Costa Cruises announces some important updates related to its 2022-23 programs, in relation to two of the newest and most innovative ships in its fleet: the Costa Venezia, which entered service in 2019, and the Costa Toscana, currently under construction.
Starting in May 2022, the Costa Venezia will offer cruises to Turkey, departing from Istanbul—a brand-new and exclusive service. The ship will further strengthen Costa's offerings in the Mediterranean, where the Costa Toscana will also begin operating from March 2022.
“While awaiting the return of cruises to Asia, we have decided to bring the Costa Venezia back to the Mediterranean to offer a truly unique and unprecedented cruise program, available only with Costa. The heart of this new product is Turkey, with Istanbul, one of the most beautiful cities in the world. In line with our plan for the gradual resumption of operations, we have also decided to postpone the commissioning of our new flagship, the Costa Toscana, to March 2022,” stated Roberto Alberti, Chief Commercial Officer of Costa Crociere.
The new Costa Venezia program in Turkey includes three different itineraries, all embarking and disembarking in Istanbul. They are designed to offer longer port calls, allowing guests to fully enjoy some of the most beautiful experiences each destination has to offer, visiting cities steeped in history, ancient ruins, UNESCO World Heritage sites, and stunning beaches.
From May 1 to November 13, 2022, the Costa Venezia will offer two week-long itineraries dedicated to Turkey and Greece, which alternate with each other and can also be combined into a single 15-day "super tour" with eight port calls of more than 10 hours each. The first itinerary includes a two-day, one-night stop in Istanbul, the beautiful Turkish destinations of Izmir and Bodrum, the island of Mykonos, and Athens in Greece. The second itinerary includes two two-day, one-night stops in Istanbul and Kusadasi, Turkey, before departing to explore Rhodes and Heraklion in Greece. In winter 2022-23, the Costa Venezia will offer a third 12-day itinerary through Turkey, Egypt, Israel and Cyprus, visiting
Istanbul, with a two-day and one-night stop, Bodrum, Limassol, Haifa, again with a two-day and one-night stop, Alexandria in Egypt and Kusadasi.
The portfolio of shore excursions designed for Costa Venezia cruises will allow guests to enjoy special, memorable experiences, such as Ephesus by night with a private concert in a Roman amphitheater, admiring the lights of the Bosphorus at night, sleeping in houses carved into the rock in the lunar landscapes of Cappadocia, discovering the natural pools of Pamukkale, but also the Parthenon in Athens, the beaches of Mykonos and Rhodes, Bethlehem and Jerusalem.
The new Costa Venezia itineraries, which include "flight and cruise" packages from major European countries, will be available for booking from the first half of October.
The new flagship Costa Toscana, the second Costa ship powered by liquefied natural gas, will be delivered as planned in December 2021 and will enter service on March 5, 2022. The ship's itinerary from that date onward will remain unchanged, with week-long cruises in the Western Mediterranean visiting Savona, Marseille, Barcelona, Valencia, Palermo, and Civitavecchia/Rome. The Costa Toscana cruises, originally scheduled from December 18, 2021, to early March 2022, will instead be operated by the Costa Luminosa, which will therefore cancel its winter Mediterranean cruise program due to current restrictions in Israel. The company is in the process of informing guests and travel agencies affected by these changes.
