Luminosa, Voyage to India ex Dubai Return

21 Night Cruise sailing from Dubai roundtrip aboard Costa Luminosa.

A new star has appeared in the Costa firmament: Costa Luminosa, a ship dazzling with light. Elegant, sophisticated and fitted out with the most precious materials, Costa Luminosa is a real jewel. Wonder at its mother-of-pearl, ebony, noble hardwood and mosaic fittings. More cabins with private balconies, new sports facilities such as a roller-skating rink and golf simulator, and innovative entertainment areas, but that is not all: experience the exclusive Samsara Spa and the sliding glass roof that enables you to enjoy lifeon deck in the evenings.

Dubai
Dubai is undoubtedly the pearl of the United Arab Emirates. Its name belongs not only to one of the seven emirates but also to the largest city of that emirate (Dubai City). Dubai is the second largest emirate of the country, after Abu Dhabi. It is situated on thePersian Gulf, southwest of Sharjah and northeast of the capital.
Compared with the other emirates, whose enormous wealth comes directly from oil, only 10 per cent of Dubai's gross domestic product is attributable to income from the oil industry. Here the main sources of wealth are the special economic free zone of Jebel Ali and tourism, which has expanded greatly in recent years Today, Dubai City is one of the most intriguing ultramodern metropolises of the 21st century. Its allure is not due to its artistic, archaeological and cultural heritage, so much as to the overall vision it offers: awindow of luxury and wealth looking towards the future. Here all that glitters is gold.
The city is divided into two: Deira, to the northeast, and Dubai, to the southeast, separated by an inlet of the Gulf (called Al-Khor). The city centre is actually in Deira. A pleasant and novel way of seeing the city better is to hire an abra (motorised water taxi). However, you can also walk through the port area of Deira and watch the dhows, as they load and unload their goods in the shadow of the skyscrapers before setting off again for the Red Sea or Indian ports. The Creek is a 12-kilometre canal along which you can take a trip back into the past.
Evidence of Dubai's brief history can be seen in the Museum housed in the Al-Fahaidi Fort, built at the beginning of the 19th century. The fort is the oldest building in the city and for many years it was the residence of the heads of state of Dubai and the seat of government. The museum (established in 1971) illustrates the fortunes of the emirate, the life of the local people, Bedouin customs, and the region's flora and fauna. The first written evidence of the city of Dubai dates only to 1799. Previously, during the 18th century, the area had been settled by the Al Abu Falasa family of the Bani Yas clan.
The city remained a dependency of Abu Dhabi until 1833, when the Al Maktoum family, of the Bani Yas clan, left Abu Dhabi and took control of Dubai. Subsequently relations between the two emirates were difficult. In 1892 Dubai became a British protectorate. During the 20th century trade and commerce developed, also with India. Over the years, the city also grew as a financial centre until becoming today's ultramodern metropolis.
Despite its unrestrained luxury, Dubai remains a Muslim city and is obviously home to a number of mosques, including the Jumeirah mosque, a very fine example of modern Islamic architecture. Near the Ruler's Court is the Grand Mosque, renovated in 1998, which boasts the highest minaret in the city (70 m). The residence of Sheikh Saeed, built at the end of the 19th century, overlooks the sea, and is a splendid example of local architecture. However, Dubai City is impressive for its modernity and for the comfort it can offer: from the largest golf course in the Middle East (and the fifth largest in the world in terms of area) to the ultra-luxurious Yacht Club, and from the splendid beaches and amazing hotels and restaurants of every kind to the shopping centres that rival Singapore and Hong Kong.
Grand futuristic projects include the Palm Islands, Dubai International City, Burj Dubai and The Pinnacle, the tallest skyscrapers in the world, the World, a construction of 300 manmade islands reproducing the five continents, Dubai Marina, Jumeirah Islands, Hydropolis Hotel, the first underwater hotel, Madinat Jumeirah, Dubai Festival City and finally Dubailand and The Mall of the Emirates, which is planning to build a winter holiday resort with artificial snow in the middle of the desert. It is the world of the rich and the super-rich, with their amusements and hobbies, such as horse and camel competitions. These include the traditional and absolutely fascinating Arabian horse championships, where the best pure-bred Arabian horses in the world compete for the title of the most beautiful and most elegant.

Cochin
Kochi, known as Cochin until 1996, is a city of nearly 600,000 inhabitants in the state of Kerala, in southern India. It has a tropical monsoon climate, with an average annual temperature of 27.2 °C. Situated on the Malabar Coast, it is now one of the country's major ports, with annual traffic of 4.8 million tons of goods, especially agricultural and forestry exports. Fishing, together with the food and petrochemical industries, is very important.
The city's development began in the middle of the 14th century, when the port of the nearby town of Muziris (modernday Kodungallur) was destroyed. An enormous flood swept away the old town and created the opportunity for the rise of Kochi as a hub on the trade route between Asia and the Middle East. It was visited by Ibn Battuta in 1347, and was the first Portuguese settlement in India. In 1500 Cabral landed there and in 1502 the Portuguese Vasco da Gama set up a trading station, fortified in 1503 by Albuquerque.
The city was then occupied by the British who, in turn, set up a trading station in 1635. In 1662 it passed to the Dutch and then, from 1795, was governed by a rajah who was a British vassal. Following India's independence in 1947, the city became the capital of Cochin region until 1956, when it was included in the new federal state called Kerala. The most commonly spoken language is Malayalam and it was for this reason that the city was granted permission to change its name in 1996. The most widespread religion is obviously Hinduism, although there are several Christian and Muslim communities. Also of note is the presence of a small Jewish community, divided into the so-called "Whites", "Blacks" and "Browns". According to legend, the arrival of the Jews dates back to the 10th century BC, during the time of King Solomon.
Today, only a few dozen remain, as most of them emigrated to Israel where the group of "Cochin Jews" counts some 5000 people. Kochi is situated on a small group of islands and narrow peninsulas and is therefore divided into various parts, including Fort Kochi and Mattancherry on the peninsula also known as Fort Kochi, the artificial island of Willingdon, and the other islands of Bolghatty, Vallarpadam and Vypeen.
The sister city of Ernakulam on the mainland is also often considered part of Kochi even though it is actually governed separately. Fort Kochi is the oldest part of the city and in some ways resembles a European city due to Portuguese and Dutch influences. The oldest church in India, St Francis Church, is located here. Built of wood in 1503, it was later partly rebuilt in stone during the middle of the 16th century. In 1524 the Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama was buried here, but his remains were transferred to Lisbon as early as 1539. Dom Vasco da Gama, Count of Vidigueira and Viceroy of the East Indies was the first European to navigate directly as far as India.
On 20 May 1498 he landed first at Calicut (the English name of the city of Kozhikode) on the southwest coast of the Indian subcontinent. In 1524 he died in Kochi. Not far from the church is the Santa Cruz Basilica, which was built much more recently, in 1902. The Fort Kochi area is noted for its narrow streets and alleys, its old Portuguese houses and famous Chinese fishing nets, supported by large wooden structures used with the high tide. At least four people are needed to operate them properly.
In Mattancherry the synagogue built in 1558 is worth a visit. It was partly destroyed by the Portuguese in 1662 and then rebuilt by the more tolerant Dutch a few years later. Also of interest is the palace built in the 16th century by the Portuguese and presented to the then Rajah of Cochin.

Muscat
The Sultanate of Oman lies in the southeastern part of the Arabian Peninsula. It borders the United Arab Emirates to the northwest, Saudi Arabia to the west and Yemen to the southwest. It is lapped by the Arabian Sea to the south and east, and the Persian Gulf to the northeast. The Sultanate is a monarchy and the head of state and government is Sultan Qaboos. Despite his absolute power, most of the population seems to approve his rule: since the Sultan came to power in 1970 there has been a gradual opening up to democratic principles and, above all, great economic development. During his reign, Qaboos's liberal outlook has resulted in social and territorial reforms and has considerably improved the general condition of the country.
Muscat is the capital of Oman and one of the oldest cities in the Middle East, dating back to the 2nd century. In antiquity it was the hub of the frankincense trade between southern Arabia and Greece, Rome and the whole of the Mediterranean. The centre of this trade was a place called Khour Rouri, which the Greeks called Muscat. The first foreigner of the modern age to reach it was the Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama, who landed in Oman on his way to India.
The Portuguese conquered this area for the first time in 1507 and ruled it until the 17th century. The city's three forts date from this period, all of them built around 1550. Mutrah Fort stands on a hill, but Jalali and Mirani forts act almost like sentinels at the entrance to Muscat. Today, all the forts are used by the police and the military and are not open to the public. In 1649 Sultan Bin Saif defeated the Portuguese and drove them eastwards to Goa (India). Following internal struggles and rebellions, Muscat passed for a short period to the Persians in 1737. In 1803 the Wahabites of Saudi Arabia attacked Oman but were repulsed. In 1913 Taimur bin Faisla became Sultan and the territory was renamed Muscat and Oman, with the Sultan governing Muscat and the Imam governing Oman. Following Indian independence in 1947, the Sultan overthrew the Imam with British aid and unified most of Oman. In 1970, Prince Qaboos Bin Said, son of Sultan Said bin Taymur, staged a palace coup and seized the throne, marking the beginning of the modern sultanate.
The capital has a special charm, for it does not have the somewhat artificial atmosphere that characterises some of the region's other cities. Muscat, Mutrah and Ruwi are the central districts. Muscat is the old port area where the Sultan's main palace is situated, along with the luxurious Al-Alam Palace surrounded by amazing gardens, and the Grand Mosque, the symbol of the country's rebirth, with its refined marble architecture.
Mutrah, 3 kilometres northwest of Muscat, is the largest commercial and residential district of the port area and home to the multicoloured souk, one of the oldest in the country, a labyrinth of ancient narrow streets covered with palm roofs and lit with lanterns, where tourists can enjoy hunting for silverware, fabrics and all kinds of souvenirs.
There are also the famous fish, spice and fruit markets. A few kilometres inland lies Ruwi, the modern commercial area. To retrace the whole history of the Sultanate, you can visit the collections in the Oman Museum, which also contains an interesting collection of Islamic art and displays various documents on shipyards, Islam and the architecture of the city's forts.
Muscat also boasts the finest aquarium in the Gulf. In Ruwi the National Museum offers a look at local Omani arts and crafts, while the Sultan's Armed Forces Museum illustrates the main events in the country's history. The Omani Traditional Music Centre is also worth a visit.

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