Costa Fascinosa
Product brand
UnclaimedCosta Fascinosa is a Concordia-class cruise ship operated by Costa Crociere.
Last updated August 22, 2026
Overview
Costa Fascinosa is an Italian cruise ship operated by Costa Crociere, the cruise line associated with Carnival Corporation & plc. The vessel is the final ship built in Costa's five-ship Concordia-class expansion program and entered service in 2012. It was constructed by Fincantieri at the Marghera shipyard in Venice, continuing a long Italian shipbuilding relationship with Costa's fleet. The ship was ordered in October 2007 together with its sister ship, Costa Favolosa. The two vessels formed part of a broader fleet investment program intended to add five ships between 2009 and 2012 and substantially increase Costa's passenger capacity. Costa Fascinosa was designed from the established Concordia-class platform, but its accommodation plan provided capacity for up to 3,780 passengers in 1,506 cabins. At completion, the ship measured approximately 114,500 gross tons. Its construction cost was reported as €510 million. The names Costa Favolosa and Costa Fascinosa were selected through Costa's public naming initiative, commonly described as a sea-of-names competition. Travel agents and customers submitted thousands of possible name pairs, after which a shortlist was presented for public voting. The winning Italian words were intended to suggest a glamorous, imaginative and entertaining environment, consistent with the ships' leisure-oriented positioning. Costa Fascinosa was laid down on 3 September 2010, delivered to Costa Cruises on 5 May 2012, and began operations the following day with a preview sailing. Regular itineraries initially focused on the eastern Mediterranean. In November 2012 the ship was repositioned to South America, before returning to Mediterranean service for the 2013 summer season. It briefly held the position of Costa Crociere's flagship, until Costa Diadema entered service in November 2014. The ship's operational history also includes two significant public-health and security events. On 18 March 2015, while Costa Fascinosa was in Tunis alongside MSC Splendida, armed attackers targeted visitors at the Bardo National Museum. Passengers from Costa Fascinosa were among those affected: five ship passengers were killed and eight were injured. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the ship became associated with a crew outbreak after passenger disembarkation in April 2020. Nineteen crew members tested positive on 11 April; the ship's head doctor died on 16 April, and another crew member died in a Brazilian hospital by 21 April. Costa Fascinosa is best understood not as an independent corporate brand but as a named cruise product and passenger vessel within Costa Crociere's international fleet. Its identity combines Italian shipbuilding, large-scale resort-style cruising, Mediterranean heritage and itineraries that have also extended to South America.
History
Costa Fascinosa was developed during a major expansion of Costa Crociere's fleet in the late 2000s. In October 2007, Costa ordered the ship and its sister vessel, Costa Favolosa, from Fincantieri. The orders were part of a five-ship expansion program valued at €2.4 billion, with deliveries scheduled from 2009 through 2012. The stated capacity objective was to increase the cruise line's passenger capacity by approximately half. The ship was built at Fincantieri's Marghera shipyard in Venice using the Concordia-class design. Its final dimensions were approximately 114,500 gross tons, with accommodation for as many as 3,780 passengers in 1,506 cabins. The ship was the sixteenth vessel to enter service with Costa Crociere. It was laid down on 3 September 2010 and delivered on 5 May 2012. The reported construction price was €510 million. Costa used a public competition to name the new ship and its sister. Travel agents and customers submitted about 16,000 pairs of names in the first stage of the initiative. Twenty-five pairs were then shortlisted and put to an online vote that attracted more than 42,000 visitors. The selected names, Favolosa and Fascinosa, were Italian terms associated with fabulousness, fascination and glamour. Costa Fascinosa entered service on 6 May 2012 with a preview cruise and began regular operations on 11 May, initially serving the eastern Mediterranean. In November 2012 the ship moved to South American operations. It returned to the eastern Mediterranean for the 2013 summer season. The vessel served as Costa Crociere's flagship until Costa Diadema entered service in November 2014. It is the last ship completed in the Concordia class and entered service only a few months after the Costa Concordia disaster, an event that formed an important background to the class's later history. On 18 March 2015, Costa Fascinosa was docked in Tunis with MSC Splendida when the Bardo National Museum attack occurred. Several Costa Fascinosa passengers were visiting the museum as part of a shore excursion. Five passengers from the ship were killed and eight were injured. The incident became one of the most serious security events connected with the vessel's itineraries. The ship was also involved in the operational consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic. Following passenger disembarkation in April 2020, 19 crew members were reported to have tested positive on 11 April. The head doctor died on 16 April, and another crew member died in a hospital in Brazil by 21 April. These events illustrate the exposure of cruise ships to infectious-disease risks during the early pandemic period. Costa Fascinosa's historical significance lies primarily in its place within Costa Crociere's fleet expansion, its status as the final Concordia-class vessel, and its role as a large international cruise platform. Its principal service has been the delivery of scheduled leisure cruises, particularly in the Mediterranean, with a period of South American deployment.
- 2020
COVID-19 crew outbreak
[1]Nineteen crew members tested positive after passenger disembarkation, followed by two reported crew deaths.
- 2015
Bardo National Museum attack
[1]Passengers from Costa Fascinosa were among the tourists affected by the attack in Tunis on 18 March.
- 2014
Flagship status ended
[1]Costa Fascinosa ceased to be Costa Crociere's flagship when Costa Diadema entered service in November.
- 2012
Delivery and entry into service
[1]The ship was delivered on 5 May and entered service on 6 May with a preview cruise, followed by regular eastern Mediterranean sailings from 11 May.
- 2012
Repositioning to South America
[1]Costa Fascinosa was transferred to South American operations in November.
- 2010
Keel laid at Marghera
[1]Construction formally began with the ship's keel laying at Fincantieri's Marghera shipyard in Venice on 3 September.
- 2007
Order placed
[1]Costa Crociere ordered Costa Fascinosa and sister ship Costa Favolosa from Fincantieri as part of a five-ship fleet expansion.
Products and positioning
A large, Italian-operated resort-style cruise ship emphasizing Mediterranean cruising, themed leisure spaces, onboard entertainment and Costa Crociere's international holiday offering.
Passenger cruise ship · 2012
Costa Fascinosa cruise ship
Costa Fascinosa is a Concordia-class passenger cruise ship built for Costa Crociere by Fincantieri at Marghera in Venice. The vessel measures approximately 114,500 gross tons and can accommodate up to 3,780 passengers in 1,506 cabins. Its commercial offering consists of cruise accommodation, dining, entertainment and shore-based itineraries, with documented deployments in the eastern Mediterranean and South America.
Controversies
2020
COVID-19 outbreak and crew deaths
In April 2020, 19 crew members tested positive for COVID-19 after passenger disembarkation. The ship's head doctor and another crew member subsequently died.
2015
Bardo National Museum attack involving shore-excursion passengers
Passengers traveling on a Costa Fascinosa shore excursion were among the tourists caught in the terrorist attack at Tunis's Bardo National Museum. Five Costa Fascinosa passengers were killed and eight were injured.
Marketing campaigns
- 2007Sea of Names naming competition
International
Costa invited travel agents and customers worldwide to propose names for the new ships. Thousands of name pairs were submitted, with a shortlist later placed before the public for online voting.
Outcome. Favolosa and Fascinosa were selected as the winning names for the sister ships.
Brand decisions
2012
Seasonal itinerary deploymentStrategyBackground
The newly delivered ship was intended to support Costa Crociere's international itinerary network.
Action taken
Costa began the ship in the eastern Mediterranean, moved it to South America in November, and returned it to the eastern Mediterranean for the 2013 summer season.
Aftermath
The vessel established a pattern of seasonal deployment across two major cruise regions.
2007
Commissioning as part of fleet expansionStrategyBackground
Costa Crociere sought to expand fleet capacity through a five-ship program scheduled for delivery between 2009 and 2012.
Action taken
The company ordered Costa Fascinosa and Costa Favolosa from Fincantieri using the Concordia-class platform.
Aftermath
Costa Fascinosa entered service in 2012 as the final ship built in the Concordia class.
Reported construction cost. €510 million (At construction and delivery in 2012)
Recent events
- 2020
COVID-19 cases reported among Costa Fascinosa crew[1]
Other
After passenger disembarkation, 19 crew members tested positive for COVID-19. The ship's head doctor later died, followed by the death of another crew member in a Brazilian hospital.
Sources2 sources
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