Tag Archives: Livorno

Carnival Cruise Line to return to Europe

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Carnival Cruise Line will make a return to Europe in 2016 when it launches new ship Carnival Vista.

The news comes after the line announced in May 2013 that it would have no ships sailing in Europe during 2014 and 2015, citing increasing airfares as the reason behind the decision.

New itineraries for summer 2016 on Carnival Vista include Athens, Barcelona, Dubrovnik, Izmir, Corfu, Livorno, Marseille, Messina (Sicily), Naples, Rome, Trieste and Valetta.

The ship will have its first European sailing on May 1 and will then have 18 sailings in Europe before moving on to New York in October. The ship’s official homeport has yet to be revealed.

The ship will have the first IMAX cinema at sea, as well as new dining options, more alfresco dining and the biggest Waterworks of any Carnival ship. The ship will also have a new Havana pool at the back of the ship, with Havana cabana staterooms available to book.

Mark Tamis (pictured), senior vice president of guest operations, said: “I really feel and we do [at Carnival] that this is the greatest ship to date and certainly the best ship to come from Carnival Cruise Line.

“This is about building on past success. This is built of the success of Carnival Breeze and what is rolling out across the whole Carnival fleet.

“We set out to make this our most innovative ship to date. This is about creating connects and a connection to the sea. This ship, like no other ship, brings that all together.“

When the line announced it was pulling away from Europe in last year, the company said it didn’t believe Americans, who make up the vast majority of its passengers, would pay increased airfares to cross the Atlantic.

In May last year, agents were praised for switch-selling customers to book a Caribbean cruise with Carnival rather than a European one.

During a VIP agent trip on Carnival Breeze last year, Lynn Torrent, executive vice-president os sales and guest services, said the line’s bosses were watching the moves being made by other international brands. She said Carnival was sitting back and seeing what other lines were doing in the UK market before making a decision.

Livorno ramps up cruise berthing and dedicated terminals

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PHOTO: ANNE KALOSH

Livorno displaying expansion plans at Seatrade Med 2014
Livorno displaying expansion plans at Seatrade Med 2014

Livorno Port Authority and cruise terminal manager Porto di Livorno 2000 are planning to expand the Tuscany port’s cruise berthing and welcoming facilities.

Following the inauguration of a new 3,000 sq mtr cruise facility at Alto Fondale quay last November plus 11,000 sq mtr additional space, this season the terminal has been handling ships over 300mtr long and conducting partial and full turnarounds for up to 2,500 passengers, said Roberto Piccini, president and ceo of Porto di Livorno 2000.

The port also handles cruise ships at Porto Mediceo terminal for vessels up to 200mtr and 7mtr draft, and at Molo Italia pier, which can accommodate ships up to 350mtr with a 12 mtr draft on the southern side. However, this latter facility is mainly used for commercial shipping.

Dredging of the north side of Molo Italia is starting in the coming days he said, which will be completed at the beginning of 2015.

‘This will make space for us to move the remaining commercial shipping activities from Alto Fondale quay, enabling us to expand  the area dedicated to cruise activities.

With finished, Alto Fondale will offer a 750mr dedicated cruise berth capable of accommodating two ships up to 11.8mtr draft.

At the same time work will start on expanding the passenger and services facilities on the same pier,’  Roberto Piccini, president and ceo of Porto di Livorno 2000 cruise terminal told Seatrade Insider.

Additional berthing for cruise ships is now available at Quay 75 which has recently been dredged and can host cruise ships up to 260mtr long with a maximum draft of 8mtr’, said Livorno Port Authority general director Massimo Provinciali.

‘In 2016, Livorno Port Authority will also begin work on creating dedicated berthing for cruise ships at Calata Orlando quay (on the opposite side of Alto Fondale). Dredging and re-profiling the pier-head will allow vessels up to 350mtr long to safely manoeuvre for berthing’, said the Port Authority representative.

With the completion of these activities, Livorno Port will boast two cruise terminals and berths: one capable of handling up to three megaships simultaneously (two plus another on the opposite side), plus Molo Mediceo for ships up to 200mtr long plus one dedicated pier exclusive to cruise traffic.

Costa to market boutique cruising under new brand

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Costa to market boutique cruising under new brand

By Tom Stieghorst
Costa Cruises said two of its older, smaller ships will offer a new style of cruising and be marketed under the NeoCollection brand.

The ships, the NeoRomantica and NeoRiviera, will do longer, more leisurely itineraries with plenty of time in port in what Costa has labeled “slow cruising.” There will be an emphasis on locally sourced food and custom shore excursions.

Many of the itineraries are exclusive to the NeoCollection ships, which can go to smaller ports less accessible to Costa’s bigger vessels.

For example, The “Mediterranean Heart” itinerary departs Savona and calls at Toulon, France; Salerno and Livorno, Italy; Valletta, Malta; Porto Empedocle, Sicily, and concludes with an overnight call at Barcelona.

At 1,248 passengers (NeoRiviera) and 1,578 passengers (NeoRomantica), the two NeoCollection ships are among the smallest in Costa’s fleet.

Shore excursions for groups of 25 or fewer guests have been designed to highlight cultural and natural attractions in each destination.

New menus developed in collaboration with Università delle Scienze Gastronomiche in Pollenza, Italy, feature authentic cuisine that incorporates local food and wines.