Major cruise lines homeporting in China have announced that they are pulling their ships from the region amid reports that the coronavirus may be more contagious than initially thought.
Costa Cruises and other lines start offering coronavirus refunds on Asian itineraries
Italian cruise giant Costa Cruises and China-based Astro Ocean have both announced new measures to prevent passengers bringing coronavirus aboard their ships sailing Asian itineraries, while also rolling out refund options.
LNG mega-ship Costa Smeralda delivered to Costa Cruises after two delays in shipyard
Costa Cruises has taken delivery of Costa Smeralda, its new LNG-powered flagship. The handover ceremony took place at the Meyer shipyard in Turku, Finland, where the ship was built. At 180,000-gross tons […]
Costa Diadema makes inaugural Dubai port call as she begins 2019/2020 Arabian Gulf season
Costa Cruises’ third-largest (by a tiny margin) cruise ship Costa Diadema has completed her first-ever roundtrip cruise from the city, the first of 16 during the 2019/2020 Arabian Gulf cruise season, which […]
Costa Smeralda finally passes sea trials after several delays to delivery date
Costa Smeralda has passed her propulsion test as part of her comprehensive sea trials, marking the next major milestone in her construction.
Dubai-bound Costa Firenze floated out of dry-dock at Fincantieri
Costa Cruises’ new Vista-class cruise ship Costa Firenze has touched water for the first time as she was floated out of her construction dry-dock at the Fincantieri shipyard in Italy.
Dubai bound cruise ships scatter as Cyclone Kyarr barrels toward Arabian Sea
A Category 4 cyclone, the strongest storm in the area for more than a decade, has impacted the cruise itineraries of multiple cruise ships sailing to or from Dubai and across the […]
Costa Smeralda finally leaves shipyard for delayed sea trials
Costa Cruises’ new LNG-fueled cruise ship Costa Smeralda has departed the Meyer Turku shipyard in Turku, Finland for her first set of sea trails.
Costa Cruises confirms major fleet consolidation with five ships to be sold off
In line with other Carnival Corporation brands that have been selling off ships recently to make way for new capacity added by newer and larger ships, Costa Cruises has announced that at […]
Italian cruise lines battle for marketshare in South America as Costa adds Luminosa
Costa Cruises has announced that it will deploy a third ship in the South American market for the 2020/21 season, just days after MSC Cruises announced it would be sending in its […]
Costa Cruises forced to delay Costa Smeralda launch as shipyard struggles with LNG systems
Costa Cruises has announced that its new cruise ship Costa Smeralda will not enter service until November 30th, 2019, forcing the cancellation of several cruises in October.
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 Cruises cuts steel for second LNG cruise ship Costa Toscana
Costa Cruises revealed the name of its second LNG-powered cruise ship, a sister ship to Costa Smerelda, during a steel cutting ceremony for the new vessel.
Capacity in Middle East cruise market sees largest-ever year-on-year increase
The Middle East cruise market, based primarily out of Dubai, and the Indian sector, based primarily out Mumbai, has seen the largest-ever capacity increase in a single year, with a year-on-year jump […]
Indian cruise market could rival China in coming years says Costa Cruises
India’s cruise source market could exceed China’s in the coming years if more cruise lines homeport in Mumbai, according to Nalini Gupta, Head of Costa Cruises India.
Costa will homeport Diadema in Dubai for second year during 2020/21
With strong advance bookings for her inaugural cruise season out of Dubai in 2019/2020, Costa Cruises have confirmed Diadema for a repeat performance during the 2020/21 season, including it’s first-ever 4-night roundtrip […]
Costa sending second Vista class ship Costa Firenze to Dubai in 2020
Costa Cruises has announced that it’s upcoming new Vista-class cruise ship will be named Costa Firenze and will cruise from Dubai in 2020, like her sister ship Costa Venezia did this year.
Why a cruise is the best way to see Europe and the Mediterranean
Europe and its Mediterranean Sea are the world’s most popular tourist destinations, and as cruising’s global popularity continues to grow, more and more people are discovering the best way to visit Europe […]
Costa may launch new ship for India as Jalesh and Angriya up competition
On the same day that Costa Cruises’ two ships met for the first time in port in Cochin, the cruise line announced that it was seriously considering launching a new cruise ship […]
Dubai rains on Costa Venezia’s maiden port call in the city
Costa Cruises’ brand new cruise ship Costa Venezia arrived in Dubai on Wednesday morning after a 19-night grand voyage from Trieste in Italy that took her through the Mediterranean and into the […]