Costa adopts slow cruising mantra

Costa claims to be launching a new style of cruising with its neoCollection on board the refurbished neoRiviera and neoRomantica, offering leisurely itineraries to a selection of destinations off the beaten track.
Not exactly new then, as it follows the lead set by Azamara Club Cruises and taken up by a number of lines with boutique ships, including the yet-to-launch Viking Ocean Cruises. But in this case, it is the first venture of its kind by a mainstream cruise company.
neoRiviera, with 624 cabins, is currently sailing as Grand Mistral for Spanish sister company Iberocruceros; the ship will be refurbished before embarking on a 62-day Grand African Tour, departing from Dubai on February 9, 2014.
The cruise will visit the Seychelles, the Maldives, Mauritius and Reunion, before moving on to Madagascar, circumnavigating the African continent on a route past Mozambique, South Africa, Namibia, St. Helena, Senegal, Cape Verde, the Canary Islands and Morocco.
Highlights include the discovery of the world apart in Madagascar and Maputo, the City of Acacias, with the Iron House and train station both designed by Gustave Eiffel, as well as the cities of Mumbai, Cape Town and Dakar.
The ship’s Mediterranean cruises in the summer include calls at unfamiliar ports such as Porto Empedocle in Sicily, Propriano (Corsica), Olbia (Sardinia) and Portoferraio (Elba).
neoRomantica (789 cabins) emerged from a £77 million makeover last year. From June 1, the ship will be undertaking 13 and 15-day premium cruises from Amsterdam, including voyages to the North Cape and the Baltic capitals, and on July 7 a one-off cruise to the acSvalbard archipelago.
The Costa neoCollection shore excursions are designed to soak up the culture, scenery and flavours of each place along the route. So as to enhance the independent tourist feel, each excursion will be arranged in small groups of no more than 25 people.