Costa Cruises Begins 2008/2009 Dubai Season with Costa Classica And Costa Victoria

Costa Cruises has begun its third consecutive season operating in Dubai. Both Costa Cruises and AIDA Cruises, the two Costa Crociere brands that became the first lines in the world to offer regularly scheduled cruises from the locale, have increased capacity in the region for the 08-09 winter season. Costa Cruises will increase capacity by 50 percent with the arrival of the Costa Classica and Costa Victoria, while AIDA Cruises will almost double its cruise capacity with the deployment of the AIDAdiva, the largest ship in the AIDA fleet.

In addition, Costa announced plans to position the new Costa Luminosa 92,700-ton (2,260 double occupancy capacity) in Dubai for the 2009-2010 winter cruise season. This new ship, which is currently under completion at Fincantieri's shipyard in Marghera (Venice) will enter service in April 2009 and be inaugurated on June 5, 2009 along with the new Costa Pacifica 114,500-ton (3,000 double occupancy). During the 2009-2010 season in Dubai, the Costa Luminosa will be joined by the Costa Europa, which will offer a new itinerary of eight cruises from Savona to Dubai and back. AIDA Cruises will once again operate the AIDAdiva from Dubai and will offer two special cruises from Dubai to India and back during the holiday season.

Costa Luminosa Photo Courtesy of Costa Cruises

During the current Dubai cruise season, both Costa Cruises and AIDA Cruises will offer seven-night itineraries with two nights in Dubai and calls in Muscat (Oman), Fujairah (United Arab Emirates) *Costa ships only, Abu Dhabi (UAE) and Bahrain. The Costa Classica will set sail from Dubai on Sundays for a total of 11 cruises (December 21, 2008 through March 8, 2009) and the Costa Victoria will make 18 calls departing on Saturdays from December 13, 2008 through April 18, 2009. The AIDAdiva will depart from Dubai on Fridays for total of 18 calls (December 4, 2008 through April 9, 2009).

Costa Crociere has generated substantial business for Dubai and other ports featured on the itineraries. In 2006/2007 Costa and Aida carried 64 thousand passengers, and the number increased to 105 thousand during the 2007/2008 season. This winter (2008/20090), the cruise line is estimating 178 thousand cruise passenger for its two brands.

A survey conducted by DTCM last year showed that cruise guests visiting Dubai are mostly satisfied or very satisfied (95%) with their overall experience in Dubai and over half (53%) would be pleased to return to Dubai for vacation in the future. Most of them (78%) were visiting Dubai for the first time. Costa Crociere was the first cruise line to market regular cruises in the Arabian Gulf, turning Dubai into a major cruise destination and contributing to its growth as a tourist attraction. The Costa Group launched its operations in Dubai in winter 2006/2007 with the Costa Classica for the Costa Crociere brand and the AIDAcara for the German brand AIDA Cruises.

The immediate success of the new cruise destination prompted Costa Cruises to double its capacity by positioning two ships there for winter 2007/2008 with the Costa Romantica and the Costa Europa. The same year, the AIDAcara extended her season by increasing the number of calls from 9 to 15.

The Costa Luminosa is the first in a new class of ships. Decor will be highlighted by a contemporary design filled with iridescent colors, fine marbles, warm woods, mother-of-pearl details and world-class art. This includes a sculpture commissioned by renowned artist Fernando Botero, entitled "Reclining Woman 2004," which will be on display in the ship's atrium. Theatre productions truly take center stage with the ship's new 4D cinema, where sight, sound, touch and scent come together to form a multisensory experience for guests. Another new exciting feature included is a new 37-hole golf simulator, where guests can "hit the links at sea". The exterior of the ship is equally as exciting, with 68% of accommodations featuring verandas – the most for a Costa ship. The Costa Luminosa will also feature the renowned Samsara Spa, complete with Kinesis room, a Grand Prix race car driving simulator and a specialty restaurant featuring cuisine by Michelin-starred chef Ettore Bocchia.