Costa Cruises Set to Retain Leadership in 2009

Costa Cruises has set course for 2009 with the worldwide release of its new 2009 brochure. The brochure has been published well in advance in all the countries where Costa Cruises operates. Once more, the new edition features a number of major global innovations for the industry, with regard both to the routes and to the fleet.

In overall terms, Costa Cruises will be increasing its capacity in 2009 by 12 percent compared to this year, thanks to the entry into service, in April and May 2009, of the two new flagships.

Costa Luminosa (92,700 gross tonnage and total guest capacity of 2,828) and Costa Pacifica (114,500 gross tonnage and total guest capacity of 3,780), are currently under construction at the Fincantieri shipyards in Marghera (Venice) and Genoa-Sestri Ponente.

The Costa fleet will thus be 14-strong, confirming its position as Europe’s largest with total guest capacity of approximately 36,000.

Costa Cruises’ fleet expansion program comprises a total of five new ships (including the Costa Luminosa and Costa Pacifica) that will enter service by 2012, all commissioned from Fincantieri and built in Italy, with a total investment of almost 2.4 billion euros.

This is the biggest order book (together with that of the subsidiary AIDA Cruises) of any cruise line anywhere in the world. The five new builds will enable a 50 percent increase in the capacity of the Costa Cruises fleet, which by 2012 will be the world’s third biggest, with 17 ships and total guest capacity of 46,400.

In 2009 Costa’s ships will offer approximately 250 destinations all over the world and more than 100 different itineraries. There will be even more holiday options for Costa’s customers thanks to brand new itineraries. Costa Cruises will be the first operator to offer an incredible transatlantic cruise from Italy to Argentina and up the Amazon River as far as Manaus (Brazil).

Other news for 2009 is the introduction of cruises in the U.S. (New England) and Canada in the autumn, with five calls in Quebec, Boston, Newport and New York. There are also innovations in the Mediterranean, with two new itineraries featuring two-day stopovers in Istanbul and Lisbon, and new ports of call at Capri, the Isle of Elba and St. Tropez, as well as additional cruise routes in Japan, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia and Malaysia.

The increased capacity will be reflected both in the exclusive destinations introduced by Costa Cruises in the last couple of years, and in those “traditionally offered”, which have always been extremely popular among Costa’s clientele.