Costa Cruises is another cruise line feeling the travel spending pinch, and has just released its Kids Sail Free incentive for the winter Caribbean season. Kids will sail for free when traveling with their parents on Costa, Europe’s Number One Cruise Line. Cruisers who choose to bring the whole family can have significant savings when traveling together in a larger stateroom. This exceptional value is available on all 12 sailings, including Christmas and New Year’s, aboard the Costa Fortuna, which departs from Ft. Lauderdale on alternating Eastern and Western Caribbean routes each Sunday. Fares for parents begin at just $669 per person.

“Now more than ever, families are searching for the best possible vacation values and we’re offering it to them with our ‘Kids Sail Free’ promotion and exceptional fares this Caribbean season,” said Maurice M. Zarmati, President and CEO of Costa Cruise Lines-North America. “These values are even available on our Christmas and New Year’s sailings, which truly makes sailing with Costa one of the best winter vacation options out there.”

Costa’s unique and authentic onboard Italian flair provides guests with a feeling of “Italy in the tropics” on its Caribbean routes. For many, sailing Costa offers a “new” way of experiencing the Caribbean ports of call they know and love — bringing to mind the romance and warmth of Italy
without having to cross the Atlantic. From homemade pastas and delectable desserts, to Italian greetings including “buon giorno” in the morning and “buona sera” in the evening, the “amore” of the old world stays with guests long after they disembark from their cruise. Festive onboard activities
include everything from on-deck bocce ball games, tarantella dancing under the stars and Italian cooking lessons during “Festa Italiana,” to the famous “Roman Bacchanal” soiree, where guests don tasteful togas and celebrate as the Romans did centuries ago.

Costa’s children’s program, or “Squok Club” (Squok is the charming, plush mascot of the club — and a delightful mix of dolphin and shark) is structured to accommodate younger guests from a variety of backgrounds making for a fun, international experience. Activities include Pirate Treasure Hunts, Italian pizza parties, arts and crafts, pool games and much more. Kids are broken up into groups corresponding with their various ages and evening programs are available so that adults may have a “Parents’ Night Out” or two during the cruise.

Drawing inspiration from the grand Italian liners of yesteryear that provided regular passenger service between Italy and the Americas, the 105,000-ton Costa Fortuna combines nostalgia and a refined atmosphere into a stunning modern framework. With a double capacity of 2,720, the Costa Fortuna features 1,359 cabins — 857 ocean view and 458 with large verandas. The ship offers guests a stunning array of facilities including 11 bars, 4 restaurants, a theater extending over three floors, three
swimming pools, a casino, disco, ballroom and a gym.

Costa Cruises is Italy and Europe’s number one cruise line. For the past 60 years its ships have sailed the world, offering the best in Italian style, hospitality and cuisine and providing dream vacations with the best in fun and relaxation. In 2007 over 1.1 million guests chose to cruise with Costa, a record for the European cruise industry. The company’s 12 fleet members, each with her own distinctive characteristics and unique style, all fly the Italian flag and sail each year to 250 destinations in the
Mediterranean, Northern Europe, the Baltic Sea, the Caribbean, South America, the United Arab Emirates, the Far East and the Indian Ocean.

Five more vessels have been commissioned and will enter service by 2012. Costa Cruises has been certified by RINA (Italian Shipping Register) with the BEST4, an integrated system of voluntary certification of corporate compliance with the highest standards governing social accountability (SA 8000, issued in 2001), environment (UNI EN ISO 14001, 1996), safety (OHSAS 18001, 1999) and quality (UNI EN ISO 9001, 2000). All Costa’s ships have been awarded RINA’s voluntary “Green Star” notation based on the highest environmental protection standards. Costa Cruises is also an official partner of the WWF for the protection of the marine ecoregions of the Mediterranean, the Greater Antilles and Brazil.

For reservations or more information, call me at 1-888-579-8706, email me or visit my website at www.avctravel.com/greggeppleman. Technorati is also a good source of news for Costa Cruises.