Costa Serena to be Inaugurated in Marseille

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Costa Serena to be Inaugurated in Marseille

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[/size]Inaugural for Newest Costa Ship to be held May 19, 2007 in France's Oldest City

MIAMI, Jan. 12 /PRNewswire/ -- Costa, the number one cruise line in Europe and South America, announced Wednesday that its newest flagship, the Costa Serena, will be inaugurated in Marseille on May 19, 2007. The announcement was made in Paris at the Senate of the French Republic in the presence of the Mayor of Marseille and Vice-President of the Senate, Jean-Claude Gaudin; Costa Crociere SpA Chairman & CEO Pier Luigi Foschi; Costa Crociere's President in France, George Azouze; and Chairman of the Club de la Croisiere de Marseille, Jacques Truau.

The inaugural festivities will be held on May 19 in the port of Marseille and will include an official ceremony in accordance with maritime tradition, as well as an inaugural show, in accordance with Costa's grand tradition of inaugural events. The Costa Serena (112,000 gross tons with a total guest capacity of 3,780) is the twelfth member of the Costa fleet, Europe's largest and most advanced, and is currently under construction at Fincantieri's Genoa- Sestri Ponente shipyard. The ship is due to enter service at the end of May.

"Our company and our brand have a long, consolidated tradition in France, where we've been operating for almost 60 years," said Costa Crociere SpA Chairman and CEO Pier Luigi Foschi. "France is Costa Crociere's second largest market in the world, after Italy, with an estimated sales equivalent of 150,000 guests by the end of 2007, which equates to 14% of the company's total worldwide guests."

Today's announcement was also accompanied by news confirming Costa's encouraging operating performance. Costa carried a total of 880,000 passengers in 2006, compared to 870,000 in 2005; the passenger/days rose to 6,900,000, while the ship occupancy rate increased by 2% to reach 107% .

"2006 was a good year for us-despite not increasing our capacity, we still enjoyed further growth," commented Foschi. "The booking trend in 2007 is very encouraging, so we can confidently expect to reach our aim of exceeding the one million mark this year."

The choice of Marseille for the inaugural of the Costa Serena marks a long-established relationship linking the Italian company with France in general and Marseille in particular. Costa has been calling in France since the 1980s. In May 1996, Costa was the first cruise operator to use Marseille as a regular port of call, where it was the base for the Costa Romantica, which was deployed on 7-night cruises in the Western Mediterranean. That year, there were 25 calls with a total of 40,000 passenger movements. Since then, the local presence of the Italian company has grown year by year and Marseille, in part due to Costa's presence there, has become one of the most important Mediterranean ports for the cruise industry with 380,000 cruisers in 2006 (about 25% of which come from Costa's ships) and a forecast of 450,000 in 2007. In Summer 2007, Marseille will be a regular port of call for the Costa Fortuna, which from April 7 through October 20 will make calls there every Saturday, on 7-night cruises with other stopovers in Savona, Naples, Palermo, Tunis and Palma de Mallorca. In all, 30 stopovers in Marseille are planned, which amounts to 90,000 cruisers, comprising 15,000 embarking passengers and 75,000 in transit.

Costa has been present in France for almost 60 years, and it is that country's number one cruise company, accounting for over 50% of French cruisers. The number of Costa Crociere's French passengers has almost quadrupled since 1993, exceeding the 120,000 mark in 2006 - a record for the cruise industry in France. Costa's level of brand awareness has now reached 75% among the French population (compared to 5% in 1993). In addition, the company now ranks fourth among France's main tour operators.

The Costa Serena

Like her sister ship, the Costa Concordia, which was inaugurated in Italy in July 2006, the Costa Serena will be the largest vessel flying the Italian flag. She will be 112,000 gross tons and 290 meters in length, and feature 1,500 cabins with a total guest capacity of 3,780. Currently under construction at Fincantieri's shipyard in Genoa Sestri Ponente (Italy), the Costa Serena is due to enter service at the end of May 2007.

The Costa Serena will feature all of the main innovations offered by her sister ship Costa Concordia, including:

-- Samsara Spa, the largest spa at sea (over 20,000 square feet). The number of Samsara cabins, which feature direct access to the spa, will increase to 99 (there are 67 on the Costa Concordia), comprising 87 staterooms and 12 suites. -- Two swimming pools with a retractable magrodome, making it the largest enclosable pool deck on any cruise ship. In addition, the central pool area will feature a giant movie screen, which can be used for daytime projection of video clips as well as nighttime film screenings. -- An authentic Grand Prix race car driving simulator, the same type of simulator used to train Formula One drivers. -- The menus in the Costa Serena's specialty restaurant will be created by the Italian culinary innovator Ettore Bocchia, executive chef at the Grand Hotel Villa Serbelloni in Bellagio and a Michelin-rated chef.

The interiors of the ship will be designed by the American architect Joe Farcus, with a central theme of Greek and Roman mythology, which will be reflected in the numerous works of art onboard. Costa's new flagship will set sail from Venice for her maiden cruise on May 26, 2007. Every Sunday from June through November 2007, the Costa Serena will depart from the city on 7- night cruises calling in Bari, Olympia (Greece), Izmir and Istanbul (Turkey), and Dubrovnik (Croatia). In winter 2007/2008 the Costa Serena will offer 10- and 11-night cruise vacations to the Canary Islands.

In addition to the Costa Serena, Costa has commissioned 3 more ships - all from Fincantieri - which will enhance its fleet, Europe's largest and most advanced. Costa's fleet currently comprises 11 ships with a total capacity of approximately 20,500 lower berths in double occupancy cabins. The Sestri Ponente yard will build a third sister ship to the Costa Concordia and Costa Serena, whose name is yet to be announced, due for delivery in summer 2009. Meanwhile, two 92,700-ton sister ships will be built in Marghera, one due to enter service in Spring 2009 and the other in March 2010. These 4 new orders amount to a total investment of almost 2 billion euros by Costa Crociere, as part of a fleet expansion and upgrading program worth almost 4.5 billion euros, which began in 2000. By 2010, when the last of the new-builds is delivered, the Costa fleet will be 15 strong and have total capacity of over 30,800 passengers (in double occupancy cabins).

Costa, Europe's Number One Cruise Line, offers an experience that is delightfully different in service and cuisine, in an atmosphere filled with love, laughter and la dolce vita. It's called "Cruising Italian Style" and true to its heritage, no detail has been overlooked in bringing the beauty and hospitality of Italy to the sea. Cruising Italian Style ... that's Amore!

The ships of Costa range in size from 30,000-tons to 112,000-tons, and provide an ambience that is distinctly Italian - from the progressive architecture and stylish design to the unforgettable cuisine and gracious hospitality. With eleven ships in service and four on order, Costa offers cruises that span the globe on itineraries of three nights and longer throughout the Caribbean, the Mediterranean, Northern Europe, South America, Transatlantic, China, Far East and Dubai.

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