This week Beyondships presents its first profile and photo tour of a Costa Cruises ship. She is Costa Atlantica, which was built to the same design as the Carnival Spirit and which is the forerunner of quite a few cruise ships sailing for a number of different lines. It is a good design from a seagoing perspective - - she goes fairly fast and her seakeeping qualities mean that she is not confined to just going around calm seas. This design is also popular with passengers, carrying an array of features and amenities in a good layout. At nearly 86,000 gross tons, she is big but not gargantuan.
What distinguishes Costa Atlantica from her sisters and cousins that sail for other lines is her Italian-style of cruising. While some other lines try to de-emphasize their national origin in hopes of attracting an international clientele, Costa emphasizes its Italian origins and succeeds in attracting an international clientele. In fact, it is the most popular cruise line in Europe and even when the ship is sailing in North America, there are substantial numbers of European guests.
As a result, Costa Atlantica has a cosmopolitan and international feel. This should not be confused with being stuffy - - the bold colors and designs of the interior are too light hearted for that. Rather, it means that one is likely to encounter people with different backgrounds and tastes, which is a broadening experience.
The profile of Costa Atlantica appears at: http://beyondships.com/CostaAtlarntica-Profile.html and the photo tour and commentary begins at: http://beyondships.com/CostaAtlantica-Tour-1.html
Turning to some items in the news - -
On 1 November Oasis of the Seas passed under the Great Belt Fixed Link bridge in Denmark while making her way from the shipyard where she was built in Finland out to the Atlantic. Even with her telescopic funnels lowered, there was only 2 feet of clearance between the bridge and the ship. Traffic on the bridge was halted for 15 minutes while the ship passed. I think that incidents such as this underscore just how big this ship is in a way that the gross tonnage figures do not.
Unfortunately, the ship then encountered high winds and rough seas, which caused RCI to announce that her arrival in Fort Lauderdale will be delayed two days to November 13. This should not be seen as a black mark on the new ship’s record. The North Atlantic can be difficult in November. Building in the ability to withstand such seas and make fast crossings is the reason why Queen Mary 2 cost a third more to build than a comparable sized cruise ship. Since such crossings are not what Oasis is intended to do, there was no reason to build such a capability into her. Her test will be how well she entertains guests while sailing the calm waters of the Caribbean.
Meanwhile, Carnival Cruise Lines’ largest ship yet, Carnival Dream (130,000 tons) will be named in a ceremony in New York on November 12. Carnival has announced that the godmother will be actress Marcia Gay Harden. The naming ceremony will also include the unveiling of the world’s largest children’s book signifying a multi-year partnership between Carnival and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
What distinguishes Costa Atlantica from her sisters and cousins that sail for other lines is her Italian-style of cruising. While some other lines try to de-emphasize their national origin in hopes of attracting an international clientele, Costa emphasizes its Italian origins and succeeds in attracting an international clientele. In fact, it is the most popular cruise line in Europe and even when the ship is sailing in North America, there are substantial numbers of European guests.
As a result, Costa Atlantica has a cosmopolitan and international feel. This should not be confused with being stuffy - - the bold colors and designs of the interior are too light hearted for that. Rather, it means that one is likely to encounter people with different backgrounds and tastes, which is a broadening experience.
The profile of Costa Atlantica appears at: http://beyondships.com/CostaAtlarntica-Profile.html and the photo tour and commentary begins at: http://beyondships.com/CostaAtlantica-Tour-1.html
Turning to some items in the news - -
On 1 November Oasis of the Seas passed under the Great Belt Fixed Link bridge in Denmark while making her way from the shipyard where she was built in Finland out to the Atlantic. Even with her telescopic funnels lowered, there was only 2 feet of clearance between the bridge and the ship. Traffic on the bridge was halted for 15 minutes while the ship passed. I think that incidents such as this underscore just how big this ship is in a way that the gross tonnage figures do not.
Unfortunately, the ship then encountered high winds and rough seas, which caused RCI to announce that her arrival in Fort Lauderdale will be delayed two days to November 13. This should not be seen as a black mark on the new ship’s record. The North Atlantic can be difficult in November. Building in the ability to withstand such seas and make fast crossings is the reason why Queen Mary 2 cost a third more to build than a comparable sized cruise ship. Since such crossings are not what Oasis is intended to do, there was no reason to build such a capability into her. Her test will be how well she entertains guests while sailing the calm waters of the Caribbean.
Meanwhile, Carnival Cruise Lines’ largest ship yet, Carnival Dream (130,000 tons) will be named in a ceremony in New York on November 12. Carnival has announced that the godmother will be actress Marcia Gay Harden. The naming ceremony will also include the unveiling of the world’s largest children’s book signifying a multi-year partnership between Carnival and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
Princess announced that it is going fully digital with its pre-cruise documents. In the past, passengers have received a rather dauntingly large envelope in the mail containing such things as information about shore excursions and a booklet designed to answer questions about the upcoming voyage. For voyages departing after January 21, 2010, passengers will be receiving a series of e-mails giving them information about their upcoming cruise. Amongst other things, these e-mails will be more personalized to the ship, the itinerary and the passenger’s status in Princess’ repeat passenger program. At least in theory, this should save a few trees.
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