The Costa Luminosa will be Costa Cruises’ most exclusive and innovative ship, created to exceed the expectations of even the most discerning customers, those who will settle for nothing less than the best and who therefore demand excellent service in an elegant and refined setting. Conceived by the celebrated architect and interior designer Joseph Farcus, the Costa Luminosa will be a trendsetter in contemporary design thanks to her unique inimitable style, iridescent interiors decorated with superior materials (fine marble, timbers and mother of pearl) and the use of state-of-the-art technology providing stunning light and color effects.
The new flagship will combine the very best of the innovative Costa product: wellness, entertainment, exclusive itineraries, art, fine food & wine, relaxation, great atmosphere, as well as intimate settings for couples and families. There are a host of leading-edge innovations on board: a spectacularly entertaining 4D cinema with sound, lighting, images and special effects that combine to create a multi-sensory experience hitherto unheard of on a cruise ship; a professional Golf Simulator featuring 37 virtual courses plus an outdoor area of 90 square meters with a putting green; and the Grand Prix driving simulator, unique to the Costa fleet: situated in one of the most spectacular places on board, this attraction is produced from an original GP car and is the most accurate representation ever of Grand Prix driving on the world’s best racing circuits.
Another surprise in store is the ship’s Theater. This show lounge is a highly sophisticated structure which will have a surface area of 1300 m², arranged on 3 levels, with a height of about 10 meters, and seating capacity of over 800. It will feature amenities and technology setting an example for similar entertainment facilities built ashore. In particular, advanced “LED” technology will ensure a special effects capability so spectacular as to constitute, in itself, a “show within the show”.
If you’d rather see a video, there’s the Giant 18 m² Screen, with special technology which can be used for daytime projection of video clips as well as nighttime film screenings. The Big Screen is located in the central pool area, which is some 2 decks high and can be used all year round thanks to the sliding glass roof.
The Costa Luminosa is not just the ship of light and entertainment, but also sport, wellness and superb cuisine. On board you can go jogging or skating on the roller-skating track, see how invigorating it is to get some exercise with the sky above and the sea below, and then relax in Samsara Spa: a fabulous wellness center and one of the largest ever built on a cruise ship (about 3500 m²), including the spa itself with exclusive treatments, steam baths and ancient oriental rituals for the body, conveniently located cabins with direct access to the spa area and a dedicated restaurant with a special wellness menu. Also, the Costa Luminosa will be the first cruise ship in the world to have a Kinesis room by Technogym, located inside the gym, with equipment that can be used individually or in groups, specially designed to improve your state of health, fitness and muscle tone.
In the evening the à la carte Ristorante Club combines sophisticated design, attentive service and a layout common in the world’s finest restaurants, with gourmet chefs preparing dishes in the “open” kitchen visible to diners, under the supervision of Ettore Bocchia, who is Costa Cruises’ Corporate Chef, Executive Chef at the Grand Hotel Villa Serbelloni in Bellagio on Lake Como, a Michelin-Star restaurateur since 2005 and founder of the revolutionary Italian molecular cuisine.
The Costa Luminosa will be 92,700 gross tonnage and be able to carry up to 2828 Guests, accommodated in 1130 cabins, including 772 veranda cabins. This makes her the Costa Cruise fleet member with the highest percentage of private balconies, namely 68%, so Guests will be able to enjoy the superb views during the flagship’s cruises from the comfort of their own staterooms.
Costa Luminosa – Itineraries for 2009
The first vernissage cruise of the new jewel of the Costa fleet will depart from Venice on May 5, 2009. She will be going on a brand new 10-day Eastern Mediterranean itinerary, with a 2-day stopover in Istanbul and one-day calls in Bari, Olympia (Greece), Rhodes (Greece), Izmir (Turkey), Mykonos (Greece) and Athens (Greece).
This will be followed by a second vernissage cruise, again with departure from Venice on May 19.
The Costa Luminosa will then be positioned in Northern Europe with a spectacular maiden cruise leaving from the port of Rome (Civitavecchia) on June 3, and the following itinerary: Savona, Portofino and the Cinque Terre (coastal navigation), Genoa, St. Tropez (France), Barcelona (Spain), Gibraltar, Cadiz (Spain), a 2-day stopover in Lisbon (Portugal), Vigo (Spain), Le Havre (France) including trips to Paris with guided tours, Harwich (England) including trips to London with guided tours, final destination Amsterdam.
Guests on the maiden cruise will be able to witness the Costa Luminosa’s christening ceremony, which will take place in Genoa on June 5, 2009, together with the naming of the Costa Pacifica.
Summer cruises in Northern Europe
Amsterdam will be the Costa Luminosa’s homeport throughout the 2009 summer season with departures on spectacular cruises, lasting between 11 and 14 days, to the Baltic capitals (calling at Oslo, Copenhagen, Stockholm, Helsinki, St. Petersburg, Tallinn and Bornholm), the Norwegian fjords and North Cape (with stopovers at Flam, Andalsnes, Honningsvag-North Cape, Tromso, Lofoten islands, Trondheim, Hellesylt, Gerainger and Bergen).
Costa Luminosa – Facts & Figures
Cabins: total of 1130 cabins, including 52 inside the wellness area, 718 veranda cabins, 50 suites all with private balconies and 4 suites inside the spa area.
Restaurants: 4, including the private à la carte “Club Luminosa”, reservations only, and the Ristorante Samsara for Samara Spa Guests
Bars: 11, including the Cognac & Cigar Bar and the Coffee & Chocolate Bar
Swimming pools: 3, one of which with a retractable roof
Jacuzzis: 4
Sports facilities: multipurpose court
jogging track
roller-skating track
Wellness Center: Samsara spa on two levels (3500 m²) with gym, spa baths, thalassotherapy pool, treatment rooms, sauna, Turkish bath, UVA solarium, cabins and suites
Entertainment: 4D Cinema
Theater on three levels with seating capacity of 800
Casino
Disco
Dance club and piano bar
Internet Point
Library
Shopping Center
Kids’ and teens’ areas: Mondovirtuale (videogames area), Squok Club (for the youngest Guests) with children’s pool
Grand Prix driving simulator
Golf Simulator and outside Golf Area with Putting Green
Big Screen on the central pool deck
Shipyard: Fincantieri – Marghera (Venice)
Gross tonnage: 92,700
Length: 294 meters
Breadth: 32 meters
Decks: 17 (13 passenger decks)
Service speed: 21.5 knots (maximum speed: 23 knots)
Passengers: 2828 (total Guest capacity)
Crewmembers: 1050
