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Costa Cruises to begin sailing from, to Maldives

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Europe’s leading cruise company Costa Cruises has announced three and seven nights cruises from and to Maldives starting this November.

Last year, Costa Cruises became the first ever cruise liner to offer cruises directly from the Maldives to Mumbai.

This year, Costa Cruises is introducing shorter three nights cruise options. Maldivians can now choose to cruise on a three-night itinerary from Maldives to Colombo or from Cochin to Maldives. This is in addition to the seven nights Maldives to Mumbai and Mumbai to Maldives options.

The Italian cruise liner will be home-porting in Maldives capital Male a month earlier than last year, and will perform a series of weekly sailings from November to March 2018.

Nalini Gupta, Managing Director of Lotus Destinations, which represents Costa Cruises in India, said, “Costa Cruises expanding its sailing offerings to include shorter sailings of three nights from Maldives confirms its strong interest in region. The cruising market in the region has come a long way from only a select group cruising in far-away locations to today a much wider audience holidaying on ships cruising directly from Maldives and India.”

Mohamed Firaq, Managing Director of Inner Maldives Holidays, which represents Costa Cruises in the Maldives, said, “Cruise holidays is something that will soon change the perception of how Maldivians look at spending vacations and honeymoon getaways. We started exploring it a year ago and we are confident that our past guests and those new to cruising will find very appealing when planning the upcoming sails starting in November 2017 and continue until March 2018.”

“We received significant interest from Maldives for the Costa cruise sails which began in December last year and continued till March 2017 and we are looking forward to promote new itineraries and exciting destinations towards the new year holidays.”

Costa Cruises has deployed its Costa neoClassica ship on this itinerary.

This classic cruise ship has a total of 654 cabins, including sea view cabins and suites with private balconies. Fully-equipped with a casino, theatre, disco, ballroom and grand bar, it aims to provide plenty in entertainment. The wellness centre is spread across 1,300sqm with a gym, treatment rooms, sauna and steam room. It also has an outdoor jogging track, four Jacuzzis and two swimming pools. For those who would like to go shopping, the cruise ship has a huge duty free shopping centre, and offers a wide selection of books in the library for those who love to unwind with a book.

Enhancing the cruising experience further is the gastronomic options onboard; the food and wine on offer is based on Italian regional menus with a choice of dishes representing different regions of Italy and proudly reflecting the country’s rich and unrivalled culinary heritage. In addition to this vast range, guests can also take advantage of tasty vegetarian and vegan dishes. Cruisers will also be able to enjoy a variety of Indian cuisine and the restaurants onboard are fully equipped to cater to special dietary requirements of Indian travellers, including Jain food.

Cruising

Last call to cruise Maldives aboard Four Seasons Explorer

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Last call! The stunning Four Seasons Explorer will be cruising through the sun-drenched turquoise atolls until May 1, 2023 – leaving intrepid explorers just a few months to embark on a once-in-a-lifetime Maldivian odyssey between the two Four Seasons resorts of Kuda Huraa and Landaa Giraavaru before the boat relocates to thrilling new waters.

This is an incredible final opportunity to escape on an all-inclusive 3-, 4-, or 7-night Winter of Wonders cruise on board the luxurious three-deck, 11-cabin catamaran, experiencing multiple bucket-list encounters each day.

Guests can dive and snorkel isolated reefs, encounter rare marine animals up close, dine under the stars in the middle of nowhere and indulge in spa treatments on remote, uninhabited islands. Retiring to 10 spacious cabins or the unrivalled Explorer Suite to reenergise and rejuvenate, each cruise fluidly adapts to the needs of onboard guests and the best of the surrounding waters on any given day.

Secure one of the last remaining places on Four Seasons Explorer – Four Seasons only “floating resort” – before she bids farewell to the Maldives for the last time.

To be one of the last guests to experience a Maldivian atoll cruise aboard Four Seasons Explorer, contact the Central Reservations Department team at tel: (960) 66 00 888 or email reservations.mal@fourseasons.com.

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Dive into luxury at sea with Four Seasons Explorer seasonal cruise routes

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After many months cooped up at home, and many missed travel experiences, Four Seasons Explorer – the brand’s only floating resort – offers marine adventurers a ticket to fresh sea air, blissful seclusion, bucket-list experiences, and a different view every morning with two extraordinary seasonal cruise itineraries: Winter of Wonders, and Summer of Mantas.

Available to a maximum of 22 guests at a time, the gleaming 39-metre (128 foot), three-deck vessel takes divers, snorkellers and avid adventurers on all-inclusive three-, four- or seven-night odysseys into some of the Indian Ocean’s most abundant waters, complete with gourmet dining, spa therapies, water sports, island visits and Four Seasons inimitable service standards.

From now until May 29, 2022 (and again from October 31 to December 18, 2022), experience a different extraordinary every day with Winter of Wonders cruises: endless bucket-list encounters across five atolls, from coral-ceilinged caves to camera-happy sharks, swim-through tunnels to a fish-filled wreck. Winter of Wonders cruises sail between Four Seasons two sister Maldivian Resorts on a 3-, 4- and 7-night itinerary, departing from Kuda Huraa on Mondays and Landaa Giraavaru on Thursdays.

From June 27 to October 31, 2022, itineraries change to Summer of Mantas, in line with the huge seasonal aggregations of manta rays and whale sharks that come to the region to feed. Get up close and personal with the world’s largest known population of manta rays alongside The Manta Trust team dedicated to studying them during an epic gentle giants odyssey through the Baa Atoll UNESCO Biosphere Reserve and into Rasdhoo, North and South Ari Atolls.  Summer of Mantas cruises depart from and arrive back to Four Seasons Landaa Giraavaru on a 3-,4- and 7-night itinerary.

Each of the 10 air-conditioned staterooms offer blue-hued views through large windows, along with spacious ensuite bathrooms, refrigerated private bars, and flat-screen LCD TVs. For the ultimate luxury, the expansive Explorer Suite boasts an abundance of interior space, a wall of windows, and its own sunbathing deck.

A floating 5-Star PADI Dive Centre, Four Seasons Explorer features the latest Scubapro dive gear, Cressi snorkelling gear and Olympus cameras, while a team of multi-lingual instructors share the full spectrum of PADI courses at a bespoke pace with highly individualised attention.

Sandbank spa treatments, gourmet dining, and water sports take the Four Seasons experience to sea within sleek, chic interiors that include a new sun deck, a lounge, a library, a restaurant and two bars.

The boat is also available for private dive, surf or leisure charters for groups of up to 22.

With the health and safety of its guests and staff a top priority, Four Seasons Explorer provides the ultimate care, confidence, trust and comfort through its Lead With Care programme – heightened health and safety protocols led by global experts that include enhanced cleanliness, physical distancing measures in shared spaces, and empowering staff training grounded in emotional intelligence. In addition, Four Seasons App and Chat provide the reassurance of contactless real-time interactions in 100+ different languages.

For the oceanic adventure of a lifetime, contact Central Reservations at tel: (960) 66 00 888, email: reservations.mal@fourseasons.com or book online.

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Superyacht Nord in Maldives

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Currently exploring the countless islands of the Maldives in the Indian Ocean is the 142-metre superyacht Nord, owned by Russian billionaire Alexei Mordashov.

Since late December, Nord has been spotted in Baa Atoll, home to several world-leading luxury resorts, as well as the southern island-atoll of Fuvahmulah, which is world-renowned for diving with tiger sharks.

Delivered in 2021 as one of the largest superyachts in the fleet at 10,154 GT, she was built at the German shipyard Lürssen in Bremen with Moran Yacht & Ship overseeing her build. Formerly known as Project Opus, she was designed inside and out by the Italian studio Nuvolari Lenard.

Made from steel and aluminium to PYC standards, the warship style vessel encompasses six decks and can accommodate up-to 36 guests across 20 cabins.

On bridge deck level, a large helicopter landing deck aft with fold-down side platforms provide shelter for Nord’s helicopter that can be stowed away in a retractable hangar that slides neatly into the superstructure when not in use.

A large sports and diving centre on the lower deck, oversized swimming pool on the main deck and a fleet of custom tenders are just some of the other features on board this impressive vessel.

Photos: Ammadu/Ajaaibu

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