Revolutionary Technology and Innovative Enhancements in Store for Costa Cruises

Posted on 15 April, 2017 by Spacejunkie2

PHOTO: Enhancements being made to a Costa Cruise ship. (photo courtesy of Costa Cruises)

As Costa Cruises continues to grow and evolve as Europe’s leading cruise line, incredible economic opportunities are created for numerous countries around the world. Known for its fine Italian cuisine, vibrant entertainment and fabulous itineraries, the line is setting the bar for innovation.

Introducing environmentally-friendly sailing

In 2019 and 2021 Costa will welcome two 180,000 ton ships featuring revolutionary Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) technology, the cleanest burning fossil fuel in the world. To be built by Meyer Turku in Finland, this multi-billion dollar project is a reflection of the cruise line’s commitment to adopting environmentally-friendly solutions.

The use of LNG to power ships will reduce exhaust emissions dramatically and propel Costa’s impressive sustainability goals. The construction of LNG ships represents monumental progress for the cruise industry as sound alternatives replace heavy fuel oil.

A genuinely Italian culinary experience

Costa’s cuisine reflects the passion and tradition of Italy. Recent culinary advancements and partnerships with popular brands including Barilla, Illy Caffé, Ferrari Spumante and Nutella, bolster the line’s dedication to providing guests with the finest Italian dining experience at sea.

Michelin-starred chef Bruno Barbieri has masterfully designed 252 gourmet dishes, created using only the finest ingredients, to be featured in the main dining rooms. Menus take guests on a gastronomic journey through 14 different regions of Italy, with new delicacies to sample each night of the voyage. Not to mention an enhanced selection of wine chosen specifically for Costa by the Italian Sommeliers Association recreates the ambiance of Italy’s historical winery culture across the fleet and pairs perfectly with the gourmet cuisine.

Costa has also become the very first in the world to produce authentic Mozzarella di Bufala onboard. At the Gourmet Mozzarella Bars across the fleet, guests observe as the cheese is made from scratch, starting with buffalo milk curd from Paestum Greek temples of Salerno, Italy, and sample while it’s still warm with cold cuts, Burrata, Stracciatella and Fior Di Latte.

Unsurpassed itineraries

Let’s face it, no cruise line knows the Med better than the cruise line that calls the Med ‘home’.

Costa’s itineraries feature once-in-a-lifetime destinations around the world at some of the most competitive prices, many of which include kids free and free onboard credit. With longer stays in port, guests enjoy each destination to the fullest and with ease. Popular destinations for Summer 2017 include the Canary Islands, the Greek Isles, Norwegian fjords, Balearic Islands and gems across the Italian Riviera.

Keep an eye out for unbeatable deals for winter 2017 sailings from Fort Lauderdale, Dominican Republic and Guadeloupe. 7 and 10 night Caribbean cruises with stops in the Antilles, Virgin Islands, Trinidad and Tobago, Honduras, Belize and more!

Costa Concordia – Four Years After The Tragedy

Posted on 11 January, 2016 by Spacejunkie2

Story by; http://www.cruisediscuss.com/

January 13 marks the fourth year of the tragedy that took the life of 32 innocent cruise passengers after the Costa Concordia sunk off the coast of Italy.

The gigantic wreck of the cruise ship that had been lying on a rock off the island of Giglio is gone now. For the past seven months, the remains of the ship have been gradually dismantled and sent for recycling in a shipyard and a few days ago the huge support to keep the ship afloat were removed.

But the image of Concordia will remain for a long time in the history of the Tuscan island and the Italian Navy. The disaster that tore thirty-two lives, injured 157 will possibly stay forever in the mind of the survivors and the families that lost their loved ones.

As for the ship’s captain – Francesco Schettino, also known as Captain Coward – he was sentenced on 11 February 2015 to 16 years in prison, however, the sentence is not yet in effect and the ‘brave’ captain is giving interviews and cashing income from world-famous magazines such as GQ.

Even today many cruise ship passengers that survived the tragedy await for compensation for property left on board and lost when the ship sunk. Money in no way can reduce the grief but it was something that the cruise line owed to the people.

“Four years later Costa Crociere has yet to compensate the huge damage ” shared Mara Parmegiani, a journalist, writer and fashion expert that was on board the Concordia during the disaster. “The legal department had assured me that by the end of 2015 I would be notified how the refund will be processed but then no one contacted me further on. Besides my case, there are other outstanding of important value, like that of a jeweler. “

The fashion expert was on board with his precious collection of vintage clothes, as part of an Ambassodor of Fashion Made in Italy display. Glamorous dresses made by the founders of high fashion – the sisters Fontana Valentino, by Antonelli to Ferré, to Gattinoni, Egon Furstenberg and Gay Mattiolo were showcased.

A huge loss,but just from an economic standpoint, which in no case comparable to the psychological and emotional hardships that still disrupt the daily life with frequent panic attacks of the survivors. Among the most moving memories was the one of the small Daiani, the five-year old child whose little body was fished out a few days later by the rescuers.

“The memory comes back constantly before my eyes, I met her just before she died, she was in the arms of her dad on the deck packed with people; she looked at me, recognized me and gave me a pat. I was initially surprised, then I pulled out a little key ring with a teddy bear filled with rhinestones and I gave it to the girl who smiled at me and kissed me. I think Iit was her last smile “, one of the survivors shared.

Newbuilds to be delivered in 2016

Posted on 8 January, 2016 by Spacejunkie2

Newbuilds to be delivered in 2016:

Finesse, AIDAprima, River Voyager, AmaViola, AmaStella, AmaDessa, America, Samatha, Princess Panhwar, Avalon Passion, Avalon Imagery II, Carnival Vista, Elbe Princesse, Origin, Emerald Belle, Koningsdam, Seven Seas Explorer , Ovation of the Seas, Harmony of the Seas, Scenic Amber, Scenic Spirit, Scenic Azure, Scenic Aura, Seabourn Encore, Dream Cruises’ unnamed ship , Grace, Joy, Mein Schiff 5, Ganges Voyager II, Amadeus Silver III, Viking Sea and Viking River Cruises’ six Longship class river cruise vessels.

AIDA Cruises

AIDAprima (3,250 – March 2016) Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (See image)
Unnamed new class ship (3,250 – Unknown: previously announced March 2016) Mitsubishi Heavy Industries
New ship design (6,600 – ) Meyer Werft
New ship design (6,600 – ) Meyer Werft

AMA Waterways
AmaViola (158 – 2016) (“Certo-class” ship) Vahali Shipyard
AmaStella (164 – 2016) (River cruises in Europe)
AmaDessa ( – 2016) (“Certo-class” ship) Gendt Shipyard
(March 2015: AmaWaterways’ Executive Vice President and Co-owner Kristin Karst has confirmed the line will build two more ships in 2017 for river cruises in Europe)

American Cruise Lines
America (185 – Early 2016) Chesapeake Shipbuilding Corp.
Queen of the Mississippi ( – 2017) Chesapeake Shipbuilding Corp.
Unnamed coastal cruise ship (170 – Spring 2017) Chesapeake Shipbuilding

APT, Travelmarvel and Maing Fong Company
Samatha (30 suites – January 2016) Shipyard in Yangon (River cruises on the Burma River in Myanmar)
Princess Panhwar (36 suite – January 2016) Shipyard in Yangon (River cruises on the Burma River in Myanmar)
Avalon Waterways
Avalon Passion (2016)
Avalon Imagery II (2016)
Avalon Myanmar (36 – September 2015)
Blue Star Line
Titanic II Project (2,435 – Delayed to 2018) CSC shipyard
Carnival Cruise Lines
Carnival Vista (3,954 – Spring 2016) Fincantieri
Unnamed Vista class ship (3,954 – March 2018) Fincantieri
Carnival Corp & Plc
March 2015: Carnival Corp & plc is ordering a total of nine cruise ships, five from Fincantieri and four from Meyer Werft. The new ships would be delivered over a four-year period between 2019 and 2022. Fincantieri will build five of the new vessels at its shipyards in Monfalcone and Marghera in Italy while Meyer Werft will construct the remaining four at both its German yard at Papenburg and its new and larger capacity Finnish yard at Turku. June 2015: it was announced that the two at Meyer Werft will be for AIDA Cruises. July 2015: the two at Meyer Turku will be for Costa Cruises.

Celebrity Cruises
Project Edge class ship (2,900 – Fall 2018) STX France (Letter of intent)
Project Edge class ship (2,900 – Early 2020) STX France (Letter of intent)
Costa Cruises Asia
Unnamed ship (4,200 – 2019) Fincantieri
Unnamed ship (4,200 – 2020) Fincantieri
Costa Cruises
New ship design (6,600 – 2019) Meyer Turku (See image below at right)
New ship design (6,600 – 2020) Meyer Turku

Croisieurope
Princesse Elbe (80 – Spring 2016) Saint-Nazaire shipyard (Paddlewheel river cruise ship)
Princesse Apsara (60 – ) (Cruises on the Mekong)
Daniele (24 – ) (Barge)
Deborah (24 – ) (Barge)
Crystal Cruises
New Crystal Exclusive class ship (1,000 – 2018) Lloyd Werft (Letter of Intent) (See image at left)
New Crystal Exclusive class ship (1,000 – ) Lloyd Werft (Letter of Intent)
New Crystal Exclusive class ship (1,000 – ) Lloyd Werft (Letter of Intent)
Crystal River Cruises
Crystal Bach (110 – March 2017) Lloyd Werft (See image at right)
Crystal Mahler (110 – March 2017) Lloyd Werft
Crystal Ravel (84 – March 2017) Lloyd Werft
Crystal Debussy (84 suites – March 2017) Lloyd Werft
Dream Cruises – Genting Hong Kong
(November 2015: Genting Hong Kong announced the launch of Dream Cruises with the two new ships under construction at Meyer Werft for Star Cruises)
Unnamed ship (3,364 – October 2016) Meyer Werft
Unnamed ship (1,682 cabins – Fall 2017) Meyer Werft
Ecoventura
Origin (20 – January 2016) Shipyard in Guayaquil, Ecuador
Emerald Waterways
Emerald Belle (182 – Early 2016) (Den Breejen Shipyard)
Unnamed sister ship (182 – 2017)
Unnamed sister ship (182 – 2017)
Unnamed sister ship (182 – 2017)
European Waterwayas
Finesse (8 – May 2016) Hotel barge

Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts
Four Seasons Ocean Residence (48,600 grt – ) Kvaerner Masa (Aker Yards) (Conditional contract)
General Maritime Transportation Company (GNMTC)
Unnamed ship (1,739 – December 2012) STX Europe St Nazaire
(June 2011: STX France has rescinded the contract and is looking for a new buyer. March 2012: sold to MSC Cruises)

Holland America Line
Koningsdam (“Pinnacle” class ship) (2,650 – March 2016) Fincantieri (See image)
Second “Pinnacle” class ship (2,650 – November 2018) Fincantieri
Knud E Hansen (Naval architects)
New green-design expedition ship (300 – )(See image)
Lindblad Expeditions
Unnamed coastal vessel (100 – Second quarter of 2017) Nichols Brothers Boat Builders
Unnamed coastal vessel (100 – Second quarter of 2018) Nichols Brothers Boat Builders
Lüftner Cruises – Amras Cruises – Amadeus Cruises
Amadeus Silver III (168 – 2016) De Hoop, Holland
MSC Cruises
MSC Meraviglia (4,500 – May 2017) (Vista project ship ) STX France
MSC Meraviglia sister ship (4,500 – 2019) (Vista project ship ) STX France (See image at right)
(MSC Cruises has options for two further Vista project ships to be delivered by 2022)
MSC Seaside (5,300 – November 2017) Fincantieri
Second Seaside class ship (5,300 – May 2018) Fincantieri
(See image below)

Norwegian Cruise Line
Norwegian Bliss (4,200 – Spring 2017) Meyer Werft
Breakaway-Plus class cruise ship (4,200 – Spring 2018) Meyer Werft
Breakaway-Plus class cruise ship (4,200 – Autumn 2019) Meyer Werft
OVDS – Hurtigruten – Norwegian Coastal Voyage
Fram’s sister ship (2008) Fincantieri (Option to be confirmed)
Peace Boat
New Ecoship (1,700 – 2020) (Subject to financing by donations or investors) (See image at right)
Pearl Seas Cruises
Unnamed sister ship of the Pearl Mist (214 -) (Originally the ship would be built at the Irving Shipbuilding, in Halifax, Nova Scotia but in March 2008 Pearl Seas decided to built the second ship in a different shipyard)
P&O Cruises Australia
Unnamed ship (2,400 – 2019/2020) Fincantieri
Polar Cruise Enterprises
Ursus Maritimus – Ice breaking cruise liner (240 – ) Rauma yard of STX Finland
Princess Cruises
Majestic Princess (3,560 – Summer 2017) Fincantieri
Fourth “Royal Princess” class vessel (3,560 – 2019 / 2020) Fincantieri
Residential Cruise Line Ltd.
Magellan (residential cruise ship) – Aker Yards (Memorandum of Understanding)
Riva Waterways – Evergreen Tours
Riva Royale (180 – April 2014) Shipyard De Hoop (River ship)
Riva Princess (180 – April 2014) Shipyard De Hoop (River ship)
Regent Seven Seas Cruises
Seven Seas Explorer (738 – Summer 2016) Fincantieri Sestri Ponente (See image at right)
Royal Caribbean International
Ovation of the Seas (4,100 – Mid 2016) Meyer Werf
Harmony of the Seas (5,400 – Mid 2016) STX France
Third ship of the Oasis class (5,400 – Mid 2018) STX France
Fourth Quantum-class ship (4,100 – Spring 2019) Meyer Werf
Fifth Quantum-class ship (4,100 – Fall 2020) Meyer Werf
Saga Shipping – Saga Cruises

Unnamed new class ship (540 suites and cabins – 2019) Meyer Werft (There is an option for a second ship with delivery in 2021) (See image at left)

Scenic – Luxury Cruises & Tours
Scenic Amber (169 – March 2016) River ‘Space-Ships’ class (Den Breejen shipyard)
Scenic Spirit (68 – January 2016) Cruises on the Mekong River in Asia
Scenic Azure (48 cabins – March / April 2016) (Portugal’s Douro River cruises)
Scenic Aura (24 balcony suites – September 2016) (Myanmar’s Irrawaddy River cruises)
Seabourn Cruises
Seabourn Encore (604 – Second half of 2016) Fincantieri (See image)
Seabourn Ovation (604 – Spring 2018) Fincantieri (See image)
Sea Cloud Cruises
Sea Cloud Hussar (136 – November 2010) Factoria Naval de Marin, Spain (She is a three-mast sailing vessel)
Silversea Cruises
Silver Muse (596 – April 2017) Fincantieri
Unnamed vessel (-) Fincantieri
Unnamed vessel (-) Fincantieri
(October 2014: Shanghai-based ICBC Leasing announced that it had signed with Monte Carlo-based Silversea Cruises for the financing of three cruise ships to be built by Fincantieri in Italy)

Star Clippers
New five-masted sailing vessel (300 – Late 2017) (Brodosplit shipyard in Split, Croatia) (See image at right)
Sunstone Ships
Project Unlimited (240 – ) (Expedition ship) Meyer Werft (Letter of intent)(See image)
Tauck – Scylla AG
Grace (Inspiration Class ship) (130 – 2016) (See image at left))
Joy (Inspiration Class ship) (130 – 2016)
TUI Cruises
Mein Schiff 5 (2500 – 2016) Meyer Turku(See image sister ship Mein Schiff 3)
Mein Schiff 6 (2500 – 2017) Meyer Turku
Mein Schiff 7 (2500 – 2018) Meyer Turku Oy
Mein Schiff 8 (2500 – 2019) Meyer Turku Oy
Uniworld River Cruises
Ganges Voyager II (56 – January 2016) (Ganges River Cruises. Haimark Travel is building the ship for Uniworld)
Unknown cruise operator
New Expedition Vessel for Extreme Conditions (60 – December 2014) Kleven Maritime AS (Norway)
Utopia Residences
Utopia – private residential vessel (105,000 ton – ) (June 2011: the letter of intent for the Utopia is expected to become a firm contract) Samsung Heavy Industries
Vantage Deluxe World Travel
River Voyager (176 – March 2016)
(Ship for European river cruises)

Victoria Cruises
Victoria Emperor (Over 200 – planning stage) (River cruises in China)
Viking Ocean Cruises
Viking Sky (944 – February 2017) Fincantieri (See image sister ship Viking Star – Photo Neven Jerkovic at Shipspotting.com)
Viking Sea (944 – Mid 2016) Fincantieri
New luxury ocean ship (944 – Early 2017) Fincantieri
New luxury ocean ship (944 – Mid 2018) Fincantieri
New luxury ocean ship (944 – End 2020) Fincantieri
Viking River Cruises
October 2014: Viking has placed an order for six Longship class river cruise vessels with Neptun Werft in Rostock. The now ordered ships will be delivered in the Spring of 2016.

Virgin Cruises
Unnamed new class ship (2,800 – 2020) Fincantieri
Unnamed new class ship (2,800 – 2021) Fincantieri
Unnamed new class ship (2,800 – 2022) Fincantieri

Xiamen International Cruise Co Ltd
China Xiamen (2,000 – planning for October 2018) Xiamen Shipbuilding Industry
(August 2015: Cruise Industry News has reported that Xiamen Shipbuilding has dropped plans to build the ship)