The flagship Costa Luminosa is the 13th cruise ship to join the fleet of Costa Cruises. At 92,600dwt, the Costa Luminosa can carry up to 2,826 guests, accommodated in 1,130 cabins, and has the highest percentage of private balconies (68%) among the Costa fleet. Built by Fincantieri at the Marghera shipyard in Venice, the Costa Luminosa was delivered in late April 2009 and entered service in May 2009.
With its interiors designed by Joseph Farcus, the Costa Luminosa features mother-of-pearl, ebony, noble hardwood and mosaic fittings. The ship has 20 different kinds of marble, 3,100m of LED lights, and 120 Murano glass chandeliers.
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The cruise ship was christened on 5 June 2009 in Genoa along with the Costa Pacifica, part of the Concordia-class of ships. It was the first time in Italian seafaring history that two cruise ships were christened at the same place.
Costa Luminosa construction and design
The construction of Costa Luminosa commenced in October 2007. It floated out of the drydock in June 2008 and began sea trials in March 2009.
The overall length of the vessel is 294m and its breadth is 32m. The length between perpendiculars is 265.3m.
Innovations
The Costa Luminosa carries many innovative features and attractions. The ship offers dedicated areas with PlayStation consoles and the latest generation videogames. It also features PlayStation-themed nights, using a big screen on the main lido deck.
It is also the first cruise ship in the world to have a Kinesis circuit, designed by the gym equipment manufacturer Technogym.
The ship also has innovations in environmental compliance and protection. It is equipped for ‘cold ironing’, in which vessels utilise shore-side electrical power, removing the need for generators during port stopovers. It is the first ship in Italy to be equipped with this system.
The vessel also has desalination plants to produce water, manage waste separation, and recycle aluminium, glass and other waste streams.
Entertainment
The Costa Luminosa carries a number of entertainment facilities. These include a 20-seat 4D Cinema, a theatre with 800 seats, casino, and shopping centre. The show lounge of the theatre is arranged on three levels over a surface area of 1,300m². The theatre is equipped with advanced LED technology, including 14,000 LED lights for special effects.
The central pool area has an 18m² screen that can be used for video projections during the day and film screenings at night. A sliding glass roof allows the screen to be used throughout the year.
The ship offers numerous sports facilities such as a multipurpose court that can be used for football, volleyball and tennis, along with separate jogging and roller-skating tracks. The Samsara Spa features a 3,500m² Wellness Centre on two decks, with a gym, Thalasso pool, treatment rooms, sauna and steam room, UVA-ray solarium, cabins and suites.
Expansion plan
The Costa Luminosa was ordered along with the Costa Pacifica as part of the group’s fleet expansion plan. Costa has planned investment of $2.4bn to increase its fleet by five ships by 2012.
