Two maiden visits for Mina Zayed

Mina Zayed has welcomed, for the first time, the Costa Favalosa (pictured) , with a complement of 1,100 crew and a 3,500 passenger capacity.
The cruise liner was joined by another ship also making its maiden stopover at Mina Zayed – the AIDABlu, from the German cruise line AIDA Cruises. With 600 crew and a passenger capacity of 2,500, the AIDABlu stopped over in the UAE capital as part of an Arabian Gulf itinerary which begins and ends in Dubai but also takes in Muscat in Oman and Khalifa Bin Salman port in Bahrain.
The ship, which has six restaurants, 10 bars, a theatre and one of the largest wellness centres of any cruise liner, was welcomed into Mina Zayed by a group of traditional Ayala dancers commissioned by Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA).
The visits boost the Emirate’s hopes for receiving 77 calls from cruise ships in the current 2011/2012 season.
Both the AIDABlu and Costa Favalosa docked at the temporary tented cruise terminal at Mina Zayed developed by Abu Dhabi Ports Company and Tourism Development and Investment Company (TDIC).