The most significant works, worth approximately €55 million, are being carried out on Iberocruceros’ Grand Holiday in the S.Giorgio shipyards in the port of Genoa from December 2009 to April 2010. Operations entail a radical restyling of the ship that previously operated for the Carnival Cruise Lines fleet as the ‘Holiday’, with the new ship entering service under the Iberocruceros Spanish brand in May 2010.

Altered to accommodate the tastes of their Spanish clientele, the ship will include restyled cabins and public areas, four new suites with balconies and a new wellness centre. The hull will be painted with a special silicone-based ecological paint that reduces the formation of micro-organisms without releasing toxic substances into the sea, increasing the vessel’s hydrodynamic performance while reducing the environmental impact thanks to reduced fuel consumption. At the end of the works, the ‘Grand Holiday’ will be the fourth ship of the Iberocruceros fleet.

The ship’s first sailing will depart from Barcelona on 18 May 2010, with destinations including Villafranche-sur-Mer, Livorno, Civitavecchia and Porto Torres. For the entire summer season the ship will sail seven-day cruises in the western Mediterranean: departing from Barcelona on Sunday, she will make calls to Villafranche-sur-Mer, Livorno, Civitavecchia, Naples and La Goulette.

Besides the Grand Holiday, three other ships belonging to Costa Cruises brand entered dry-docks: Costa Magica (4 to 18 November) and the Costa Mediterranea (21 November - 5 December) in Palermo; while the Costa Marina (4 to 18 November) docked in Genoa.

Works on Costa Mediterranea, Costa Magica and the Costa Marina are routine maintenance operations which are carried out by the Italian company every two years to maintain its fleet’s high standards which comply with Italian and international safety norms. The works involve the hull and engine as well as the ‘hotel’ section. Carpeting, curtains, fabrics and other objects and materials subject to wear and tear will be replaced in the public areas and in cabins. The ‘hull and engine’ areas will be the biggest job, involving cleaning and painting the hull. ‘Inverters’, devices that optimise conditioning system operation while reducing fuel consumption and the subsequent CO2 emissions, will be installed in the Costa Magica’s engine room conditioning system. These have already been successfully tested on two other ships in the fleet,