By IANS,
Mumbai : Italian luxury cruise ship Costa neoRomantica Monday made its maiden call at Mumbai as it docked at the city’s naval dockyard with around 1,000 passengers.
Innovative re-styling has transformed the Costa Romantica into the Costa neoRomantica, which is now designed as a five-star resort. “Neo means new. We are presenting to our passengers this new ship that defines luxury under one roof,” said Frederic Mathieu, international social host on board, who showed reporters around the ship.
Designed to seduce you at first glance, the ship has sophisticated environs, and its settings are elegant. Pastel colours, subdued lighting and precious material were used in the design, and the finest detail has been considered, to encourage relaxation on board.
The ship, earlier called Costa Romantica, saw a small fire on Feb 25, 2009. The engines and electric generators were affected in the fire that broke out off the coast of Uruguay, about 10 km from the city of Punta del Este.
In November 2011, Costa Romantica underwent refurbishing worth 90 million Euros; two half-decks were added, and the gross tonnage of the vessel went up from 53,000 to 56,000 tonnes.
The ship was renamed neoRomantica after the refurbishing, and started her first journey with the new name in March 2012.
The ship has a total of 789 cabins in all, including 86 cabins with a private balcony and an amazing ocean view. It has 28 suites, including 24 with a private balcony, 56 Samsara cabins, including six suites.
For those keen on food, there are four restaurants to choose from: Samsara Restaurant, Club neoRomantica Restaurant and Pizzeria and a grill area that are paid services, and another Samsara Restaurant which is included in the price for guests staying in Samsara cabins and suites.
The ship also offers a beauty salon and spa, spread over 4,400 sq m on two floors, including a gym, thalassotherapy (using sea water for therapy) pool, treatment rooms, tanning salon, sauna and steam room.
Costa neoRomantica also has a solarium, two pools, two spa tubs and an outdoor jogging track for fitness enthusiasts. For entertainment, there is a casino, disco, grand bar and a show lounge with dance floor.
A library and an Internet cafe are available along with wi-fi connectivity for those hooked on to their laptops and blackberries. A photo shop selling various items and a shopping centre housing international brands can also be found on board
A Squok Club for children comes as a relief to parents who want to disembark and go shopping at a new city or those who want to entertain themselves at the bar.