PRINTCOSTA FASCINOSA, THE LARGEST ITALIAN-FLAGGED CRUISE SHIP, ENTERS SERVICE IN VENICE.
05 May 2012
An investment worth 510 million euros, 500 Italian suppliers, 10,000 workers.
The Costa Fascinosa and all the other ships in the fleet raise the already high safety standards by introducing 7 new initiatives.
The Costa Fascinosa makes her debut just two months after the delivery of the Costa neoRomantica and will be followed, in October 2014, by a new 132,500 gross tonnage Costa ship, also to be built in Marghera.
Since 1990 Costa Cruises has invested 5.8 billion euros in fleet expansion and renewal carried out in Italian shipyards.
On the occasion of the delivery, Costa Cruises presented its itineraries for 2013.
Genoa – May 5, 2012 – The Costa Fascinosa (114,500 gross tonnage and 3,800 total Guests), the new flagship of the fleet of Costa Cruises, the largest Italian travel group and Europe’s number 1 cruise company, has been delivered to Costa by Fincantieri in Venice. Officially handed over by the builder earlier today at the Venice Passenger Terminal, together with her sister ship Costa Favolosa, she is the largest Italian-flagged cruise ship afloat.
The delivery ceremony was attended by Italy’s Minister of Tourism Piero Gnudi and his daughter Elsa was the godmother of the new flagship. Costa Cruises and Fincantieri have made a joint donation to the Papa Giovanni XXIII Community by Father Oreste Benzi, for the “Rainbow Project”, which offers help to children in need worldwide and is supported by Elsa Gnudi.
The total investment made by Costa Cruises for the Costa Fascinosa (www.costacruise.com/fascinosa) is worth 510 million euros. The construction of the ship in Fincantieri’s Marghera shipyard involved the labor of around 3,000 yard workers plus a further 7,000 people employed by about 500 contracted suppliers, most of which are Italian firms.
Since 1990 Costa Cruises has invested 5.8 billion euros in work at Italy’s Fincantieri, T. Mariotti and San Giorgio del Porto shipyards, with a total of 14 ships built or on order, in addition to the refurbishment of other fleet members already in service. The handover of the Costa Fascinosa takes places about two months after the delivery of the Costa neoRomantica, the result of the 90 million euro radical refurbishment of the Costa Romantica carried out at the San Giorgio del Porto shipyard in Genoa. After the Costa Fascinosa, the Costa Cruises fleet expansion program will continue, again at Fincantieri’s Marghera yard, with the construction of a new 132,500-tonner due for delivery in October 2014 and accommodating up to 4,928 Guests, thus making her the largest Italian cruise ship.
“The delivery of the Costa Fascinosa is an important stepping stone on our Company’s road to recovery. It is confirmation that the long-term fundamentals of our business remain strong, since it’s an investment worth over 500 million euros, which comes just two months after the 90 million euro revamp of the Costa neoRomantica. After the recent incident, despite the economic downturn and the impact on consumption, Costa has bounced back and booking volumes are back to the same levels recorded this time last year, ahead of our own expectations. Our share of the market in the main countries where we operate has not been affected: we were, are and will remain number 1 in Europe. This is thanks to the quality of our product, the strength of our brand, which comes with a guarantee of over 60 years of experience, and our unfailing customer loyalty. We will continue to work for our customers, offering them even better and safer cruises on fantastic ships like the Costa Fascinosa,” commented Costa Crociere S.p.A Chairman & CEO Pier Luigi Foschi.
“Costa Fascinosa is the living proof of the progress and the results achieved by two great Italian industries jointly contributing to spread a positive image of Made in Italy around the world despite the difficulties” said Giuseppe Bono, CEO of Fincantieri. “We are most pleased to have contributed to the success of Costa, an Italian company which proudly flies the Italian flag and which has grown to become the leader in its sector in Europe, step-in-step with Fincantieri as we strengthened our leadership.Cooperation between our companies shows that the Italian industry is able to build network and reach unrivalled levels of quality. This is the only way to ensure future for such strategic sectors as shipbuilding and tourism”.
The Costa Fascinosa and all the other Costa fleet members will raise the already high safety standards by introducing 7 new safety initiatives that the Company announced at the ceremony marking delivery of the new flagship: strengthening Guest emergency training procedures beyond regulatory requirements; strengthening invitation procedure for Guests who missed emergency and safety on-board training; new section “Noi per Voi" (“Here for You”) on Costa Cruises’ website to give even more transparency to safety procedures on board; launch of the new real-time route-monitoring system “High Tech Safety Monitoring System" (HT-SMS); officers training on the new bridge-management model; formal sharing of the ship navigation plan; strengthening policies that regulate access to the bridge.
The Costa Fascinosa sets sail from Venice on her vernissage cruise on May 6, bound for Slovenia, Trieste and Croatia, and will be hosting the 19th edition of the “Champions of the Sea”, an annual event celebrating the best Travel Agents partnering Costa Cruises worldwide. Then, on May 11, the latest addition to the fleet will depart from Venice once again, this time on her inaugural cruise – a 10-day itinerary taking in Greece, Israel and Turkey. For the rest of the 2012 summer season, until the end of November, the Costa Fascinosa will be operating on 7-day cruises from Venice and Bari to Greece and Croatia. In winter 2012/13 the flagship will be in South America on cruises in Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay, while in summer 2013 she will be back in the Eastern Mediterranean on 1-week vacations to Greece and Turkey with departures from Venice and Bari.
On the occasion of the delivery of the new flagship, Costa Cruises also presented its itineraries for 2013, with more than 600 cruises all over the world, already available for booking.
Costa Fascinosa – A “green” ship awarded RINA’s “Green Plus”
Costa Cruises’ new flagship is a state-of-the-art cruise vessel also with regard to environmental compliance, which has always been a Costa hallmark. Recognition of her excellence in this respect has come in the form of the “Green Plus”, the highest additional notation awarded by RINA (Italian Shipping Register) to ships that are environmentally compliant. The Green Plus is a voluntary notation certifying compliance with environmental protection standards that are far stricter than the provisions of the international MARPOL Convention.
Like her sister ship Costa Favolosa, the Costa Luminosa and the Costa Deliziosa, the Italian Company’s new flagship is equipped for “cold ironing”, namely a system whereby the ship is plugged into shoreside electrical power, enabling generators to be shut down during stopovers in port. On board the Costa Fascinosa there is also 100% waste separation with recycling of aluminum, glass and other waste, as well as production of water from desalination plants, and a range of energy-saving measures.
Costa Fascinosa – “Come and join the show”
The Costa Fascinosa has been designed to act as a tribute to all things that exude charm; the ship takes center stage and you are invited to “come and join the show”. Each Guest feels like they play a lead role on board the new flagship, starring in a superb vacation movie that provides great entertainment, fun and relaxation for the whole family.
The central theme for the interiors conceived by the ingenious architect Joseph Farcus, the “father” of the modern “fun ships”, is a tribute to people and places synonymous with allure and seduction. The inspiration for the design of the public rooms was the atmosphere inspired by classic cinema, movie stars and famous stage plays.
The aft lido dedicated to the classic movie Gone With the Wind comprises some 1000 m2 devoted to relaxation and entertainment, with raised whirlpool tubs overlooking the sea, waterfalls and other attractions. Meanwhile, the al fresco “Blue Moon” lido has a sliding glass roof allowing Guests to gaze at the sky by day and by night all year round. This area also has a giant 18 m2 movie screen showing films and videos.
In the Playground, the “Nuovomondo” 4D Cinema is a guaranteed crowd pleaser for children and adults, video gamers will head for the dedicated virtual reality area, while web surfers can stay networked at the Internet Point. The Costa Fascinosa will actually herself be a floating Internet Point with bow-to-stern broadband guaranteeing connectivity for laptops, tablets and mobile phones, thanks to the Wi-Fi service available throughout the public areas and in every stateroom. The entertainment on the Costa Fascinosa also includes a totally authentic Grand Prix Simulator on the highest deck of the ship and a super hi-tech professional golf simulator.
The little ones will simply love the open-air Acqua Park water park playground with its own pirate galleon, castle and Waterslide.
Guests will be able to see superb shows in the “Bel Ami” show lounge, socialize in any one of 13 bars, including the coffee&chocolate bar offering treats from one of Italy’s most famous chocolate makers Andrea Slitti, strut their stuff in the “Babylon” Disco, check out the live music in the “Blue Velvet” piano bar or try their luck at “The Millionaire” Casino.
Another “cult” offering on board the Costa Fascinosa is her food & wine excellence, featuring the finest Italian and international cuisine: you can treat yourself to a culinary experience at any of 5 different restaurants.
“Timeless appeal” is an apt description of the Fascinosa’s art collection: on board, the permanent display features specially commissioned original works and copies by contemporary artists – such as Sophia Vari, Mimmo Paladino, Giulio Paolini, Casagrande&Recalcati and Annalisa Pirovano – whose starting point was the concept of “appeal” and in particular the world of the movies, focusing on stories and personalities that have become global icons and cult figures.
Costa’s most appealing ship also offers for lovers of wellness the exclusive “Samsara Spa”, one of the largest purpose-built wellness centers ever built on a cruise ship, extending over 6,000 m2, and offering a range of exclusive services and treatments. For Guests wishing to fully immerse themselves in a wellness cruise, the facility includes Samsara staterooms and suites with direct Spa access, including 6 new veranda suites with their own jacuzzis. The gym on the Costa Fascinosa is equipped with the latest Technogym machinery incorporating the “Visioweb” digital platform providing access to the Internet, TV and iPods. The Samsara experience also extends to the dining table with a wellness restaurant serving light tasty dishes.
Costa Cruises is Europe’s no. 1 cruise company (www.costacruise.com). For over 60 years its ships have plied the seas of the world, offering the best in Italian style, hospitality and cuisine and providing dream holidays with the utmost in terms of fun and relaxation. Its fleet has a total of 15 ships in service; a new ship has been ordered from Fincantieri and will be delivered in October 2014. Costa Cruises has been certified by RINA (Italian Shipping Register) with the BEST4, an integrated system of voluntary certification of corporate compliance with the highest standards governing social accountability (SA 8000, issued in 2008, thanks to the first voluntary pilot program in the maritime industry), environment (UNI EN ISO 14001, 2004), safety (OHSAS 18001, 2007) and quality (UNI EN ISO 9001, 2008) (www.costacruise.com/Best4). All the ships in the Costa fleet have been assigned RINA’s Green Star notation certifying that they are operated in compliance with the highest environmental protection standards. With revenues of 3.1 billion euros and 2.3 million total Guests in 2011, Costa Crociere S.p.A. is the largest Italian travel group and comprises the brands Costa Cruises, AIDA Cruises and Iberocruceros. Costa Crociere S.p.A. is a member of Carnival Corporation & plc (NYSE/LSE: CCL; NYSE: CUK), the world’s largest cruise operator.
The Costa Fascinosa and all the other ships in the fleet raise the already high safety standards by introducing 7 new initiatives.
The Costa Fascinosa makes her debut just two months after the delivery of the Costa neoRomantica and will be followed, in October 2014, by a new 132,500 gross tonnage Costa ship, also to be built in Marghera.
Since 1990 Costa Cruises has invested 5.8 billion euros in fleet expansion and renewal carried out in Italian shipyards.
On the occasion of the delivery, Costa Cruises presented its itineraries for 2013.
Genoa – May 5, 2012 – The Costa Fascinosa (114,500 gross tonnage and 3,800 total Guests), the new flagship of the fleet of Costa Cruises, the largest Italian travel group and Europe’s number 1 cruise company, has been delivered to Costa by Fincantieri in Venice. Officially handed over by the builder earlier today at the Venice Passenger Terminal, together with her sister ship Costa Favolosa, she is the largest Italian-flagged cruise ship afloat.
The delivery ceremony was attended by Italy’s Minister of Tourism Piero Gnudi and his daughter Elsa was the godmother of the new flagship. Costa Cruises and Fincantieri have made a joint donation to the Papa Giovanni XXIII Community by Father Oreste Benzi, for the “Rainbow Project”, which offers help to children in need worldwide and is supported by Elsa Gnudi.
The total investment made by Costa Cruises for the Costa Fascinosa (www.costacruise.com/fascinosa) is worth 510 million euros. The construction of the ship in Fincantieri’s Marghera shipyard involved the labor of around 3,000 yard workers plus a further 7,000 people employed by about 500 contracted suppliers, most of which are Italian firms.
Since 1990 Costa Cruises has invested 5.8 billion euros in work at Italy’s Fincantieri, T. Mariotti and San Giorgio del Porto shipyards, with a total of 14 ships built or on order, in addition to the refurbishment of other fleet members already in service. The handover of the Costa Fascinosa takes places about two months after the delivery of the Costa neoRomantica, the result of the 90 million euro radical refurbishment of the Costa Romantica carried out at the San Giorgio del Porto shipyard in Genoa. After the Costa Fascinosa, the Costa Cruises fleet expansion program will continue, again at Fincantieri’s Marghera yard, with the construction of a new 132,500-tonner due for delivery in October 2014 and accommodating up to 4,928 Guests, thus making her the largest Italian cruise ship.
“The delivery of the Costa Fascinosa is an important stepping stone on our Company’s road to recovery. It is confirmation that the long-term fundamentals of our business remain strong, since it’s an investment worth over 500 million euros, which comes just two months after the 90 million euro revamp of the Costa neoRomantica. After the recent incident, despite the economic downturn and the impact on consumption, Costa has bounced back and booking volumes are back to the same levels recorded this time last year, ahead of our own expectations. Our share of the market in the main countries where we operate has not been affected: we were, are and will remain number 1 in Europe. This is thanks to the quality of our product, the strength of our brand, which comes with a guarantee of over 60 years of experience, and our unfailing customer loyalty. We will continue to work for our customers, offering them even better and safer cruises on fantastic ships like the Costa Fascinosa,” commented Costa Crociere S.p.A Chairman & CEO Pier Luigi Foschi.
“Costa Fascinosa is the living proof of the progress and the results achieved by two great Italian industries jointly contributing to spread a positive image of Made in Italy around the world despite the difficulties” said Giuseppe Bono, CEO of Fincantieri. “We are most pleased to have contributed to the success of Costa, an Italian company which proudly flies the Italian flag and which has grown to become the leader in its sector in Europe, step-in-step with Fincantieri as we strengthened our leadership.Cooperation between our companies shows that the Italian industry is able to build network and reach unrivalled levels of quality. This is the only way to ensure future for such strategic sectors as shipbuilding and tourism”.
The Costa Fascinosa and all the other Costa fleet members will raise the already high safety standards by introducing 7 new safety initiatives that the Company announced at the ceremony marking delivery of the new flagship: strengthening Guest emergency training procedures beyond regulatory requirements; strengthening invitation procedure for Guests who missed emergency and safety on-board training; new section “Noi per Voi" (“Here for You”) on Costa Cruises’ website to give even more transparency to safety procedures on board; launch of the new real-time route-monitoring system “High Tech Safety Monitoring System" (HT-SMS); officers training on the new bridge-management model; formal sharing of the ship navigation plan; strengthening policies that regulate access to the bridge.
The Costa Fascinosa sets sail from Venice on her vernissage cruise on May 6, bound for Slovenia, Trieste and Croatia, and will be hosting the 19th edition of the “Champions of the Sea”, an annual event celebrating the best Travel Agents partnering Costa Cruises worldwide. Then, on May 11, the latest addition to the fleet will depart from Venice once again, this time on her inaugural cruise – a 10-day itinerary taking in Greece, Israel and Turkey. For the rest of the 2012 summer season, until the end of November, the Costa Fascinosa will be operating on 7-day cruises from Venice and Bari to Greece and Croatia. In winter 2012/13 the flagship will be in South America on cruises in Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay, while in summer 2013 she will be back in the Eastern Mediterranean on 1-week vacations to Greece and Turkey with departures from Venice and Bari.
On the occasion of the delivery of the new flagship, Costa Cruises also presented its itineraries for 2013, with more than 600 cruises all over the world, already available for booking.
Costa Fascinosa – A “green” ship awarded RINA’s “Green Plus”
Costa Cruises’ new flagship is a state-of-the-art cruise vessel also with regard to environmental compliance, which has always been a Costa hallmark. Recognition of her excellence in this respect has come in the form of the “Green Plus”, the highest additional notation awarded by RINA (Italian Shipping Register) to ships that are environmentally compliant. The Green Plus is a voluntary notation certifying compliance with environmental protection standards that are far stricter than the provisions of the international MARPOL Convention.
Like her sister ship Costa Favolosa, the Costa Luminosa and the Costa Deliziosa, the Italian Company’s new flagship is equipped for “cold ironing”, namely a system whereby the ship is plugged into shoreside electrical power, enabling generators to be shut down during stopovers in port. On board the Costa Fascinosa there is also 100% waste separation with recycling of aluminum, glass and other waste, as well as production of water from desalination plants, and a range of energy-saving measures.
Costa Fascinosa – “Come and join the show”
The Costa Fascinosa has been designed to act as a tribute to all things that exude charm; the ship takes center stage and you are invited to “come and join the show”. Each Guest feels like they play a lead role on board the new flagship, starring in a superb vacation movie that provides great entertainment, fun and relaxation for the whole family.
The central theme for the interiors conceived by the ingenious architect Joseph Farcus, the “father” of the modern “fun ships”, is a tribute to people and places synonymous with allure and seduction. The inspiration for the design of the public rooms was the atmosphere inspired by classic cinema, movie stars and famous stage plays.
The aft lido dedicated to the classic movie Gone With the Wind comprises some 1000 m2 devoted to relaxation and entertainment, with raised whirlpool tubs overlooking the sea, waterfalls and other attractions. Meanwhile, the al fresco “Blue Moon” lido has a sliding glass roof allowing Guests to gaze at the sky by day and by night all year round. This area also has a giant 18 m2 movie screen showing films and videos.
In the Playground, the “Nuovomondo” 4D Cinema is a guaranteed crowd pleaser for children and adults, video gamers will head for the dedicated virtual reality area, while web surfers can stay networked at the Internet Point. The Costa Fascinosa will actually herself be a floating Internet Point with bow-to-stern broadband guaranteeing connectivity for laptops, tablets and mobile phones, thanks to the Wi-Fi service available throughout the public areas and in every stateroom. The entertainment on the Costa Fascinosa also includes a totally authentic Grand Prix Simulator on the highest deck of the ship and a super hi-tech professional golf simulator.
The little ones will simply love the open-air Acqua Park water park playground with its own pirate galleon, castle and Waterslide.
Guests will be able to see superb shows in the “Bel Ami” show lounge, socialize in any one of 13 bars, including the coffee&chocolate bar offering treats from one of Italy’s most famous chocolate makers Andrea Slitti, strut their stuff in the “Babylon” Disco, check out the live music in the “Blue Velvet” piano bar or try their luck at “The Millionaire” Casino.
Another “cult” offering on board the Costa Fascinosa is her food & wine excellence, featuring the finest Italian and international cuisine: you can treat yourself to a culinary experience at any of 5 different restaurants.
“Timeless appeal” is an apt description of the Fascinosa’s art collection: on board, the permanent display features specially commissioned original works and copies by contemporary artists – such as Sophia Vari, Mimmo Paladino, Giulio Paolini, Casagrande&Recalcati and Annalisa Pirovano – whose starting point was the concept of “appeal” and in particular the world of the movies, focusing on stories and personalities that have become global icons and cult figures.
Costa’s most appealing ship also offers for lovers of wellness the exclusive “Samsara Spa”, one of the largest purpose-built wellness centers ever built on a cruise ship, extending over 6,000 m2, and offering a range of exclusive services and treatments. For Guests wishing to fully immerse themselves in a wellness cruise, the facility includes Samsara staterooms and suites with direct Spa access, including 6 new veranda suites with their own jacuzzis. The gym on the Costa Fascinosa is equipped with the latest Technogym machinery incorporating the “Visioweb” digital platform providing access to the Internet, TV and iPods. The Samsara experience also extends to the dining table with a wellness restaurant serving light tasty dishes.
Costa Cruises is Europe’s no. 1 cruise company (www.costacruise.com). For over 60 years its ships have plied the seas of the world, offering the best in Italian style, hospitality and cuisine and providing dream holidays with the utmost in terms of fun and relaxation. Its fleet has a total of 15 ships in service; a new ship has been ordered from Fincantieri and will be delivered in October 2014. Costa Cruises has been certified by RINA (Italian Shipping Register) with the BEST4, an integrated system of voluntary certification of corporate compliance with the highest standards governing social accountability (SA 8000, issued in 2008, thanks to the first voluntary pilot program in the maritime industry), environment (UNI EN ISO 14001, 2004), safety (OHSAS 18001, 2007) and quality (UNI EN ISO 9001, 2008) (www.costacruise.com/Best4). All the ships in the Costa fleet have been assigned RINA’s Green Star notation certifying that they are operated in compliance with the highest environmental protection standards. With revenues of 3.1 billion euros and 2.3 million total Guests in 2011, Costa Crociere S.p.A. is the largest Italian travel group and comprises the brands Costa Cruises, AIDA Cruises and Iberocruceros. Costa Crociere S.p.A. is a member of Carnival Corporation & plc (NYSE/LSE: CCL; NYSE: CUK), the world’s largest cruise operator.