Cruise & Ferry Interiors 2021

5 9 Costa works with prestigious Italian designers, outfitters and suppliers to bring a touch of Italian luxury to all of its ships on the design world over the past 60 years. Guests can visit the museum for free to learn about everything that makes Italy beloved worldwide, and to develop a deeper appreciation for how the story of Italy is conveyed through the interior designs and onboard offerings across Costa Smeralda. Similarly, all our ships feature carefully curated mixed-media art collections, which comprise both original pieces custom-designed for Costa and reproductions of famous artworks. For example, Costa Luminosa’s atrium features a magnificent bronze ‘Donna Sdraiata’ (‘Reclining Woman’) statue by Colombian artist Fernando Botero, while Costa Deliziosa’s atrium is home to a gilt bronze version of Italian artist Arnaldo Pomodoro’s ‘Sphere Within a Sphere’ sculpture. Typically, artwork of this calibre is exclusively displayed behind glass in expensive museums and is inaccessible to many people. However, our guests have a unique opportunity to walk around an extensive floating gallery for free every day and personally interact with the pieces. This brings the joy of art to new audiences of all ages. Another crucial component of any premium cruise experience is the food and beverage offering. Drawing inspiration from Costa’s heritage and the destinations we visit, our expert chefs create menus featuring a wide variety of simple Italian and Mediterranean dishes made from the finest fresh ingredients. Specialist equipment allows us to make elements such as authentic Italian pizza dough and gelato from scratch onboard the ships, elevating our cuisine to the standard of dishes offered in some of the world’s renowned dining establishments. High-quality dishes are available in every onboard dining venue, rather than being limited to our speciality restaurants. This allows every guest to experience fine dining and fully explore the culinary heritage of the Mediterranean region, regardless of their budget. At Costa, we also work hard to deliver high-quality entertainment programmes that rival those on land. Every ship offers a plethora of all-inclusive entertainment options, ranging from full-scale theatre productions to acrobatic and dance shows, beach club parties, children’s activities and much more. We invest in new hardware and technologies, such as large screens and LED walls, to enable us to deliver the types of premium immersive experiences that will surpass guest expectations. Costa Smeralda, for example, features a three-deck-high Colesso amphitheatre with LED walls and the latest sound and lighting technology to enrich the dramatic acrobatic performances. By investing in all these little details and offering them as standard to all guests, we are able to significantly elevate our cruise experience and deliver a premium product for a fraction of the cost. CFI Giuseppe Carino is vice president of guest experience and onboard revenue at Costa Cruises