Christmas celebrations on board cruises are on the rise

27-12-23

• The spire of Notre Dame, crowned by a new golden rooster, regained its place in the Paris skyline last week.

Christmas celebrations on board cruises are on the rise

For Christmas and New Year 2023/24, Costa Cruises will offer 19 cruises aboard 10 ships, visiting around 60 different destinations with more than 100 calls in the Mediterranean, Canary Islands, Caribbean, UAE, South America and Asia.

The Mediterranean is a popular destination also for the upcoming holidays, thanks to its variety of cultures, traditions, cities of art and landscapes. It also offers numerous ports of embarkation available with Costa Cruises.

The Costa Smeralda will offer weeklong cruises in Italy, France and Spain, departing from Barcelona and Palma de Mallorca and visiting Savona, Marseille, Palermo and Civitavecchia/Rome.

Also in the Mediterranean, Costa Deliziosa will propose one-week cruises to Greece and Turkey, departing from Trieste and Bari, for two different itineraries that will lead to discover magnificent destinations such as Istanbul, Athens, Corfu, Crete, Dubrovnik.

These cruises can be combined in a unique two-week vacation, with a three-day stopover in Istanbul, to better experience this city in the New Year's Eve atmosphere.

For a longer getaway, there are the "Costa Voyages": itineraries of 10 to 15 days, in which the experience of traveling to unusual destinations with gastronomy and entertainment never seen before aboard Costa ships.

For Christmas and New Year, in particular, it will be possible to travel to the Canary Islands aboard the Costa Firenze, with a two-week cruise from Barcelona and Valencia, visiting Funchal, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Lanzarote, Cadiz, Savona and Marseille.

Those who want an exotic destination, but only a few hours' flight from Europe, can board the Costa Toscana to discover the Arab Emirates, Oman and Qatar.

The proposed week-long itinerary includes extended stopovers in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Doha and Muscat, where desert and tradition meet futuristic cities. Planned embarkations are from Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha, which can be reached by flights from Europe.

Costa Cruises will also offer guests to spend Christmas and New Year's in the Caribbean. Costa Fortuna and Costa Pacifica offer four different one-week itineraries, which can be combined into a two-week vacation.

Guests can choose between the Lesser Antilles islands of Guadeloupe, Antigua, Martinique, Grenada and Barbados, or the Greater Antilles, with Jamaica and the Dominican Republic. Offering the "flight + cruise" formula, with departures from the main European airports.

On the other hand, the shipping line also has a wide range of cruises in South America and Asia, mainly dedicated to local markets. In South America, Costa Diadema, Costa Favolosa and Costa Fascinosa will visit some destinations in Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay, while in Asia Costa Serena will offer itineraries dedicated exclusively to India.

Around the World Cruise 2024

To start the new year, on January 6, 2024 the 2024 edition of the Around the World Cruise will set sail from Trieste, visiting five continents in four months.

Costa's Christmas and New Year cruises will offer the opportunity to visit destinations without forgoing holiday traditions.

On board there will be decorations, Christmas tree, the countdown with the New Year's Eve toast, as well as special events, such as Christmas shows in the theater, the Christmas pool party, the New Year's Eve party in all the ship's lounges, games and flash mobs.

Even the little ones will be able to experience the festive atmosphere on board, with games, karaoke, themed entertainment and a meeting with Santa Claus, who will hand out presents.  In addition, to respect Christmas customs also at the table, the different menus on December 25 and 31 will include typical Italian and Mediterranean dishes.