Costa Magica Cruise Reviews

Launched in late 2004, CostaMagica is a large ship for Costa and promises to be very popular in the European markets.

Operator: Costa Crociere	Capacity (double occupancy): 2,718
Builder: Fincantieri	Full Capacity: 3,788
Inaugurated: November, 2005	Space Ratio 38.6 / 27.7
Gross Tonnage: 105,000	Crew: 1,068
Length: 893.3 ft. / 272.3 m	Berlitz® Rating: N/A

Feature Reviews
(Large and Thorough Reviews Well Worth Your Time to Read)

The Costa Magica, the new flagship, will be officially delivered today, 29 October, the first date of a full calendar of events. Costa Concordia: the name of the new ship to be delivered by the summer of 2006

Genoa, 29 October 2004 - today, the Costa Magica, the eleventh flagship in Costa Crociere's fleet, will be delivered by Fincantieri at its shipyard in Sestri Ponente (Genoa).

"The delivery of a ship - declared Pierluigi Foschi, CEO of Costa Crociere - is always an emotional event, but this year the emotions become "magical", with a ship that's a tribute to some of Italy's most enchanting places".

"The delivery of the "Costa Magica" - said Giuseppe Bono, CEO of Fincantieri - consolidates our outstanding relationship with Costa, the Group leader in Europe, for which we also renew our commitment to achieve new, common objectives in the future".

On this occasion Pier Luigi Foschi also announced the name of the next Costa Crociere ship, the fleet's twelfth, currently under construction at the Fincantieri shipyard in Sestri P. To be delivered by the summer of 2006, the Costa Concordia will be the biggest passenger cruise ship in Italian history thanks to a displacement of 112,000 grt, a length of 290 metres and a maximum capacity of 3,800 guests. For this latest order, Costa Crociere's has invested 450 million euros.

Immediately after delivery, numerous events have been scheduled to celebrate the new ship that has just become part of Europe's largest and most modern fleet. This year, the program includes numerous initiatives that from Genoa will culminate with the ship's christening in Barcelona.

The first event will be held on 2 November at the Maritime Station in Genoa. On that date, the Costa Magica will play host to 1,300 Italian travel agents. It will also be the conference venue for the European Cruise Council, an organisation that encompasses Europe's leading cruise companies.

On Wednesday, 3 November the ship will still be moored in Genoa, at the Maritime Station. In the morning, to commemorate 70 years of apostolic activities by chaplains on board Costa Crociere's ships, the Costa Magica will host a workshop to be followed by the celebration of a Holy Mass. In a ceremony that continues a long-standing Costa Crociere tradition for all its new ships, the Cardinal of Genoa, His Excellency Tarcisio Bertone, will bless the plaque of S. Francesco da Paola, guardian of seafarers, to be mounted on the Costa Magica's bridge.

On the evening of 3 November, Costa Crociere will dedicate an event to the entire city of Genoa. As a debut presentation of the Costa Magica, Costa Crociere, Fincantieri and FAI, the Italian Environment Foundation, have organised a special evening event with a performance by the Glenn Miller Orchestra, the world-famous American swing and jazz band. All proceeds from the concert, to be held in the Costa Magica's beautiful, high-tech theatre, will be used to finance the activities to restore the Ligurian heritage artefacts under FAI. That same night the Costa Magica will also be the venue for a gala dinner for the delegates attending the fifth edition of Sea Trade Med, the Mediterranean cruise and ferry sector convention, to be held 3-5 November 2004 in Genoa.

On 4 November the Costa Magica will depart from Genoa on route to Barcelona, where, on 5 November, it will be presented in advance to Spanish and European travel agents and members of the press.

The Costa Magica's christening ceremony will be held on 6 November in the presence of the leading local authorities. According to seafaring traditions, a special godmother, in this case the beautiful Spanish actress Paz Vega, will launch the bottle that, as a sign of good luck, should break against the side of the ship. A spectacular show created by the fabulous Valerio Festi to celebrate Costa's newest flagship will be followed by a gala dinner.

Barcelona is one of the Mediterranean's most important ports and one of Spain's most beautiful, dynamic and youthful cities. The relationship between Costa and the Catalan city was consolidated with the signing of a letter of intent in September 2003 for the construction and management of a new cruise terminal on Barcelona's Adosado wharf, at a total cost of 7 million euros, and paid in its entirety by the Genoese company. Costa Crociere's ships have been coming to Barcelona since the '50s when its passenger ship business began. Costa Crociere plans to make 96 calls to Barcelona in 2004, transporting about 215,000 passengers. In 2005, those figures are expected to increase significantly to 128 calls and 335,000 passengers. Costa Crociere also has offices in Barcelona that, along with those in Madrid, promote, market and sell Costa cruises throughout Spain.

On 7 November the Costa Magica, carrying travel agents from all around Europe, will depart from Barcelona for a mini-cruise to Savona and Marseilles and back to Savona. The 12th edition of "Leaders of the Sea", the Costa event awarding the best travel agents of the year, will be celebrated during the mini-cruise.

The Costa Magica will be ready to set sail from Savona for two special cruises. The 8-day vernissage cruise will depart on 10 November 2004 and en route will call on Naples, Messina, Kotor Bay (Montenegro), Venice, Dubrovnik (Croatia) and Corfu (Greece). Instead, the 11-day maiden voyage will begin on 18 November, with calls to Naples, Alexandria, Cyprus, Rhodes (Greece), Marmaris (Turkey), Athens and Olympia (Greece).

Throughout the 2004/2005 winter-spring season, the Costa Magica will ply the waters of the Mediterranean, offering a fantastic 11-day cruise with calls to the same ports visited on the maiden voyage. From April to November 2005 the Costa Magica will also offer a 7-day itinerary in the Western Mediterranean, departing from the Palacrociere in Savona with calls to Barcelona, Palma de Majorca, Tunisi, Malta, Palermo and Civitavecchia.