Costa Crociere suspends 2020-2021 season in South America and announces opening of 2021-2022 season sales in the region

SÃO PAULO, Sept. 7, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Costa Crociere, the leading cruise line in Europe and a part of Carnival Corporation & plc (NYSE/LSE: CCL; NYSE: CUK), today announced the cancellation of the arrival of its ships for the 2020-2021 season in South America.

All cruises aboard the Costa Fascinosa, Costa Luminosa and Costa Pacifica ships in South America, with embarkations scheduled for the period from November 2020 to April 2021, are canceled.

"Costa Cruises has been sailing in South America uninterrupted for 72 years and we are committed to continue operating here," said Dario Rustico, executive president of Costa Cruises for Central and South America. "We look forward to resuming operations in the region in the 2021-2022 season with two ships, continuing to offer the best of Italy on board our ships and a unique and yet exclusive experience for our South American guests."

The cruise company is in contact with the travel agencies and the guests who purchased the impacted cruises, to inform their decision and communicate about the conversion of the amount paid for the canceled cruise, minus the travel agent commission, in credit to be used as payment (or part of payment), for reservations made up to December 31, 2021, of any other cruise departing until June 30, 2022, under the terms of Law No. 14,046 of August 24, 2020.

When booking a new cruise by March 31, 2021, guests will also receive from Costa a bonus in the form of credit, to use it on their next trip exclusively to pay their expenses on board. The amount of the credit on board will be R $400.00 per cabin for canceled cruises of 1 to 5 nights, or R $800.00 per cabin for canceled cruises of 6 to 9 nights, or R $1,200.00 per cabin for canceled cruises of over 10 nights. This additional credit will not be combined with a similar bonus that has already been granted due to any previous cancellation.

Costa will respect the decision of its guests. Although it is not required by law to reimburse, Costa will process requests for reimbursement within the period defined by Law 14,046 of 2020, that is, up to 12 months from the closing date of the state of public calamity recognized by Legislative Decree nº 6, of 2020. The amount to be refunded will correspond to the amount received by Costa Cruises for the canceled cruise, minus the commission paid to travel agents, under the terms of the law.

In announcing this decision, Costa also announces the opening of sales for the 2021-2022 season in South America on Sept. 8.

The company will have two ships operating between December 2021 and April 2022 in the region.

With embarkations in Santos, the Costa Favolosa will have its first regular cruise departing on December 5, 2021, and will offer 17 itineraries from six to seven nights, dedicated to the northeast region of the country. Tourists from that region will be able to embark in Salvador to experience holidays onboard with the best Italian style product offered.

Costa Favolosa will offer three mini-cruises, from three to four nights, and will have Christmas and New Year's Eve cruises on Copacabana beach and Carnival. Thematic cruises are confirmed with departure dates to be defined.

Confirmed for another summer in South American waters, Costa Pacifica will have cruises of seven and eight nights through the Prata region, with embarkations from Rio de Janeiro, Buenos Aires and Montevideo. On December 31, 2021, the ship will dock at Copacabana beach for a New Year's Eve celebration.

The 2021-2022 season will still be marked by cruises between Italy and Brazil and Brazil and Italy. These cruises allow guests to visit different places in the world in a single voyage.

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SOURCE Costa Cruises