Costa Fascinosa

The 2012-built Costa Fascinosa cruise ship is the fifth and last Concordia-class Costa liner, with sisterships Concordia, Pacifica, Serena, Favolosa and also Carnival Splendor. Fascinosa was Costa fleet's flagship until the launch of Costa Diadema in 2014.

The vessel (IMO number 9479864) is currently Italy-flagged (MMSI 247313500) and registered in Genoa.

History - construction and ownership

Costa Cruises is a Genoa-headquartered subsidiary company owned by Carnival Corporation. Costa is Europe's second-largest cruise line (after MSC) with year-round operations in the Mediterranean. Costa was founded in 1854 as a cargo shipping company. It started passenger shipping services in 1947, with regular Transatlantic crossings between Europe (Italy) and South America. In 2000, Costa Cruises was acquired by Carnival Corporation (shipowner).

The 3000-passenger ship Costa Fascinosa was designed by the well-known cruising designer and interior architect Joe Farcus. The liner's theme is “things that fascinate”, meaning celebrities, exotic spaces and movie stars, synonymous with enticement and charm. If that does not narrow it down, try this: a “Gone With the Wind”- themed lido place. Fascinosa features increased whirlpool tubs and waterfalls, her “Millionaire Casino” is called after the Italian Oscar-winning “Slumdog Millionaire” movie. Fascinosa ship provides five dining rooms, casino, theater, two show lounges, library, steam room, modern fitness center, 4 pools, and 5 jacuzzis plus SPA.

Besides the ship's staff and crew, Costa cruise passengers are also served by Peper robots - the latest cyborg technology implemented fleetwide in 2016. These humanoid robots greet and guide passengers upon embarkation. They also assist them throughout the cruise by providing information and tips on onboard dining, entertainment, enrichment program (workshops, pre-scheduled events), casino and shopping promotions, shore excursions and tours. Pepper robots are mobile and communicate in 3 languages (English, German, Italian). They can also interpret human emotions by analyzing voice tones and facial expressions.

Decks and Cabins

Costa Fascinosa staterooms (1507 total, in 16 grades) include 70x Suites, 524x Balconies, 321x Oceanviews and 592x Inside cabins. Most staterooms are sized 185 ft2 / 17 m2 (nearly 40% of all) and have a private step-out balcony. Wheelchair-accessible cabins are 28. The largest accommodations are the Grand Suites (345 ft2 / 32 m2, with terraces sized 85-120 ft2 / 8-11 m2). There are also Spa Staterooms (103 total, including 12x Spa Suites), and single cabins (12).

The boat has 13 passenger decks, of which 8 are with cabins.

Shipboard dining options - Food and Drinks

Ristorante Otto e Mezzo is Fascinosa's 2-tier forward formal restaurant. It offers fixed seating options for early and late dining. The restaurant serves starters, appetizers, main courses of fish or meat, side dishes, salads and desserts (vegetarian options and special dietary requirements are also available). Ristorante il Gattopardo is the ship's 2-tier aft formal restaurant, featuring fixed seating options of 6:30 pm or 9 pm. The Samsara Restaurant, located on deck 3, offers a range of healthy food with the latest cooking techniques and a selection of special ingredients. The restaurant is free to guests in the Samsara cabins, whilst other passengers can dine there for a charge (booking required). Costa Fascinosa also offers complimentary 24-Hour Room-Service.

Follows the complete list of Costa Fascinosa restaurants and food bars.

• Ristorante Otto e Mezzo (complimentary forward Dining Room, operates with open seating Breakfast and Lunch, 2 assigned seatings for Dinner - at 6:30 pm and 9 pm)
• Ristorante il Gattopardo (complimentary 2-level aft Dining Room with 2 fixed Dinner seatings)
• Club Fascinosa (158-seat specialty a la carte restaurant; Steakhouse menu and extensive wine list; dinner-only, reservations required)
• Ristorante Samsara (serves healthy and low-calorie food; with complimentary dining room for guests in Samsara Spa cabins, and a specialty restaurant for other passengers at a surcharge/reservations are required)
• Ristorante Buffet Tulipano Nero (self-service buffet restaurant, complimentary; offers breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea at 4-5 pm, and dinner; in the evening is transformed into Pizzeria, complimentary, with waiter service).

Introduced in 2021, "Destination Dishes" are complimentary and available at the MDR's/main dining rooms fleetwide. They are based on individual recipes designed by a "celebrity chef trio" (Bruno Barbieri/Italian, Helene Darroze/French, Angel Leon/Spanish) and interpret the traditional food of the destinations to be visiting by the ship on the following day of the voyage.

Shipboard entertainment options - Fun and Sport

The 3,780-passenger Fascinosa ship features Concordia-class signature elements, like “Samsara Spa” (which is Asian-themed with dining venue associated), the sliding glass roof and huge movie screen close to the swimming pool space, and the Grand Prix simulator. Entertainment takes many forms on board Costa Fascinosa. Passengers can enjoy movies at a 4D cinema, or enjoy video games in the state-of-the-art Virtual World. If you are in the mood for a grand live performance, the theatre spans three levels and hosts spectacular musicians, dancers and more.

Follows the complete list of Costa Fascinosa lounges, clubs and other entertainment venues for kids, teens, and adults.

• Teatro Bel Ami (3-tiered theatre and main show lounge; hosts grand scale show productions, musicals, classical concerts, ballet performances, circus, and laser light shows)
• Nuovomondo 4D cinema room (featuring 3D films with moving seats)
• Club Stargate (playground zone with dance floor and bar for snacks, popcorn, ice cream; also serving the Cinema)
• Grand Bar Topkapi (with own dance floor and stage for live performances; hosts quiz games and fashion reviews)
• Bar Classico Malia (Cigar Lounge and Bar; also selling cigars and fine liquor)
• Galleria d’Arte (Fascinosa’s Art Gallery)
• Sala Carte (cards room)
• Casino The Millionaire
• Fascinosa Atrium (multi-deck “Atrio Amarcord” - an open-floor area with live music and entertainment, served by Amarcord Lobby Bar)
• Sala da Ballo Angelo Azzurro (lounge with dance floor and own bar)
• Blue Velvet Piano Bar (stage for cabaret performances, live music, own dance floor)
• Salone Cheri (grand lounge with round-shaped bar and stage)
• Discoteca Babylon (Disco Nightclub, DJ program nightly)
• Internet Point (Internet computers room); Biblioteca Bestseller (Library)
• Galleria Shops (duty and tax-free shops for brand watches, jewelry, perfumes, fashion clothes, Costa-logo merchandise, sportswear, gifts, tobacco, and liquor)
• Area Foto (Photo Gallery and Shop)
• PlayStation World corner
• Bagdad Cafe (chocolates, specialty coffee bar, and patisserie)
• Bar Scuderia Costa (themed bar Formula 1 with Grand Prix simulator)
• Cappella (Wedding Chapel, also used for religious services)
• Squok Club (kids lounge with Mini Club (3-6 yo) and Maxi Club (7-11 yo) playing rooms; with complimentary kids program and supervised activities; complimentary babysitting)
• Teen Zone (teenagers' lounge with Teen Junior (12-14 yo) and Teen Club (15-17 yo) rooms; complimentary supervised activities, themed parties, sports contests)
• Centro Banessere Samsara (2-level Spa and Wellness complex, with Fitness and separate Spinning/Aerobics Room; Venus Beauty Salon, Massages and Treatments Rooms, Japanese TeaRoom, Relaxation Room, Thermal Suites, Solarium, Tepidarium (heated loungers), Laconium (low humidity sauna), Aroma Steam Baths, Thalassotherapy pool, Turkish Bath, Solarium, Saunas, Kinesis Room. All Fascinosa’s guests in Samsara Spa staterooms have free access to most of the Spa complex)
• Lido Blue Moon pool area (lido pool with two Whirlpools, huge LED screen, PlayStation nights; served by Blue Moon Bar); Blue Moon Balcony
• Lido Via Col Vento pool area (with two Whirlpools; served by Via Col Vento Bar)
• Lido Incantesimo Pool area (with a retractable glass roof and Whirlpool)
• Lido Squok (kids’ mini Aquapark)
• Solarium (open-air relaxation area)
• Campo da Gioco (combined court for tennis and basketball); Pista da Jogging (Power Walking/Jogging Track), doubled with a Roller Skating Track; Putting Green Area; Virtual Golf Game.

Itineraries

Costa Fascinosa itinerary program is based on 7-day Mediterranean round-trip cruises with departures from Barcelona, Civitavecchia-Rome, and Savona.

Fascinosa is Costa's 5th Concordia-Class liner (first cruise on May 6, 2012), with sisterships Favolosa, Pacifica, Serena, Concordia (sunk in 2012) and Carnival Splendor. The ship's name was chosen via online competition (like Favolosa). Fascinosa is the Italian word for "fascinating", and Favolosa - for "fabulous".

The vessel has Fincantieri Marghera yard/hull number C6189, volume 113321 GT-tons, DWT-deadweight tonnage 10000 tons, max draught 8,3 m. The powerplant is based on Wartsila marine diesel engines (model 12V46C) with combined output 42 MW (56325 hp).

Among the amenities onboard are the Grand Prix driving simulator, a pool area with a giant movie screen and sliding glass roof and the Asian-themed Samsara Spa with a restaurant that is associated.

Fascinosa carries 330 original artworks and 6990 prints. The name of ship's casino comes from the Italian title ''Slumdog Millionaire''. The lido area is themed '' Gone With the Wind".

In 2017 (April 6-9) the whole ship was booked for a private event - an Indian wedding ceremony. Fascinosa was on a 4-day Mediterranean cruise (Genoa to Savona) with an exclusive itinerary visiting Barcelona and Marseille. The ship was used as a huge wedding resort by the Sajan family (India). The groom was Adel Sajan - son of Rizwan Sajan - founder and chairman of Danube Group (major building materials company based in Dubai). Adel Sajan (Danube Group's director) married Sana Khan (beauty queen, artist, writer). For more info - CruiseMapper news