Italian line Costa Cruises’ Costa Deliziosa is poised to set sail on January 6 on her 128-day Around-the-World Cruise from Trieste, Italy. The ship will cross three oceans to visit 52 ports on four continents.
Four-month Voyage Departs From Trieste
About 2,000 guests will be aboard Costa Cruises’ Costa Deliziosa on January 6 when she departs Trieste and heads south through the Adriatic Sea to begin a four-month journey. The ship will head to the Arabian Peninsula, then to India and the Maldives, and south to Madagascar and South Africa.
From there, the ship will cross the Atlantic to Brazil, setting a southerly course to Argentina then turning north, up the Pacific coast of South America. After transmitting the Panama Canal, Costa Deliziosa will call in Central America, then continue east to Florida and north to New York. A transatlantic crossing will bring the ship back to Europe, arriving in Trieste on May 13.
Costa Cruises said that a special feature of the cruise is “the possibility of extended calls in several of the destinations visited,” including in Mumbai (India), Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), Ushuaia (Argentina), and New York, among others. The scheduled route includes a three-day visit to the Galapagos Islands, off the coast of Ecuador.
Costa Backs Away From Asia Ports
Missing from the itinerary are any Asian port calls. Costa announced in October 2022 that it was canceling all of its Asia homeport cruises due to pandemic-related travel restrictions. The policy was enacted before China revoked its zero-tolerance Covid rules, but Costa has not yet altered its position.
The cruise line, which is owned by Carnival Corporation, made significant inroads into the Chinese market during the last decade. In fact, in 2014, the Costa Atlantica embarked on the line’s first world cruise from Shanghai.
Destination Themes Will Entertain World Cruisers
On board the 2023 world cruise, entertainment themes will match the ship’s destinations, said Costa, offering events such as Bollywood Night, Tropical Party, Brazilian Party, and Arabian Nights. Fifteen excursion tours are included in the world cruise fare, and shorter segments of the full itinerary were available for booking.
Costa Cruises also revealed some details about its 2024 world cruise, which will focus on the southern hemisphere, visiting Tierra del Fuego, Polynesia, New Zealand, Australia and South Africa. The line said that for the first time, the departure will be in December, and incorporate the Christmas and New Year’s holidays, although its website still shows a departure date of January 13, 2024.
Costa Deliziosa entered service in 2010. The 92,600-gross-ton ship accommodates 2,260 guests in double occupancy. The ship has five restaurants and 12 bar/lounge areas. The ship was the first Costa vessel to return to service in September 2020 following the pandemic shutdown in spring of that year.
