Iff Mumbai Travel Portal

Costa Crociere, the number 1 cruise company in Europe, has announced the replacement of its calls in Tunisia, Egypt and Israel during 2011. Since the beginning of its operations, the Italian company and its passengers have learned to value and appreciate the great appeal of these three countries as prime tourist destinations. However, due to recent events, the company decided to change the itineraries of the cruises which initially included calls in those countries.

Throughout the current 2011 season, all the 7-day cruises in the Mediterranean of Costa Concordia, Costa Serena and Costa Magica with a one-day call in Tunis (Tunisia) will be replaced with a one-day call in Malta (Malta), Palma de Mallorca (Spain) and Cagliari (Italy).

Moreover, all the Mediterranean itineraries with originally scheduled calls at Alexandria (Egypt), Haifa (Israel) and Ashdod (Israel) will be modified and will offer alternative calls which are equally picturesque and cultural, such as Limassol (Cyprus), Rhodes (Greece), Marmaris (Turkey) and the new and extremely attractive ports of Alanya (Turkey) and Antalya (Turkey).

All information on itinerary changes can be checked on the company’s website and through Costa partner travel agencies.

The changes are due to the company’s need to anticipate, plan and ensure the best possible technical and maritime practices throughout the season.

Moreover, the company strongly wishes to reassure each of its guests that they will enjoy the same level of tranquillity and serenity as they would expect from a Costa cruise, with minimal impact from any last-minute calls modification.

At the same time Costa Cruises is confirming all scheduled calls in Egypt, Tunisia and Israel for its 2012 program as presented in the official Costa 2012 brochure already launched worldwide on February 15, 2011.

Celebrity Cruises knows consumers’ vacation time is precious, as is the time invested in researching and planning for that rare time away. So, Celebrity has made the process more widely accessible, not to mention even more fun, by introducing the brand’s first mobile app and mobile web site.

Now, iPhone users have the opportunity to download the free, new app from the Celebrity web site (celebritycruises.com), or from the Apple store. Users of Celebrity’s new mobile app will have a wealth of “search” and “explore” functionality allowing them to view the breadth of global destinations Celebrity visits; review the widely varied onboard activities, including the line’s iLearn courses in the Celebrity iLounge, Rosetta Stone language courses, and comparative wine tastings with Riedel Crystal; e-mail itineraries of interest to themselves or to others; request a call or e-mail from Customer Service or call them directly via the app, and even peruse answers to the perennial question: “What should I pack?”

Concurrently, the new mobile web site introduced by technologically-savvy Celebrity – the first cruise line to present menus, wine lists and even art tours on an iPad, in addition to the “Celebrity iLounge,” a hip cybercafe equipped with some of the latest Apple products and accessories – allows consumers to utilize iPhone, Android and BlackBerry (models 8520 and up) devices to search for a Celebrity cruise and itineraries, obtain destination information, view details about each stylish ship, connect with Celebrity’s social media sites, e-mail itineraries of interest to Celebrity’s Customer Service team, or contact Customer Service ‘live’ at any point during the experience.

Celebrity Cruises’ iconic “X” is the mark of the world’s top-rated premium cruise line, with spacious, stylish interiors; dining experiences elevated to an art form; personalized service, with a guest-to-staff ratio of nearly 2:1; unexpected, trendsetting onboard activities, all designed to provide an unmatchable experience for vacationers’ precious time. Celebrity sails to Alaska, Australia/New Zealand, Bermuda, California, Canada/New England, the Caribbean, Europe, Hawaii, the Pacific Coast, Panama Canal, South America, and year-round in the Galapagos Islands. Celebrity also offers immersive cruisetour experiences in Alaska, Australia/New Zealand, Canada, Europe and South America. One of the fastest-growing major cruise lines, Celebrity’s fleet currently consists of nine ships, with two additional Solstice Class ships scheduled to join the fleet: Celebrity Silhouette in July 2011, and Celebrity Reflection in Fall 2012.