http://www.seaviewcruises.co.uk/ en david.simpson@seaview.co.uk Copyright 2012 2012-05-19T17:18:47+00:00 http://www.seaviewcruises.co.uk/news/article/foschi-retires-as-ceo-of-costa-cruises-to-spark-boardroom-shuffle/ http://www.seaviewcruises.co.uk/news/article/foschi-retires-as-ceo-of-costa-cruises-to-spark-boardroom-shuffle/#When:16:00:19Z Pier Luigi Foschi has announced his retirement as chief executive officer of Costa Cruises on July 1 as the line struggles to come to terms with a tumultuous months of misfortune.Mr Foschi, 65, will remain as chairman and a managing director of the Costa group and remain on the board of directors of the line’sowners, Carnival Corporation.  Michael Thamm, currently serving as president of Germany-based AIDA Cruises, has been appointed CEO of the Costa group, which includes Costa Cruises and AIDA Cruises, as well as Spanish cruise operator Ibero Cruises. The moves are part of a long-term succession plan which included the scheduled retirement of Mr Foschi once he reached the age of 65. Longtime AIDA senior executive Michael Ungerer has been named AIDA Cruises’ president and Gianni Onorato will continue in his role as president of the Costa Cruises brand. Mr Foschi joined Costa Crociere in 1997 and was elected chairman of the board in 2000. Over the past 15 years, he has played an integral role in the company’s tremendous growth and success while building upon its distinction as Europe’s number one cruise operator. In his role as Costa’s chairman, he will continue to oversee the company’s government relations, matters related to the Costa Concordia accident and spearhead a number of strategic projects. “Pier has made it known for some time that he intended to retire once he turned 65 and today’s announcement is part of our longtime succession plan that allows us to tap into our talented management team to find qualified individuals to oversee our brands,” said Carnival chairman Micky Arison said. All of the various appointments are subject to approval by Costa’s board. Cruise News, Cruise Lines, Costa Cruises 2012-04-23T16:00:19+00:00 http://www.seaviewcruises.co.uk/news/article/costa-victoria-to-make-shanghai-its-home-from-may/ http://www.seaviewcruises.co.uk/news/article/costa-victoria-to-make-shanghai-its-home-from-may/#When:18:12:40Z Costa Victoria will depart on its maiden Asian voyage on May 18 from the new Shanghai Wusongkou International Cruise Terminal in China.The 75,000-ton ship will embark on four to seven-night cruises, with calls along the South Korean and Japanese coastline. Costa Victoria will sail four cruises from the new Shanghai cruise terminal Costa Cruises, the largest Italian travel group and Europe’s number one cruise company, was the first international cruise company to enter the Chinese market and have used this experience to create a bespoke service aboard Costa Victoria. Mr Buhdy Bok, Costa’s vice president for Pacific Asia and China, said: “Choosing Shanghai as the home port for Costa Victoria is important for the growth of Costa Cruises in the Asia Pacific region and also demonstrates our commitment to promote the city as a leading international shipping centre in the region.” Costa Victoria has many Asian-inspired dining options available to guests. The ship offers a range of local cuisine in four of its five restaurants. In the largest, the Sinfornia, dinner will be served in two sittings - the first with traditional Chinese or Italian dishes, and the latter with a greater selection of Japanese and South Korean food. The second largest of these four restaurants, the Fantasia, will appeal to Chinese diners looking for a taste of home. In the evenings, one of the world’s top Michael Jackson impersonators, ICE, will perform MJ’s greatest hits in the Festival Showroom. There will also be a fashion show that offers guests a refined form of entertainment in the cavernous, two-deck theatre. Live music, games and competitions complete the nightlife to be found throughout Costa Victoria’s ten bars and discos. Costa Victoria will stop at several destinations in Japan including the tropical paradise Hososhima/Miyazaki, Wakayama; which boasts the largest hot spring resort, Osaka; Japan’s second largest city and the popular sightseeing cities in the Kanto Area Yokohama and Tokyo, the capital city. In the South Korean part of the itinerary, destinations include ‘island of the Gods’ Jeju, the picturesque harbour town of Yeosu and South Korea’s second largest city, Busan. Cruise News, Cruise Ships, Cruise Lines, Costa Cruises 2012-04-16T18:12:40+00:00 http://www.seaviewcruises.co.uk/news/article/now-costa-concordia-has-been-written-off-as-a-total-loss/ http://www.seaviewcruises.co.uk/news/article/now-costa-concordia-has-been-written-off-as-a-total-loss/#When:12:41:23Z The Costa Cruises fleet is shrinking fast with the latest revelation that the six-year-old Costa Concordia is being written off as a total loss by its parent company Carnival Corporation. Insurers are reportedly going to pay out $515 million for the stricken vessel which run around off the Italian island of Giglio in January with the loss of 32 lives. This comes hot on the heels of Carnival saying it would be too costly to repair Costa Allegra which has been out of action since catching fire in the Seychelles last month. Carnival had originally hoped the capsized Costa Concordia could be salvaged, but it has now decided the ship is a “constructive total loss”. The disaster cost Carnival Corporation $29 million in the first quarter of its financial year, with Costa bookings “significantly” down on last year. But Carnival chairman Micky Arison described Costa’s position as “resilient” and said he had “every confidence that we will restore consumer faith in the Costa brand and the excellent reputation Costa’s management team has built”. Cruise News, Cruise Ships, Cruise Lines, Costa Cruises 2012-03-12T12:41:23+00:00 http://www.seaviewcruises.co.uk/news/article/carnival-writes-off-costa-allegra-after-devastating-fire/ http://www.seaviewcruises.co.uk/news/article/carnival-writes-off-costa-allegra-after-devastating-fire/#When:16:23:56Z The fire-damaged Costa Allegra will not return to service, Carnival CEO Micky Arison has revealed.He told Wall Street analysts during a conference call that the it ewas not economically sensible to carry out costly repairs resulting from the recent fire off the Seychelles. Costa Allegra repairs would be too costly Instead, the 800 passenger vessel, the oldest ion the Costa fleet, will be sold or scrapped. The 28,500-ton Costa Allegra is one of the oldest and smallest ships in the Costa fleet, and Arison noted that it had been for sale for some time before the much-publicized fire in one of its engine rooms Feb. 27. The company has completely written down the value of the ship on its books, he said. The fire broke out as the 28,500-ton Costa Allegra was sailing in the Indian Ocean, completely knocking out the power and leaving more than 600 passengers sweltering in scorching temperatures. This week, Costa announced it was redeploying a similar-size vessel, the 927-passenger Costa Voyager, to take the Allegra’s place in coming months on European itineraries. Cruise News, Cruise Lines, Costa Cruises 2012-03-11T16:23:56+00:00 http://www.seaviewcruises.co.uk/news/article/costa-allegra-ordeal-nearly-over/ http://www.seaviewcruises.co.uk/news/article/costa-allegra-ordeal-nearly-over/#When:11:48:51Z The ordeal for Costa Allegra passengers was almost at an end today as the stricken ship finally arrived in the Syechelles.After three days stranded at sea,  the evacuation of more than 1,000 passengers has begun and is liely to take several hours. and crew is expected to take several hours. The Costa Allegra has finally reached dry land Costa as arranged more than 400 hotel rooms and chartered three aircraft to get passengers and crew home as quickly as possible. It us understood more than half for 600 pasdeengers are opreraring to tay on in the Seychelles which the remainder will fly to Rome. It will bring to an end another dreadful experience for Costa passengers, following so quickly in the wake of the Costa Concordia catastrophy in January when 32 people died after the ship ran onto rocks and capsized of Tuscany. The Allegra lost power on Monday after an engione room fire, leaving passengers to swelter in scorching temperatures. Many apparently slept on the decks at night becaiuse of the lack of air-conditioning. Thefre was no hot food, but supplies of bread and water were transferred onto the ship by helicopter. The ship was carrying 413 crew members and 627 passengers, including 212 Italians, 31 Britons and eight Americans. Cruise News, Cruise Lines, Costa Cruises 2012-03-01T11:48:51+00:00 http://www.seaviewcruises.co.uk/news/article/costa-allegra-under-tow-after-fire-halts-indian-ocean-cruise/ http://www.seaviewcruises.co.uk/news/article/costa-allegra-under-tow-after-fire-halts-indian-ocean-cruise/#When:07:29:11Z Passengers on the fire-hit Costa Allegra are understood to be facing another 36 hours on the stricken ship after safety experts ruled it couldn't dock on the Seychelles island of Desroches. The 28,000-ton ship - one of the oldest and smallest ships in the Costa fleet - was brought to a halt in the Indian Ocean when fire broke out in the engine rooms, knocking out the power. Costa Allegra is one of the oldest and smallest ships in the Costa fleet Costa Allegra was being towed by a French fishing ship to Desroches, 145 miles from Mahe, the main island in the Seychelles archipelago, but alternative plans are now having to be made. None of the 636 passengers, including 31 Britons, or 413 crew on board were hurt in the incident - the major blow to hit the cruise industry, and in particular Costa Cruisers, in six weeks. Costa Cruises spokesman Davide Barbano said in a statement last night: “Costa Allegra, since tonight, is being towed by the French ocean vessel Trevignon, route direction is Desroches Island.” The latest disaster to befall Costa follows the Costa Concordia capsize in shallow water after hitting rocks off the Tiuscan Coast of Italy, resulting in the death of 25 people. Seven more are stil missing, presumed dead. The cruise industry has been clawing itself back in the wake of the Concordia catastrophe which caused bookings to plummet. This latest incident is bound to have a further impact on passenger confidence. It will also do much harm to the reputation of Costa Cruises, with industry experts questioning whether the Italian cruise line can survive. Cruise News, Cruise Ships, Cruise Lines, Costa Cruises 2012-02-28T07:29:11+00:00 http://www.seaviewcruises.co.uk/news/article/costa-offers-concordia-survivors-11000-compensation/ http://www.seaviewcruises.co.uk/news/article/costa-offers-concordia-survivors-11000-compensation/#When:19:43:02Z Costa Cruises has offered all surviving Costa Concordia passengers a minimum of €11,000 in compensation in the wake of the catastrophe that left the cruise liner wrecked off the Tuscan coast of Italy two weeks ago.Each passenger would also receive a refund on the cruise and the costs of their journey home. The offer, negotiated by consumer groups, applies to all passengers regardless of age. Anyone accepting the deal would have to drop all future litigation, and would receive payment within seven days. Costa Concordia, carrying 4,000 passengers and crew, ran aground on a sandbank close to the Italian island of Giglio on Friday January 13, before partially capsizing. So far 16 bodies have been recovered and another 16 still are listed as missing. The captain has been blamed by the company for the disaster. Costa’s compensation offer does not apply to crew members, the 100 or so injured or the families who lost loved ones. Roberto Corbella, who represented Costa in the negotiations, said the deal offered passengers a speedy and “generous compensation”. The Dutch salvage firm Smit will tomorrow begin extracting the stricken vessel’s 2,380 tonnes of oil in order to prevent it leaking in to the sea. Cruise News, Cruise Lines, Costa Cruises 2012-01-27T19:43:02+00:00 http://www.seaviewcruises.co.uk/news/article/costa-amends-mediterranean-programme-in-wake-of-costa-concordia-crisis/ http://www.seaviewcruises.co.uk/news/article/costa-amends-mediterranean-programme-in-wake-of-costa-concordia-crisis/#When:08:26:32Z As a result of the Costa Concordia accident, Costa Cruises has changed the planned itineraries of Costa neoRomantica and Costa Magica to continue offering one of its most popular seven-night itineraries. From March 24 until May 14, Costa neoRomantica will make seven-night cruises in the western Mediterranean, with embarkation from Catania, Naples and Savona, Italy, as well as a nine-night Easter cruise departing March 31. The ship will then change for the rest of the season to an itinerary sailing nine-night cruises from Amsterdam to the European capitals from May 30 to August 26. On September 3, Costa neoRomantica will sail from Amsterdam to Savona, followed by a six-night cruise September13. The ship departs September 19 on a 107-night “Grand Oriental Cruise”. Costa Magica will sail seven-night cruises in the western Mediterranean from May 21 to October 21, with embarkation from Catania, Naples and Savona. Cruise News, Cruise Lines, Costa Cruises 2012-01-26T08:26:32+00:00 http://www.seaviewcruises.co.uk/news/article/costa-marketing-chief-defends-line-against-unfounded-allegations/ http://www.seaviewcruises.co.uk/news/article/costa-marketing-chief-defends-line-against-unfounded-allegations/#When:16:55:18Z Costs Cruises is offering guests who are having second thoughts about already booked cruises in the wake of the Costa Concodia catastrophohe the opportunity to cancel without penalty.And in a message to its selling agents, Norbert Stiekema, pictured, executive vice president of sales and marketing, has defended the line’s reputation and countered criticism of its quality and professionalism which, he said, “are unfounded”. “The coming weeks and months will be extremely demanding but we intend to tackle the challenges with the professionalism, energy, sound business sense and innovate approach to the product that have always been our distinguishing features,” he added. Norbert Stiekema’s statement in full “At this time our top priority is to provide full assistance for all those people involved in the tragic Costa Concordia accident. We are also currently implementing all the actions required to address issues concerning the protection of the superb marine environment in the area of Giglio Island. “Anyone who knows us well, like you agents, is aware that Costa Cruises operates in full compliance with all safety regulations and that our internal procedures are in line with – and in some cases even stricter than – those laid down in international standards. “We would like to reiterate our thanks to all of you for the many expressions of appreciation that we have received over the last few days. “Our reputation, which has always been synonymous with quality and professionalism, has unfortunately been called into question by a great deal of negative publicity arising from allegations in the news, many of which are unfounded. “Your messages, and those of many of your customers and our guests, are a tremendous source of encouragement fortifying Costa’s 24,000 employees, who are proud to belong to this great enterprise, which for 64 years has been committed to turning the dreams of millions of passengers into dream vacations and – at the same time – creating wealth and prosperity for the tourism industry as a whole. “Our ethics and our core values have always focused on the safety and welfare of the Guest as well as customer satisfaction. In this connection we deem it important to make an initial, tangible gesture to anyone who has booked one of our forthcoming cruises and who, in light of the recent incident, might perhaps now feel uneasy about sailing. “Anybody in this position wishing to do so, may cancel their booking on any cruise without payment of a cancellation fee, provided this is done by February 7, 2012. “The coming weeks and months will be extremely demanding but we intend to tackle the challenges with the professionalism, energy, sound business sense and innovate approach to the product that have always been our distinguishing features. “It is at times like this that friends like you play an even more crucial supporting role. We know we can count on you for your firm backing and support in your relations with your Customers, our future Guests. “We will be grateful to our agents for continuing to place their trust in us and for renewing our partnership, and this appreciation will be expressed tangibly at a later date.” The death toll in the Costa Concordia disaster has now risen to 15 and a further 17 people are unaccounted for. Cruise News, Cruise Lines, Costa Cruises 2012-01-23T16:55:18+00:00 http://www.seaviewcruises.co.uk/news/article/arison-renews-pledge-of-support-for-costa-concordia-crew-passengers-and-vic/ http://www.seaviewcruises.co.uk/news/article/arison-renews-pledge-of-support-for-costa-concordia-crew-passengers-and-vic/#When:07:11:11Z Costa Cruise Lines and its parent company, Carnival Corporation, this morning renewed its pledge to provide full support to passengers, crew and families of the victims of the Costa Concordia catastrophe.“I give my personal assurance that we will take care of each and every one of our guests, crew and their families affected by this tragic event,” said Micky Arison, chairman and CEO of Carnival Corporation. “Our company was founded on this principle and it will remain our focus.” In this spirit, Costa has been arranging lodging and transportation for affected passengers and crew members to return home. Every passenger and crew member or their family is being contacted and the company has offered its assistance and counseling as needed, and will be addressing personal possessions lost on board. Costa has also begun the process of refunding all voyage costs including both passenger cruise fares and all costs incurred while on board.  Our senior management teams are working together to determine additional support. “During this time of tragedy, we are doing our very best to provide the needed support to the Costa Concordia passengers, crew and their families,” said Pier Luigi Foschi, chairman and CEO of Costa Cruises. The death toll rose to 11 yesterday following the discovery of five more people trapped on the ship trying to make their escape. The numbr of those missing fell, however, after one of those listed as missing had returned home safely. The search of the ship has also had to be suspended as the ship once again moved on the sandbar, putting the divers’ search and find operation at risk Cruise News, Cruise Lines, Costa Cruises 2012-01-19T07:11:11+00:00