Classica-class cruise ship

The Classica-class cruise ship is a class of cruise ships originally built for and operated by Costa Cruises. They were built prior to Carnival Corporation & plc purchasing the cruise line in 1997.^[1] The first ship was built in 1991 as the Costa Classica. It was followed by a sister ship named the Costa Romantica in 1993. Both ships were operated by Costa for over 20 years. As of 2021 both ships have since left the fleet. The oldest vessel is still in service while the newer vessel has since been sold for scrap.

Classica class

Costa Classica in Nassau, Bahamas
Class overview
Builders	Fincantieri, Marghera, Italy
Operators	Costa Crociere Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line Celestyal Cruises
Preceded by	Marina class
Succeeded by	Victoria class
Built	1991–1993
In service	1991–present
Planned	2
Completed	2
Active	1
Scrapped	1
General characteristics
Type	Cruise ship
Tonnage	52,926 GT-53,049 GT 7,781 DWT
Length	722 ft (220 m) 181.9 m (596 ft 9 in) pp
Beam	102 ft (31 m)
Draft	25 ft (7.6 m)
Decks	14
Propulsion	4 × diesel engines, 2 shafts, 22,800 kW (30,600 hp)
Speed	18.5 knots (34.3 km/h; 21.3 mph) (normal) 20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph) (maximum)
Capacity	1,308 passengers (normal) 1,680 passengers (maximum)
Crew	620

Ships

Ship	Year Built	Years In Operation	Tonnage	Operational History	Image
Margaritaville at Sea Paradise	1991	1991-On	52,926 GT	Built and operated for Costa Cruises from 1991 until 2018. Originally named Costa Classica, it was renamed Costa neoClassica following a refurbishment in 2014. It was sold to Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line in 2018 and renamed the Grand Classica. It was renamed Margaritaville at Sea Paradise under the same ownership but rebranded Margaritaville at Sea in April 2022.
Costa Romantica	1993	1993-2020	53,049 GT Originally 52,926 GT	Built and operated for Costa Cruises from 1993 until 2020. Originally named Costa Romantica. It was renamed to Costa neoRomantica following a refurbishment in 2011. It was sold to Celestyal Cruises in 2020 but never saw service. It was sold to Beacon & Bay Shipping Services in 2021 and renamed the Antares Experience. Later that year the ship was sold for scrap and beached at the Gadani Ship Breaking Yard in Pakistan for scrapping in December 2021.[2][3]