Best cruises

Costa’s parent company, Genoa-based Costa Crociere S.p.A., has been involved in the passenger side of shipping for nearly fifty years. The Costa brand first appeared on the Italian market in 1854 when Giacomo Costa founded a company trading in fabrics and olive oil between Genoa and Sardinia. By 1916,the company was now under the direction of Giacomo’s three sons. They expanded the business and purchased their first ship, Ravenna in 1924, and soon after, the Langano. In the 1930s, Costa, now a major producer of olive oil in Italy, began the tradition of naming their ships after the names of family member. By 1942, Costa’s fleet was made up of nine vessels. After World War II, only the Langano survived.

The family then turned to building and purchasing ships for coastal navigation and started passenger services in 1947 with the sailing of the motor ship Anna C, the first of the Costa fleet to offer air conditioning. The company changed its name to Linea C, which it kept for over three decades on transatlantic links with Latin America. Business services were inaugurated in 1948 to North America and in 1953, the company opened new routes to Venezuela and the Antilles.

In the ensuing years, the company added ships, leased some and owned others, as it streamlined its operations. In the 1980s the Costa group decided to concentrate on the passenger and cruise sector. In 1986, Costa Crociere S.p.A. was created and the idea of a ship as a floating hotel was established. In 1989 the company invited outside investors to increase its financial strength which led to tremendous growth for the company in the 1990s. In June 1997, Costa was purchased by Carnival Corporation and Airtours plc, its European partner at the time. The deal increased the investment capacity of the Genoese company but left its Italian identity untouched. In September 2000, Carnival Corporation purchased all of Airtours’ shares and became the sole shareholder of Costa Crociere.

SHIPS:
Costa Atlantica 2,114 p Italy Registry

Costa Romantica 1,356 p Italy Registry

Costa Victoria 1,928 p Italy Registry

Costa Classica 1,308 p Italy Registry

Costa Allegra 820 p Italy Registry

Costa Tropicale 1,022 p Italy Registry

Costa Europa 1,494 p Italy Registry

Costa Marina 772 p Italy Registry

Costa Magica 2,720 p Italy Registry

Costa Mediterranea 2,114 p Italy Registry

Costa Fortuna 2.720 p Italy Registry

Addresses:

200 South Park Road
Suite 200
Hollywood, Florida 33021
Tel: 1-954-266-5600
Fax: 1-954-266-2100

Italy Contact address:

Costa Crociere S.p.A
Via XII Ottobre 2
16121 Genoa, Italy
Tel: 39-10-5483-396
Fax: 39-10-5483-267

US-owned Cruise West offers adventure travel on its cruises in North and Central America.

Ships:
Spirit of Oceanus 114 p Bahamas Registry

Spirit of ’98 96 p US Registry

Spirit of Endeavour 102 p US Registry

M/V Pacific Explorer 100 p Honduras Registry

Spirit of Columbia 78 p US Registry

Spirit of Alaska 78p US Registry

Spirit of Discovery 84 p US Registry

Sheltered Seas 70 p US Registry

Address:
2401 Fourth Avenue
Suite 700
Seattle, Washington 98121-1438
Tel: 1-800-580-0072
Fax: 1-206-441-4757

Crystal Cruises, created in 1988, is wholly owned by Tokyo-based Nippon Yusen Kaisha (NYK), which began operating its first commercial ship in 1885. Headquartered in Tokyo, the firm operates over 800 ships, has offices around the globe and is one of the largest shipping companies in the world.

Ships:
Crystal Harmony 960 p Bahamas Registry

Crystal Symphony 960 p Bahamas Registry

Crystal Serenity 1,100 p Bahamas Registry

Address:
2049 Century Park East, Suite 1400
Los Angeles, California 90067
Fax: 1-630-954-3324
Tel: 1-310-785-9300
1-866-446-6625
Fax: 1-310-785-3891

Glacier Bay Cruise Line has been a leader in adventure travel, introducing visitors to Glacier Bay National Park since 1967. Today, the company excels in small-ship adventure cruising in Alaska, and on the Columbia, Willamette and Snake Rivers in Oregon with kayaking, hiking, optional mountain biking and whitewater rafting activities.

Ships:
Executive Explorer 49 p
Wilderness Adventurer 72 p
Wilderness Discoverer 88 p
Wilderness Explorer 34 p

Address:
107 West Denny Line
Suite 303
Seattle, WA 98101

Tel: 1-800-451-5952
1-206-623-7113
Fax: 206-623-7809

The Greek line offers cruising in and around the Greek Isles.

Golden Star Cruises ship:
Aegean I 560 p Greece Registry

Addresses:
85 Akti Miaouli,
Piraeus,
Greece 185 38
Tel. +3 (210) 429-0650
Fax +3 (210) 429-0660

US Office address:

Golden Sun Cruises

40 East 52nd Street
New York, N.Y. 10022-5911
Tel: 212-223-3222
Toll free (877) 244-8004

In 1997, decades after the demise of passenger cruising on the Great Lakes, German cruise line Hapag-Lloyd brought their 420-passenger cruise ship MV Columbus, filled primarily with German travelers, to sail the Great Lakes. Fascinated by the idea of revitalizing this once flourishing cruise market, travel industry veterans Tom Conlin and his son Chris, formed the Great Lakes Cruise Company the following year. By fall 1999, the Great Lakes Cruise Company operated the first American charter of the MV Columbus. With the success of their first season, GLCC chartered both MV Columbus and the 90-passenger French luxury yacht Le Levant the following three years.

In 2002, to facilitate the revitalization process and attract more travelers to our beautiful inland oceans, GLCC formed a partnership with Acheson Ventures of Port Huron, Michigan, just as Acheson was completing construction of the finest new cruise ship terminal in the Great Lakes. As more cruise lines entered the Great Lakes market, GLCC expanded their services, forming a single source for Great Lakes cruises.

The Great Lakes Cruise Company currently features not only their own charters, but also offers cruises aboard all ships now sailing the Great Lakes.

Ships:
Le Levant* 95 p Wallus and Fortuna/FR

Columbus* 408 p Bahamas Registry

Georgian Clipper* 18 p Canada Registry

* Chartered

Addresses:

3300 Washtenaw Avenue
Suite 230
Ann Arbor, Michigan 48104
Tel: 1-888-891-0203
1-734-677-3128
Fax: 1-734-477-6032

UK Office address:

Discovery Cruises UK Ltd

15 Young Street
Kensington,
London, England W85 5EH,
Tel: +44 7795 4900
Fax: +44 207 7795 4910

For nearly a half century, Metropolitan Touring has promoted eco-tourism to the Galapagos Islands and owns its fleet of deluxe vessels in the Archipelago. It also conducts educational and conservation oriented programs in the Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve, located in Ecuador's Amazon basin.

SHIPS:
Isabella II (yacht) 40 p Ecuador Registry

MV Santa Cruz 90 p Ecuador Registry

Address:
PO Box 17-17-1649
Av. Republica del Salvador N36-34
Quito, Ecuador,
Phone: 593 2-2988200
Fax: 593 2 2464702

Norwegian Coastal Voyage Limited is an internationally owned company of Ofotens og esteraalen Dampskipsselskab AS Narvik, Norway and Troms Fylkes Dampskipsselskab AS Tromsø, Norway. The two companies in Norway run the Norwegian Coastal Voyage fleet, known in Norway as the Hurtigruten. It is also sometimes known as the Coastal Express, The Coastal Steamer, or even the Mail Boats.

Norwegian Coastal Voyage, which operates year-round on a 1.250-mile stretch of Norway’s spectacular west coast, which offers seven-day northbound sailings from Bergen, six-day southbound cruises from Kirkenes, above the Arctic Circle and 12-day roundtrips. The line’s 12 ships doubling as cargo vessels and local transportation for many Norwegians, calling at 34 ports throughout the year where they pick up or unload goods. Passengers are brought into close contact with the people, customs and natural beauties on these trips.

SHIPS:
MS Finnmarken 670 p Norway Registry

MS Trollfjord 670 p Norway Registry

MS Midnatsol 320 p Norway Registry

M/S Narvik 320 p Norway Registry

M/S Vesteralen 320 p Norway Registry

MS Kong Harald 490 p Norway Registry

M/S Nordnorge 464 p Norway Registry

MS Nordlys 482 p Norway Registry

M/S Nordkapp 490 p Norway Registry

M/S Polarlys 482 p Norway Registry

M/S Richard With 490 p Norway Registry

MS Lofoten 200 p Norway Registry

Address:
405 Park Avenue
New York, New York 10022
Tel: 1-212-319-1300,
1-800-323-7436
Fax: 1-212-319-1390

Nippon Yusen Kaisha (NYK) Line. NYK caters to the Japanese-speaking trade.

Ship:
Asuka 600 p Japan Registry

Address:
Yusen Building
3-2 Marunouchi 2-choime
Chiyoda-ku 100-0005
Japan

Oceania Cruises was formed in 2002 by cruise industry veterans Joe Watters and Frank Del Rio. Seasonal cruise itineraries include the Black Sea, British Isles, Caribbean, Central America, Greek Isles, Mediterranean, Mexico, North Cape, Russia, Scandinavia, and South America.

SHIPS:
Regatta 684 p Marshall Islands

Insignia 684 p Marshall Islands

Nautica 684 p Marshall Ils. Registry (The former R5 will debut as the Nautica in 2005).

Address:
8120 NW 53 Street
Miami FL 33166
Main Phone Number: 305-514-2300,
Fax: 305-514-2222
Reservations: 1-800-531-5658