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From her awe-inspiring replica of Venice's Caffe Florian to her incredible atrium spanning the entire ship, the Atlantica cruise ship provides a dramatic and exciting venue for her guests.

At the time of her joining the fleet in July, 2000, unique features of Costa Atlantica ncluded a record 75 per cent of cabins with balconies.

Of the 84,000-ton ship's 1,056 cabins, 777 are outside, and 676 of these have balconies as do each of the 60 suites and six penthouses. Her 12 passenger decks, each named after movies directed by the famous Italian director, Federico Fellini, are decorated with prominently displayed paparazzi photos of movie stars.

As tall as a 20 storey building and with a surface area 20 times the size of the Olympic Stadium in Rome, Costa Atlantica has a cruising speed of about 22 knots but is able to reach a maximum speed of 24 knots.

On board facilities are second to none and include seven bars, a two-level restaurant, cafe, gym, beauty salon, spa, casino, conference room and three swimming pools, one of which can be converted to an indoor pool and another which will be exclusively for children. Satellite TV meanwhile enables all the main TV channels of the world to be received on board.

At an estimated cost of £240 million, the Costa Atlantica combines all of the elegance of European style with the sophistication of American comforts.