Costa Cruises, the largest Italian travel group and Europe’s premier cruise company, has begun its fifth consecutive season in the Arabian Gulf.

The Costa Luminosa and Costa Deliziosa – the top of the range of the Costa fleet – will be offering seven-day cruises to regional destinations until March 2011.

Costa will also offer new excursions in Abu Dhabi, featuring “Ferrari World”, the world’s first Ferrari theme park. The park offers Ferrari-inspired rides and attractions for visitors of all ages.

A second new addition to the programme of shoreside excursions in Abu Dhabi is a visit to Yas Marina, the Formula 1 circuit.

The Grand Prix driving simulators on the Costa Luminosa and Costa Deliziosa are produced from an original GP car with real-time vehicle modeling and realistic sensations replicating the handling of an automobile on famous racing circuits.

Costa’s UAE itinerary includes two nights in Dubai, one-day calls in Muscat, Fujairah, Abu Dhabi and Bahrain, with an additional overnight stay in Dubai at the end.

The Costa Luminosa departs from Dubai on Mondays until March 14, 2011. Costa Deliziosa will offer Sunday sailings from December 19, 2010 through to March 27, 2011.

In the 2010/11 winter season Costa expects approximately 150,000 passenger movements in Dubai (an increase of seven per cent compared to the previous year) with a total of 31 port calls, while there will be 30 calls at Abu Dhabi with a total of 75,000 transit passengers an increase of 15 per cent compared to 2009/10).

The Costa ships deployed in the Arabian Gulf, the Costa Luminosa and Costa Deliziosa (92,600 gross tonnage and 2,826 total guests each), are constructed with marble, granite and fine timber, and Costa Deliziosa features the sculpture “Sphere” by Arnaldo Pomodoro while Costa Luminosa features, “Reclining Woman 2004” by Fernando Botero.

On board activities include 4D cinema, roller skating track, golf simulator, Grand Prix driving simulator, a 3,500 sq m “Samsara Spa” wellness centre with the technogym kinesis circuit and “PlayStation World”.

Facilities catering to regional guests include prayer rooms as well as Middle Eastern cuisine, Arabic signage, Arab-speaking shipboard staff and Arabic TV and radio.

An AIDA Cruises ship – the AIDAdiva (69,200 gross tonnage and 2,500 total guests) – will be calling in Dubai and Abu Dhabi 22 times during winter 2010/2011. In all (considering both the Costa Cruises and Aida Cruises brands), ships belonging to the Costa Crociere Group will make 53 stopovers in Dubai this winter, with a total of 240,000 passenger movements.

For Abu Dhabi there will be 52 calls and 120,000 passenger movements. – TradeArabia News Service