Costa Cruises’ Fascinosa to Debut in May in Savona, Italy

Costa Fascinosa, the 16th ship in the Costa Cruises fleet, will operate two mini-cruises before its christening, scheduled for May 6 in Savona, Italy. The ship currently is being fitted out in Italy at Fincantieri’s Marghera shipyard.

The 114,500-ton, 3,800-passenger Fascinosa -- the name means “fascinating” in Italian -- was designed by architect Joseph Farcus as a tribute to things that fascinate, including celebrities, movie stars and exotic places.

The ship’s Amarcord Atrium will have a theatrical grandeur, with warm colors and diamond-shaped chandeliers. The aft Lido, which is dedicated to the classic movie “Gone With the Wind,” is devoted to relaxation and entertainment, with raised whirlpool tubs and waterfalls. The al fresco Blue Moon Lido has a sliding glass roof and a 60-square-foot movie screen.

In the Playground is the Nuovomondo 4D Cinema, PlayStation and an authentic Grand Prix Simulator. The open-air Acqua Park playground has a pirate galleon, castle and waterslide.

Costa Fascinosa also will have bow-to-stern broadband Wi-Fi. The new Digi Mobile platform also allows guests to use their smartphones and tablets to access the shipboard interactive TV system in their cabins, to book programs and services.

The ship will have five restaurants -- the à la carte Club restaurant, the Samsara wellness eatery, the self-service buffet and two main restaurants.

The ship will operate two mini-cruises before its grand inaugural cruise. The first cruise will depart Venice on May 2 and call at Dubrovnik, Capri and Savona. The second cruise will depart Savona on May 7 with stopovers at Corfu, Greece; Cattaro, Montenegro; and Venice, Italy.

The 11-night inaugural cruise sails from Venice on May 11, bound for Bari, Corfu, Haifa, Izmir and Dubrovnik. From May 21 through Nov. 30, 2012, Costa Fascinosa will operate seven-night cruises from Venice on Mondays and Bari on Tuesdays to Olympia, Santorini, Rhodes and Dubrovnik.

Construction of Costa Fascinosa cost nearly $682.4 million. Another Costa ship under construction at Fincantieri’s Marghera yard will be 132,500 gross tons and carry 4,928 total guests. It is scheduled for delivery in October 2014. Since 2000, Costa Cruises has ordered 10 new ships from Fincantieri shipyards, with a total investment of more than $6.7 billion.