Costa Favolosa

Costa Favolosa under construction at the Marghera shipyard
Career
Name:	Costa Favolosa
Owner:	Carnival Corporation & plc
Operator:	Costa Cruises
Ordered:	October 2007
Builder:	Fincantieri, Marghera, Venice
Cost:	€510 million
Laid down:	5 November 2009
Launched:	6 August 2010
Christened:	2 July 2011
Maiden voyage:	4 July 2011
In service:	4 July 2011
Identification:	Call sign: ICPK IMO number: 9479852 MMSI no.: 247311100
Status:	Operational
Notes:	[1][2]
General characteristics
Class and type:	Modified Concordia class cruise ship
Tonnage:	114,500 GT
Length:	289 m (948 ft)
Beam:	40 m (130 ft)
Speed:	22 knots
Capacity:	3,780 passengers
Crew:	1,110
Notes:	[2][1]

Costa Favolosa is a cruise ship ordered for Costa Cruises in October 2007. Based on the Concordia class design, Costa Favolosa was laid down by Fincantieri's Marghera shipyard on 5 November 2009 and launched on 6 August 2010. Part of a five-ship expansion of the Costa Cruises fleet, the vessel entered service in July 2011.^[3]

Design and construction

Costa Favolosa and sister ship Costa Fascinosa were ordered in October 2007 as part of a €2.4 billion expansion of the Costa Cruises fleet, with five ships entering service between 2009 and 2012 to increase the company's passenger capacity by 50%.^[2][4][5] Costa Favolosa cost €510 million to build.^[6]

The names of the two ships were selected via competition. The first phase saw 16,000 pairs of names submitted by travel agents and their customers from around the world, after being asked to suggest names. These names were to evoke the idea that the ships were magical and glamorous places. 25 name pairs were shortlisted and placed on the company's website, where over 42,000 visitors voted on their favourite. Favolosa (Italian for "fabulous") and Fascinosa ("fascinating" or "glamorous") were selected as the winning name pair.^[2]

The first section of the cruise ship was laid down at Fincantieri's Marghera shipyard on 5 November 2009.^[2] The ship was launched from the builder's dry dock on 6 August 2010.^[7]

The vessel is based on the Concordia class design already in service with Costa Cruises.^[5] At 114,500 gross tons,^[3] she can carry up to 3,800 passengers in 1,506 cabins; six more than previous Concordia class ships.^[2][6]

Costa Favolosa will be the fifteenth ship in service with Costa Cruises.^[2]

Operational history

Costa Favolosa entered service in July 2011 when she set sail on a three-day preview cruise departing from Venice on July 4, with calls at Dubrovnik, Croatia; and Koper, Slovenia, and on July 7, an eleven-day inaugural cruise departing from Venicea with calls at Bari, Italy; Izmir and Istanbul, Turkey; Mykonos, Piraeus and Olympia, Greece; and Dubrovnik.

For the 2011 summer season, Costa Favolosa will sail seven-day cruises from Venice and Bari to Olympia, Izmir, Istanbul and Dubrovnik before repositioning to Dubai for a series of winter cruises.^[8]

References

1. ^ ^{a b} "Advanced Masterdata for the Vessel Costa Favolosa". VesselTracker. 2011. http://www.vesseltracker.com/en/Ships/C0sta-Favolosa-9479852.html. Retrieved 8 September 2011. 
2. ^ ^{a b c d e f g} "Costa Favolosa and Fascinosa". Cruise Industry News. 3 November 2009. http://www.cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/3347-11309-costa-favolosa-and-fascinosa.html. Retrieved 16 February 2010. 
3. ^ ^{a b} "The Costa Favolosa, The Largest Italian Cruise Ship, Entered Service in Venice" (Press release). Fincantieri. Thursday, 30 June 2011. http://www.fincantieri.it/cms/data/browse/news/000408.aspx. Retrieved 10 September 2011. 
4. ^ Niemelä, Teijo (31 January 2010). "Costa Deliziosa handed over". Cruise Business Review. http://www.cruisebusiness.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=932:costa-deliziosa-handed-over&catid=43:latest-news-catecory&Itemid=115. Retrieved 16 February 2010. 
5. ^ ^{a b} "Company profile". Costa Cruises. http://www.costacruisesasia.com/B2C/AUS/Corporate/The+company/aboutourselves/aboutourselves.htm. Retrieved 16 February 2010. 
6. ^ ^{a b} "Costa Crociere orders two new cruise ships from Fincantieri" (Press release). Costa Cruises. 18 October 2007. http://www.costacruise.com/B2C/USA/Info/two_new_cruise_ship.htm. Retrieved 16 February 2010. 
7. ^ Niemelä, Teijo (6 August 2010). "Costa Favolosa launched in Marghera". Cruise Industry News. http://www.cruisebusiness.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1300:costa-favolosa-launched-in-marghera&catid=43:latest-news-catecory&Itemid=115. Retrieved 7 August 2010. 
8. ^ Donna Tunney (30 June 2011). "Costa Favolosa delivered". Travel Weekly. http://www.travelweekly.com/Cruise-Travel/Costa-Favolosa-delivered/. Retrieved 8 September 2011.