November 4, 2009 - It took more than 16,000 suggestions from more than 40,000 travel agents and fans around the world, but finally the names of the 16th and 17th ships in the Costa fleet have been selected.
The two sister ships, set to debut in 2011 and 2012, will be named the Costa Favolosa and Costa Fascinosa as a result of Costa's "Send Us a Sea of Names" project whereby travel agents and fans sent in name suggestions for the two ships.
The winning selections were based on their definition of the all-encompassing magic, glamour, emotion and passion reflected on all of Costa's ships.
The Costa Favolosa and Costa Fascinosa - 114,500 gross tons with a double occupancy of 3,000 each - will be delivered in summer 2011 and spring 2012 respectively.
The sister ships, built by Fincantieri at its Marghera shipyard, are part of a major fleet expansion plan for Costa with five new ships due for delivery between 2009 and 2012. This includes the launch of the Costa Luminosa, the Costa Pacifica (June 2009) and the Costa Deliziosa (set to debut in January 2010) for a total investment worth 2.4 billion Euros.
The Costa Favolosa will be the first of the two new vessels to enter service.
The choice of names was guided by 40,000 travel agents in over 40 countries who submitted more than 16,000 pairs of names. The initiative encouraged travel agents, customers and web users all over the world to take part in the search for the names for the two new Costa flagships.
Magic, glamour, emotion and passion are elements that have always inspired Costa Cruises in the design of its ships and the creation of a unique and unforgettable cruise experience. The Costa Favolosa is intended to be the epitome of ship interior design, interpreting the excitement and emotion of people who see cruises as a magical voyage in a "contemporary enchanted castle". The Costa Fascinosa is designed to express the special glamour of a cruise ship and her capacity to ignite strong emotion and passion.
The new ships will offer the same innovative elements featured on the other Concordia class ships including the 23,000sq-ft Samsara spa, two swimming pools with retractable magrodomes, the central one equipped with a giant movie screen and authentic Grand Prix race car driving simulators.
In addition, the new ships will boast 17 additional veranda cabins and an overall total of 1,506 cabins, six more than the other Concordia class ships. The two ships will also feature additional innovations to the spa area as well as upgrades to onboard entertainment for both adults and children and teens, among many other new and unique features.
