The ship, the 15th in Costa’s fleet, completed her first crossing during which tests were conducted to verify the correct operation of the various systems, equipment and engines.

During the tests at sea, the Costa Favolosa was brought up to her maximum speed (more than 23 knots or 40 km/h) which was maintained for eight consecutive hours to test the ship’s endurance. There was also a “crash stop”, meaning a complete stop at maximum speed to determine in how many metres the ship comes to a stop during an emergency. During the test known as the “UMS”, the Costa Favolosa sailed for six straight hours only using the automatic energy and propulsion system controls. Finally, with the “black out” test, the electric power was cut off to check that all ship functions automatically returned to normal when the power was restored.

After completing her trials, the Costa Favolosa returned to the shipyard in Marghera to complete the fitting out of the interiors prior to being placed into active service. The Costa Favolosa will be ready for delivery on 30 June 2011, while the naming ceremony will take place two days later, on 2 July in Trieste.

The Costa Favolosa, weighing in at 114,500 gross tonnage and with accommodation for up to 3,800 total guests, will be the largest ship flying the Italian flag and a symbol of Italian-made excellence plying the seas of the world. Costa Cruises’ total investment for this cruiser is about 420 million euro. The sister ship of the Costa Favolosa, the Costa Fascinosa, currently under construction in the Marghera shipyard, is scheduled for delivery in the spring of 2012. These two ships are part of the Costa group’s fleet expansion plan, which began in 2000, and is worth 9.6 billion euro. In particular, nine ships with the Costa brand will be delivered from 2003 to 2012 have and will be built in Italy.

Costa Favolosa - The fairytale ship

As her name suggests (Favola is Italian for “fairy tale”), the Costa Favolosa (www.costafavolosa.com), is a veritable “fairy tale ship”, a “contemporary enchanted castle” with a perfect combination of fabulous atmosphere and state-of-the-art hi-tech fun. The main innovations on board include:

• Six new veranda suites with their own Jacuzzis
• A new entertainment area for teenagers with 4D Cinema, PlayStation World, and a bar with ice-cream, drinks and popcorn
• A new children’s open-air Aqua Park water playground with its own pirate galleon

Facilities will combine the very best of the Costa product:

• The Samsara Spa, one of the largest and most exclusive wellness centres ever built on a cruise ship
• A large central lido extending over two decks, with a sliding glass roof and giant movie screen
• A Grand Prix driving simulator
• A golf simulator
• The shipboard gym will offer all the latest state-of-the-art Technogym equipment, including machines with Internet access, so you can surf the Internet while you work out
• A Costa Concept Store conceived by Emilio Robba, a designer with an international reputation, where you can find an exclusive collection of products and souvenirs selected specially for Costa Cruises
• Five restaurants to choose from, all dedicated to high quality.

The brand new pool area will be particularly large and inviting:

• 1,000 m2 of space dedicated to relaxation and entertainment
• 160 sun loungers
• Whirlpool tubs and an invigorating waterfall

Costa Favolosa’s position at the cutting-edge of cruise ship building technology also extends to environmental compliance, which has always been a Costa hallmark. Like other fleet members, the Italian Company’s new flagship will be equipped for “cold ironing”, namely a system whereby the ship is plugged into shoreside electrical power, enabling generators to be shut down during stopovers in port.

The Costa Favolosa is set to make her debut on a three-day vernissage cruise departing from Venice on 4 July 2011, and calling at Dubrovnik (Croatia) and Koper (Slovenia). This will be followed by her grand inaugural cruise, which leaves Venice on 7 July 2011: an 11-day itinerary taking in Greece, Turkey and Croatia with stopovers in Bari, Izmir, Istanbul (Turkey), Mykonos, Athens, Olympia (Greece) and Dubrovnik (Croatia). Throughout the 2011 summer season the Costa Favolosa will be offering seven-day cruises from Venice and Bari to Olympia (Greece), Izmir and Istanbul (Turkey), and Dubrovnik (Croatia).