Costa Cruises has announced new cruise programs in the Mediterranean.

For the 2020/2021 season, the Costa Fortuna will be offering two new 14-day itineraries, which mark Costa’s return to Turkey and Israel.  

The first, departing from Savona on December 6, 2020 and February 7, 2021, includes Marseille (France), Barcelona (Spain), Iráklion (Greece), Izmir (Turkey), an overnight call in Istanbul (Turkey), Athens (Greece), Palermo and Naples.  The second itinerary, which also sails from Savona on January 10 and March 7, 2021, will be calling in Marseille (France), Barcelona (Spain), Iráklion (Grecia), an overnight call in Haifa (Israel), Kusadasi (Turkey), Palermo and Naples. During the rest of the winter season, Costa Fortuna will be offering one-week itineraries in the Western Mediterranean, also calling at Valencia.

Costa Cruises President Neil Palomba said: “Costa’s strategy for the next few years is based on sustainable development while meeting the increasing trends in demand.  This announcement is in line with that strategy, our aim being to exceed our guests’ expectations. For this reason, we are working to further enhance our presence in the Mediterranean, making it more than ever our home region, with a range of itineraries suiting all needs, in terms of both duration and destinations covered.”

Costa’s presence in the Mediterranean Sea will be boosted upon the arrival of Costa Smeralda and Costa Toscana, the two new flagships under construction at the Meyer shipyard in Turku, Finland.  

The Costa Smeralda will be offering one-week cruises in the Western Mediterranean, together with Costa Toscana, due to enter service in 2021.  

Another addition to the fleet, Costa Firenze, currently under construction at the Fincantieri shipyard in Marghera (Italy), will be deployed in Asia earlier than originally planned. 

In order to meet the growing demand from Chinese and Asian guests, after her delivery scheduled on September 30, 2020, the Costa Firenze will be heading straight to China; instead of sailing previous planned itineraries in Italy, France and Spain itineraries scheduled for October 2020.

As a result of these changes, in winter 2020-2021 the Costa Mediterranea will be replacing the Costa Fortuna, offering the same itineraries from Singapore to discover Cambodia, Malaysia and Thailand.

The company is also planning changes to Costa Victoria’s program after September 9, 2020, and to Costa Luminosa’s Caribbean program in winter 2020-2021, which are therefore no longer available for bookings.