Italian line Costa Cruises, a Carnival Corporation brand, is marking the official launch of its spring-summer 2023 season with a multitude of sailings during the upcoming Easter holiday week.
Five cruise ships will ply the Western Mediterranean, offering special onboard programs, entertainment, and cuisine celebrating Easter.
Flagship Costa Toscana Sails From Sardinia
Costa Cruises’ flagship, the 6,554-guest Costa Toscana, which launched in early 2022, is among the cruise line’s ships sailing special Easter week cruises. Departing April 11 and sailing roundtrip from Sardinia, the 8-day cruise will call at Naples, Rome and Genoa, Italy; Marseille, France; and Barcelona.
Also operating a weeklong cruise is the 6,554-guest Costa Smeralda, while the 3,780-guest Costa Pacifica and the 3,780-guest Costa Fascinosa sail 5-, and 4-day mini-cruises, and the 4,927-guest Costa Diadema begins a two-week cruise to the Canary Islands.
Costa Diadema recently underwent renovations to several restaurants, including Archipelago, the sushi bistro called Sushino, and the Fiorentina Steak House. Upgrades also were made to the Sunset Bar and the Aperol Spritz bar.
The 3,470-guest Costa Fortuna will be deployed to the Western Mediterranean after ending her winter season in South America. On April 13, the ship will sail a 3-day mini-cruise before starting a series of 14-day itineraries to destinations including Turkey and the Canary Islands. A new itinerary for the ship will feature calls at both the Greek and Balearic islands.
Meanwhile, the 2,828-guest Costa Deliziosa will offer weeklong spring cruises in the Adriatic Sea between Venice and the Greek Islands.
“Sales in the last three months have been robust. Ship occupancy is growing steadily, and summer programs are selling very quickly with a high demand for cabins,” said Costa Cruises’ President Mario Zanetti.
He added, “This is a very encouraging outlook, considering that our capacity in the Mediterranean has increased compared to 2019, while keeping our capacity in Northern Europe constant, thanks to the entry of new, state-of-the-art ships into the fleet in the last three years, such as Costa Toscana and Costa Smeralda.”
Several Ships Cruising Beyond the Mediterranean
Along with its considerable presence in the Mediterranean, Costa Cruises also will focus on Northern Europe itineraries from May to September as well as select itineraries to Israel, Egypt and Morocco.
Costa Cruises will deploy the 3,780-guest Costa Fascinosa to Northern Europe, where the ship will operate 12-day itineraries to the North Cape, and nine-day cruises to the Baltic.
The 3,780-guest Costa Favolosa will visit Iceland, Norway’s Lofoten Islands and Greenland, or Great Britain and Ireland. Also in the northern region, the 5,260-guest Costa Firenze will offer one-week cruises in the Norwegian fjords.
Other spring cruises feature Costa Pacifica sailings to Israel and Egypt, Costa Favolosa sailings to Morocco and Costa Fascinosa itineraries to Lisbon.
Costa Cruises is continuing its 75th-anniversary promotion, which offers special pricing on 75 cruises through the spring and summer seasons.
