At the Fincantieri shipyard in Monfalcone, Costa Cruises officially took delivery of Costa Venezia, the Italian company's first ship designed specifically to offer the Chinese market the best of Italy, Fincantieri said in its release.
Costa Venezia is part of an expansion plan that includes a total of 7 ships being delivered to the Costa Group by 2023, for a total investment of over 6 billion euros.
With a gross tonnage of in at 135,500 tons, 323 meters in length and a capacity for over 5,200 guests, Costa Venezia will be the biggest ship introduced by Costa to the Chinese market, where the Italian company was the first to start operating in 2006 and is currently the leader. It will offer a series of unprecedented innovations designed specifically for Chinese customers, introducing guests to Italian culture, lifestyle and excellence, starting from the interiors, which are inspired by the city of Venice.
On Costa Venezia, Chinese guests will experience the uniqueness of Venetian and Italian culture. The ship's theatre is inspired by the Venetian "La Fenice" theatre; the main atrium is reminiscent of "St. Mark's Square", while the main restaurants recall the traditional architecture of Venetian alleys and squares. Actual gondolas, made by the Squero di San Trovaso artisans, can also be found on board. Guests can also savor the delicacies of Italian cuisine, shop in the on-board shops with many famous "Made in Italy" brands and enjoy the internationally renowned Italian entertainment, with a masked ball that will recreate the magical atmosphere of the famous Carnival of Venice. They will also feel at home with a wide choice of Chinese food on offer, the Chinese-style karaoke, many parties including the "Golden Party", full of surprises and gifts to be won every ten minutes.
The Costa Venezia naming ceremony is planned for March 1 in Trieste, with a spectacular air show by “Frecce Tricolori” acrobatic team and a firework display involving the whole city. The vernissage cruise will depart from Trieste March 3, 2019, bound for Greece and Croatia. On March 8, the ship will be back in Trieste for the start of its inaugural cruise: an exceptional, 53-day trip following the tracks of Marco Polo through the Mediterranean to the Middle East, South East Asia and the Far East before docking in Tokyo. The vernissage and inaugural cruises will be the only departures available to European and American guests wishing to enjoy a vacation on the new ship. From May 18, 2019, Costa Venezia, in fact, will be dedicated exclusively to Chinese guests, offering cruises in Asia departing from Shanghai.
After Costa Venezia, the group's next ship to come into service, in October 2019, will be Costa Smeralda, the new Costa Cruises flagship and the first ship for the world market to be powered by LNG. A second ship designed exclusively for the Chinese market, a sister ship to Costa Venezia, is currently under construction by Fincantieri in Marghera and is expected to be delivered in 2020.