On its launch, Costa Deliziosa will also play host to the 17th annual “Champions of the Sea 2009”, held between the 1 and 5 February 2010. Costa Cruises, Italy’s largest tourism group and Europe’s number one cruise company, will create a unique setting for the Champions of the Sea aboard its fifteenth ship as it leaves the Fincantieri shipyard in Marghera.

Held during the five-day cruise from Venice to Savona, with calls in Naples and Livorno, this traditional annual event is dedicated to the best travel agents, Costa’s partners, and at least 1,500 travel professionals from Europe, Asia, America, Africa and Oceania expected to attend.

 

“It’s the first time we will host the Champions of the Sea on board a new ship, upon its launch from the shipyard. This allows us to share all the excitement of the debut of our new showpiece with our partners, offering them another opportunity to experience the quality of our product and the uniqueness of a Costa cruise” commented Gianni Onorato, President of Costa Cruises.

 

“It’s a tribute to those who help us every day to be the biggest and most reliable Italian tourism group and Europe’s number one cruise company. It is thanks to their important contribution that Costa Cruises is recording very positive results this year despite the difficult economic period.”

 

The best travel agents from around the world will enjoy two gala evenings hosted by Costa Cruises’ top management in the beautiful Duse theatre, where the winners will be presented with exclusively designed trophies featuring depictions of dolphins, the symbol of the event.

 

The “Over the Top” agencies, the best overall, will also receive beautiful silver artistic creations and a bottle of Amarone Stella Aneri 2004 Special Reserve Costa Deliziosa. This limited edition wine is aged in one of the 15 barrels reserved exclusively for Costa’s ships, with each barrel containing enough wine to fill the 133 bottles labelled with the name of the ship and certificate of product quality.

 

The three agencies that proposed the most popular pairs of names chosen by Costa Cruises during the “Send Us a Sea of Names” initiative, will also be celebrated during the cruise. The fleet’s new flagships (Costa Favolosa and Costa Fascinosa) will enter service in summer 2011 and spring 2012 respectively.

 

Furthermore, travel agents will be treated to a sneak preview of all the latest innovations in Costa Cruises annual 2011 catalogue. The November 2010 - January 2012 itineraries will be exclusively revealed for the first time during the Champions of the Sea cruise.

 

The travel agents on board will be the first to experience the ‘pure pleasure’ of a cruise on Costa Deliziosa (92,600 dwt and 2,862 passengers). With countless opportunities for fun, entertainment and relaxation, passengers can enjoy the avant-garde technology of the 4D cinema, roller-skating track, latest generation golf simulator with outdoor putting green and the same Grand Prix simulator used by professionals to train real grand prix drivers. Also onboard is the 3,500-m² Samsara Spa wellness centre with Technogym Kinesis room as well as the global debut of Playstation World, an area equipped exclusively with Playstation 3 and available in cabins on demand.

 

Costa Deliziosa is the fleet’s newest showpiece and, along with her sister ship the Costa Luminosa, are Costa Cruises’ top end ships. Complete with a modern design, the ship boasts premium materials, such as marble and granite, special ‘Venetian spatolato’ decorations and surfaces laminated with a parchment effect, refined Zebrano and Wengé wood, Murano glass, and modern polished and glazed steel. The beauty of the huge atrium on Costa Deliziosa is an iconic location on Costa Cruise ships and will be enhanced by prized works of art, such as the “Sfera” (Sphere) by Arnaldo Pomodoro and another work by Mario Donizetti.

 

The Costa Deliziosa will be named in Dubai on 23 February 2010 during the ship’s Great Inaugural Cruise, departing from Savona on 5 February. This will be the first christening of a cruise ship in an Arabic city, making for an unforgettable event that will combine the traditional ‘Arabian nights’ charm with the unmistakeable Italian style of Costa Cruises. In winter 2010, the Costa Deliziosa will offer seven-day cruises to discover the Arabian Gulf, a destination that Costa was the first in the world to offer.

 

A voyage between East and West, past and future, the pure oases and futuristic architectural designs. The itinerary includes Dubai, Muscat (Oman), Al Fujairah (EAU), Abu Dhabi (EAU), Bahrain and Dubai. Instead, during the summer season, the Costa Deliziosa will depart from Copenhagen for 7-day cruises to the Norwegian fjords and Baltic capitals.