Costa To Operate Exclusive German Cruise Program

Costa Cruises, a unit of Carnival Corporation will launch a new cruise product aimed exclusively at the German market beginning in spring 2002. The new product, which will consist of year-round European and Caribbean sailings aboard the 760-passenger Costa Marina, will be specifically tailored to German passengers and designed to build upon Costa's leadership position in the fast-growing European marketplace. Marketed exclusively for German speaking clientele by Costa's German subsidiary, Frankfurt-based Costa Kreuzfahrten, Costa Marina's new schedule will consist of voyages of seven to 16 days in length to the Mediterranean, Canary Islands and Black Sea from Venice or Savona in the spring and fall, and from Hamburg and Kiel to the Baltics, Russia, Scandinavia and British Isles in the summer. In the winter, the 24,441-ton vessel will reposition to the Caribbean to offer week-long voyages from the Dominican Republic. Costa CEO Pier Luigi Foschi cited that the creation of this new cruise product follows several years of highly successful voyages targeted solely at the rapidly expanding German cruise market, which grew by approximately 25 percent last year. While the Costa Marina will maintain its Mediterranean-style décor and Italian dining experiences, the ship will have a German-speaking crew with German the vessel's official language. Entertainment and on-board activities will also be geared toward German audiences.