Costa Cruises to Launch Around the World Cruise from Shanghai in 2014

Costa Cruises will launch China’s first Around the World cruise from Shanghai on 22 March 2014 in partnership with Shanghai Airlines Tours (SAT), a subsidiary of China Eastern Airlines Limited.

Passengers on Costa Atlantica’s (85,700-ton, 2,680-total Passengers) inaugural Around the World cruise will visit some of the most fascinating places on earth.

Departing from Shanghai, the first stop will be Vietnam and the cities of Ho Chi Minh and Vung Tau where passengers can take in the striking contrast of the ruined splendor and modern-day vibrancy of these two cities. Passengers will then be taken to the tropical paradises of Phuket Island in Thailand, Colombo in Sri Lanka and Malé in the Maldives before journeying northwards to the ancient heart of Salalah in Oman, Sokhna in Egypt then Heraklion, Santorini and Athens in Greece.

The tour of European cities will then continue westwards heading to Catania in Italy, Marseilles in France, Barcelona in Spain and Lisbon and Funchal in Portugal. In these countries Passengers will be able to sample the best that Western Europe has to offer from fine wines to high-fashion in addition to learning more about these culture-soaked cities.

Costa Atlantica will then sail to New York, before heading south to Miami and its long sandy beaches. Ocho Rios in Jamaica, transit in the Panama canal, Manzanillo in Mexico, Kahului and Honolulu in Hawaii, and Guam, will complete this once-in-a-lifetime trip, allowing passengers to discover wonderful exotic destinations.

Eighty-three days from setting off, Costa Atlantica will bring its world explorers back home to Shanghai on 13 June 2014.

“As a pioneer of the cruise industry in China and the first international cruise line to operate homeport cruises out of Shanghai since 2006, we are always challenging ourselves to bring more innovative holiday options to this market. China’s first Around-the-World cruise is a perfect example of this and is the lynchpin of our Asia strategy over the next couple of years. It heralds a new milestone in China’s cruise industry,” said Pier Luigi Foschi, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Carnival Corporation Asia and Chairman of the Board of Costa Crociere S.p.A. “With our partners at Shanghai Airlines Tours, we will offer our Chinese Passengers the chance to explore the world in a way that has never been possible before.”