The Costa Deliziosa, which was built in Italy by Fincantieri and delivered in Venice on January 30 of this year, recently set sail from Savona on February 5 for her Grand Inaugural Cruise. The voyage includes stops in the Mediterranean, Suez Canal, Red Sea and Arabian Gulf. The ship will stopover in Dubai from February 23 through the 26.
This 15th member of the Costa fleet is the first cruise ship to be named in an Arabian city. Over 3,000 guests are expected to witness the event, including approximately 2,200 Costa guests traveling on the first sector of the maiden cruise. I'm one of the lucky few who will be attending the naming ceremony, and will report back here next week after I return from Dubai. It will be my first visit to this fascinating country, and I'm sure that Costa and DTCM will put on a spectacular gala to celebrate the new ship.
En route to Dubai, the Costa Deliziosa will have two first calls. The first of these new calls is on February 20 in Muscat, the capital of Oman, where a new cruise terminal will be inaugurated as well. The second is on February 22 in Abu Dhabi. During both stopovers the ship will be met by government delegations and Italian state dignitaries who will pay a special tribute to the Italian Tricolor.
Tuesday, February 23 in Dubai marks the occasion for the grand inaugural event, involving not only the ship but also the new cruise terminal in Port Rashid. Part of the quay will feature a stage and grandstand with seating for 3,000 and will be set up specially to celebrate the Costa Deliziosa.
According to a press release from Costa Cruises, the inaugural show will highlight the links between Italian and Arab culture. The first part of the show will take guests on an artistic journey into the history and culture of Dubai and the Emirates with traditional dance and music. The second part will be dedicated to Italian culture, music and art. Khalid Ahmed Bin Sulayem, director general of the DTCM, and Pier Luigi Foschi, chairman and ceo of Costa Crociere S.p.A., will both make speeches. There will also be an exchange of greetings between local dignitaries and their counterparts from the Italian government. In keeping with tradition, the ceremony will climax with the arrival of the godmother, who will cut the ribbon that will send a bottle of Champagne to break against the bow of the ship. The event will end with a fireworks display and a gala dinner in traditional Arab style. Sounds like a great party, doesn't it?
Following her Grand Inaugural Cruise, which will continue after the inaugural event to India and the Maldives, in March the Costa Deliziosa will be redeployed back in Dubai where, like her sister ship Costa Luminosa, she will offer 7-night Arabian Gulf cruises.
The itinerary includes two nights in Dubai and one-day stopovers in the ports of Muscat (Oman), Fujairah and Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates) and Bahrain. The Costa Deliziosa will sail from Dubai every Sunday from March 14 through May 9, 2010. The Costa Luminosa, her sister ship, departs from Dubai every Saturday through April 10, 2010.
In summer of this year and next, the Costa Deliziosa will be deployed on cruises to the Norwegian fjords and Baltic cities. On December 28, 2011, the ship will set sail from Savona on a 100-day world cruise, which may also be broken down into three stand-alone segments: Savona-Los Angeles; Los Angeles-Singapore; Singapore-Dubai.