Costa Cruises and Fincantieri "Float Out" Costa Luminosa and Costa Pacifica Simultaneously in Italy

On June 27, Costa Cruises and Fincantieri ship builders set a record by launching (i.e. floating out) two ships on the same day – an industry first. The Costa Luminosa and Costa Pacifica, the thirteenth and fourteenth members of the Costa fleet, will both enter service next year and be inaugurated simultaneously on June 5, 2009. The 92,700-ton Costa Luminosa, which will be able to accommodate 2,828 guests, was launched at Fincantieri’s shipyard in Marghera (Venice) in the presence of the Honorable Renato Brunetta, the Italian Minister for Public Administration and Innovation. At the same time, the 114,500-ton Costa Pacifica, which will be able to accommodate 3,780 guests, was launched at Fincantieri’s Genoa-Sestri Ponente shipyard.

This simultaneous launch is an unprecedented event in the history of the cruise industry worldwide. Costa Cruises has invested over 900 million euros in the construction of the two liners, with a team of 6,000 people working on both ships. Most of this team is comprised of Fincantieri's own employees, while nearly 500 are contracted suppliers, the majority of which are Italian firms.

Photo Courtesy of Costa Cruises

Fincantieri has had a busy month with the debut of two other ships in the Carnival brand - the Holland America Eurodam and the Carnival Splendor. The Eurodam was named on July 2 in Rotterdam, and the Carnival Splendor will be named on July 10 in Dover.

The two ceremonies held to mark what is known as "the launch by floating out", observed the protocol laid down for such occasions by seafaring tradition. The yard directors invited the two Godmothers – one being a lady employed by the Sestri Ponente shipyard for the Costa Pacifica and the other being a daughter of an employee in the Marghera shipyard for the Costa Luminosa – to cut the ribbons and the bottles of Champagne duly broke against the bows. After the gradual flooding of the slipways where the two liners have taken shape over the last few months, the hulls of both vessels were transferred to the sea for the first time. In both cases, the launch ended with the welding of a coin to the base of what used to be the mainmast.

After the launch, work is set to continue for nearly a year on the fitting out and interior decoration of both liners. The Costa Luminosa is due for delivery at the end of April 2009 and the Costa Pacifica at the end of May 2009. Their naming ceremonies will mark another first for the cruise industry when the two ships are christened together on June 5, 2009 in Genoa, the city where Costa Cruises is headquartered. Also for the first time, guests booked to travel on the maiden cruise of either ship will also be able to witness the christening ceremony.

During the simultaneous launch ceremonies, the company announced that the sister ship of the Costa Luminosa, which is scheduled to enter service in spring 2010, will be named the Costa Deliziosa. The first section of this liner was built in the Ancona shipyard and subsequently towed to Marghera, where her keel will be laid on July 3. Costa's fleet expansion program includes the introduction of five new ships by 2012, all built in Italy by Fincantieri for a total investment worth 2.4 billion euros.

In addition to the Costa Pacifica, Costa Luminosa and Costa Deliziosa, two sister ships of the Costa Pacifica will enter service in spring 2011 and 2012. At that time, the Costa Cruises fleet will then be 17-strong and able to carry some 46,400 guests, representing an increase of 50% from present capacity.

Costa Luminosa
The 92,700-ton Costa Luminosa will be able to carry up to 2,828 guests. The Costa Luminosa will be Costa Cruises' most exclusive and innovative cruise ship. The many innovations include a 4-D cinema, a show lounge with spectacular special effects, a Golf Simulator featuring 37 virtual golf courses as well as an expansive outdoor area with a putting green, and a jogging and rollerblading track. The ship will also feature the cruise line's Samsara Spa, complete with a Kinesis room. The Costa Luminosa features 772 veranda cabins out of a total of 1,130, making it the Costa fleet member with the highest percentage of private balconies (68 percent).

Costa Pacifica
The 114,500-ton Costa Pacifica features a total guest capacity of 3,780 and is the sister of the current flagships Costa Concordia and Costa Serena. Along the same lines of the Costa Luminosa, facilities on board the Costa Pacifica will include the best of the latest innovations offered by Costa, including the Samsara Spa (one of the largest spas at sea boasting accommodations with direct access to the spa, a private restaurant and exclusive amenities), a Grand Prix race car driving simulator as well as a central lido extending over two decks and featuring a retractable glass magrodome, complete with a large video screen, allowing guests to enjoy "dive in" movies.