Costa Crociere transferred the 927-passenger Grand Voyager from its Spanish brand, Iberocruceros, to its Italian brand, Costa Cruises.
The ship will operate as the Costa Voyager, offering seven-night cruises roundtrip from Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt. Port calls will be Eilat, Israel; Aqaba, Jordan; and Safaga and Sokhna, Egypt.
Following a $3.4 million renovation, a 15-day repositioning cruise will depart Savona, Italy, on Nov. 20.
The refit at the San Giorgio shipyard in Genoa is set to begin Nov. 9 and will include painting the ship’s funnel with Costa Cruises’ traditional yellow-and-blue "C." Public areas and cabins also will be renovated.
The vessel was built by German yard Blohm & Voss and entered service in 2000. It has 416 cabins, including 16 panoramic suites and 12 balcony suites, three restaurants, four bars, a theater and a spa.
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