Costa Europa
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Costa Europa is a cruise ship owned and operated by Costa Cruises. She was built in 1986 by the Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg, West Germany as MS Homeric for Home Lines. In 1988 she was sold to Holland America Line and renamed Westerdam. In 1990 she was lengthened at Meyer Werft. In 2002 she was transferred to the fleet of Costa Cruises.
Concept and construction
The Homeric was planned during the first half of the 1980s as a replacement for the ageing Oceanic in the Home Lines fleet. Meyer Werft in Papenburg, Germany was chosen as the shipyard to build her.
Following the sale of the ship to Holland America Line (and the sale of HAL itself to the Carnival Corporation), the ex-Homeric, now named Westerdam, returned to Meyer Werft on in 1989 for a refit. The ship was lengthened and many of her interiors were rebuilt. The refit was completed on March 12, 1990.
In 2002, prior to entering service as Costa Europa for Costa Cruises, the ship received a refit, with some of the public rooms redecorated and six balcony suites added.
Following the transfer to Costa Cruises in April 2002, the Westerdam was renamed Costa Europa and re-registered in Italy.
The Homeric was built with a terraced forward and rear superstructure, with lifeboats placed fairly high. She had a fairly large funnel, with a large arch surrounding it from the behind in order to deflect some away from the rear decks. In original Home Lines livery she had a white hull and superstructure, with a blue decorative riband separating them. Her funnel and radar mast, the structures immediately below them, as well as the cranes on her forward deck, were painted yellow. The ship's name was painted in high letters on the side of the superstructure below the radar mast.
On entering service with Holland America Line, the Westerdam received HAL's dark blue hull colors, with her funnel and radar mast painted white. The 1989-1990 lengthening altered her exterior appearance somewhat. The windows of the added section are larger than those of forward and aft sections.
As Costa Europa, the ship was painted all-white, with a yellow funnel and a small flag of the EU painted on the side of the superstructure.
Interior design
Unusually for a cruise ship of her time, the Homeric was built with a somewhat ocean liner-like layout, with her dining room in particular reflecting liner-like design. She was also built with sizeable promenade deck, and a one-deck high theatre. She was built with two swimming pools, one to the rear of the ship, and another amidship, what was covered with a magrodome.
During the 1989-1990 refit two lounges in the forward section of the ship were combined to create a large two-level theatre, with the original theatre maintained as a cinema. In HAL service she was decorated with artworks drawing from the history of the Dutch Empire. On entering service with Costa Cruises the ship was refurbished, with some of the interior decorations changed to brighter and more European style. The original theatre was built in with six balcony suites, and a new ballroom with a hardwood dance floor replaced an earlier lounge. Despite the refit, most of the ship's decorations have been retained from the HAL days, resulting in the Costa Europa having somewhat different interior decorations from her "Italian-style" fleetmates.
The deck plans provided by Costa Cruises only include decks accessible to passengers - the layout of the three lowest decks in unknown.
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- Orion deck - Main dining room, inside and outside cabins.
- Pegasus deck - Inside and outside cabins.
- Perseus deck - Inside and outside cabins.
- Auriga deck - Suites, inside and outside cabins.
- Hercules deck - Theatre (lower level), ballroom, internet center, bars, lounges, chapel, card room, shops, games arcade, beauty salon, casino, discothèque.
- Andromeda deck - Theatre (upper level), buffet restaurant, outside cabins, sun deck, swimming pool.
- Cassiopea deck - Bridge, fitness center, outside cabins, sun deck.
- Sirens deck - A la carte and buffet restaurants, sun deck, swimming pool, suites.
- Centaurus deck - Tennis courts, sun deck