Costa's Viva Victoria!

Costa Cruises will unveil the new-look Costa Victoria next week when she departs from Singapore for her first cruise after an $18million dry-dock upgrade. 

Elegant and totally refurbished with new balconies, terraces and windows, Costa Victoria boasts an unmistakable style that marries traditional nautical elements with essential design, making this ship a refined and stylish work of art (according to the Costa designers). The Italy at Sea concept is translated in every detail of the upgraded ship, from the food to the bright colour tone and the tailored service, making the renewed ship a stronger testament to an authentic taste of Italian fashion.

With an emphasis on fine dining, Victoria will offer its passengers sumptuous meals inspired by a true taste of La Dolce Vita. The ship has several new dining experiences, from a Buffet terrace where passengers can dine al fresco to the relaxed Pizza and Noodle area, which will provide a cosy hangout for family time. There’s even a traditional midnight buffet to be enjoyed after sampling the extensive selection of evening entertainment. 

The boutique shopping area has also been treated to a deluxe upgrade, to ensure those perusing the latest international fashions have the upscale shopping experience they deserve.

With almost all of the ship’s interiors re-styled in a contemporary European flair with the intricate use of colours, ingredients and textures, the new Costa Victoria promises to have all the trappings of an international fashion cruise of the utmost quality.

More info: call 0800 389 0622 or visit www.costacruises.co.uk. 

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Costa Victoria To Call China Home

Costa Cruises has announced that Costa Victoria will depart on its maiden Asian voyage on May 18 from the new Shanghai Wusongkou International Cruise Terminal in China. The ship will embark on four-to-seven-night cruises, with calls along the South Korean and Japanese coastlines.

Costa Victoria has many Asian-inspired dining options available to guests as the ship offers a range of local cuisines in four of its five restaurants. In the largest of these restaurants, the Sinfornia, dinner will be served in two sittings - the first with traditional Chinese or Italian dishes, and the latter with a greater selection of Japanese and South Korean food to choose from. The second largest restaurant, the Fantasia, will appeal to Chinese diners looking for a taste of home. 

In the evenings, one of the world’s top Michael Jackson impersonators, ICE, will perform MJ’s greatest hits in the Festival Showroom. There will also be a fashion show that offers guests a refined form of entertainment in the cavernous, two-deck theatre. Live music, games and competitions complete the nightlife to be found throughout Victoria’s 10 bars and discos.

The cruises will stop at several destinations in Japan, including the tropical paradise Hososhima/Miyazaki, Wakayama, which boasts the largest hot spring resort, Osaka, Japan’s second largest city and the popular sightseeing cities in the Kanto Area, Yokohama and Tokyo, the capital city. In the South Korean part of the itinerary, destinations include ‘island of the Gods’ Jeju, the picturesque harbour town of Yeosu and South Korea’s second largest city, Busan.

For booking details, be sure to check out this link with the UK's luxury cruise specialists, The Cruise Line Ltd.

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Costa's First World Cruise In 17 Years A Deliziosa Success

Rounding off a successful 2011 for Costa Cruises, the Costa Deliziosa (above) has embarked on the first Around-The-World Costa cruise in 17 years.

 

With the 2011-2012 tour fully booked months in advance, the European cruise giant is now preparing to offer the itinerary again in 2013.

 

The 100-day historic cruise that departed Italy on December 28 will tally up 37 calls and 250 excursions to some of the world’s most fascinating locations across five continents, following the routes of the great navigators of the past.

 

The journey is split into three segments, named in tribute to great explorers – Christopher Columbus: Savona to France, Spain, Madera, Antilles, Colombia, Costa Rica, the Panama Canal, Mexico and California; James Cook: California to Hawaii, Samoa, Fiji, New Zealand, Australia and Singapore; and Marco Polo: Singapore to Malaysia, Thailand, Sri Lanka, India, the Arab Emirates, Oman and the Red Sea.

 

Those interested in the progress of the Costa Deliziosa can connect live with two webcams installed on board the ship by visiting Costa’s website, www.costacruise.com.

 

Five theme-oriented celebrations will be held on the seas during the journey with a total of 2,300 passengers onboard to join in the festivities and special shows.

 

Costa also has two other epic cruises on offer for 2012 for travellers looking to explore the world from a unique viewpoint. The Great Cruise to Four Continents on Costa Victoria will set sail on March 7, and the Great Cruise to the Other Side of the World departs on September 19.

 

The 2013 Around-The-World tour will depart Savona, Italy, on January 6 and return on 16 April, once again aboard the Costa Deliziosa.

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Costa's New Japan itineraries

Costa Cruises is offering three new itineraries to popular Japanese destinations and will introduce new cities in 2012 after resuming its itineraries in the area this weekend.

Costa Classica (above) left Shanghai on August 26 for a four-day cruise calling at Fukuoka (Japan) and Cheju (South Korea) before returning to Shanghai.

This decision demonstrates Costa’s confidence in Japan’s tourism market and its support of the revitalisation of the local tourism industry. As the first international cruise company to enter the Chinese market, Costa has been operating cruise itineraries from China to Japan for more than five years.

From August to October this year, Classica will operate a total of 12 cruises to Japan and South Korea, with the wide selection of itineraries including Japan's Fukuoka, Nagasaki and Kagoshima. Four-day cruises visit Fukuoka and Cheju; a six-day cruise takes in Pusan (South Korea), Fukuoka and Kagoshima; and a five-day cruise visits to Fukuoka, Nagasaki and Cheju.

In 2012, Costa will further expand its operations in Asia and the Far East with the deployment for the first time of the Costa Victoria (75,200 gross tonnage and 2,394 total guests), which will replace Classica (53,000 tons and 1,680 guests). Victoria will also offer 246 veranda cabins and increase its offer in the area by about 40%.

New destinations in Japan include the tropical paradise of Hososhima/Miyazaki; Wakayama, which boasts the largest hot spring resort; Osaka, Japan’s second largest city; the popular sightseeing cities in the Kanto Area; Yokohama and Tokyo, the capital city.

According to the Japan National Tourism Organization (www.jnto.go.jp), a joint statement from the World Health Organization, the International Atomic Energy Agency, the World Meteorological Organization, the International Maritime Organization and the International Civil Aviation Organization has reaffirmed that operations can continue normally into and out of Japan's major airports and sea ports.

For more info, visit www.costacruises.co.uk or, for bookings, contact the specialist cruise agents of The Cruise Line Ltd.

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Enjoy Scenic Washington State & British Columbia with American Safari Cruises

Well-known in yachting circles as a favourite for 'gunkhole' cruising — a yachter’s paradise of quiet, scenic anchorages — the San Juan and Canadian Gulf Islands star in American Safari Cruises’ Pacific Northwest Passage itinerary returning in 2012. The cruise features Washington state and British Columbia, with a new home port of Seattle, Washington.

Beginning September 14, 2012, the 22-guest Safari Quest (above) sails 10 week-long cruises round-trip from Seattle. The yacht returns in the spring for six more week-long cruises beginning March 29, 2013. The Pacific Northwest Passage itinerary explores the inlets and islands of the San Juan and Canadian Gulf Islands including visits to Victoria, Jervis Inlet, the Harmony Islands, Princess Louisa Inlet, Nanaimo and the Gulf Islands in British Columbia; Friday Harbor, San Juan Island and Stuart Island in Washington.

Sailing from Seattle, the yacht passes through the historic Hiram M. Chittenden Locks to Puget Sound. In Victoria, guests enjoy a tour of Butchart Gardens with a traditional British high tea, a visit to the Royal British Columbia Museum and the historic Empress Hotel.

A flexible itinerary allows time to search out and view wildlife such as orca whales, eagles, seals, sea lions, porpoise, black bears and deer. ASC's expedition-style cruising means the yacht freely explores among the inlets and islands of the Pacific Northwest. An onboard expedition leader provides expert narration while leading waterborne or land-based adventures including kayaking, hiking, beachcombing and skiff rides. Paddle boards are also available for solo adventures in these scenic waters.

Other highlights of the cruise include exploration by foot or by kayak in Princess Louisa Inlet, only half a mile wide and culminating at the spectacular Chatterbox Falls; scenery and solitude while relaxing in the upper deck hot tub; stroll along Nanaimo’s picturesque waterfront promenade; a visit to the town of Friday Harbor with boutiques, galleries and a Whale Museum; hiking along a bluff to Turning Point Lighthouse on Stuart Island and kayaking among the sheltered Harmony Islands.

Cruise fares start at $3,995 per person, based on double occupancy.

The inclusive cruise includes all yacht activities and equipment; transfers; meals; fine wine, premium spirits and microbrews; and all port charges, taxes and fees. The Quest also features a hot tub, Tempurpedic mattresses, and heated tile floors in all bathrooms and upper category balconies. An all-American crew has a guest-crew ratio of 2 to 1. Yachts can also be booked as a private charter or by individual stateroom.

For more info, visit www.americansafaraicruises.com or contact the UK's leading adventure-cruise travel agents of The Cruise Line Ltd.

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Costa Returns To Japan

Costa Cruises has announced it is resuming its Japan itineraries and introducing new destinations, following the terrible earthquake that hit the country earlier this year.

On August 26, Costa Classica will be leaving Shanghai for a four-day cruise calling at Fukuoka (Japan) and Cheju (South Korea) before returning to Shanghai.

This decision demonstrates Costa’s confidence in Japan’s tourism market and its support of the revitalisation of the local tourism industry. As the first international cruise company to enter the Chinese market, Costa has been operating cruise itineraries from China to Japan for more than five years.

From August to October this year, Costa Classica - home-ported in Shanghai - will operate a total of 12 cruises to Japan and South Korea.

The wide selection of itineraries includes three Japanese destinations: Fukuoka, Nagasaki and Kagoshima: four-day cruises to Fukuoka and Cheju (South Korea); a six-day cruise to Pusan (South Korea), Fukuoka and Kagoshima and a five-day cruise to Fukuoka, Nagasaki and Cheju (South Korea).

In 2012, Costa will further expand its operations in Asia and the Far East , with the deployment for the first time of the Costa Victoria (75,200 gross tonnage and 2,394 total guests), which will replace the Classica (53,000 gross tonnage and 1,680 total guests).

For the first time on these cruises, the Victoria will offer guests the chance to book 246 veranda cabins to enjoy the splendid scenery of the Far East, including Japan, from the privacy of their own cabins. Costa Cruises will increase its offer in the area by about 40%.

Victoria will also sail to an array of new destinations in Japan including the tropical paradise of Hososhima/Miyazaki; Wakayama, which boasts the largest hot spring resort; Osaka, Japan’s second largest city; the popular sightseeing cities in the Kanto Area; Yokohama and Tokyo, the capital city.

According to the Japan National Tourism Organization (www.jnto.go.jp), a joint statement from the World Health Organization, the International Atomic Energy Agency, the World Meteorological Organization, the International Maritime Organization and the International Civil Aviation Organization has reaffirmed that operations can continue normally into and out of Japan's major airports and sea ports.

Time Spent at Sea has moved and can now be found at World of Cruising. You can follow World of Cruising on Twitter and Facebook for the very latest in cruise news.

If you haven't already, subscribe to the World of Cruising magazine today.