Costa Crociere's 13th ship, the Costa Luminosa, was delivered by Fincantieri at the Marghera shipyard near Venice. Built as the most exclusive and innovative ship in the Costa fleet, the 92,700-ton Costa Luminosa is the first in a new class of ships and is the company's flagship. It features the largest percentage of balcony cabins on a Costa ship (772 of 1,130 total). The ship is a true symbol of "Made in Italy" as construction required 3,000 workers from Fincantieri and roughly 500 related industry companies, the majority of which are Italian, for a total investment of 450 million euros.
The Costa Luminosa is the first of three new ships to be delivered by Fincantieri to the Italian company in less than one year. The 114,500-ton, 3,000-passenger Costa Pacifica is currently being completed at the Genova Sestri Ponente shipyard and will be delivered on May 29. The Costa Deliziosa, a sister ship of the Costa Luminosa, is also under construction at Marghera and will be delivered at the end of January 2010. Costa's fleet expansion plan includes two additional new ships to be delivered by 2012. These five new ships represent a 50 percent capacity increase of the Costa fleet. In 2012, the fleet will consist of 17 vessels with a total capacity of 46,400 passengers.
The Costa Luminosa is the first ship in Italy to be fitted for "cold ironing," a system allows ships berthed at a dock to receive power from shore without having to keep engines running to feed the onboard generators. The style of the interiors, designed by architect and interior designer Joseph Farcus, is inspired by the concept of light in all its forms. The Costa Luminosa features design trends featuring 20 types of marble, wood, mother-of-pearl and granite. It also features 120 Murano glass lamps and chandeliers and the use of LED lights. The ship boasts a sculpture commissioned by renowned artist Fernando Botero, entitled "Reclining Woman 2004," which will be on display in the ship's Supernova atrium. Beyond Botero, guests will find 288 original works of art and more than 4,700 reproductions throughout the ship.
The ship will have a new 4D cinema with seats that roll in tandem with action as it unfolds onscreen. Costa is also bringing Sony PlayStation onboard with PS3 consoles and the latest-generation videogames as well as on-demand PS3 games available in cabins. A roller-skating track will allow guests to try roller skating with strap-and-go Skorpion skates that attach to one's shoes. The ship features a Grand Prix race car driving simulator that represents Formula One racing. The Samsara Spa features 52 spa cabins and four suites with direct access to the spa via private elevator and stairway. The gym will also feature a Kinesis circuit by Technogym, a system based on natural movements through a patented system of pulleys for resistance training.
The ship will also feature a specialty restaurant with menus created by Ettore Bocchia, executive chef at the Michelin-star restaurant Mistral at the Grand Hotel Villa Serbelloni in Bellagio, Italy. The Costa Luminosa will be christened with the Costa Pacifica on June 5 in the Port of Genoa. This is the first time that two ships built by the same shipyard for one company and brand will be christened in the same place at the same time. Costa Cruises has applied to Guinness World Records for verification of the event, which will include an incredible overture with the exhibition of the "Frecce Tricolori" Italian national acrobatic team. For more information, visit www.costacruises.com.
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