Tag Archives: Costa Crociere

Neil Palomba Named EVP, Operations, MSC Cruises USA

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Neil Palomba has been named executive vice president of operations for MSC Cruises USA, while Josef Jungwirth has been named vice president of food and beverage operations, reporting to Palomba.

“As a testament to our continued growth in the U.S. and focus on providing an exceptional onboard experience, we are pleased to welcome Neil Palomba and Josef Jungwirth to our U.S. Operations Team,” the company said.

Palomba will lead the operations function for the line’s U.S.-based ships and Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve.

He held several positions from 1996 to 2013 with MSC Cruises, including Chief Operating Officer in Fort Lauderdale for MSC Cruises USA from 2006-2010, and then relocating to Geneva, Switzerland where he led multiple corporate functions. Most recently, Palomba served as President for Costa Crociere in Genova, Italy and Executive Vice President and Chief Operations Officer for Carnival Cruise Line in Miami, FL.

Jungwirth will take on the role of vice president, of food & beverage operations, at MSC Cruises USA, reporting to Palomba. He brings more than 25 years of food & beverage operations experience to the role. Previously, Jungwirth spent 11 years as the Corporate Executive Chef at Sandals Resort International and 14 years at Royal Caribbean International where he oversaw the development of the company’s annual business objectives for culinary operations.

Costa Cruises May Be Getting Further Fleet Changes

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Carnival Corporation has been making strategic changes to its Italian brand, Costa Cruises, as a result of the pandemic and now more fleet moves may be coming.

In Carnival’s third-quarter earnings release, the company said it was evaluating further moves for Costa.

“Given Costa Cruises’ significant presence in Asia, particularly China, which remains closed to cruising, the brand continues to evaluate deployment options and fleet optimization alternatives beyond the previously announced transfers of Costa Luminosa to Carnival Cruise Line as well as Costa Venezia and Costa Firenze to the COSTA by CARNIVAL concept,” the company said.

The Costa Luminosa recently transferred to Carnival Cruise Line, while the Venezia will move to the Costa by Carnival concept and sail from New York in 2023, followed by the Firenze moving to Costa by Carnival to sail from the U.S. West Coast in 2024.

The Costa Magica remains out of service, as does the Costa Serena, which had been positioned in Asia year-round.

Two other Costa ships, the Atlantica and Costa Mediterranea transferred prior to the pandemic to Carnival’s joint venture with China State Shipbuilding Corporation and remain out of service with Costa branding. 

Costa Returns to Northern Europe After Three-Year Gap

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Costa Cruises is sailing in Northern Europe for the first time since 2019. The brand returned to the region with the Costa Diadema, which kicked off the season on May 27.

The vessel is part of a three-ship program in the region, which will see the company offering itineraries to the Norwegian Fjords, the Baltic, the British Islands, Iceland and more.

Cruising in Northern Europe for the first time, the Costa Diadema is now sailing a series of seven-night cruises to the Norwegian Fjords.

The vessel’s itineraries depart from Kiel (Germany) and Copenhagen (Denmark) and include visits to several ports in Norway, such as Flam, Bergen, Hellesylt, Nordfjordeid, Stavanger, and Haugesund.

Another ship based in Kiel for the summer, the Costa Fascinosa will offer longer cruises to the Baltic and the Cape North.

Starting on June 7, the 3,012-guest ship sails ten- to 12-night itineraries that ports including Helsinki, Stockholm, Riga, Gdynia, Trondheim, Honningsvag, Tromso, Olden and more.  

Resuming service ahead of its program in Northern Europe, the Costa Fortuna completes the deployment lineup.

The 2003-built vessel will offer cruises departing from three different ports in the Netherlands and Germany: Ijmuiden, Amsterdam and Bremerhaven.

Extending from June 11 to August 28, the ship’s program features port-intensive cruises, with 11- to 14-night itineraries to the British Islands, Iceland, and the Norwegian Fjords.

A fourth ship, the Costa Favolosa, was also set to sail in the region for the company in 2022, offering itineraries at the Baltic. 

The vessel’s program, which featured visits to Saint Petersburg, was entirely cancelled by the company due to the recent developments in Russia.

After becoming one of the first mainstream cruise lines to resume service in 2020, Costa focused its European operations in the Mediterranean.

With the travel restrictions in Northern Europe, the company decided to cancel its entire local program in 2020 and 2021.