Sandielle Posted September 15, 2011 #1 Share Posted September 15, 2011 From Cruise News: (I can't give the link to the full story as it mentions a travel agent.) Sydney, September 13, 2011 – COSTA CRUISES, Italy’s largest tourism group and Europe’s no. 1 cruise company, will introduce new cruises out of Australia with the newly renovated ship, Costa neoRomantica. As part of its new itineraries, Costa neoRomantica will stop at Sydney, Melbourne, Darwin, Cairns, Brisbane, Hobart and Burnie ports in Australia, as well as Auckland, Tauranga, Wellington, Akaroa, Dunedin and Fjordland in New Zealand. From September 19, 2012, Australians and New Zealanders will have the opportunity to choose from nine different sailings with either embarkation or disembarkation in Melbourne*, Singapore, Mauritius, Dubai and Savona (Italy). Costa neoRomantica will offer a wide range of cruise options ranging from 21 to 88 nights from Italy to Melbourne, visiting the Arabian Gulf, Indian Ocean, Far East and Australia. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rugbypopsie Posted September 15, 2011 #2 Share Posted September 15, 2011 Obviously all these new cruise lines don't agree that aussies are "in a rut" and never try anything or anywhere new. Lets hope all this choice results in more competition, interesting itineraries and more reasonable booking conditions for aussie and kiwi cruisers.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sludger Posted September 15, 2011 #3 Share Posted September 15, 2011 Obviously all these new cruise lines don't agree that aussies are "in a rut" and never try anything or anywhere new.Lets hope all this choice results in more competition, interesting itineraries and more reasonable booking conditions for aussie and kiwi cruisers.. Actually it's not really new, It's another part of the Carnival group with another old ship that looks a bit like the Pacific Sun. But on the up side the results of the competition here are to be seen, the latest I heard is that bookings for the Voyager are not what RCI expected and they may drop their prices. We may cancel ours and rebook if that happens. Also prices on P&O are also coming down with specials even being offered in the school holiday period. Paul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
icat2000 Posted September 15, 2011 #4 Share Posted September 15, 2011 I want to see variety in the intineraries. Problem with all these cruiseliners is they want top dollar for the same, same, but different ship. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Australian family Posted September 15, 2011 #5 Share Posted September 15, 2011 Actually it's not really new, It's another part of the Carnival group with another old ship that looks a bit like the Pacific Sun. But on the up side the results of the competition here are to be seen, the latest I heard is that bookings for the Voyager are not what RCI expected and they may drop their prices. We may cancel ours and rebook if that happens. Also prices on P&O are also coming down with specials even being offered in the school holiday period. Paul They thought Australia was the pot of gold, haven't they heard that Aussies aren't spending money either. I guess it will give Carnival an excuse to confirm that us Aussies are in a rut. Is there a story somewhere about the bookings on Voyager? Are Australians finally slowing down with booking cruises with P&O, and realising that there is other cruiselines besides P&O? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kiwi Kruzer Posted September 15, 2011 #6 Share Posted September 15, 2011 She sure looks like the Pacific Sun but with 3 funnels:D Costa Romantica Owner/Operator: Costa Crociere Year built: 1993 Rebuilt: - Builder: Fincantieri, Italy Former names: - Gross Tonnage 53,049 Length: 220.6 m (718.5 ft) Beam: 28.0 m (98.4 ft) Passengers (normal): 1,356 Passengers (maximum): 1,782 Crew: 650 Service speed: 19.8 kn Check out the pics on Barts site....http://www.shipparade.com/az/Costa_Romantica/Costa_Romantica.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Australian family Posted September 15, 2011 #7 Share Posted September 15, 2011 She sure looks like the Pacific Sun but with 3 funnels:D Costa Romantica Owner/Operator: Costa Crociere Year built: 1993 Rebuilt: - Builder: Fincantieri, Italy Former names: - Gross Tonnage 53,049 Length: 220.6 m (718.5 ft) Beam: 28.0 m (98.4 ft) Passengers (normal): 1,356 Passengers (maximum): 1,782 Crew: 650 Service speed: 19.8 kn Check out the pics on Barts site....http://www.shipparade.com/az/Costa_Romantica/Costa_Romantica.htm So we just get another old ship again, and I guess they will promote it as a new ship. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kiwi Kruzer Posted September 15, 2011 #8 Share Posted September 15, 2011 So we just get another old ship again, and I guess they will promote it as a new ship. It will have new bits.....they are putting on 2 new half decks, and surprise surprise more cabins to crowd more and more passengers into the existing space.:eek: "In November 2011, Costa Romantica will undergo a 90 million euro refurbishment. The ship will be totally refurbished. Two new half decks will be added as a part of the refurbishment. This will increase the gross tonnage of the ship from 53,000 to 56,000 tons. After the refurbishing, the ship is to be renamed Costa NeoRomantica". "As Europe’s top cruise company and Italy’s largest tourism group, Costa is investing approximately 90 million euros to transform Costa Romantica into Costa neoRomantica over the next few months. New areas will be constructed, including two new half-decks, 111 additional cabins, more private balconies and a wine bar. Samsara Spa, a 4,200 square metre wellness area, will include a gym, swimming pool for thalassotherapy, treatment rooms, sauna, Turkish bath, 50 cabins and six suites and a special restaurant. Capacity is set increase from 1,697 to 1,800 passengers, and the total displacement will be approximately 56,000 gross tonnage." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rugbypopsie Posted September 16, 2011 #9 Share Posted September 16, 2011 If they keep cramming passengers onto these old ships we will need something like the RSPCA to stick up for humans crammed in like live animal transports. It ruins the cruise for me if the only place I can find to sit is in my cabin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Australian family Posted September 16, 2011 #10 Share Posted September 16, 2011 If they keep cramming passengers onto these old ships we will need something like the RSPCA to stick up for humans crammed in like live animal transports. It ruins the cruise for me if the only place I can find to sit is in my cabin. Maybe they should refer to them as floating sardine tins! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Big_M Posted September 16, 2011 #11 Share Posted September 16, 2011 New ship or old ship, the trend is for more passengers. This = more revenue, but at a lower cost, which is what attracts most passengers. Can't recall the last large ship where they reduced the number of cabins... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandielle Posted September 16, 2011 Author #12 Share Posted September 16, 2011 Our just completed cruise supposedly had 300 children aboard even though it wasn't school holidays, however it didn't seem really crowded. We had no trouble finding somewhere to sit in the buffet or on decks etc, and I was surprised there were no really long queues at the tender ports at lunchtimes or the last few tenders. Ordinarily, in shore-based businesses, I tend to believe that cheaper prices create a larger turnover thus making more income, than raising prices to try to recoup losses or boost profits. However, I don't know if this would work in the cruise industry. It would certainly encourage more people to cruise and probably spend more money on board, but would make for 'cans of sardines' as someone put it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
floatie Posted September 16, 2011 #13 Share Posted September 16, 2011 I want to see variety in the intineraries. Problem with all these cruiseliners is they want top dollar for the same, same, but different ship. I agree with you. There are only so many times you can go to Noumea and Isle of Pines.. "yawn". We love cruising the South Pacific but some of the destinations are just worn out. Find some different ports of call and then they will see the custom they are looking for, more than with just another ship. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
room010 Posted September 19, 2011 #14 Share Posted September 19, 2011 Australia may be a vast country but there are comparatively few viable ports to put on itineraries so the 'same old, same old' problem won't be solved by sending more ships. I don't think the Australian market (pop 22 million) will support these larger ships but the companies aren't necessarily targetting Aussie cruisers, they are after the Asian market (pop several billion). Chinese and other Asian airlines are introducing frequent, cheap services to Australia all the time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Royalty X Posted September 26, 2011 #15 Share Posted September 26, 2011 We're not just getting the refurbed NeoRomantica from Costa. This one was launched in 2010 and is almost 93,000 tonnes! The ports of Sydney, Melbourne and Perth will welcome the first ever ship from Europe’s Costa Cruises next February, the Costa Deliziosa. Currently, number one in Europe, Costa Cruises is focusing on increasing their global reach and their Asia Pacific operations team will manage sales and support in Australasia as part of this inaugural visit from 1 August 2011. Complete Cruise Solution will continue to support agents in the interim to ensure a seamless transition. Launched in Dubai in February 2010, Deliziosa will be one of the newest and innovative vessels to sail in Australian waters. “Costa Cruises is very excited about bringing Deliziosa to the Australian market early next year,” said Dario Rustico, Vice President Sales & Marketing Pacific Asia Operations, Costa Cruises. “The Australasian market continues to experience phenomenal growth and we believe these changes will create the opportunity for our Asian offices to focus on the region and look for opportunities.” Costa Cruises christened the newest vessel to sail in their 15-strong fleet, Costa Favalosa, last weekend in a glittering ceremony in Trieste. At 114,500 tonnes, she is the largest ship to sail under the Italian flag. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Royalty X Posted September 26, 2011 #16 Share Posted September 26, 2011 Oh, and apparently Costa Deliziosa is the Costa flagship. Video here... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kiwi Kruzer Posted September 26, 2011 #17 Share Posted September 26, 2011 Its a lovely ship, but its just passing through our waters on its World Cruise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jayteeaitch Posted September 26, 2011 #18 Share Posted September 26, 2011 The promo looks like a video of a smaller Hal. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bazzaw Posted September 26, 2011 #19 Share Posted September 26, 2011 Costa Delicioza is a Vista class ship - same as Arcadia. She was anchored in the harbour with us in Sharm el-Sheikh , when we were on Oriana. As she sailed out in the early evening , she was light up like a lighthouse!! :) Barry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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