Starting this December, travellers will for the first time ever, be able to embark on a cruise from right here in India. Europe’s number 1 cruising company, Costa Cruises, is launching the Costa neoClassica in India, which will be homeporting in Mumbai from December 2016. Costa neoClassica will perform a series of weekly sailings from 16th Dec 2016 - 18th March 2017.
On this brand new, 7-night itinerary, you can cruise from Mumbai to Maldives over 7 nights, or begin the cruise in Maldives and cruise from Male to Mumbai, also 7 nights. The ship will sail along India’s South-Western coast, with stops at Cochin and Mangalore on the way to Maldives, and will sail via Colombo and Goa on the way to Mumbai.
Since Costa announced the launch of the Mumbai-Maldives, they have seen a surge of bookings for December, especially for the Christmas and New Years Eve sailings. There has also been a lot of interest from corporates who are looking to book large groups in the first quarter of 2017. Theme-based bookings seem to be a trend, with large groups who are keen to experience a special kind of holiday. For example, there is a health-themed/yoga sailing on this route which is gaining a lot of interest. There have also been large group bookings from senior citizens. Costa has also seen early interest from companies with themes or wedding parties who are looking to charter the entire ship for this itinerary. However, due to lack of availability, this is likely to be a possibility only during the next season or for Costa’s other destinations. And finally, there is also a lot of interest in this sailing from Costa’s European clientele who see the Mumbai-Maldives sailing as a nice gateway into or out of India.
Ms. Nalini Gupta, Managing Director, Lotus Destinations (GSA of Costa Cruises India) says that “The cruises will have an international flavour in terms of the mix of people on the ship, which will be a nice way for travellers to experience the world”.
Costa neoClassica will be the very first large cruise ship that cruises between Mumbai and the Maldives. This classic cruise ship has a total of 654 cabins (with a capacity for 1700 passengers), including ocean view cabins and suites with private balconies.
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