Costa Sales ‘Robust’ as Easter Cruises Kick Off European Season

Costa Cruises is highlighting a series of Easter cruises including sailings in the Western Mediterranean, South America and a two-week cruise bound for the Canary Islands, according to a press release.

“Sales in the last three months have been robust. Ship occupancy is growing steadily, and summer programs are selling quickly with a high demand for cabins. This is a very encouraging outlook, considering that our capacity in the Mediterranean has increased compared to 2019, while keeping our capacity in Northern Europe constant, thanks to the entry of new, state-of-the-art ships into the fleet in the last three years, such as Costa Toscana and Costa Smeralda,” said Mario Zanetti, president of Costa Cruises.

The Easter cruises mark the beginning of the spring-summer 2023 season. The Costa Toscana will be returning to the Mediterranean after a winter in the Arabian Gulf and will be offering one-week cruises to Genoa, Marseille, Barcelona, Cagliari, Naples and Civitavecchia/Rome. 

The Costa Smeralda will offer a one-week itinerary to Savona, Marseille, Barcelona, Palma de Mallorca (Ibiza in summer), Palermo, and Civitavecchia/Rome. Joining them in the Mediterranean is the Costa Diadema, which underwent major renovation work over the winter and restarted on Friday. 

The Costa Diadema will introduce new experiences onboard such as the Archipelago restaurant, where guests can enjoy menus crafted by chefs Bruno Barbieri, Hélène Darroze and Ángel León; the Sushino at Costa, a sushi bistro by the sea; and the Fiorentina Steak House, featuring Italian and international meats. The Costa Diadema will offer two-week cruises to the Canary Islands and a one-week itinerary starting May 7, with calls in Savona, Civitavecchia/Rome, Cagliari or Ajaccio (depending on departures), Palma de Mallorca, Valencia and Marseille.

Starting on April 13, the Fortuna will also offer sailings in the western Mediterranean including a three-day mini-cruise and 14-day itineraries to Turkey and the Canary Islands. In the summer, the Costa Fortuna will offer a new two-week itinerary exploring the Greek and Balearic islands with calls in Savona, Civitavecchia/Rome, Messina, Crete, Rhodes, Mykonos, Santorini, Kefalonia, Palma de Mallorca, Barcelona and Marseille.

The Costa Deliziosa will sail to Marghera/Venice, Katakolon/Olympia (Greece), Mykonos (Greece) Santorini (Greece) and Bari while the Costa Pacifica will visit Catania, Malta, Mykonos and Santorini. 

The Costa Fascinosa will sail 12-day itineraries to the North Cape, or nine-day cruises to the Baltic. The Costa Favolosa will explore Iceland, the Lofoten Islands and Greenland while the Costa Firenze will offer one-week cruises in the Norwegian fjords.

Cruise occupancy levels and pricing are set to come under pressure

MSC Virtuosa Entering Southampton photo credit Spacejunkie2 (Flickr-Virtuosa Images)

Cruise occupancy levels and pricing are set to come under pressure in the coming years as supply outpaces demand, according to new data.

The prediction comes from Tourism Economics’ new Cruise Intelligence Platform (Cruise-IP), which found cruise lines will face “critical choices” in regional capacity deployment, with risks of over-supply in some markets.

Cruise operating capacity is on pace to exceed 2019 levels by 16% in 2024 and supply growth is anticipated to slow in 2025, but capacity should grow by roughly one-quarter in the medium term.


Recent booking activity indicates “robust” demand with a record pace of new bookings, Tourism Economics said, with pent-up demand for cruising along with substantial remaining household savings buoying demand.

“We have monitored, analysed and forecasted travel activity for more than 20 years,” said Adam Sacks, president of Tourism Economics.

“With the launch of Cruise-IP, we have deepened this coverage with the most detailed and comprehensive datasets available, covering the entire cruise ship fleet across more than 2,500 cruise destinations.”

Norwegian Pearl Kicks Off Summer Program in Boston

The Norwegian Pearl is in Boston today to kick off its 2023 summer program in the U.S. Northeast.

Following a winter season in the Caribbean, the Norwegian Cruise Line vessel is set to offer different itineraries to Bermuda, Canada and New England departing from the Massachusetts homeport.

Extending through mid-October, the program begins with a series of week-long cruises to Bermuda. In addition to two or three overnights in King’s Wharf, some of the itineraries also include a visit to Bar Harbor, in Maine.

Continuing its Boston-based season, the Norwegian Pearl offers itineraries to Canada and New England starting in mid-August.

The fall and foliage program comprises both roundtrip and open-jaw departures and continues through late October.

Also sailing from Quebec City, the ship’s week-long itineraries in the region feature visits to destinations such as Halifax, Saguenay, Sydney, Charlottetown and Portland.

Upon completing its schedule in the Northeast, the Norwegian Pearl is set to return to Florida for a winter season sailing from PortMiami.

Following the Norwegian Jewel and the Norwegian Jade, the Norwegian Pearl debuted in 2006 as the third ship in the Norwegian Cruise Line’s Jewel Class.

Built by the Meyer Werft shipyard in Germany, the vessel has 93,000 tons and a capacity for nearly 2,400 guests.

In 2016, the Pearl was included in the Norwegian Edge program and underwent a major revitalization that included the modernization of both its guest-facing and technical areas.

While a new scrubber system was added to reduce the ship’s emissions, for instance, the design of all of the public rooms and staterooms was updated.

According to Norwegian, the refit aimed at giving the Pearl a fresh and modern look, which included new art pieces, new carpets, new upholstery and more.

Another area that went through a complete refurbishment was The Haven, the vessel’s ship-within-a-ship luxury suite complex, with got new furniture and finishings.