Costa Cruises took delivery of its 15th cruiseship, the $625 million Costa Deliziosa in Venice on Saturday. Sister ship to the Costa Luminosa the 92,600-ton Costa Deliziosa carries 2,826 guests in 1,130 staterooms – including 52 Samsara, 718 veranda cabins, 50 suites and four Samsara suites inside the 11,000 square foot Samsara Spa. There are a host of leading-edge innovations on board including a 20-seat 4D cinema that takes guests on a wild sensory ride, a golf and Grand Prix simulator, Playstation World.

Deliziosa It will sail from Savona, Italy with paying passengers on February 5, on a 20-night inaugural cruise to Dubai where it will be based for the winter season along with the Costa Luminosa and Costa Europa. ExpertCruiser will be in Dubai on February 23 to cover the Deliziosa’s extravagant christening. Stay tuned for more details.

Cruise lines are scrambling to find new ways to top each other in the innovation stakes. Bigger ships and never-before-seen features are the shape of things to come on the high seas in 2010.

Ship class of 2010

Fifteen new ships will be ready for their close-ups next year, with one being the second largest cruise ship ever launched. Here’s a summary for the Class of 2010, in order of the month they debut.

January– Costa Cruises 92,700-ton Costa Deliziosa will carry 2,828 guests and will homeport in Dubai for the winter with sailings around the Middle East. The ship will transition back Europe in May to cruise the Baltics during the summer and the Mediterranean for the rest of the year.

February - AIDA Cruises, Germany’s largest cruise line, (owned by Carnival Corporation) will launch its seventh ship in 2010, the 68,500-ton, 2,050-passenger AIDAblu. The vessel is the sister ship to AIDAdiva, AIDAbella and AIDAluna and will cruise European waters year round.

March - The MSC Magnifica will be MSC Cruises’ 11th ship. The 93,330-ton ship will carry 2,518 passengers. The ship will feature its MSC Yacht Club, exclusively for suite guests. The ship will be based in Venice where it will sail year-round seven-night cruises.

March - Avalon Waterways is the fastest growing river boat cruise line in the world. The company will launch two new vessels this year bringing the fleet size to 10 riverboats. Carrying just 138 passengers Avalon Felicity will ply the waters of the Rhine until the winter season.

April -The Celebrity Eclipse will be Celebrity Cruises’ third ship in the Solstice-class. For summer 2010, Eclipse will cruise from Southampton, England – the first time a Celebrity ship will based in that port. The ship will be 122,000-tons and carry 2,850 passengers. In November the ship will transition to the Caribbean.

P&O Cruises’ 116,000-ton Azura will carry 3,100 passengers. The ship will sail alternating 7- and 14-day European itineraries from Southampton, England.

May – Compagnie du Ponant Yacht Cruises will launch its first new vessel in a decade, the 264-passenger Le Boréal. The luxury French line’s new vessel will sail various European itineraries year round.

California-based AMAWATERWAYS is an upscale European river cruise company that was launched in 2002. The company will launch the MS Amabella bringing its fleet to 11 boats. The Amabella is sister ship of the MS Amacello and carries just 148 passengers. Itineraries for the new vessel have not been disclosed.

June – The Seabourn Sojourn is the second of three new ships for the Yachts of Seabourn. The ultra-luxury 32,000-ton Seabourn Sojourn will accommodate 450 lucky guests. The yacht’s itineraries will begin with sailings around Northern Europe, the Mediterranean, and Caribbean before it embarks on its 111-day world cruise from Los Angeles.

The most anticipated ship launch of 2010 is Norwegian Cruise Line’s (NCL) Norwegian Epic. It will be NCL’s largest and most innovative ship to date, featuring an Aqua Park, an ice bar, wavy staterooms, and the largest private villa complex at sea. The 153,000-ton ship will carry 4,200 guests and sail alternating Eastern and Western Caribbean itineraries.

July - Holland America Line’s 86,000-ton Nieuw Amsterdam is the second of the line’s “Signature Class” vessels. The ship, which will carry 2,104 passengers, will sail 12-day sailings around the Mediterranean. In mid-October, Nieuw Amsterdam will head to Fort Lauderdale for the winter season sailing seven-day Eastern Caribbean sailings.

August – Avalon Waterways will launch Felicity’s sister ship Avalon Luminary in May. Like Felicity, Avalon Luminary will carry just 138 passengers; however, it will cruise year-round on the Rhine River.

October – Cunard Line launches the new 90,400-ton, 2,092-passenger Queen Elizabeth, sister ship to Queen Victoria. The ship will sail round-trip from Southampton on various Mediterranean itineraries. In January, the ship will begin its 103-day world cruise.

November – When Sea Cloud Cruises launches the Sea Cloud Hussar it will be the largest three-mast passenger ship ever built. The 69 exterior cabins offer space for 136 passengers, who are looked after by a crew of 90. The ship will sail routes in the Mediterranean Sea and the Persian Gulf. And, like its sister ships it will be sailed in the traditional way – by hand.

December - Allure of the Seas is the sister ship to the Oasis of the Seas, and thus is the second of two of the world biggest ships. At 222,000-tons it will carry 5,400 guests (6,300 max) and 1,650 crew members. Like Oasis, Allure will offer distinct neighborhoods, unique interior staterooms, and a zip-line. Allure will sail year-round from Fort Lauderdale offering 7-day alternating Eastern and Western Caribbean itineraries.

Booze cruises

German cruise line AIDA Cruises’ new AIDAblu will have a microbrewery – a first for the cruise industry. The microbrewery, staffed by renowned brewers from Bavaria, will serve the beer it brews for free, while also offering specialty beers for a fee.

Inspired by the original ice bars and ice hotels in Scandinavia and one of only 14 ice bars in the world, Ice Bar on Norwegian Epic will be the ultimate chill. This frozen chamber of iced vodka is set in changing hues of blue, green and purple LED lighting that simulates the Northern Lights and creates a distinctive arctic atmosphere. The centerpiece is a giant ice cube that glows and changes colors to the beat of the music. The venue will accommodate 25 guests who will be given fur coats, gloves and hats to keep them warm, since the room’s temperature will not rise above 17 degrees Fahrenheit.

Dinner in a circus

Norwegian Epic will offer the only “big top” at sea in an intimate 265-seat theater-in-the-round. Dubbed “Cirque Dreams and Dinner”, this one of a kind interactive theatrical dining experience will be performed in the air, while juggling dinner courses, with music, mayhem and acrobatic imagination. During the two-hour show, guests will marvel in amazement and become part of a celebration of spectacle and fantasy. The entire experience will be unlike anything else at sea.

Stylish staterooms

Norwegian Epic incorporates several new types of accommodations – the curved New Wave staterooms; the largest ship-within-a-ship suite complex at sea, comprising 60 suites and villas on two private decks at the top of the ship; a new category of inside staterooms for the value-conscious traveler – The Studios and Living Room; and spa and family-friendly accommodations.

More kids invade Europe

Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy and thousands of American kids are headed back to Europe. In April, the Disney Magic will return to Europe, where it first sailed in 2007, only this time with a few new itineraries. The Magic will offer its first-ever 10,11, and-12-day cruises to Scandinavia, Germany and Russia, in addition to a lineup of Mediterranean itineraries that include calls at three new ports. And in each port Disney will add its magic touch to enhance the family touring experience.

Less Alaska

Alaska’s 2007 imposition of a head tax on cruise passengers has caused a tsunami of cruise ship defections from the state’s waters. Carnival, Princess, Holland America Line, Royal Caribbean and Norwegian Cruise Line have reduced capacity in Alaska significantly for 2010 and more are scheduled to leave in 2011.

Rick Meadows, executive vice president of marketing, sales and guest programs, for Holland America says the change reflects the rising demand for Europe itineraries. “Our guests are finding a cruise to be the best value for their money in Europe, and interest in Mediterranean and Northern European itineraries continues to grow,” he said. With fewer ships sailing Alaska’s waters cruise fares are bound to go up, which means less bargains for cruise travelers.

Given the bounty of new ships, changing destinations, and wacky amenities, 2010 is shaping up to be a very interesting year for cruise travel.

What would Christopher Columbus think of all the hoopla surrounding the recent dual launch of the Costa Luminosa and Costa Pacifica in his hometown of Genoa, Italy? Both cruise ships were christened in grand Italian fashion that included airplane acrobats, lasers, music, and enough confetti to paper the entire region of Liguria. One thing is certain — ocean travel has come a long way since the Nina, Pinta, and Santa Maria.

Costa Pacifica
The sister ship of the Costa Concordia and of the Costa Serena, the Costa Pacifica also weighs in at 114,500-tons. Likewise Pacifica accommodates 3,780 guests in 1,504 well-appointed staterooms, including 70 suites and 99 Samsara Spa cabins and suites, which have private spa access.

The ship was designed with the winter Mediterranean season in mind – hence the two covered pools and the spa solarium, which allow guests to enjoy sunny skies on days that can get chilly. Like its sister ships, Pacifica was designed by Joe Farcus, the Miami-based architect who for many years has designed Carnival Cruise Lines’ “Fun Ships,” which show off his distinctive style of glitz and glamour. Dubbed the “ship of music,” Pacifica is musically themed throughout with artwork and special lighting. The theme extends beyond interior design with a specially commissioned soundtrack by composer Mauro Pagani to a recording studio and music lessons. The ship even has a ‘maestro di musica’ in addition to a cruise director.

Among the ship’s amenities are: Samsara Spa, at 23,000 square feet the largest spa-and-fitness center at sea; three swimming pools, two with their own retractable glass dome roofs; a giant movie screen; five Jacuzzis; a Grand Prix race-car driving simulator; a chocolate bar that offers nine kinds of fruit dipped in a chocolate fountain; Playstation World; and menus created by the Italian culinary innovator and Michelin-starred chef Ettore Bocchia. As on other Costa ships, you’ll find a towering atrium and theater, Internet café and library, shopping promenade, kids club and pool and 13 bars that are always thronged with guests.

The ship’s two main dining rooms, My Way Restaurant and New York New York Restaurant, serve dinners in the traditional manner, with assigned times and assigned tables (breakfasts and lunches are open seating). The dinner menus play up Mediterranean fare, with a different region of Europe highlighted each night, and they are accompanied by an excellent selection of wines.

La Paloma Restaurant, the ship’s casual buffet restaurant, is arranged into several serving stations, which are sometimes devoted to different ethnic cuisines; it also houses a pizzeria, pasta station and ice-cream machines. Club Blue Moon is Pacifica’s pay-as-you-go specialty restaurant where for €25 guests can dine on Ettore Bocchia’s “molecular cuisine.” Another dining option is the Samsara Restaurant, reserved exclusively for passengers in Samsara Spa cabins, where guests can dine on health-conscious fare.

One really cool technical innovation stood out during the Pacifica launch – it’s called a Totem. The Totem is a large high-definition touch screen kiosk that enables guests to book all onboard activities from shore excursions to specialty restaurant reservations– and that means no long lines or waiting on the phone. There are nine Totems around the Pacifica and Luminosa. Costa President Gianni Onorato said if all goes well, kiosks will be installed on Costa’s other ships by the end of this year.

Costa Luminosa
Smaller than the Pacifica, the 92,600-ton Costa Luminosa carries 2,826 guests in 1,130 staterooms – including 52 Samsara, 718 veranda cabins, 50 suites and four Samsara suites inside the spa area. Costa calls Luminosa the “ship of light” and its contemporary interior design was conceived by Farcus who utilized rich materials and amazing light affects to bring out the ship’s incredible features. Public areas are fashioned with mother of pearl, 11,000 square feet of ebony and ivory, 20 different kinds of marble, 10,000 feet of innovative LED lights, and 120 Murano glass chandeliers.

The ship is also filled with amazing art offering some 288 original works and over 4,700 copies. The highlight is “Reclining Woman 2004”, a 2,000 pound bronze sculpture by Fernando Botero, which is the focal point of the spectacular central atrium.

Luminosa is not just the ship of light and entertainment, but also sport, wellness and outstanding cuisine that is spread over four restaurants and eleven bars. On board guests can go jogging or skating on the roller-skating track or take advantage of the state-of-the-art fitness center, featuring innovative gym equipment that includes the first at sea Kinesis circuit designed to improve fitness and muscle tone. Afterwards, guests can relax and indulge in many treatments in the 11,000 square foot Samsara Spa.

There are a host of leading-edge innovations on board including a 20-seat 4D cinema that takes guests on a wild sensory ride, a golf and Grand Prix simulator, Playstation World, and the aforementioned Totem kiosks.

If you’re planning on cruising in Europe or the Middle East, Costa’s two new editions are hard to beat. Both combine the very best of line’s innovative product: wellness, entertainment, exclusive itineraries, art, fine food and wine, relaxation, and great fun Italian atmosphere.

If you go:
Costa Pacifica will be sailing this summer and fall round-trip from Civitavecchia, Italy (Rome’s homeport) with 7-day voyages around the Western Mediterranean. Fares start at $899. In January 2010 the Pacifica will offer 12-day voyages from Civitavecchia, Italy to Greece, Israel and Egypt – fares start at $1,129.

Costa Luminosa will be sailing this summer round-trip from Amsterdam offering Norway and Baltic cruises lasting between 11 and 14 days. Fares start at $1,799. Starting in late fall the ship will offer 7-day cruises of the Arabic Gulf from Dubai – fares start at $899. All aforementioned prices are based on inside stateroom, double occupancy. Visit Costa Cruises Web site for more details.

The pirate attack on Oceania’s Nautica has the cruise industry re-thinking it’s Middle Eastern cruise schedule.

German cruise operator Hapag-Lloyd is so concerned about a pirate attack on one of its ships that it is unloading passengers in Hodeidah, Yemen. Instead of sailing onboard the MS Columbus passengers will now spend three days in Yemen and then fly to Salalah, Oman to reconnect with the MS. Columbus and finish their journey into Dubai. The report comes from the son of a passenger onboard the MS Columbus who posted the account on iReport.com.

MS Columbus was on a scheduled 19-day voyage from Genoa, Italy to Dubai, United Arab Emirates. In the past week the vessel had transited the Suez Canal and stopped a various ports of call along the Red Sea. The 15,000-ton MS Columbus carries 420 passengers and 190 crew. The vessel is now transiting the Gulf of Aden with 50 crew. Good luck to them!

Stay tuned for more info.