KUALA LUMPUR, 11 March 2024: Costa Serena will be sailing from Port Klang in Malaysia to Phuket in South Thailand on four-day/five-night cruises throughout March before it relocates to its homeport in Keelung Port, Taiwan.
The 3,780-passenger Italian-owned cruise ship has been sailing from its seasonal homeport of Port Klang in Malaysia since January, offering cruises to Penang, Langkawi, and Phuket. The cruise series is sold exclusively through Asian tour operators led by Hwajing Travel & Tours. During March, Costa Serena will sail from its seasonal homeport of Port Klang to the shores of Phuket, mooring off Patong Bay. Cruise packages start at MYR980 per person.
Once the school holidays close, the ship will sail to its homeport in Keelung Port, Taiwan, where it will resume sailings to South Korea (Busan) and Nagasaki in Japan.
The January to March sailings in Southeast Asia marks the first time that Costa Serena has homeported seasonally in Port Klang, Malaysia. Costa Cruises and Hwajing Travel & Tours signed a partnership last October, making Port Klang the first international cruise port in Malaysia for a seasonal cruise series for the first quarter of 2024, a decision that tourism officials said was an “opportunity for Malaysia to show its attractiveness as a cruise tourism destination, but also brings a positive impact to the economy and promises a paradigm shift in the country’s cruise industry.”
During the launch press conference, Hwajing Travel & Tours managing director Kenny Cheong said that “collaboration with Costa Cruises was in line with the travel company’s commitment to exploring new markets and offering the best travel experience.”
Costa Serena has adapted to the Southeast Asia market by introducing services and offers to meet the needs of Muslim travellers. The ship gained Halal Certification before its stay in Malaysia to meet the needs of Muslim travellers in Southeast Asia.
Costa Serena offers a three-day, two-night voyage from Port Klang to Penang and extends the cruises to up to four days/five nights, including a stop in Phuket, Thailand. Next month, Costa Serena returns to Taiwan, docking at Keelung Port, where it joins France’s Ponant Le Soleal, which also made Keelung its home port. Norwegian Spirit will visit Taiwan this summer, making Keelung and Kaohsiung its dual home ports.
Klook, a trip and activity online booking platform, is selling two-night Costa Serena cruises that will sail to Busan, South Korea, on 8 June and visit Fukuoka and Nagasaki in Japan.
