A new record for Costa Crociere, the number one cruise company in Europe and South America: for the first time the Company has three new buildings under construction in Italy all at once. The record was set today with the cutting of the first plate for a new 92,700-tonner at Fincantieri’s shipyard in Marghera (Venice). The occasion was also marked by the announcement of the name of the new liner, which will be called the Costa Luminosa. The other two Costa ships taking shape in Italy both in Genoa Sestri Ponente are the Costa Serena (112,000 gross tonnage and total Guest capacity of 3780), which is in the final stages of fitting-out and will be delivered on May 15, 2007, and a sister ship due for completion in spring 2009.
The Costa Luminosa will be 92,700 gross tonnage and 292 meters in length, and have accommodation for 2260 passengers in dual occupancy cabins. Her entry into service is scheduled for spring 2009.
With the arrival of the Costa Luminosa,commented Costa Crociere’s Chairman & CEO Pier Luigi Foschi, and the other ships now in the building yard, not only will we have Europe’s largest fleet, but it will consist of a varied range of liners in terms of size, features and style. This way we will be able to further diversify our offer and continue to propose new destinations every year. The Costa Luminosa and her sister ship will be the results of a brand new design concept, whereby rather than size, we have concentrated on combining the best aspects of our product, such as wellness, exclusive itineraries, art and top quality cuisine, which are especially popular with more and more of our Guests.
The Costa Luminosa will have 772 cabins with private verandas out of a total of 1130 cabins, making her the Costa fleet member with the highest percentage of veranda cabins (68%) and particularly suited to cruises with spectacular itineraries and picturesque scenery. Cruisers on the Costa Luminosa will find the pick of the most recent innovations introduced on Costa’s ships: the Samsara Spa, one of the largest wellness centers ever built on a cruise ship, a central pool area extending over two decks fitted with a sliding glass roof and a giant movie screen, plus a Grand Prix driving simulator. She will also feature several exclusive innovations, introduced here for the first time on the Costa fleet, including a golf simulator. The interiors, devised by the ingenious architect Joe Farcus, will be designed to offer maximum comfort and state-of-the-art facilities, and Guests will be able to walk round all the passenger decks from bow to stern.
Costa’s expansion program, extending what is already Europe’s largest and most advanced fleet (12 ships counting the Costa Serena, with total Guest capacity of over 23,000, all flying the Italian flag), goes beyond the three new buildings currently under construction. A sister ship of the Costa Luminosa is also planned, with delivery from the Marghera yard scheduled for March 2010.
In all, Costa Crociere has invested a total of 3.5 billion euros in Italy for the construction of 7 new ships, all commissioned from Fincantieri, within the framework of its upgrading program worth 4.5 billion euros and entailing the addition of 11 new vessels between 2000 and 2010.
By 2010, when the last of the four new orders is completed, the Costa Crociere fleet will be 15 strong and have total Guest capacity of over 30,000, further consolidating its place as the largest and most advanced fleet in Europe.
