New Ships On the Horizon for Costa Cruises

Italy’s legacy of oceanic exploration is famous the world over. From Christopher Columbus to Marco Polo, Italian navigators have a long and storied history at sea. Costa Cruises, a top name for luxury Italian cruises for more than 70 years, is continuing that legacy with an expansion of their fleet by 43% planned for 2021.

New Ships, Same Luxury

Today, construction is underway at famed Italian shipyard Fincantieri’s Marghera in Venice on Costa’s latest vessel. Weighing in at 135,000 tons and featuring 2,116 cabins, the ship is set for completion in 2020. The yet to be named ship will be the sister of Costa Venezia, another Fincantieri creation under construction at their shipyard in Monfalcone, Italy. Costa Venezia has a finishing date of 2019.

Between next year and 2021, Costa Cruises plans to have four new ships in operation, an increase of 43% over their current fleet. The flagship Costa Smeralda, the first cruise ship for the world market powered by natural gas, is under construction at Meyer Turku shipyard in Finland. The ship is due to arrive in 2019, followed by that of the Costa Smeralda’s sister in 2021.

RELATED: In Brief: Costa’s New Ships

The commitment to modern luxury is obvious when you take a look at Costa’s direction for the future. Phasing out the older ships offers cruisers a new experience for those looking for the ultimate cruise vacation. Traveling by cruise ship is an experience in and of itself, but that experience is magnified when the vessel is truly a modern marvel.

Italian Cruises and More

AIDA Cruises, a Costa holding operating from Germany, is also benefiting from the new ships, as Costa’s current vessels will transfer to the AIDA brand to expand their cruise ship and destination offerings. The German cruising company has plans to remodel the interiors to better suit their guest’s lofty expectations.

It’s estimated that Costa Cruises investment in new ships will cost an incredible six billion euros in total by 2021.