Costa Victoria

Cruise Ship Reviews *More images and info of the "Costa Victoria"* at December 23rd - 2011:** Costa Cruises Wikipedia Shipspotting.com Flickr.com LateCruiseNews.com Youtube.com Costa Victoria The new flagship and pride of the Costa Crociere fleet, is one of the finest examples of italian style at seas. She is the ideal cruiseship to meet not only the demands of a rapidly expanding competitive international cruise industry, but to ensure a proper, competitive place for her owners well into the next century by Stefano Fermi (17/09/96) Costa Crociere The Costa group began its ship business in the 20's with freight transportation, but the business thrived in the cruise sector. In the 50s they launced their first cruises on board the "Franca Costa" to the Caribbean, and between the 50s and 80s the company operated prestigious ships like the "Carla Costa" and the "Enrico Costa". Today Costa has a fleet that include the "Costa Classica", the "Costa Riviera", the "Costa Romantica" and with the new flagship, Costa Crociere is now on the market with 8,500 berths. The Genoa based company is one of the most important cruise operator in the world and the European cruise leader with more than 298,000 passenger carried in 1995, for a market share of around 55%. The "Costa Victoria" The ship reveals her italian styling in the ship's streamlined profile and innovative architecture. The design work was performed by Gregotti Associati of Milan and Tillberg Design (responsable for about half the ship's public spaces), while the preliminary technical plans were prepared by Navis in Genoa. Tillberg Designs and Gregotti Associati worked closely so that the "Costa Victoria" is not jarring or jolting decoratively. She has 12 passenger decks, with a total passenger area of some 40,000 square metres (430,000 square feet). The general design of the ship is designed around a central atrium, the Planetarium, which begins in the main reception area and then extends upwards seven decks, reaching a crystal dome. The bow section contains another large space, an observation lounge named Concorde Plaza, which is four decks in height. Other public rooms and spaces open around two main staircase. The passenger areas begin on Nabucco Deck (deck 4), then rise to Boheme (5), Traviata (6), Manon (6a), Carmen (7), Otello (8), Tosca (9), Norma (10), Rigoletto (11), Butterfly (12) and Fidelio (13). The Upper Decks Forward the Fidelio Deck, with the Wimbledon tennis court, are viewing and sunning areas. (In the picture The Bolero Buffet) Butterfly Deck includes the wheelhouse, open-air promenades, the Teen Zone, (teenager's center) and, aft, the Panorama Tavernetta that is glass enclosed. Originally intended to be a sports bar, it is an area for lively entertainment with a capacity of 180 guests. The room is divided: a bar on one side and a dance floor on the other. Adjacent is the 75 seat Pizzeria. The pool area on Rigoletto Deck below consists of two pools: one game pool, the other for laps; there are also 4 Jacuzzis. Around the pools there are 300 sun loungers plus 300 chairs. At the aft end is the Neptuno Ice Cream and Hamburger Bar. Aft on the Rigoletto Deck is the Overture Cafe, an informal dining area. The adjoining Bolero buffet areas are all enclosed and feature full size windows. These buffet areas conveniently connect to the midship pool and lido areas. The Concorde Plaza Carmen Deck (7) incudes the Concorde Plaza, the ship's observation lounge, that runs upwards to Norma Deck. This space is the largest passenger area in the forward section and it is more than an atrium and not simply a connecting point, it is a "destination". Here the effect is of a contemporary Italian "Piazza", with a waterfall, shops, circular balconies and windows that overlook the bow section and the seas beyond. Carmen Deck Moving aft on Carmen Deck is the Capriccio Piano Bar, which is eliptical in shape and connects directly to the Monte Carlo Casino. Moving farther aft, the Casino connects to the upper level of the Festival Lounge, the ship's main showroom, but just before there is the chapel, a tradition still mantained by Costa Crociere. On the chapel opposite is the Conference Room with two adjoining meeting rooms. Traviata Deck Below, on the forward end of Traviata Deck (6) , there is the Pompei Spa that include an indoor pool, a Turkish bath, a Sauna, gym and a 400 metre jogging track. (In the picture the Orpheus Grand Bar). Moving aft are the Venus Beauty Salon and then the Planetarium. A central corridor leads to the Orpheus Grand Bar, that is the main bar on the Traviata Deck. On this deck there are also the Photo Gallery, the Horizon Boulevard, the Rock Star Disco and the Peter Pan Children's Playroom. Finally, moving farther aft there is the lower level of the 930 seat Festival Lounge, the main showroom, with two bar included (the second is on the upper level). Boheme Deck The Boheme Deck (5) includes some forward passenger cabins and then the ship's main entrance and lobby: the Planetarium. It extends upwards through seven decks (5 to 11) and it is covered at the top by a glass dome, a cupola. (In the picture the Concorde Plaza). It also reaches to the rounded glass walls on the Traviata and Carmen Decks. The largest dimension of the lobby itself with the cardroom and library is here, including a seating area and a bar so that it comes into use at times other than embrkation and disembarkation. There are four lifts in the main lobby that connects upwards till the Butterfly Deck. On the Boheme Deck are also the Minuetto Restaurant (506 seats) and the Fantasia Restaurant (594) with between the galley. Other Decks Norma, Otello and Tosca decks are devoted almost entirely to cabins, Nabucco which includes some passenger cabins, is the lowest for passengers, and includes lounges and cabins for the crew (of an especially high standard). The Turandot Deck includes the fersh food stores, the control room, tendering zones, baggage handling and additional crew cabins. Deck 2 includes food stores, hotel stores ad additional crew quarters. Finally, Deck 1 contains the main engines and auxiliaries, the main stores and the ship's laundry. Cabin Accomodation Passenger quarters onboard the "Costa Victoria" are in 964 cabins. Sixty per cent of these are outside among these there are six suites and fourteen mini-suites. All cabin offer a refrigerator bar, piped-in music, multi-channel television (with interactive functions as ordering shore excursions, seeing the menus and so on), a safe and a telephone that is directly connected by satellite to television to shoreside stations. Costa Victoria's Numbers Gross tonnage 76,000, Lenght 252 metres, Breadth 32 metres, Height 51 metres, Decks 14, Cruising speed 23 knots, Passengers cabins 964, Suites 20, Deluxe cabins 106, Outside cabins 449, Inside cabins 389.