Among the abundant entertainment on offer is a theatre seating more than 1,000 guests, and its well-specified technology includes a sophisticated Lobo laser system. Three maintenance-free laser projectors are controlled by Lacon-5 workstations and Magica also features Lobo's latest Zaphir moving laser head. The control system allows either completely independent operation of the laser system but also control via DMX, timecode, Ethernet or RS-232. Project manager Richard Pollak commented: "Continuous duty between the polar seas and the tropics as well as the constant movements of the hull, common with ships of this size, place highest demands on the equipment. As the ship cruises for weeks far away from any servicing facility, each component of the onboard equipment has to work very reliably, even in extreme situations." A spokesperson for Costa said: "The laser shows are greatly appreciated by our guests. From our side I must say it is a very nice system, extremely user friendly and very easy and efficient to maintain. I'm very glad about our choice."
Three other ships of the Celebrity Cruises and Carnival Cruises lines have networks of seaworthy Lobo laser projectors supplied via glass fibres by one central laser system mounted in the center of each ship. Lasers are mounted in each ship's show lounge, pool deck and above the bow. Queen Mary 2, the largest and the most luxurious cruise ship ever built, also uses a Lobo DMX-controlled laser system. "But the large cruise ships are not everything", adds Lobo's president Lothar Bopp. "We have received the order for a laser system to be installed on the largest private yacht ever built, equal in every way with laser installation on large cruise ships."
(Lee Baldock)
