.

The Italian company is offering five Mediterranean cruises during the Easter holiday period. Big news then in spring-summer, with the return of the flagship Costa Toscana to the Mediterranean, the re-entry into service of Costa Diadema after major restyling work, and Costa Fortuna's itineraries between Greece and the Balearic Islands.

  Costa Cruises takes the spotlight in the Easter holidays 2023. Over the next weekend, the Italian company is offering five different cruises in the western Mediterranean, including two one-week cruises with the flagships Costa Toscana and Costa Smeralda, two 5-day and 4-day mini-cruises with Costa Pacifica and Costa Fascinosa, and a two-week cruise on Costa Diadema, bound for the Canary Islands. Costa Firenze and Costa Favolosa will also be offering cruises in South America over the Easter period.   Costa Deliziosa, on the other hand, will be sailing on the final part of her Around the World cruise, with the evocative passage through the Panama Canal, while Costa Fortuna is completing her transatlantic cruise from South America to Italy.   On all Costa ships there is a dedicated programme to celebrate Easter on board, with special dishes and entertainment activities.   “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. 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” – said Mario Zanetti, President of Costa Cruises.   Costa's Easter cruises mark the start of the spring-summer 2023 season. Among the new proposals, there are the return of the flagship Costa Toscana to the Mediterranean, the re-entry into service of the Costa Diadema and the Costa Fortuna itineraries.   After a winter in the Arabian Gulf, Costa Toscana returned to the Mediterranean over the Easter holiday period, offering one-week cruises to Genoa, Marseille, Barcelona, Cagliari, Naples and Civitavecchia/Rome, joining the sister ship Costa Smeralda, already in the Mediterranean, which offers a one-week itinerary to Savona, Marseille, Barcelona, Palma de Mallorca (Ibiza in summer), Palermo, and Civitavecchia/Rome.   The third Costa ship positioned in the western part of the Mediterranean is Costa Diadema. During the winter break, the ship underwent major renovation work, introducing new experiences to make the holiday on board even more unique. Such as the Archipelago restaurant, where guests can enjoy menus created exclusively for Costa by chefs Bruno Barbieri, Hélène Darroze and Ángel León; the Sushino at Costa, a sushi bistro by the sea, also featuring a lounge with live music; the Fiorentina Steak House, offering the best of Italian and international meats; the Sunset Bar, for an aperitif during "golden hour" on a seafront terrace; and a completely revamped Aperol Spritz bar. From Easter 2023, Costa Diadema will offer two-week cruises to the Canary Islands, followed, from 7 May, by a one-week itinerary with calls in Savona, Civitavecchia/Rome, Cagliari or Ajaccio (depending on departures), Palma de Mallorca, Valencia and Marseille.   From 13 April, Costa Fortuna, having completed the season in South America, will also return to the western Mediterranean. After a 3-day mini-cruise, she will start offering 14-day itineraries, first to Turkey and then to the Canary Islands. In the summer, the ship will offer a never-before-seen two-week itinerary, which will make it possible to visit the Greek and Balearic islands in a single holiday, with Savona, Civitavecchia/Rome, Messina, four magnificent islands in Greece, such as Crete (with a call in Heraklion), Rhodes, Mykonos, Santorini, Kefalonia (with a call in Argostoli), Palma de Mallorca, in the Balearic islands, and then Barcelona and Marseille.   Costa's offer in the Mediterranean will be completed by Costa Deliziosa, which will explore Marghera/Venice, Katakolon/Olympia (Greece), Mykonos (Greece) Santorini (Greece) and Bari, and Costa Pacifica, which will visit Taranto, Costa's new port of call, Catania, Malta, Mykonos and Santorini. Both itineraries are one week long.   Northern Europe cruises will be available from May to September. Costa Fascinosa will offer 12-day itineraries to the North Cape, or nine-day cruises to the most beautiful cities in the Baltic; Costa Favolosa will visit Iceland, the Lofoten Islands, Greenland, a new destination for this summer, or Great Britain and Ireland; Costa Firenze will offer one-week cruises in the Norwegian fjords.   For those with only a few days available, in spring there are mini-cruises to France and Spain, from 3 to 5 days, with Costa Fascinosa and Costa Pacifica. For a longer break, in addition to Costa Fortuna and Costa Diadema, in spring there are Costa Pacifica cruises to Israel and Egypt; Costa Firenze, Costa Favolosa and Costa Fascinosa cruises from the Mediterranean to Northern Europe, with the possibility of choosing the reverse itinerary, from Northern Europe to the Mediterranean, in September; and finally Costa Fascinosa's 10-day Lisbon cruises and Costa Favolosa's 11-day Morocco cruises.   It is still available the 75th Anniversary promotion to book a Costa’s cruise in spring and summer, with 75 cruises at a special price.

 

Vacation time is family time on the AIDA ships: At Easter and Whitsun, during the summer and fall vacations in 2023, AIDA Cruises now offers more reasons for a family break aboard the cruise fleet. On selected cruises, guest artists will accompany the most wonderful time of the year with exciting hands-on workshops and entertaining shows. For young cruisers, the program includes special sports activities such as freestyle soccer tricks, American football workshops, and dance classes with the pros. Those who like it more musical can produce their own radio play or listen to the mini-musical "Ocean Kids" or the show "Ritter Rost auf Kreuzfahrt". For the very young guests, there will be exciting chamber puppet shows in Studio X for the first time this year.

 

Over the 2023 Easter holidays, the Unique Freestylers will be guests on board AIDAdiva from April 6 to 14 from Hamburg/to Warnemünde and on board AIDAprima from April 8 to 15 from/to Hamburg. The Unique Freestylers convince with extraordinary ball acrobatics, spectacular moves, and a breathtaking show. In their workshops, young and old soccer fans can learn fantastic tricks and juggling and impress their audience with lots of soccer fun.

 

New this year on AIDA Cruises is the chamber puppet show on board AIDAnova and AIDAcosma. They will delight young audiences in Studio X with the well-known classics "Der kleine Rabe Socke" and "Das Sams." Children can experience the puppet shows live on board on the voyages with AIDAnova from May 13 to 20, 2023 from Hamburg/to Kiel, as well as on board AIDAcosma on the 7-day voyages from/to Palma de Mallorca on July 8,15,22 and 29, 2023, and on August 5, 12 and 19, 2023. Back on board this year for an extensive AIDA Kids and Teens program is the radio play production by TonPony. In the free workshops, children and teens can conceptualize their own vacation radio play. TonPony will be on board the voyages from May 27 to June 3, 2023, with AIDAnova from/to Kiel and on board AIDAluna from August 13 to 30, 2023 also from/to Kiel.

 

Also new this year for the 2023 summer vacations is the American football workshop "Football Ahoy". Under the guidance of former national league players, participants on board AIDAnova can learn the basics of this exciting team sport and actively experience it on the voyage from July 22 to 29, 2023.

 

The professional dancers Renata & Valentin Lusin are several times as Edutainer with dance courses for adults on board the AIDA fleet. This year, for the first time, they are also giving dance classes for kids & teens. On board AIDAmar from August 14 to 24, 2023 from/to Warnemünde, younger guests can now also learn basic steps and advanced figures in cha-cha-cha, waltz, discofox, tango and salsa in various workshops. Also, on board AIDAdiva, on the voyage from July 29 to August 5, 2023, from/to Warnemünde, young dancers can learn a hot sole: Patricija and Alexandru Ionel, reigning world champions in showdance, are guesting on board for various dance workshops.

 

During the upcoming fall vacations, Ritter Rost is going on a cruise again! From October 1 to 11, 2023 on board AIDAbella from Hamburg to Palma de Mallorca, cabaret artist and author Felix Janosa invites you to a family show "Ritter Rost auf Kreuzfahrt". Singing along, joining in, and laughing along is guaranteed. In addition, there will be a cheerful reading with great songs on the piano for the whole family with Felix Janosa: "Fjodor, cheeky captain". Also, during the fall vacations, the mini-musical "Ocean Kids" by DIE NIXEN will be performed on board AIDAprima on the voyage from October 21 to 28, 2023 from/to Hamburg. The musical little sea "Ocean Kids" tells the story of the little mermaid and her friend, the whale.

 

In addition to the numerous attractions with celebrity guest artists, an AIDA vacation for the entire family offers a unique combination of action and adventure with supervision for kids and teens. The extensive children's offerings also include a variety of show and TV formats, such as the "Young Stars - AIDA Kids & Teens Talents" show. For the older ones, there is a "Who Wants to be a Millionaire - Teens Edition" on some voyages as well as a "The Voice of the Ocean - Teens Special" or "1,2 or 3" in Studio X - only on board AIDAnova and AIDAcosma. On board AIDAnova, kids and teens can set the Action Wall in Studio X ablaze. A variety of voyages feature the popular Kids Prime Time live from the Theatrium. The entertainment manager presents the little sailors with a colorful mix of fun and games with exciting guests like the AIDA Clubbies and show spots of the AIDA stars.

 

In classic fashion, there is the AIDA Cinema with family films from the current film lineup and the AIDA Family Bingo. Other highlights are the Kids' Question Time with the officers and the "Family Ocean Lounge", where lecturers have prepared child-friendly presentations on the destinations visited for the whole family. At the AIDA Clubbie Disco, all young cruisers with an affinity for dancing will get their money's worth. Afterwards, the day ends with a bedtime story (on board AIDAcosma, AIDAperla, AIDAprima and AIDAnova). 

 

The whole family can experience sports and fun together at Fit4Drums, AIDA Family Race Slides, Imagination Playground, Loopy Ball, Family Climbing, Bowling and much more (offers vary depending on ship class).

 

Numerous workshops invite kids & teens to join in: cocktail workshop, cooking school, sushi workshop and fruit carving, as well as beauty workshop, sauna night, fitness classes, towel origami and DJ workshop.

 

One of the highlights per vacation trip is the AIDA Family Festival: the various departments on board present themselves in a playful way. The families complete a rally across the entire ship with many hands-on stations.

 

Unique offers for different age groups, family-friendly cabins and prices, and exciting excursions for a wide range of interests make the family vacation perfect.

 

Children cruise for free

 

AIDA offers families with children particularly attractive travel deals. Children under 2 years of age always travel free on AIDA. Children from 2 to 15 years of age travel free of charge in seasonal periods X and S, or at low fixed prices in their parents' cabin in seasonal periods A, B and C. Young people up to the age of 24 are also entitled to a low fixed price in their parents' cabin. In their own cabin, children from 2 to 15 years receive a 35% discount - youths from 16 to 24 years receive a 25% discount. This discount applies to the 1st and 2nd bed of the cabin (except suites, exception AIDAcosma and AIDAnova: child and youth discount also valid in Junior Suites).

 

Family friendly cabins

 

Families can choose between 3- and 4-bed cabins as well as Junior Suites and Suites. Especially family-friendly are the cabins with connecting doors, which are available aboard all AIDA ships. On board AIDAcosma, there are the veranda and balcony cabins with extra space or with a walk-in closet, with a spacious veranda, somewhat smaller balcony, or a 12.5 m² sun deck. If you want a little more of everything - more living space and more room in the sun - the Veranda Cabin Deluxe is recommended. Depending on the cabin, it can be occupied by up to five people (also on board AIDAperla, AIDAprima and AIDAnova). This means families with three children can look forward to an even more comfortable vacation together.

.

Diamond Princess Returns for 36 Departures to Scenic Island Country, Plus Royal Princess Debuts on a New Japan & Northern Pacific Crossing

  The lure of Japan is calling with its ancient temples, cherry blossoms, modern cityscapes and vibrant cuisine with the newly released 2024 Japan cruise season on sale now from Princess Cruises. New for 2024, Royal Princess makes her Japan debut and marks the first Royal-Class ship to sail in the region. The series of cruises offers many opportunities to view the magnificent spring flowers, as well as four breathtaking summer festivals.   Royal Princess sails a new Japan & North Pacific Crossing, calling to the northern Tohoku and Hokkaido regions during the magnificent cherry blossom season with the option to combine with the cruise line's popular Voyage of the Glaciers cruise to witness the majestic glaciers of Alaska. Guests can opt to disembark in Anchorage (Whittier) for a 15-day voyage or continue to Vancouver, B.C. for a 22-day cruise. The cruise departs Tokyo (Yokohama) on April 27, 2024.   "Japan has been a popular homeport and destination experience for Princess guests for many years and we're thrilled to offer such a culturally-rich season of cruises in this region for the 2024 season," said John Padgett, Princess Cruises president.   Japan-built Diamond Princess returns to Japan for a March through August 2024 season, sailing roundtrip from Tokyo (Yokohama), calling to 35 destinations in three countries on 31 unique itineraries and 36 departures, ranging from seven to 23 days.   Diamond Princess kicks off the season with a series of four 10-day Spring Flowers voyages, calling at all four of Japan's main islands and following the predicted blooming season as it moves from south to north.   The Japan festival season reaches its peak in the summer months, and in 2024 Diamond Princess offers guests the opportunity to experience the following festivals with late-night stays in each port:  

• Aomori Nebuta Festival (Aug 2 and Aug 7) which features Nebuta float figures accompanied by traditional music, many vibrant dancers and audience participation, all within easy walking distance from the port.
• Kochi Yosakoi Dance Festival (Aug 12), one of Japan's 10 largest festivals, featuring teams of dancers with colorful costumes and unique performances.
• Tokushima Awa Odori Dance Festival (Aug 13), one of the most famous summer dance festivals that dates back to the 1500s and features dancers performing throughout the city well into the night highlighted by the famous "Fool's Dance."
• Kumano Fireworks Festival (Aug 17), a display of over 10,000 fireworks visible from the decks of Diamond Princess.

  Additionally, Diamond Princess will sail on nine-day Southern Islands voyages that call to two Okinawan ports and two Taiwan ports; nine-day and 10-day Sea of Japan voyages that will feature ports along the historic Kitamaebune trading route; 10-day Hokkaido voyages that will visit Otaru (for Sapporo), Hakodate and Kushiro; and the popular 10-day Japan Explorer voyages that will call to some of the country's most iconic destinations like Shimizu (for Mt. Fuji), Osaka or Kobe (for Kyoto), Hiroshima, and more.   The 2024 Japan program also features access to nine UNESCO World Heritage Sites, including Mount Fuji (from Shimizu), Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto (from Kobe or Osaka), Buddhist Monuments in the Horyu-ji Area (from Kobe or Osaka), Historic Villages of Shirakawa-go and Gokayama (from Kanazawa or Toyama), the Hiroshima Peace Memorial, and the newly inscribed Iriomote Island (from Ishigaki) and Jomon Prehistoric Sites (from Aomori or Hakodate).   Guests only unpack once to enjoy and explore all the sights ashore, while onboard Princess delivers the ultimate in effortless, personalized cruising featuring world-class dining, award-winning entertainment, casinos, pools, fitness centers and spas, all elevated by exclusive Princess MedallionClass service.   Additional information about the 2024 Japan season is available through a professional travel advisor, by calling 1-800-PRINCESS (1-800-774-6237) or by visiting the company's website at www.princess.com.

Carnival Cruise Line opened reservations for two all-new Asia cruises for 2024. They will mark the first-ever port visits for Carnival between Long Beach and Tokyo and Sydney and Singapore. Bookings are now available for 2024 departures on four new Carnival Journeys on Carnival Panorama and Carnival Splendor. "Offering guests new destinations builds on our portfolio of Carnival Journeys sailings," said Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line. The four new itineraries include: Carnival Panorama 18-day Transpacific Carnival Journeys from Long Beach to Tokyo (Yokohama) on Aug. 22, 2024. It calls at Ketchikan; Sitka,; Icy Strait Point, Kushiroand Aomori, Japan 25-day Transpacific Carnival Journeys sailing from Singapore to Long Beach departing on Oct. 12, 2024 – Ho Chi Minh, Kota Kinabalu, Manila, Guam; Honolulu, Maui. Carnival Splendor 15-day Carnival Journeys sailing from Sydney to Singapore departing on July 21, 2024 – Brisbane, Airlie Beach, Cairns, Lombok, Bali. 16-day Carnival Journeys sailing from Singapore to Sydney departing on Aug. 24, 2024 – Jakarta, Bali, Lombok, Darwin, Airlie Beach, Moreton Island, Australia.   Carnival Panorama will be the first Carnival ship to visit Manila and Carnival Splendor will mark the first visit to Jakarta.

All Carnival cruise brands have re-imposed mandatory mask-wearing on Australia cruses. The company said it is ‘out of an abundance of caution’ after a recent sailing led to hundreds of infections. There has been an uptick in community infections across New South Wales and Victoria. Cases in the states have than doubled in only two weeks “Mask wearing is being applied on board all Carnival Corporation brand ships operating in Australia as an additional safeguard,” Carnival Australia said. Masks were scrapped for passengers in February. Carnival requires masks to be worn in indoor public spaces, and when boarding and disembarking the ship Masks are also required for outdoors events when social distancing is difficult. "At a time when Australia is faced with a rapid rise of cases, it's critical everyone plays their part," Carnival Australia added.

Carnival Cruise Line has officially restarted sailing in Australia. Carnival Splendor departed Sydney on a four-day cruise visiting Moreton Island in Queensland and will sail various Australia itineraries year-round. It arrived last week after a 23-night journey from Alaska. “We have been planning this return for some time, and we are elated now to see guests back on board, ready to have fun,” said Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line. The ship will be joined in Australia by Carnival Luminosa in Brisbane next month. “As we welcome the arrival of our newest ship, Carnival Luminosa to Brisbane next month, we’re looking forward to even more fun in Australia,” said Duffy.

Carnival Cruise Line is lifting some pre-embarkation testing requirements. From August 4, it will waive pre-cruise testing for fully vaccinated guests for cruises no longer than five days. Pre-cruise testing remains for longer voyages and for all unvaccinated guests. Tests can be taken up to three days before departure. Carnival states ‘all adjustments are subject to any destinations on the itinerary.’ Royal Caribbean recently announced that it would no longer require testing for vaccinated guests on short cruises.

Carnival Corp is sending two ships in Costa Cruises’ fleet to America. Costa Venezia and Costa Firenze will shift to the North American market, creating a new sub-brand within Carnival Cruise Line. They will become ‘Costa by Carnival’ ships, offering Costa’s Italian style to American guests Costa Venezia and Costa Firenze will be deployed in the US in 2023 and 2024 respectively. “We are excited to see these iconic Costa ships make their debut in the US under the leadership and operation of our sister brand,” said Mario Zanetti, president of Costa Cruises. “Given the slow restart of the Asian operations and the strong restart of cruises in the US, we decided to seize this opportunity.” It is a unique opportunity for guests who ‘love the culture, food and vibe of Italy,’ said Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line.

Carnival Corp is shifting a ship between sister brands. Costa Luminosa will move from Costa Cruises to the Carnival Cruise Line fleet in September. The ship will then be known as Carnival Luminosa Luminosa’s move to CCL replaces earlier plans for Carnival to take Costa Magica, which have been shelved. Luminosa starts life as a Carnival ship in October with a season sailing from Brisbane, Australia until April 2023. The ship has a guest capacity of 2,826 Itineraries out of Brisbane will be announced soon. They will likely include the Great Barrier Reef and Airlie Beach, Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea and Fiji. After Brisbane, the ship will reposition to Seattle for an Alaska season before returning again to Brisbane. “Our Spirit-class ships are very popular with our guests, and Luminosa will be a great addition. This will allow Carnival to finally start our itineraries from Brisbane, so we’ll have two ships operating in Australia for the high season Down Under,” said Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line. Carnival Splendor arrives in Sydney to restart sailing year-round in October.

Carnival Cruise Line is pulling out of Charleston in 2024.It will mark the end of homeporting in the city. Union Pier Terminal is being redeveloped and will only host ships as a port of call in the future. Carnival ships have been hosted in Charleston since 2010. The line will ‘explore future opportunities in Charleston ’beyond 2024, it said. The redevelopment will ‘realign the whole city of Charleston with its historic waterfront,’ South Carolina Ports Authority said.  

Carnival Freedom’s next cruise scheduled for Saturday from Port Canaveral, has been canceled, due to yesterday’s ship fire in the Turks and Caicos. Passengers will be transhipped to the Carnival Conquest, which is on the way to Grand Turk to bring them back to Port Canaveral. Carnival said Freedom will go to Freeport, Bahamas, for repairs, even though ‘all other ship, hotel, and guest services, along with safety equipment are fully functioning.’ Guests are remaining on the ship until Carnival Conquest arrives.  

Carnival Corporation has completed the installation of nearly 600 food waste biodigesters across its fleet in support of ongoing food waste management. The innovative technology has been added to ships from the company’s nine cruise line brands. The biodigester technology uses a natural aerobic digestion process inside each machine to efficiently break down food waste. Able to perform automated digestion 24 hours per day, the biodigesters are strategically placed in key areas of the ship where food is processed. Additionally, the machines capture non-food items or other materials accidentally mixed with food waste, providing an additional layer of protection for environmental compliance on each ship. Since first piloting the technology in 2019, Carnival has continued to expand the use of these systems. Most recently, the company’s namesake brand, Carnival Cruise Line, announced it is the first major cruise line to employ biodigesters across its entire fleet as the brand returned all 23 total ships to guest operations.