The work was carried out in the dry-docks of the ports of Genoa and Palermo: the Costa Victoria (from 13 to 23 November) was the guest of the Mariotti shipyards in Genoa; the Costa Marina (from 13 to 25 November) was placed in dry-dock no. 5 of the port of Genoa; the Costa Concordia (from 4 to 14 December) and the Costa Classica (from 20 November to 1 December) were overhauled in the Fincantieri dry-docks of Palermo. The main objective of these operations, which for Costa’s ships are carried out an average of every two and half years, is to perform routine and extraordinary maintenance on the ship’s technical systems and its furnishings.

The main purpose of all the various operations is to ensure that the quality and safety of Costa’s ships remains at the highest levels, in both crew and guest areas.

Hull maintenance is one of the most important operations carried out during this kind of ship “check-up”. During these operations the hull, whose length on these vessels ranges from 174 metres (Costa Marina) to 290 metres (Costa Concordia), is completely cleaned and painted to prevent it from eroding due to the effect of atmospheric agents and the sea and to improve its performance at sailing speeds. For the hotel part, the layout of the public areas and the cabins is completely restyled, replacing furnishings, carpeting, curtains, fabrics, wall linings and, on this occasion, replacing the cathode ray television sets in the suites with new and modern LCD screens. For the outer decks, the flooring was replaced with teak.

After completing the dry-dock operations, the four ships departed in perfect shape to meet the challenges of the 2007-2008 winter cruise season:

• the Costa Marina departed from Savona on a 26-day cruise to Mauritius. In fact, next winter the ship will offer a new and exclusive itinerary to the Indian Ocean, departing from the famous tropical island with calls to Madagascar, Comore, Kenya, Seychelles and Reunion.
• the Costa Victoria and the Costa Classica are being positioned in South America for cruises to discover beaches and local folklore all the way to the southern tip of the world, Tierra del Fuego, a legendary place described in numerous and fascinating tales and myths.
• the Costa Concordia will offer 10 and 11-day cruises to Egypt, Turkey, Greece and Cyprus so that guests can enjoy a mild climate even during the winter while searching for ancient treasures.