Costa Pacifica

The 2009-built Costa Pacifica cruise ship is the third Concordia-class liner, with sisterships Concordia, Favolosa, Serena, and Fascinosa, along with Carnival Splendor.

The vessel (IMO number 9378498) is currently Italy-flagged (MMSI 247258100) and registered in Genoa.

History - construction and ownership

Costa Cruises is a Genoa-based subsidiary of Carnival Corporation. Costa is Europe’s second-largest cruise line (after MSC) with year-round operations in the Mediterranean. Founded in 1854 as a cargo shipping company, Costa launched passenger services in 1947 with regular transatlantic crossings between Italy and South America. In 2000, the company was acquired by Carnival Corporation.

The 3000-passenger Costa Pacifica was designed by Joe Farcus, the renowned Carnival interior designer and architect who leads Costa’s newbuild design team. All of his ships are theme-based, and Pacifica’s theme is music—reflected throughout the decor with artwork like antique violins and musical scores, and deck names themed after music styles. The music theme continues through onboard activities, including the ship’s unique recording studio and resident music maestro who offers lessons in guitar, piano, viola, and drums.

In addition to the ship’s crew, Costa passengers are assisted by Pepper robots—humanoid cyborgs introduced fleetwide in 2016. These robots greet and guide guests upon embarkation and assist them throughout the cruise with information on dining, entertainment, enrichment programs (workshops, scheduled events), casino and shopping promotions, and shore excursions. Pepper robots are mobile, multilingual (English, German, Italian), and capable of interpreting human emotions based on voice tone and facial expressions.

Decks and Cabins

Costa Pacifica staterooms (1507 total, across 16 categories) include 70 Suites, 524 Balcony, 321 Oceanview, and 592 Inside cabins. Most staterooms are 185 ft² / 17 m² in size and nearly 40% have private balconies. The ship has 28 wheelchair-accessible cabins. The largest accommodations are Grand Suites (345 ft² / 32 m²) with terraces sized 85-120 ft² / 8-11 m². There are also 103 Spa Staterooms (including 12 Spa Suites) and 12 Single cabins.

The vessel has 13 passenger decks, 8 of which are dedicated to cabins.

Shipboard dining options - Food and Drinks

Costa Pacifica offers 6 dining venues and 11 bars and lounges.

Ristorante My Way is the forward 2-level main dining room with fixed seating for early and late dining, serving multi-course meals including vegetarian and special dietary options.

Ristorante New York New York is the aft 2-level formal dining room, also with fixed seating at 6:30 p.m. and 9:00 p.m.

Located on Deck 3, the Samsara Restaurant offers healthy cuisine prepared with innovative cooking techniques and special ingredients. Complimentary for guests in Samsara cabins; others can dine here for an extra charge (reservation required).

Following her 2022 refurbishment, Costa Pacifica introduced Ristorante Archipelago, a specialty venue featuring three 5-course menus curated by celebrity chefs Bruno Barbieri (Italian), Helene Darroze (French), and Angel Leon (Spanish). The menu is inspired by the cruise itinerary’s destinations. Archipelago first debuted on Costa Smeralda.

Room service is available 24 hours and is complimentary.

Complete list of Costa Pacifica restaurants and food bars:

• Ristorante My Way (complimentary forward dining room, open-seating for breakfast and lunch, fixed-seating dinner at 6:30 p.m. and 9 p.m.)
• Ristorante New York New York (complimentary aft dining room with fixed dinner seatings)
• Club Blue Moon Restaurant (a la carte specialty steakhouse; dinner only, reservations required)
• Ristorante Samsara (complimentary for Samsara guests, surcharge and reservations for others)
• Ristorante Buffet Paloma (complimentary self-service buffet for breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea, and dinner; transforms into Pizzeria with waiter service in the evening)

Introduced in 2021, "Destination Dishes" are complimentary options available in the main dining rooms, inspired by traditional dishes of the next day’s destination and designed by the celebrity chef trio.

Shipboard entertainment options - Fun and Sport

Costa Pacifica features two main dining rooms, a casino, theater, two show lounges, a library, a modern fitness center, four pools, five whirlpools, and a full-service spa. As one of the largest Costa ships, she offers a wide range of entertainment options at excellent value, including Disco Fever (a two-deck nightclub), the Wien Wien lounge for classical performances, and extensive facilities for children and teens.

Complete list of Costa Pacifica lounges, clubs, and entertainment venues:

• Teatro Stardust (three-level main show lounge for musicals, concerts, ballet, circus shows, and laser light performances)
• 4D Cinema Room
• Grand Bar Rhapsody (dance floor and stage for live shows, games, and fashion events)
• Bar Sport Route 66 (sports bar with large flat-screen TVs)
• Bar Classico Amapola (cigar lounge and bar)
• Galleria d’Arte (art gallery)
• Sala Carte (card room)
• Casino Flamingo (served by Flamingo Bar)
• Pacifica Atrium (“Atrio Welcome” – open area with live music and lobby bar)
• Recording Studio (EUR 35/hour for authentic CD recordings)
• Sala da Ballo Wien Wien (dance lounge with its own bar)
• Piano Bar Rick’s (live music, cabaret, and dance floor)
• Salone Around The Clock (grand lounge with round bar and stage)
• Discoteca Fever (nightclub with nightly DJ program)
• Internet Point and Biblioteca Imagine (library)
• Galleria Shops (duty-free shops offering a wide variety of merchandise)
• Area Foto (photo gallery and shop)
• Mondo Virtuale and PlayStation World (virtual gaming lounges)
• Caffetteria Rondo (chocolate, coffee bar, and patisserie)
• Bar Scuderia Costa (Formula 1-themed bar with Grand Prix simulator)
• Cappella (wedding chapel, also used for religious services)
• Squok Club (kids’ club with Mini and Maxi Clubs, supervised activities, and babysitting)
• Teen Zone (teen lounge with Junior and Teen Clubs, supervised programs and parties)
• Centro Benessere Samsara (two-level spa with gym, spinning/aerobics room, beauty salon, massage rooms, thermal suite, sauna, thalassotherapy pool, relaxation lounges, and Japanese tea room; complimentary access for Samsara cabin guests)
• Lido Calypso (main pool with LED screen and two whirlpools; served by Calypso Bar and Grill)
• Lido Ipanema (pool with two whirlpools; served by Ipanema Bar)
• Lido Bamba (pool with retractable glass roof and whirlpool)
• Lido Squok (mini aquapark for kids)
• Solarium (open-air relaxation area)
• Campo da Gioco (sports court for basketball and tennis), jogging/roller skating track, putting green, and virtual golf

Itineraries

Costa Pacifica’s itinerary program includes Central and Western Mediterranean cruises, along with seasonal winter Caribbean voyages departing from La Romana, Dominican Republic. In spring and fall, the ship offers Transatlantic repositioning cruises between Europe and the Caribbean.

Due to the Coronavirus pandemic, Costa Pacifica was paused for over two years (March 2020 to June 2022), resuming operations on June 4, 2022, from Bari, Italy with a 7-day Mediterranean itinerary to Catania (Sicily), Valletta (Malta), and the Greek islands of Mykonos and Santorini.

In summer 2023 (June 3 through October 7), Costa Pacifica featured Taranto, Italy as both a homeport and transit port. The 7-day Greek Islands itinerary also included calls at Catania (Sicily), Valletta (Malta), Mykonos, and Santorini, with Taranto hosting 19 port calls on Saturdays (8 a.m. to 5 p.m.). Fly-cruise packages were also available.

The vessel (Fincantieri Sestri Ponente shipyard, hull number C6148) has a gross tonnage of 114,425 GT, a deadweight of 10,000 tons, and a maximum draught of 8.3 meters. The powerplant consists of Wartsila-Sulzer marine diesel engines (models 12V46C and 8L46C) with a combined power output of 42 MW. The registered shipowner and management company is COSTA CROCIERE S.p.A., while the ISM Manager is CARNIVAL MARITIME GmbH.

Pacifica is Costa's third Concordia-class liner, with sisterships Fascinosa, Favolosa, Serena, Concordia (sunk in 2012), and Carnival Splendor. Her inaugural cruise began on June 6, 2009, departing from her homeport in Savona, Italy.

The ship's interior design is themed around "Music" and features 310 original artworks and 5,930 prints, many depicting musical scores or antique instruments.

Pacifica is the world's first cruise ship to feature a recording studio with a resident music maestro available to guests. Passengers can take lessons in guitar, drums, or piano. As one of Costa's largest ships, Pacifica offers a Viennese-themed lounge (Wien Wien), a two-deck Disco Fever nightclub, and a luxurious spa center.

The ship's captain is Paolo Viscafe. During the 2016–2017 winter season, the vessel was repositioned from Europe-Mediterranean to South America.

In celebration of Costa Cruises' "70th Anniversary," a special voyage was organized exclusively for CostaClub (loyalty program) members. This 12-day Mediterranean cruise on Pacifica visited 18 different countries and was attended by nearly 3,000 club members. Highlights included a live performance by American singer Gloria Gaynor and a 3-meter-tall pyramid of gourmet eclairs created by Chef Christophe Adam. The commemorative voyage was also attended by Costa's President Neil Palomba. Michelin-starred Chef Bruno Barbieri hosted a cooking show and introduced a new menu created exclusively for the Costa fleet.