1 3 ships seem huge from the outside, and accommodate many people, we want our guests to feel as though they are at home while they are onboard – both in their private cabins and in the public spaces,” he explains. “Our atriums, for example, are designed to feel like cosy living rooms, while our many restaurants are configured in such a way that they recreate that intimate feeling of dining with friends and family at home. It’s this feeling of ships being designed just for our guests that keeps them coming back to us time and time again.” To achieve these goals, guest input is absolutely fundamental to the design process. “When building a new ship we analyse all the feedback from passengers and crew to identify what aspects of our current ships and onboard offerings are working well – and which elements could be improved – and we also explore what design, entertainment, dining and other trends are popular in the market,” Schönrock says. “This gives us a great foundation for designing the platform for our upcoming ships because it means we can include the old favourites that will keep our loyal guests happy, but also unleash our creativity to bring some exciting new innovations that will surprise and delight them.” Top management, the architect and the wider team then come together to build on this feedback and to develop the entirety of the ship, taking into account the overall flow of passengers and materials, the location of staircases, different entertainment spaces, the restaurant areas and cabins. “We make it a priority to optimise space for passengers,” Schönrock says. “If we know how many passengers we will have then we can accurately predict how many restaurants we’ll need and the space required for communal areas. We like to get the most out of our space, so we’ll often turn a daytime restaurant into a nightclub in the evening. The beach club is a perfect example – during the day you can relax there – you can have breakfast, lunch KEYNOTE Left: Relax in style on a deck cabana on AIDAnova. Top and bottom right: Costa Venezia offers a mix of Asian venues like Yan Teppanyaki and Costa’s signature Italian experiences with Venice-inspired interiors and gondolas
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