Cruises from Valletta
Offering an early booking price (valid till 30 April) starting from Euro499, including taxes, Costa Concordia is offering super value for money cruises to Maltese wishing to depart on a vacation out of Valletta. 32 weekly departures between 15 April and 18 November 2011 provide an interesting itinerary that comprises stops in Civitavecchia (Rome), Barcelona, Palermo, Palma de Mallorca, and Savona (Portofino). Children under 18 and sharing with two adults only pay taxes (Euro120).
About Costa Concordia
The Concordia is a lively, very modern, luxurious, 114,500-ton cruise ship, with a total of 1500 cabins and a large number of catering, leisure and entertainment options. With four pools (including one covered), 5 jacuzzis, a 6000 sqm spa, a multipurpose sports pitch, 5 restaurants, 13 bars, a casino, discotheque, shopping centre, library, internet point, Grand Prix simulator, and a grand theatre on 3 levels - Concordia is an authentic jewel of engineering and entertainment wonder-at-sea. Carrying up to 3800 passengers, the Concordia is expected to bring to Malta over 100,000 passengers during this season. Costa is Europe’s largest cruise company and has the most modern fleet in the Continent.
Orange Cruises are the region’s top selling agents for Costa
Orange Cruises Ltd (formerly Cruises International Ltd), exclusive agents for Costa Cruises in Malta have won the 2010 regional award for top selling agents for Costa. The region comprises 52 countries, including large countries such as the UK, Russia, Turkey and Ukraine. The award was presented during a recent event by Costa president Sig Giovanni Onorato and Costa regional sales director Sig Angelo Capurro to Orange’s general manager Mr Michael Abele. Orange Cruises is a 50/50 joint-venture between Mondial Investments Ltd and SMS Group Ltd.
SMS and Mondial present at AMITEX
Costa Concordia preferred agents – SMS Travel and Mondial Holidays shall be present at this year’s edition of AMITEX taking place this weekend at MFCC in Ta’ Qali from Thu 14 to Sun 17 April. All visitors to AMITEX shall have the chance of entering a competition and winning free cruises on the Concordia.
Buying Costa Cruises
Costa Cruise products are easily available from practically all leading travel agencies in Malta including SMS and Mondial offices in Valletta, Sliema, Hamrun, Paola, B’Kara and Victoria (Gozo).
Foreigners coming to Malta for fly-cruise-and-stay vacations
Hundreds of holidaymakers from a number of European markets are flying into Malta to make use of the convenient departure of Concordia out of Valletta. Many of these combine their cruise with a stay in Malta and normally stay in 5-star or superior 4-star hotel.
International Co-operation between Costa and Orange
In addition to its long-standing co-operation with Costa in Malta (through SMS Travel), Orange has a healthy working relationship with the cruise line via its overseas subsidiaries in Turkey, Cyprus, Ukraine and the UK. Apart from selling Costa, the SMS Group (an associate company of Orange) are also Costa’s port agents as well as shore excursion agents in Valletta. Orange Cruises of Turkey has been awarded an exclusive contract (by Costa) whereby it is the only company permitted to sell East Med cruises departing from the port of Istanbul during summer 2011 – a great achievement by a fully Maltese-owned travel company in Turkey! 14 top Turkish travel agents are present for the press conference (apart from their Maltese counterparts).
Costa announces new East and West Mediterranean itineraries out of Valletta for 2012
Costa shall be offering Spring and Autumn 10/11 day cruises to Turkey and Greece on board the Costa Magica as well as a totally new itinerary to the West Med on Costa Allegran during the summer – this shall include unusual stops to Menorca, Capri and Monaco as well as more traditional ports of call. Prices for both programmes are expected to be extremely competitive.