Costa Pacifica

The 2009-built Costa Pacifica cruise ship is the third Concordia-class liner, with sisterships Concordia, Favolosa, Serena and Fascinosa, plus 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-headquartered subsidiary company owned by Carnival Corporation. Costa is Europe's second-largest cruise line (after MSC) with year-round operations in the Mediterranean. Costa was founded in 1854 as a cargo shipping company. It started passenger shipping services in 1947, with regular Transatlantic crossings between Europe (Italy) and South America. In 2000, Costa Cruises was acquired by Carnival Corporation (shipowner).

The 3000-passenger ship Costa Pacifica was designed by Joe Farcus - the long-time famous Carnival interior architect and designer, now leader of the new-build Costa team. All his vessels are theme-designed, and Pacifica’s theme is music – fully exposed in her decor with artwork (antique violins, prints of scores) and decks called after different music styles. And the most interesting act is that the music theme is carried through the ship’s activities. The exceptional to Pacifica music maestro and 1st-ever cruising recording studio help travelers learn how to play the guitar, piano, viola or drums during their vacation.

Besides the ship's staff and crew, Costa cruise passengers are also served by Peper robots - the latest cyborg technology implemented fleetwide in 2016. These humanoid robots greet and guide passengers upon embarkation. They also assist them throughout the cruise by providing information and tips on onboard dining, entertainment, enrichment program (workshops, pre-scheduled events), casino and shopping promotions, shore excursions and tours. Pepper robots are mobile and communicate in 3 languages (English, German, Italian). They can also interpret human emotions by analyzing voice tones and facial expressions.

Decks and Cabins

Costa Pacifica staterooms (1507 total, in 16 grades) include 70x Suites, 524x Balconies, 321x Oceanviews and 592x Inside cabins. Most staterooms are sized 185 ft2 / 17 m2 (nearly 40% of all) and have a private step-out balcony. Wheelchair-accessible cabins are 28. The largest accommodations are the Grand Suites (345 ft2 / 32 m2, with terraces sized 85-120 ft2 / 8-11 m2). There are also Spa Staterooms (103 total, including 12x Spa Suites), and single cabins (12).

The boat has 13 passenger decks, of which 8 are with cabins.

Shipboard dining options - Food and Drinks

Costa Pacifica has a total of 6x dining venues (restaurants and food bars) plus 11x lounges and bars.

Ristorante My Way is Pacifica's 2-tier forward formal restaurant. It offers fixed seating options for early and late dining. The restaurant serves starters, appetizers, main courses of fish or meat, side dishes, salads and desserts (vegetarian options and special dietary requirements are also available).

Ristorante New York New York is the ship's 2-tier aft formal restaurant, featuring fixed seating options of 6:30 pm or 9 pm.

The Samsara Restaurant, located on deck 3, offers a range of healthy food with the latest cooking techniques and a selection of special ingredients. The restaurant is free to guests in the Samsara cabins, whilst other passengers can dine there for a charge (booking required).

Following drydock refurbishment 2022, the ship now has Ristorante Archipelago - a specialty restaurant offering menus from three celebrity chefs - Bruno Barbieri (Italian), Helene Darroze (French) and Angel Leon (Spanish). The current voyage's menu's ingredients and recipes are based on the destinations included in the itinerary/call ports. Archipelago Restaurant (introduced for the first time on Costa Smeralda) operates with a total of 3 menus, each of 5 courses.

Costa Pacifica also provides 24-hour complimentary Room Service.

Follows the complete list of Costa Pacifica restaurants and food bars.

• Ristorante My Way (complimentary forward Dining Room, operates with open seating Breakfast and Lunch, 2 assigned seatings for Dinner - at 6:30 pm and 9 pm)
• Ristorante New York New York (complimentary 2-level aft Dining Room with 2 fixed Dinner seatings)
• Club Blue Moon Restaurant (specialty a la carte restaurant; Steakhouse menu and extensive wine list; dinner-only, reservations required)
• Ristorante Samsara (serves healthy and low-calorie food; with complimentary dining room for guests in Samsara Spa cabins, and a specialty restaurant for other passengers, at surcharge/reservations, required)
• Ristorante Buffet Paloma (self-service buffet restaurant, complimentary; offers breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea at 4-5 pm, and dinner; in the evening is transformed into Pizzeria, complimentary, with waiter service).

Introduced in 2021, "Destination Dishes" are complimentary and available at the MDR's/main dining rooms fleetwide. They are based on individual recipes designed by a "celebrity chef trio" (Bruno Barbieri/Italian, Helene Darroze/French, Angel Leon/Spanish) and interpret the traditional food of the destinations to be visiting by the ship on the following day of the voyage.

Shipboard entertainment options - Fun and Sport

Costa Pacifica ship provides two dining rooms, casino, theater, two show lounges, library, modern fitness center, 4x swimming pools, and 5x Jacuzzies (outdoor whirlpools) plus SPA. Across music, the Pacifica cruise ship is one of the biggest in Costa’s fleet, appealing to passengers who want a huge number of amusement options. Among the many, there’s a two-deck Disco Fever, stylish Wien Wien lounge with classical performances, elaborate SPA, fun amenities for kids – these all at extremely good fares.

Follows the complete list of Costa Pacifica lounges, clubs and other entertainment venues for kids, teens, and adults.

• Teatro Stardust (3-tiered theatre and main show lounge; hosts grand scale show productions, musicals, classical concerts, ballet performances, circus, and laser light shows)
• 4D cinema room (featuring 3D films with moving seats)
• Grand Bar Rhapsody (with own dance floor and stage for live performances; hosts quiz games and fashion reviews)
• Bar Sport Route 66 (with big-size flat TVs)
• Bar Classico Amapola (Cigar Lounge and Bar; also selling cigars and fine liquor)
• Galleria d’Arte (Pacifica’s Art Gallery)
• Sala Carte (cards room)
• Casino Flamingo (served by Flamingo Bar)
• Pacifica Atrium (multi-deck “Atrio Welcome” - an open-floor area with live music and entertainment, served by Atrio Lobby Bar)
• Recording Studio (authentic CD-recording; charges EUR 35 per hour)
• Sala da Ballo “Wien Wien” (lounge with dance floor and own bar)
• Piano Bar “Rick’s” (stage for cabaret performances, live music, own dance floor)
• Salone Around The Clock (grand lounge with round-shaped bar and stage)
• Discoteca Fever (Disco Nightclub with DJ program nightly)
• Internet Point (Internet computers room); Biblioteca Imagine (Library)
• Galleria Shops (duty and tax-free shops for brand watches, jewelry, perfumes, fashion clothes, Costa-logo merchandise, sportswear, gifts, tobacco, and liquor)
• Area Foto (Photo Gallery and Shop)
• Mondo Virtuale and PlayStation World (virtual gaming lounges)
• Caffetteria Rondo (chocolates, specialty coffee bar, and patisserie)
• Bar Scuderia Costa (themed bar Formula 1 with Grand Prix simulator)
• Cappella (Wedding Chapel, also used for religious services)
• Squok Club (kids lounge with Mini Club (3-6 yo) and Maxi Club (7-11 yo) playing rooms; with complimentary kids program and supervised activities; complimentary babysitting)
• Teen Zone (teenagers' lounge with Teen Junior (12-14 yo) and Teen Club (15-17 yo) rooms; complimentary supervised activities, themed parties, sports contests)
• Centro Banessere Samsara (2-level Spa and Wellness complex, with Fitness and separate Spinning/Aerobics Room; Venus Beauty Salon, Massages and Treatments Rooms, Japanese TeaRoom, Relaxation Room, Thermal Suites, Solarium, Tepidarium (heated loungers), Laconium (low humidity sauna), Aroma Steam Baths, Thalassotherapy pool, Turkish Bath, Solarium, Saunas, Kinesis Room. All Pacifica’s guests in Samsara Spa staterooms have free access to most of the Spa complex)
• Lido Calypso pool area (lido pool with two Whirlpools, huge LED screen, PlayStation nights; served by Calypso Bar and Grill); Calypso Balcony
• Lido Ipanema pool area (with two Whirlpools; served by Ipanema Bar)
• Lido Bamba Pool area (with a retractable glass roof and Whirlpool)
• Lido Squok (kids’ mini Aquapark)
• Solarium (open-air relaxation area)
• Campo da Gioco (combined court for tennis and basketball); Pista da Jogging (Power Walking/Jogging Track), doubled with a Roller Skating Track; Putting Green Area; Virtual Golf Game.

Itineraries

Costa Pacifica itinerary program is based on Central and Western Mediterranean voyages and a winter Caribbean deployment with homeporting in Dominicana (La Romana). Seasonally (in spring and fall) the ship offers Transatlantic crossings (RepositionCruises.com) between Europe and the Caribbean.

Due to the Coronavirus crisis, the Costa ship Pacifica was paused for 2+ years (March 2020 through June 2022) restarting operations on June 4 from Bari Italy (7-day Mediterranean itinerary to Catania Sicily, Valletta Malta, and Greece's Mykonos and Santorini islands).

Costa Pacifica's schedule for summer 2023 (June 3 thru October 7) featured Taranto (Italy) as both a homeport (embarkation/disembarkation port, also reached with a fly-cruise package) and a call/transit port for passengers embarking in other ports, particularly Catania. Taranto (a total of 19x calls/Saturday visits/port stay 8 am and 5 pm) was included as part of a 7-day Greek Islands itinerary also visiting Catania (Sicily), Valletta (Malta), and Greece's Mykonos Island and Santorini Island.

The vessel (Fincantieri Sestri Ponente yard/hull number C6148) has a volume of 114425 GT tons, DWT weight 10000 tons, max draught 8,3 m. The powerplant is based on Wartsila-Sulzer marine diesel engines (models 12V46C and 8L46C) with combined power output 42 MW. The registered shipowner and management company is COSTA CROCIERE SPA, the ISM Manager is CARNIVAL MARITIME GMBH.

Pacifica is Costa's 3rd Concordia-Class liner, with sisterships Fascinosa, Favolosa, Serena, Concordia (sunk 2012) and Carnival Splendor. The inaugural cruise/maiden voyage started on June 6, 2009, from homeport Savona Italy.

The ship's interior design theme is "Music" and it carries 310 original artworks and 5930 prints (many of scores or antique musical instruments).

Pacifica is world's first cruise ship with a recording studio with a resident "music maestro" at passengers' disposal. Guests can learn how to play guitar, drums or piano. One of the biggest Costa ships, Pacifica has a Viennese-inspired lounge (Wien Wien), 2-deck/2-level Disco Fever, luxurious spa center.

Ship's Captain is Paolo Viscafe. During 2016-2017 winter season, the liner was repositioned from Europe-Mediterranean to South America.

For Costa Cruises' "70th Anniversary" was organized a special voyage exclusively for CostaClub (loyalty program) members. The 12-day Mediterranean itinerary was on Pacifica and visited 18 different countries. The club cruise was booked by nearly 3000 members. It featured a live concert by Gloria Gaynor (US singer) and a 3-meter high pyramid of gourmet eclair cakes (created by Chef Christophe Adam). The "birthday cruise" was attended by company's President Neil Palomba. Michelin Chef Bruno Barbieri directed a cooking show and presented his new (Costa fleet exclusive) menu.