Costa Crociere christens new flagship, the Costa Diadema

This post is also available in:

Costa Crociere, who has a long and successful relationship with the Casa de Campo resort, recently celebrated the christening of their new flagship vessel, the Costa Diadema, the largest Italian ship ever built. Built at a cost of over 1/2 a billion Euros, the Costa Diadema, the “Regina del Mediterraneo” (Queen of the Mediterranean Sea) offers large, split-level rooms directly overlooking the sea, designed to evoke the atmosphere of a buzzing seaside resort. Meanwhile wrapping around the ship from stern to bow is the 500 meter promenade, the longest of the fleet, which extending out over the side of the ship, creates the wonderful illusion of floating over the sea. In addition, Diadema also offers the largest wellness and beauty area of the fleet, the Samsara Spa; 6,200 m2 spread across 4 levels, with 141 Samsara cabins with direct access to the spa facilities for guests looking to combine a wellness retreat with the cruising experience. Not to mention the finest Italian cuisine, enchanting and elegant decor created by master architect Joseph Farcus, a retractable roof for under the stars entertainment, as well as three new types of excursions, from “Easy” day trips, to special “Bike Tours” and the taste itineraries “Scoperta e Sapori”… and so much more! A thunderous applause and a shower of gold sequins mingled with the sound of the breaking bottle as the Costa Diadema was inaugurated in great style on November 7th in Genoa. The celebration was attended by an exclusive group of guests, who watched the proceedings from the ship’s grand Emerald Theatre where Cardinal Angelo Bagnasco, Archbishop of Genoa and President of the CEI blessed the ship after all the guests had stood up for the national anthem.

Claudio Silvestri with Michael Thamm, Chief Executive Officer – Costa Crociere

Honored to take part in the celebration was Claudio Silvestri Chairman and CEO of Premier Resorts & Hotels representing the Central Romana Corporation, who was instrumental in bringing the first Costa ships to Casa de Campo more than 15 years ago. In collaboration with Nicola Costa (former owner of Costa and today Honorary President), and of course Central Romana, Dr. Silvestri was able to obtain a concession that allowed the Costa cruise ships to include Catalina Island as one of their stops in the Caribbean, thus allowing cruise guests to spend a day on this island paradise. It was following the success of that project that Central Romana decided to build the La Romana – Casa de Campo International Port, today an internationally acclaimed port of call for the cruising world.

Michael Ungerer, President & Chief Executive Officer – AIDA Cruises and Arnold Donald, President & Chief Executive Officer – Carnival Corporation with Claudio Silvestri

During the christening ceremony, Dr. Claudio Silvestri toasted the future success of Costa Crociere alongside Michael Thamm, Chief Executive Officer – Costa Crociere; Howard Frank, Chairman – Costa Crociere; Arnold Donald, President & Chief Executive Officer – Carnival Corporation; Michael Ungerer, President & Chief Executive Officer – AIDA Cruises; Nicola Costa, Honorary President, Costa Crociere SpA; Neil Palomba, Senior Vice President, Hotel Operations and Guest Experience – Costa Crociere; Thatcher Brown, Vice President On board Revenue & Product Development – Costa Crociere; Rachele Guicciardi, Consultant – Christie’s (Genoa) and Norbert Stiekema, Executive Vice President Sales & Marketing – Costa Crociere. Following his participation in the christening ceremony, Claudio Silvestri told Casa de Campo Living: “It is a pleasure to see Costa Crociere continue to grow and prosper. As our relationship with the company moves towards its third decade, we look forward to welcoming the Costa Mágica back to the Casa de Campo – La Romana International port on Monday December 15th.”

Claudio Silvestri with Mary and Howard Frank, Chairman – Costa Crociere

The Costa Mágica will be arriving to La Romana for the first time this season on Monday December 15th. Once again docking at the Casa de Campo – La Romana International Port every Monday through to April 6th, Casa de Campo villa owners and guests will have the opportunity to dine aboard the ship for just US$60 per person, please click here for more details.

And as for the Costa Diadema, she will not be coming to the Caribbean this season, but for those of you wanting to discover the best of Italy, there really is no better option. Take a look at the images below and dream of a cruise that takes you from Naples to La Spezia to Savona to Marseille to Barcelona and Palma De Mallorca, and all in the height of Italian luxury.