A Chocolate Cruise Sets Sail from Italy Next Year
Sometimes you go on a cruise, and you can't even remember why. It's day four, you're holed up in your room in a buffet-and-daiquiri-induced coma, and while calculating your roulette losses, it suddenly dawns on you that you've yet to see a single Caribbean island. That's the beauty of a themed cruise: Whether it's in collaboration with the James Beard Foundation or the Monsters of Rock, the activities revolve around something you know you love. And if you love chocolate, this new European cruise from Costa Cruises may be your dream come true.
For the first time, Italy's Eurochocolate—billed as the world's largest international chocolate festival—is teaming with the country's Costa Cruises to offer an eight-day trip dedicated entirely to the beloved sweet. The Mediterranean cruise aboard the 3,780-guest Costa Pacifica will depart from Civitavecchia, Italy, on April 16, 2020 with stops at Genoa, Barcelona, Palma de Mallorca, Malta, and Catania.
Guests start with a welcome kit featuring "delicious gifts and chocolate-themed gadgets," Costa explains, and from there, amenities include exclusive Master Classes from chocolate artisans like Guido Gobino, Enric Rovira, and Pierpaolo Ruta; workshops run by expert chocolatiers; tastings featuring "the finest types of chocolate combined with wine, grappas, and spirits"; and "an exclusive and engaging show cooking with the famous food blogger Sonia Peronaci of Giallo Zafferano."
Additionally, each destination will feature chocolate-centric excursions, including a stop at Barcelona's Chocolate Museum. However, guests will still be able to find plenty of chocolate on board, too: Costa even promises "one of the most spectacular attractions that made Eurochocolate famous in the world: the chocolate sculpture!" And of course, beverage and food options include specially-crafted "ChocoCocktails" and an all-cocoa menu.
"We try to offer unique experiences to our guests [...] and this is possible also thanks to prestigious partnerships like the one with Eurochocolate," Costa Cruises' Italy Country Manager Carlo Schiavon said, according to Lonely Planet. "[It] will allow us to have for the first time aboard a cruise ship the vibe, the fun and the tastes of the greatest international festival dedicated to chocolate." Just stay away from the roulette wheel, and you're sure to have a great time.
