The Costa Toscana, the latest addition to the fleet of the Italian cruise line Costa Cruises, departs from Barcelona for the first time on its inaugural cruise. This state-of-the-art ship is powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG). The Costa Group was the first in the world in the cruise sector to use LNG and refuel its ships in the port of Barcelona. Currently, the group has four ships powered by this technology: AIDAnova, Costa Smeralda, Costa Toscana, and AIDACosma.
“The Costa Toscana is an innovative ship that reinterprets the cruise experience, including a new way to discover destinations. The Costa Toscana’s departure also represents a new step in the journey that will return our fleet to full capacity this summer. The restart of our operations will strengthen an industry that, before the pandemic, generated an annual economic impact of €12.6 billion in Europe and more than 63,000 jobs, and €1.1 billion in Spain,” stated Mario Zanetti, President of Costa Cruises. “We are seeing an increase in demand for our cruises. Furthermore, as the overall situation improves, we expect to be able to simplify our health and safety protocols, which have been designed and adapted to the pandemic. In this regard, our work with the authorities is already well underway. I believe that cruises will return before summer with new protocols that will allow our guests to fully enjoy the experiences on board and ashore, with the return, for example, of excursions without restrictions for guests.”
The Costa Toscana will call at Barcelona every week until May and then again every week in the fall. Together with the Costa Firenze and the Costa Smeralda, the other two new additions to the fleet, they will make a total of 148 calls at Barcelona this year. The Costa Toscana's arrival marks the restart of Costa Cruises' fleet operations after the pause caused by the pandemic. In fact, the Costa Toscana will be followed by seven more ships, joining those already in service. The company expects that this summer the entire fleet, consisting of 12 ships, will be operational again.
Between the spring 2022 season and the winter 2022-23 season, Costa will offer more than 1,800 cruises, with itineraries ranging from 3 to 127 days. The company's ships will visit 179 destinations worldwide, with a completely revamped shore excursion program offering nearly 1,800 different tours for unique experiences in the heart of each location, thanks also to extended port calls. The culinary offerings will be equally rich: Costa ships will feature a total of 112 restaurants or dining areas across the fleet, with exciting new additions such as dishes created by chefs Bruno Barbieri, Hélène Darroze, and Ángel León, included in the cruise price and featuring interpretations of the flavors of the following day's destinations.
The inaugural Costa Toscana cruise will offer a one-week itinerary visiting Valencia, Palermo, Civitavecchia/Rome, Savona, and Marseille. Following its debut and throughout the summer season, the ship will call at Savona, Civitavecchia/Rome, Naples, Ibiza, Valencia, and Marseille, while in the autumn, the Ibiza stop will be replaced by Palma.
Costa Toscana is a true smart city . Thanks to the use of LNG, it has the capacity to almost completely eliminate sulfur oxide emissions (zero emissions) and particulate matter, while significantly reducing nitrogen oxide and CO2 emissions.
The ship also features a number of cutting-edge technological innovations designed to further reduce environmental impact: the use of desalination plants, an intelligent energy efficiency system, 100% selective waste collection, and the recycling of materials such as plastic, paper, glass, and aluminum.
The driftwood used to furnish the islands of the new Archipelago restaurant, featuring menus by three Michelin-starred chefs, was recovered thanks to the “Guardians of the Coast,” the environmental education program for the protection of the Italian coastline supported by the Costa Crociere Foundation. For every dinner served at Archipelago, Costa Cruises will donate a portion of the proceeds to support the foundation’s environmental and social projects.
In terms of design, the interiors of the Costa Toscana are the result of an extraordinary project, led by Adam D. Tihany. The furniture, lighting, fabrics, and accessories are all “Made in Italy,” designed by 15 partners who embody Italian excellence.
Furthermore, the onboard offering is perfectly integrated into this extraordinary context: from the Solemio Spa to the entertainment areas; the themed bars, in collaboration with major Italian and international brands, and even the 21 restaurants and areas dedicated to the “gastronomic experience”.
