But this treat is about remarks off Helios to Arison.
This have nothing to do wich way the ships are decorated. I gone to believe that Carnival have no interrest inn Easy cruises. And that frustrating Helios. I remember that Helios and his team was seeking a partner. They told every one that they where talking with Carnival and i believe Royal Caribean iff i'm correct.

And what an better publicity thene offend an giant in the industry. So everybody have attantion fore this fight. So they don't look at his own product. clever.

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Originally posted by mec1:
I agree about the Costa ships - but I also think that there is a sort of generic "cruise ship" style - in terms of ceilings, carpets and furniture selection. I don't know if this is because McNeece, Dingemans, Farcus and Tillberg design everything (whatever happened to Katzourakis) but when a new designer does a ship the results can - as in the amazing example of Saga Ruby - be quite stunning.

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Dingemans is the head designer fore Holland America. I believe hé ddesign only fore theme.
Untill my information is correct hé never designed fore another cruise line.

Tilberg and later Farcus design fore more cruise lines.

As discussed in the past on various posts here at cruisetalk, these ships are basically Carnival/ Farcus style with just a Costa funnel... nothing to do with the true " italian style ", the classic or the contemporary ones.

Meldrew, I totally agree with you about the pot, the kettle and black. No wonder he couldn't interest Carnival or RCI to become partners. This vessel looks low budget, very low budget in fact. The cabins are just, well, I would require sunglasses to stay in them for any amount of time (at least the one with the bunks). And then to have the web address printed virtually everywhere....it reminds me of when the Voyager of the Seas was launched, and we all commented on how tacky it was that RCI would possess the unmitigated gall to print their advertising slogan on the hull.

For Stelios to call Costa tacky is ridiculous.

[ 06-29-2005: Message edited by: BigUFan ]

Stelious is just making some headlines, which is what he does best.

[ 06-29-2005: Message edited by: Malcolm @ cruisepage ]

[ 07-04-2005: Message edited by: Matts ]

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Matts wrote:
Now move to the Carnival inspired ships and they are like the 'Venetian hotel' in Las Vegas - designed and faked to look italian in a way which appeals primarily to the kind of market that thinks pizza when it thinks italian...

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I have always thought of the Joe Farcus designed Carnival (and Costa) ships’ interiors, as looking like pizzas. I like your analogy Matts. But let’s get one thing straight: the simple looking Margherita (the traditional Neapolitan pizza with the red-white-and-green) is a work of art, it is when you over do the toppings that it becomes a ‘pizza’ like in the above analogy, an uncoordinated mess of ingredients with no sense of design or continuity.

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Originally posted by mec1:
Mayvbe the problem is that he chose the name easycruise? If he'd called it easyboat or easyyacht we might not all be so sniffy about it.....

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mec1 wrote:
Maybe the problem is that he chose the name easycruise? If he'd called it easyboat or easyyacht we might not all be so sniffy about it.....

and

Ernst wrote:
easyliner

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In my opinion it should have been easyFerry, because that's all it is, and yes, we wouldn't have been so sniffy about it.

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“It was inappropriate as a guest of Costa to make publicly disparaging remarks, on British television, about the Costa Magica referring to the ship as ‘tacky’. Although, based on what I’ve seen of your ship, you’re an expert in what’s tacky.”

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Coming late to this story, one thing struck my eye as a possible (and, if true, understandable) reason for Arison's displeasure. He is quoted as saying:-

“It was inappropriate as a guest of Costa to make publicly disparaging remarks, on British television, about the Costa Magica referring to the ship as ‘tacky’. Although, based on what I’ve seen of your ship, you’re an expert in what’s tacky.”

Was Stelios a guest? If he was, he shouldn't have said what he said.

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As I understand it, the comment was made at a point during a fly-on-the-wall documentary about easyCruise. A 'taster' programme has already been shown about this, and there is to be a series in the autumn (SkyTV, UK). I watched the taster and there was indeed a section showing Stelios on Costa Magica. I don't remember him using the 'T' word. It's possible he did but if so it certainly slid right past me. It could also be that this is in a segment still to be broadcast, of course - I think the eventual documentaries will feature the initial voyage, etc, including lots of candid conversation with Stelios, passengers, etc, etc. It's possible therefore that he made the comment later, on board his own ship, while recalling Costa Magica.

As to whether he was invited, IIRC the whole of the industry was on board Costa Magica that night - it was hosting a reception as part of an industry conference/trade show (in Cannes? Monte Carlo?). So he was certainly on the ship but as a delegate to the conference, I don't think it was a personally-arranged thing.

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Originally posted by mec1:
Coincidentally was reading the Costa section in Sterns Guide To The Cruise Vacation and came over this quote:

"Costa Atlantica entered service in 2000, representing a giant leap forward for the cruise line in terms of creating a more elegantly designed and decorated ship. The Public areas with their eclectic Italian theme honoring the films of Federico Fellini are magnificent...."

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Also on the official book dicated to Costa Atlantica you can read that their interiors are a tribute to the imagination of Federico Fellini.

Atlantica is really a tribute to imagination... but frankly her interiors can't be described as elegant as in the Sterns Guide.

Are they magnificent for theiy colours and soft furnishings ?

E la nave va (1983)
Directed by
Federico Fellini

Writing credits
Catherine Breillat
Roberto De Leonardis (Italian dialogue adaptation)
(more)

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Originally posted by Italian Cruiser:

Also on the official book dicated to Costa Atlantica you can read that their interiors are a tribute to the imagination of Federico Fellini.

Frankly I will call them " neobaroque " !

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[ 07-05-2005: Message edited by: desirod7 ]