Costa Cruises: New ‘Firenze’ Ship to Sail in the Mediterranean in 2021

Costa Cruises, a part of Carnival Corporation & plc, recently took delivery of the new Costa Firenze ship from Fincantieri, designed and built in the Marghera shipyard and inspired by the Florentine Renaissance.

According to Costa Cruises, the new ship represents a step forward towards the restart of the cruise industry. The Costa Firenze ship will first sail in the Mediterranean in 2021, providing two different week-long itineraries in the western Mediterranean. After October 2021, the ship will move to Asia to join her sister ship Costa Venezia, also built by Fincantieri, in the Monfalcone shipyard, and in operation since March 2019.

“This ship represents the most tangible evidence of the will of our group to restart. Our hope is that people will soon be able to travel again and that more ships will set sail and contribute to the revitalization of tourism in Italy, Europe and globally,” said Michael Thamm, group CEO of Costa Group and Carnival Asia.

With 135,500 gross tonnage and a capacity of more than 5,200 guests, the Costa Firenze is part of the development plan that includes seven new ships to be delivered for the Costa Group by 2023, for a total investment of more than 6 billion euros. Costa Firenze is the fourth of these new ships to be delivered with three more to come.

Of the 14 ships currently operating in the Costa Cruises fleet, 11 were built by Fincantieri.

Fincantieri CEO Giuseppe Bono and Mario Zanetti, chief commercial officer of Costa Cruises and president of Costa Group Asia.

Costa Firenze’s interior design is a celebration of the Tuscan city, cradle of Renaissance art and culture. The common spaces reflect the harmony of a stroll through a Florentine street or square, even in the choice of colors. Gastronomy offerings are based on the great Mediterranean cuisine, with a wide choice of dining options guaranteed by 13 bars and seven restaurants.

“The concept of the Costa Firenze is inspired by an iconic city, which represents Italian art, taste and refinement in the world’s collective imagination. We have designed this ship to offer our guests a unique experience, especially for the family target,” said Mario Zanetti, chief commercial officer of Costa Cruises and president of Costa Group Asia.

The Costa Firenze has specific offers and some new features such as a real “adventure park” on board.

The Costa Firenze project also takes sustainability in special regard.

The new ship’s excellent environmental performance has been acknowledged by RINA, an international certification organization, with Green Star 3, a voluntary notation covering all the main aspects of a ship’s environmental impact and requiring maximum protection and prevention across areas such as waste, grey water, black water, machinery oil, CO2, ozone, greenhouse gases, particulate matter, sulphur oxides, nitrogen and ballast water, among others.

Cruiseway Travel is the exclusive representative of Costa Cruises in Greece.