The Italian company is introducing “slow cruising” on board the Costa neoRiviera and Costa neoRomantica: more leisurely itineraries with greater flexibility and more time to spend.
HONG KONG – Costa Cruises has announced the beginning of a new style of cruising on board its ships with the advent of the Costa neoCollection. The new “slow cruise” collection is exclusive to the Italian company, which has always been an industry pioneer, having in the past introduced innovative ideas like fly+cruise packages, the “Around-the-World” voyage and grand cruises, mini-cruises and Mediterranean winter cruise vacations.
The Costa neoCollection is an invitation to make the most of every minute, enjoy the holiday in a more leisurely way and linger longer. This is basically a brand new type of cruise experience tailored to suit individual taste and let each person go at their own pace, both on board and ashore, making it ideal for couples and groups of friends.
The cruise routes are exclusive, on board smaller ships sailing to new destinations, off the beaten path and inaccessible to bigger ships. The itineraries are designed with longer stopovers in each port, often overnight and part of the next day so as to allow you maximum time on shore and the chance to explore in depth each place en route. There is attention to detail on board combined with the discovery of cultural heritage and scenic nature ashore. Cruising is not one size fits all – hence Costa’s range of made-to-measure options, notably a series of specially devised shoreside excursions for small groups, and fine food & wine products based on the authentic taste sensations of the places visited, thanks to the new, important collaboration between the Italian company and the Universita delle Scienze Gastronomiche in Pollenzo.
The Costa neoCollection debuts on February 9, 2014, from Dubai, with a special cruise on the Costa neoRiviera, the latest addition to the Costa Cruises fleet; this is a one-off 62-day voyage of discovery, the “Grand African Tour”: a totally innovative circumnavigation of the great continent offering a unique opportunity to combine the sea and the most beautiful Indian Ocean beaches with all the adventure of a safari in South Africa. The Costa neoRiviera will also add a new dimension to cruising in spring and summer, sailing on 12-day itineraries to the most attractive destinations in the Mediterranean, away from the bustle of mass tourism. Starting June 1, 2014, and throughout the summer, the neoCollection style will also be featuring on the Costa neoRomantica, with 13 and 15-day premium cruises in Northern Europe, beyond the North Cape or to the finest Baltic cities.
The Costa neoRiviera (624 cabins) and the Costa neoRomantica (789 cabins) are welcoming and relaxing ships; their relatively small size makes them ideal for slow cruising and means they can sail to smaller ports that are gateways to great get-away-from-it-all destinations like the Amalfi Coast, Corsica and the west coast of Sicily. The shipboard ambience is warm and cozy as is the interior design while the service is even more refined and personalized; the unhurried pace of the cruise gives you more time to mingle and share experiences with your fellow Guests.
The quality that is the hallmark of the Costa neoCollection is present throughout: from the time of booking to the actual slow cruise experience itself. Before leaving, Guests can consult a team of experts and personalize their itinerary by booking the shoreside tours that best match their tastes and interests. Once Guests are on board, a Concierge assists them in the choice of custommade solutions embracing not only excursions but also a vast array of shipboard and shoreside amenities, such as the newly introduced “Dinner under the stars”, a romantic candlelit soiree with a gourmet menu under the canopy of starry skies.
The choice of food & wine is simply staggering: whether you are ashore or on board, Costa’s common denominator is the determination to preserve and highlight local gastronomic traditions based on wholesome ingredients available in the various ports of call. The menus on board comprise regional recipes designed to foster the great local culinary and cultural traditions, with the assistance of the Universita delle Scienze Gastronomiche in Pollenzo. These gourmet menus come with a list of hand-picked wines, which can be sampled by the glass. In keeping with the leisurely pace of the neoCollection cruises, you can dine at any time between 6.30 and 10.30 pm without having to choose a particular sitting.
The slow food approach continues ashore, where you can go on food & wine excursions with tasting of local products. Indeed, the Costa neoCollection shoreside tours are specially designed, original, exciting and planned down to the last detail to let you lap up the culture, scenery and flavors of each place along the route. So as to enhance the independent tourist feel, each excursion is arranged in small groups of not more than 25 people.
Tatiana is the news coordinator for TravelDailyNews Media Network (traveldailynews.gr, traveldailynews.com and traveldailynews.asia). Her role includes monitoring the hundreds of news sources of TravelDailyNews Media Network and skimming the most important according to our strategy.
She holds a Bachelor's degree in Communication & Mass Media from Panteion University of Political & Social Studies of Athens and she has been editor and editor-in-chief in various economic magazines and newspapers.
