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Costa outlines €90m transformation for ‘neoRomantica’Costa outlines €90m transformation for ‘neoRomantica’

Costa Cruises selected San Giorgio del Porto shipyard in Genoa for a major restyling of its 1993-built Costa Romantica. The €90m project, set to begin in late October with completion in late January, will be a full update with the ship to emerge renamed as Costa neoRomantica.

Anne Kalosh, Editor, Seatrade Cruise News & Senior Associate Editor, Seatrade Cruise Review

August 8, 2011

2 Min Read
Credit: Seatrade Cruise News

San Giorgio del Porto, owned by Genova Industrie Navali Holding Co., will be supported by sister yard T. Mariotti for the transformation. As earlier reported, the loss of the business touched off a week of strikes at Fincantieri’s Palermo repair yard.

The extensive make-over will include the construction of new areas including a wine bar, coffee bar, show lounge bar, Samsara Spa and spa accommodations. Capacity and gross tonnage will increase.

Sweden’s Tillberg Design and London’s Syntax have been commissioned for the interior design.

The wine bar will offer 100 labels and a wide selection of cheeses from around the world, while the coffee bar will also serve sweets. The new show lounge bar will have a dance floor. Also planned are a cabaret and a nightclub.

The Samsara Spa will consist of a wellness area with gym, a thalassotherapy pool, treatment rooms, sauna and Turkish bath. There will be 50 Samsara Spa cabins and six spa suites. A restaurant for passengers in Samsara Spa accommodations is planned, too.

Costa neoRomantica will also have a club restaurant for fine dining with menus by award-winning chefs.

During the Genoa drydock, two new half-decks will be added along with 111 cabins, and 120 cabins and suites with balconies will be created. Capacity will increase from 1,697 to 1,800 passengers, while the number of cabins will go from 678 to 789 and gross tonnage will increase from 53,000 to approximately 56,000.

From late February, Costa neoRomantica will sail 11-day cruises to the Canary Islands from Savona. Next summer the ship will be positioned in Europe for new two-week itineraries.

Romantica’s sister ship, Costa Classica, is next up for refurbishment, with the work to be performed next year. A contract for the job has yet to be awarded, though both Fincantieri and T. Mariotti are expected to bid.

About the Author

Anne Kalosh

Editor, Seatrade Cruise News & Senior Associate Editor, Seatrade Cruise Review

Anne Kalosh covers global stories, reporting both breaking and in-depth news on cruising's significant people, places, ships and trends. A sought-after expert on cruising, she has moderated conferences around the world, including the high-profile State of the Industry panel at Seatrade Cruise Global. She created and led the acclaimed itinerary-planning case study for Seatrade's cruise master classes held at Cambridge and Oxford universities. She has been the cruise columnist for AFAR.com, and her freelance stories have appeared in a wide range of publications, from The New York Times to The Miami Herald.

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