Costa Cruises Introduces “Slow Cruising” Experience

First there was “slow” food and then “slow travel”  -  Now Costa Cruises is introducing “slow cruising” 

The "slow cruising" experience includes longer, leisurely itineraries and extended time, including many overnights in port.

Costa neoRomantica

The Italian line’s two smaller ships, Costa neoRiviera and neoRomantica, will focus on local foods and wines while offering small-group shore excursions.

The ships offering these experiences are smaller - Costa neoRiviera has 624 cabins and Costa neoRomantica 789 cabins - so they can visit smaller ports and offer more personalized service. 

Before sailing on these two ships, guests can consult a team of experts to book shore side tours that match their interests. Once on-board, a concierge can assist in choosing shipboard and shore side amenities, such as the new candle-lit gourmet “Dinner Under the Stars.”

The Costa neoCollection kicks off with a 62-day voyage departing Dubai on Feb. 9. The “Grand Africa Tour” will visit India, islands in the Indian Ocean - including the Seychelles, Maldives, Mauritius and Reunion - Madagascar, Mozambique, South Africa, Namibia, St. Helena, Senegal, Cape Verde, the Canary Islands and Morocco, ending at Savona, Italy. Segments are available.

Next spring and summer, the neoRiviera will sail a 12-day “Mediterranean Heart” itinerary departing Savona on April 11, April 22, May 3, May 25, Sept. 12 and Oct. 4. The cruises call at Toulon, France; Salerno and Livorno, Italy; Valletta, Malta; Porto Empedocle, Sicily; and an overnight call at Barcelona, Spain. 

The May 3 Costa neoRiviera departure also includes Genoa, Italy. The “Mediterranean Spirit” itinerary from June 5 through Sept. 1 departs from Savona and calls at Toulon; Propriano, Corsica; Olbia, Sardinia; Trapani, Sicily; Valletta; Capri and Salerno, Italy, and Portoferraio, Elba.

The Costa neoRomantica also will offer 13- to 15-day summer Northern Europe cruises in the Baltic and Norway. Among them are the 13-day “Kingdom of Light” cruises departing Amsterdam on June 1, June 13, July 21 and Aug. 14.

http://www.costacruise.com/

Source: TravelPulse

Costa Kids Sail Free Offer

Costa Cruises is hoping to rebuild its business in North America this summer with a new promotion aimed at families.

Bookings at Costa plunged 80% to 90% in the four weeks after the Costa Concordia accident in January, but have been rebounding in recent months, executives have said.

The "Kids Sail Free" offer, available through Nov. 24, lets children ages 17 and under sail at no charge other than government taxes and fees when staying in a cabin with two paying adults.


The Italy-based line says the deal is available on most cruises on 11 ships in its fleet.

Source: USA Today Travel - Cruise Log

Costa Allegra Towed to Mahe, Choppers Drop Food/Supplies

Photo Source: AP

February 28, 2012 - By: Susan Young for Travel Agent Central

The Italian Coast Guard has confirmed that Trevignon, a French fishing trawler has reached Costa Allegra in the Indian Ocean. The 28,597-ton cruise ship is without power about 200 miles southwest of Mahe, Seychelles, following a fire in the ship’s engine room on Monday.

Costa confirmed earlier that the ship was being towed by the 275-foot-long trawler to Desroches, an exclusive resort island near Alphonse Island. That’s about 20 miles from where the ship was located when the incident occurred.

However, in a statement just before 8 a.m. EST, today Costa opted to change course in how the evacuation would proceed. "In view of extensive collaboration with local maritime experts, in order to ensure the safety of our guests, disembarkation at Desroches Island cannot be performed, and therefore it has been decided that the ship will be towed directly to Mahe, Seychelles," the line's statement said.

Costa's statement continued: "The disembarkation at Desroches cannot be assured with adequate security conditions for mooring the ship and guest disembarkation. In addition, logistics and hotels on the island are not sufficient."

Disembarkation at Desroches, a small island with limited transportation infrastructure, would require an immediate transfer of guests from Desroches to Mahe via ferries after they had disembarked the ship via tenders. So the line made the decision to tow the ship directly to Mahe instead.

Costa's statement also said, "the assistance of two tugs that are approaching the ship will allow an increase in towing speed. The arrival at Mahe currently is scheduled for 6 a.m. local time Thursday, March 1. That is just a few hours later than if guests were disembarked at Desroches and transferred to Mahe via ferries."

Costa said a helicopter took off from Mahe, Seychelles, this morning to bring food and communication devices including satellite phones and VHF radios to the ship.

It also said, helicopters will ensure a continuous supply of food, comfort items and flashlights in order to mitigate guests' discomfort given the difficult conditions on board. Costa Cruises is working with all the authorities responsible for the coordination of the emergency to ensure the best possible assistance to all our guests and to make their discomfort as short as possible and to reach their next destination as soon as possible."

Fire Put Out, No One Injured

The fire was put out by onboard fire suppression systems and a specially trained crew fire fighting team. Costa reported Monday that the blaze was out and did not spread to any other areas of the ship.

No passengers or crew were injured in the fire. Costa says 636 passengers and 413 crew are onboard. Of those, eight are American, 13 Canadian.

The line says it’s been successful at contacting about many of the passengers’ relatives and all of the crew members’ families. It also said the mood onboard was one of calm.

However, guests aren't likely to be too comfortable onboard the ship, as Costa Allegra is without power so not only does it lack propulsion, it also lacks electrical generating capacity for air conditioning, lighting, hot water heating or cooking. An emergency generator is powering the ship's radio and bridge lighting. 

Costa said this morning that guests onboard are being continuously informed and assisted by the captain and the staff, and that a cold breakfast was served this morning

International Attention for Costa

Intense international attention has focused on the ship, due in part to the extensive international publicity related to the Costa Concordia accident off the coast of Giglio, Italy, in January.

Costa, which was criticized at the highest corporate levels for the way it handled the passenger evacuation and emergency procedures for Costa Concordia's guests and crew, was quick to confirm Monday that Costa Allegra sent out an immediate distress signal when the fire began.

It also reported that all passengers and crew not involved in fighting the fire were called to the ship’s muster stations. Costa said it began emergency procedures onboard immediately.

International attention is also focused on the ship’s plight because the location at which Costa Allegra lost propulsion is within an area that has been vulnerable to Somali pirate attacks.

While cruise ships typically have the speed to outrun pirate vessels and there has never been a successful boarding of a major cruise ship by pirates, a ship that’s adrift without propulsion could be an easy target.

Costa Cruises official Giorgio Moretti said yesterday that an armed team of nine Italian marines are onboard the ship as an anti-piracy precaution. Additional armed guards are also onboard the French fishing vessel.

Moretti also downplayed the piracy danger, noting that no pirates had been sighted and that the specific area where the ship was located had not had any incidents of late.

More on this story - Costa Allegra passengers face uncomfortable three days without power

Costa Cruises Clarifies Refund Policy for Concordia Passengers

Costa Cruises will refund the full cost of the cruise and travel expenses for all guests who were on the Costa Concordia when it ran aground Jan. 13.

The company said it will reimburse all travel expenses incurred both reaching the port of embarkation and on the homeward journey, including any independent arrangements made for transfers. Any onboard expenses also will be refunded, any credit card charges will be credited to the account and any cash deposits will be refunded. Costa also will reimburse any medical expenses incurred as a result of the accident.

“Every effort will be made to return the valuables left in the cabin safe,” the cruise line said. “Information on the return of personal belongings and other forms of compensation will be communicated.”

Costa issued the statement on Jan. 23 after some media outlets reported that the line was only offering 30 percent off future cruise coupons to those on the ship.

In fact, the 30 percent future cruise discount, in addition to a full refund, was for people scheduled to sail on Costa Concordia from Jan. 14 onward.

Big Question Hovers Over the Cruise Ship Industry

Cruise lines were ready for a busy year, with continued deals, expanded river jaunts and hot new locales. How the Costa Concordia disaster affects the industry is still unknown.

The first quarter of 2012 was supposed to be a sweet spot for passenger cruise lines. Wave season, as it's known, marks a time when cruise companies and travel agents roll out deep discounts on cruise vacations and rack up lots of sales.

But that changed Jan. 13, when the Costa Concordia struck rocks off the western coast of Italy, killing at least 11 passengers in one of the worst cruise-ship tragedies in recent times. Images and videos of the listing liner have been shown appeared continually on TV and online in the media, often accompanied by interviews with survivors, who say panic and chaos took hold during the ship's deadly slide.

Continue with article - A big question mark hovers over the cruise ship industry - latimes.com

Has Costa Concordia's Captain Been Outed on Facebook?

The captain of a vessel is the supreme master of his ship at sea.  The captain is responsible for the safe navigation of the vessel, discipline and order of the crew, and the safety of all crew and passengers.

Costa Cruises released a statement saying there may have been "significant human error" on Captain Schettino's part. The vessel appears to have been too close to the shore, and the captain's judgment in handling the emergency appears to have not followed standard Costa procedures.

The captain spoke on Italian TV, and insisted the rocks were not on his map. However the coast guard states the waters are well mapped. Local fishermen in the area state the coastline is well know for its rocky sea floor.

Although not confirmed, many locals say The Concordia had a tradition of "a fly-by" with Giglio island. Locals further state the ship would come close to the island and sound its horn while passengers onboard would wave.

But now comes this news from of all places Facebook!

Cruise disaster: captain neared rocks in Facebook stunt for friend's family
In a pre-planned stunt advertised on Facebook, captain of The Concordia, Francesco Schettino, sailed perilously close to the coast of Giglio so that the ship's head waiter could salute his family on land.

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12 New Ships For 2011

CLIA (Cruise Line International Association) predicts the most popular destinations this year are Europe, the Caribbean, the Pacific, South America, Asia - and also an interest in River Cruises.

Great ready cruise fans - 12 new ships will premier this year:

MAJOR CRUISE LINES

Carnival Cruise Lines' Carnival Magic - 3,652 passengers
Costa Cruises' Favalosa - 3,502 passengers
Celebrity Cruises' Silhouette - 2,850 passengers

Disney Dream - 2,500 passengers
Oceania Cruises' Marina (shown above) - 1,260 passengers

SMALLER CRUISE VESSELS
Seabourn Cruise Line's Quest - 450 - passengers
Pearl Seas Cruises' Pearl Mist (shown above) - 210 passengers

RIVER CRUISES:

Avalon Waterways' Panorama - 166 passengers
AMA Waterways' Amalotus - 124 passengers
Amaverde - 162 passengers
Amakaterina - 212 passengers
Uniworld Grand River Cruises' Douro Spirit - 128 passengers
SS Antoinette - 164 passengers
River Victoria - 206 passengers

Cruise Line Alcohol Policies

Do you know your cruise line's alcohol policy?

Drinking rules certainly vary across lines -- European companies like Costa Cruises may lower the drinking age to 18 when sailing from non-U.S. ports; luxury outfits often include open bars, and allow for "bring your own booze" as well.

And some lines have even outlawed bringing wine onboard, something that's almost always acceptable (there is, however, usually a corkage fee assessed for consuming your wine in the dining room).

Cruise Critic breaks down the rules into 3 main categories:

• Drinking Age

• Rules for Bringing Booze Onboard

• And All Things Wine 

Visit Cruise Critic to view the article

Costa's Serena Godmother Wins Academy Award

The Costa Serena's godmother, French actress Marion Cotillard, won the Academy Award for "Best Actress in a Leading Role" on Sunday for her performance portraying Edith Piaf in "La Vie en Rose."

She christened the Costa Serena in May 2007. Cotillard was chosen as godmother when "La Vie en Rose" was released.

Costa inaugurated the ship in France, Cotillard's home country. Cotillard inaugurated the Costa Serena on May 19, 2007, in front of 1,500 guests in Marseille.

For more information, visit www.costacruises.com