The 19th annual Champions of the Sea, an event for Costa Cruises’ travel agent partners, will be held May 6 to 11 aboard the Costa Fascinosa, the line’s 3,780-passenger ship under construction at the Fincantieri shipyard in Marghera, Italy.
Some 1,800 travel agents from Europe, North America, South America, Asia and Africa will board the new flagship after it is delivered to Costa on May 5 in Venice.
Champions of the Sea will begin the next day and continue during the ship’s two preview cruises departing Venice on May 6 and calling at Koper, Slovenia, and ending at Trieste, Italy, on May 8.
The second preview cruise, May 8 to 11, departs from Trieste and calls at Dubrovnik and Split, Croatia. It ends in Venice.
The agent program includes tours of the ship, a behind-the-scenes program showcasing technological standards and safety measures on Costa ships, a preview of the new 2013 catalogue and meetings with top management. Award ceremonies will acknowledge Costa’s best travel agent partners based on their results in 2011.
Following the preview cruises, the Costa Fascinosa will depart May 11 from Venice on an 10-day inaugural voyage to Greece, Israel, Turkey and Croatia.
From May 21 to Nov. 30, the ship will operate weeklong cruises with departure from Venice on Mondays and from Bari on Tuesdays to Olympia, Santorini and Rhodes, Greece, and Dubrovnik, Croatia.
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