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A History Of Costa Cruises

Costa Cruises

As the operator of Europe's largest and most advanced fleet, Costa Cruises is a name synonymous with quality and innovation.

Earlier this year Costa celebrated its 60th year as a passenger line, although its roots can in fact be traced back to the mid-1800s.

Costa currently has 12 ships in service and five vessels on order, making it one of the most progressive cruise lines in the world. Some of the core destinations served by Costa include the Mediterranean, the Far East, Dubai and the Caribbean.

Blast from the past

Founded by Giacomo Costa in 1854, Costa Cruises began life trading olive oil and fabrics between the markets of Genoa and Sardia. Expansion soon followed and the cruise line began transporting goods all over the world – even as far away as Australia, where thousands of Italian emigrants had created a market for European food.

Costa continued to thrive and by the start of World War II, the company had a fleet of eight ships. By the time victory was declared six years later, Costa's fleet had been decimated, with only the Langano surviving.

Undeterred by the loss of several ships, the far-sighted Costa family noticed the growing demand for passenger travel. And so, in 1948, the Anna C set sail from Genoa to Buenos Aires and the modern-day Costa Cruises was born.

A fully air conditioned ship, the Anna C set the standard for the rest of Costa's fleet. The vessel's interior was designed by legendary architect Giovanni Zoncada, who stamped his style on Costa's ships for the next 30 years.

With the inauguration of the Maria C, Louisa C and Franca C, Costa began offering sailings to destinations such as Venezuela and the Antilles.

As the company's fleet grew, so too did its reputation for offering impeccable service, warm hospitality and tasty Mediterranean cuisine – all bound by an unmistakable Italian style.

The cruise line became renowned for its stylish fittings and interiors, with Domus magazine editor Gio Ponti even mentioning the architectural and decorative aspects of the fleet in one of his publications. With the introduction of swimming pools, fine restaurants and entertainment, the modern cruise holiday began to evolve and in 1959, the Franca C became the first ship in the world to be entirely dedicated to pleasure cruises.

Joined in the winter months by the Anna Costa, the Franca C began offering seven and 14-day voyages around the US and Caribbean.

By the 1960s cruising was proving extremely popular and new routes were launched around the Mediterranean, Black Sea, Brazil, Uruguay and Argentina, with the innovative cruise line even venturing down the Straights of Magellan and into the Antarctic.

Cruising evolved even further in 1964, when Costa ordered the construction of the Eugenio C and announced plans to abolish class divides on its vessels.

In 1968, the ' fly cruise' was born, offering holidaymakers the opportunity to jet to ports around the world and enjoy holidays at sea without having to make the lengthy journey across the Atlantic.

As the swinging 60s gave way to the 70s, mass tourism really took off and the cruise line continued to increase its fleet to meet growing demand.

Costa's expansion proceeded at a rapid rate and the nineties saw the launch of vessels such as the Costa Allegra, Costa Classica, Costa Romantica and in 1996, the Costa Victoria.

In 2000, Costa became a fully owned subsidiary of the Carnival Corporation and went on to introduce the Costa Fortuna, Costa Concordia and Costa Magica.

Cruising into the future

Costa Cruises celebrated its 60th anniversary as a passenger line this year and it certainly shows no signs of slowing down.

The cruise line currently has five ships on order and by 2012, the Costa fleet will be 17-strong, with a total guest capacity of 46,400.

Costa has demonstrated its ability to move with the times and is widely regarded as one of the world's most advanced cruise lines. It has certainly come a long way from lugging barrels of olive oil between Genoa and Sardinia and is likely to sail into the future with ease.

Only last month the cruise line scooped three separate awards, including a Port Oscar for environmental protection and a Cruise Critic award for the best overall spa facilities.

In addition, Costa announced last week that despite the credit crunch, sales were stronger than ever, with bookings currently up 12 per cent on the same period last year.

Commenting on the figures, which by anyone's standards are quite startling, UK managing director Marco Rosa hit the nail on the head when he pointed out that a cruise holiday would always offer the very best value for money.

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