The Costa Luminosa and Costa Pacifica – Costa Cruises’ two new ships, which will be christened together at an extraordinary event to be staged in Genoa on June 5, 2009 – are now online, each with her own totally dedicated website.
The two ships, the 13th and 14th Costa fleet members, both built by Fincantieri for a total investment of about 900 million euros, are currently being fitted out in Marghera (Venice) and Genoa-Sestri Ponente.
But web surfers can already have a sneak preview of the new ships at www.luminosa.costacruise.com and www.pacifica.costacruise.com.
This way, people can savor the atmosphere on these two jewels of the fleet, which combine the very best of the Costa Cruises product: the Costa Luminosa, the ship of light at the cutting edge of the fleet, and the Costa Pacifica, the ship of music.
Thanks to pictures and videos, www.luminosa.costacruise.com will provide visitors online with a preview of the trendsetting design, superior materials (fine marble, timbers, mother of pearl and Murano glass chandeliers), and stunning light and color effects on the Costa Luminosa. Plus the superb works of art, the highlight being the monumental sculpture “Donna Sdraiata 2004” (Reclining woman 2004) by Fernando Botero. The website will feature all the exclusive amenities available on board: 4D cinema, rollerskate track, golf simulator, Playstation World, and the Samsara Spa with the Kinesis room.
Meanwhile, on www.pacifica.costacruise.com you will be able to sample “the new form of music”, constituting an integral part of the cruise experience on board the Costa Pacifica and personalizing the various public spaces on the ship, with the chance to listen to the 29 pieces forming the exclusive compilation specially arranged by composer Mauro Pagani, which will become the “sound track” to the vacation. “Virtual tour” of all the areas on the ship will be included soon in the website.
On the websites of the Costa Luminosa and Costa Pacifica, people will also be able to leaf through both ships’ brochures, which have already been distributed to travel agencies. The promotional items linked to the arrival of the two new vessels include a special gift box, reserved for the Company’s main partners, with a reproduction of Fernando Botero’s “Donna Sdraiata 2004”, a CD containing six tracks from the sound track of the Costa Pacifica and the two brochures.
“The creation of the dedicated websites for the Costa Luminosa and Costa Pacifica, where the message and the means of expression are based on the innovative use of images, video and music, confirms Costa Cruises’ pioneering strategy with regard to the Internet and new technologies,” commented Costa Cruises Corporate eBusiness & Direct Sales Director Daniele Mancini. “This type of language, which is dynamic and progressive, linked above all to the spread of broadband access, is a common feature of all the Company’s web-based communication. For example, on the homepage at www.costacrociere.it you can already see the latest commercial, part of the new advertising campaign which will be broadcast on Italy’s national TV networks in coming weeks.”
The two mini-sites for the Costa Luminosa and Costa Pacifica – constituting the first step in the major campaign of communication ahead of the extraordinary joint christening of the two vessels – are part of a wide range of initiatives online, whereby Costa Cruises puts the focus on the Customer, enabling them to get “virtual” experience of the sights and sounds of the cruise vacation before they come on board. The most recent web-based projects include Costa Web TV, blogs, You Tube channels, video FAQs and www.worldofcosta.com, the new virtual piazza where past and future cruisers can share their experiences and dreams; in just over two months this website has clocked up around 30,000 visitors and posted 1000 individual experiences with photos as well as 500 “cruise dreams”.
