

Costa Firenze’s Dubai cruise will form one leg of a longer grand voyage from the Mediterranean to the Far East, just as her sister ship Costa Venezia did when she was launched last in March this year.

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Both ships are Costa’s first vessels designed specifically for the Chinese market, where the Italian company was the first to start operating back in 2006 and is currently the market leader in terms of capacity.

In order to meet the growing demand from Chinese and Asian guests, after her delivery scheduled on September 30, 2020, Costa Firenze will be heading straight to China; this means she will no longer be operating on the Italy, France and Spain itineraries previously scheduled for October, 2020.

“Costa’s strategy for the next few years is based on sustainable development while meeting the increasing trends in demand,” said Neil Palomba, President, Costa Cruises. “This announcement is in line with that strategy, our aim being to exceed our guests’ expectations.”

While Costa Firenze will no longer sail an inaugural Mediterranean season, the cruise line is boosting its presence in Europe, its home market.

In winter 2020/21 Costa Fortuna will be offering two new 14-day itineraries, which mark Costa’s return to Turkey and Israel.

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The first, departing from Savona on December 6^th, 2020 and February 7^th, 2021, includes Marseille (France), Barcelona (Spain), Iráklion (Greece), Izmir (Turkey), an overnight call in Istanbul (Turkey), Athens (Greece), Palermo and Naples.

The second itinerary, which also sails from Savona on January 10^th and March 7^th, 2021, will be porting in Marseille (France), Barcelona (Spain), Iráklion (Grecia), an overnight call in Haifa (Israel), Kusadasi (Turkey), Palermo and Naples.

During the rest of the winter season, Costa Fortuna will be offering one-week itineraries in the Western Mediterranean, also calling at Valencia.

As a result of these changes, in winter 2020/21 Costa Mediterranea will replace Costa Fortuna, in Singapore, offering the same itineraries to Cambodia, Malaysia and Thailand.

Costa is also planning changes to Costa Victoria’s program after September 9^th, 2020, and to Costa Luminosa’s Caribbean program in winter 2020/21, which are therefore no longer available for bookings.

“We are working to further enhance our presence in the Mediterranean, making it more than ever our home region, with a range of itineraries suiting all needs, in terms of both duration and destinations covered,” explained Palomba.

Costa’s presence in the Mediterranean Sea will be further boosted by the arrival of Costa Smeralda and Costa Toscana, the two new flagships under construction at the Meyer shipyard in Turku, Finland.

From November this year, Costa Smeralda will be offering one-week cruises in the Western Mediterranean, together with Costa Toscana, due to enter service in 2021.

These two ships will be powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG), the world’s cleanest burning fossil fuel, both in port and at sea, thus minimising environmental impact.

Costa Cruises says it is already informing travel agencies and guests of these changes, in order to guarantee that everyone has alternative solutions for their holidays.

Guests who have already booked a cruise from Singapore on Costa Fortuna in winter 2020/21 will be rebooked on Costa Mediterranea.

Guests booked on any of the following itineraries:

Costa Victoria cruises in India and the Maldives;

Costa Mediterranea cruises in the Indian Ocean;

Costa Luminosa cruises in the Caribbean;

Costa Firenze cruises in the Mediterranean or her positioning cruise to Asia;

will have the opportunity to choose from Costa Cruises’ product portfolio and will be entitled to an additional 10% fare discount on the cruise of their choice.