Costa Europa

MS "Costa Europa" is a cruise ship owned and operated by Costa Cruises. She was built in 1986 by the Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg, West Germany as MS "Homeric" for Home Lines. In 1988 she was sold to Holland America Line and renamed MS "Westerdam". In 1990 she was lengthened by convert|36.9|m|ftin|abbr=on at Meyer Werft. In 2002 she was transferred to the fleet of Costa Cruises.cite web |url=http://www.simplonpc.co.uk/HAL-Westerdam1985.html |title="Homeric" |accessdate=2008-03-25 |last=Boyle |first=Ian |format= |work=Simplon Postcards ]

Concept and construction

The "Homeric" was planned during the first half of the 1980s as a replacement for the ageing SS|Oceanic|1965|6 in the Home Lines' fleet.cite web |url=http://www.simplonpc.co.uk/HomeLinePCs.html |title=Home Lines |accessdate=2008-03-25 |last=Boyle |first=Ian |format= |work=Simplon Postcards ] Meyer Werft in Papenburg, West Germany was chosen as the shipyard to build her. The ship was named in honour of the company's earlier SS|Homeric|1931|6, a popular ship that had been destroyed by a fire in 1973.cite web |url=http://www.cruiseserver.net/travelpage/ships/co_europa.asp |title=Ship profile - MS "Costa Europa" |accessdate=2008-03-25 |last=Degrandi |first=Paolo |format= |work=Cruisepage.com |publisher=Interactive Travel Guides, Inc ] The new "Homeric" was launched on 28 September 1985. She performed her sea trials between 26 December and 30 December 1985, but was not delivered to Home Lines until 6 May 1986.

Following the sale of the ship to Holland America Line (and the sale of HAL itself to the Carnival Corporation), the ex-"Homeric", now named "Westerdam", returned to Meyer Werft on 30 October 1989 for a $84 million refit. The ship was lengthened by convert|36.9|m|ftin|abbr=on and many of her interiors were rebuilt. The refit was completed on 12 March 1990.

In 2002, prior to entering service as "Costa Europa" for Costa Cruises, the ship received a £5 million refit, with some of the public rooms redecorated and six balcony suites added.

ervice history

1986—1988: "Homeric"

During her service with Home Lines the "Homeric" was used for cruises from New York to Bermuda during the northern hemisphere summer season and cruises on the Caribbean during the rest of the year. The success of the "Homeric" in service with Homes Lines has been questioned, with one author describing her as the "giant swan song" of the company. Whether the fault of the ship or something else, Home Lines was purchased by the Holland America Line in 1988.

1988—2002: "Westerdam"

In November 1988 the "Homeric" joined the fleet of Holland America Line and was renamed "Westerdam" (different sites state different dates for her transfer to HAL fleet). In service with her new owners, the "Westerdam" cruised to Alaska during the summer season, returning to the Caribbean for the winter. Soon after Home Lines had been purchased by Holland America, HAL itself was purchased by the Carnival Corporation. HAL's new owners decided to invest heavily on the fairly new "Westerdam", and between October 1989 and March 1990 she was heavily rebuilt and enlarged at Meyer Werft. When the "Westerdam" entered service for HAL, she was registered at The Bahamas, but in 1996 she was re-registered to The Netherlands.

In 2002, following the delivery of several newbuilds for Holland America Line, the "Westerdam" was transferred to the fleet of Costa Cruises.

2002 onwards: "Costa Europa"

Following the transfer to Costa Cruises in April 2002, the "Westerdam" was renamed "Costa Europa" and re-registered in Italy. On 27 April 2002 she started on her first cruise for her new owners from Genoa, subsequently being used for cruises around Europe.

Design

Exterior design

The "Homeric" was built with a terraced forward and rear superstructure, with lifeboats placed fairly high. She had a fairly large funnel, with a large arch surrounding it from the behind in order to deflect some away from the rear decks. In original Home Lines livery she had a while hull and superstructure, with a blue decorative riband separating them. Her funnel and radar mast, the structures immediately below them, as well as the cranes on her forward deck, were painted yellow. The ship's name was painted in high letters on the side of the superstructure below the radar mast.

On entering service with Holland America Line, the "Westerdam" received HAL's dark blue hull colours, with her funnel and radar mast painted white. The 1989-1990 lengthening altered her exterior appearance somewhat. The windows of the added section are larger than those of forward and aft sections.

As "Costa Europa", the ship was painted all-white, with a yellow funnel and a small flag of the EU painted on the side of the superstructure.

Interior design

Unusually for a cruise ship of her time, the "Homeric" was built with a somewhat ocean liner-like layout, with her dining room in particular reflecting liner-like design. She was also built with sizeable promenade deck, and a one-deck high theatre. She was built with two swimming pools, one to the rear of the ship, and another amidship, what was covered with a magrodome.

During the 1989-1990 refit two lounges in the forward section of the ship were combined to create a large two-level theatre, with the original theatre maintained as a cinema. In HAL service she was decorated with artworks drawing from the history of the Dutch Empire. On entering service with Costa Cruises the ship was refurbished, with some of the interior decorations changed to brighter and more European style. The original theatre was built in with six balcony suites, and a new ballroom with a hardwood dance floor replaced an earlier lounge. Despite the refit, most of the ship's decorations have been retained from the HAL days, resulting in the "Costa Europa" having somewhat different interior decorations from her "Italian-style" fleetmates.

Decks and facilities

The deck plans provided by Costa Cruises only include decks accessible to passengers - the layout of the three lowest decks in unknown.

# Unknown
# Unknown
# Unknown - Deck had contained an on-board infirmary when operated as MS "Westerdam".Fact|date=September 2008
# "Orion deck" - Main dining room, inside and outside cabins.
# "Pegasus deck" - Inside and outside cabins.
# "Perseus deck" - Inside and outside cabins.
# "Auriga deck" - Suites, inside and outside cabins.
# "Hercules deck" - Theatre (lower level), ballroom, internet center, bars, lounges, chapel, card room, shops, games arcade, beauty salon, casino, discothèque.
# "Andromeda deck" - Theatre (upper level), buffet restaurant, outside cabins, sun deck, swimming pool.
# "Cassiopea deck" - Bridge, fitness center, outside cabins, sun deck.
# "Sirens deck" - A la carte and buffet restaurants, sun deck, swimming pool, suites.
# "Centaurus deck" - Tennis courts, sun deck

References

External links

* [http://www.costacruise.com/B2C/USA/Shopping/Ships/EU/default.htm Costa Cruises official website for "Costa Europa"]
* [http://ships.galutschek.at/costa_europa/ A video clip of Costa Europa arriving in Rhodos]