Costa Cruise Reviews 2024 UPDATED: Ratings of Costa Cruises
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Spanning the entire width of the vessel, this cozy nightspot decked out in wood tones and blues is the place to see and be seen for the dancing set. Crew aboard Costa Toscana are all true polyglots, switching effortlessly from French to Italian to German to English. Service is, by and large, gracious; we only had one negative interaction with a staff member who just truly didn't care what we were asking for. Chalk that up to someone having a bad day; the remainder of Costa Toscana's crew speak flawless English and are keen to ensure you have a great holiday. If you're a fan of the boot-shaped country, you'll likely love being aboard Costa Mediterranea. After a few years of "trying to please everybody," Costa -- operator of the only Italian-registered cruise ships -- is returning to its roots, with a renewed focus on its theme, "Italy's finest."
THE 25 BEST Costa Cruises to the Caribbean (with Prices) 2024 & 2025 on Cruise Critic - Cruise Critic
THE 25 BEST Costa Cruises to the Caribbean (with Prices) 2024 & 2025 on Cruise Critic.
Posted: Thu, 18 Apr 2024 23:03:39 GMT [source]
Costa Toscana Deck Plan Includes Great Entertainment Features
However, where many cruise lines will give you access to some kind of complimentary beverage, even if it's just lemonade or coffee, everything but water will cost you on Costa (see what we did there?). You can either go a la carte, which gets spendy, or purchase the All-Inclusive/Total Comfort fare tier and it will come with a drink package. Glitz, glass and colorful neon lights reminiscent of Miami's South Beach -- there's never a dull wall or unadorned ceiling aboard the 3,724-passenger Costa Diadema. If a space isn't pulsing with lights, it's decorated with ceramic or glass tile murals or eye-catching artwork. Even the cabin corridors sport colorful art from floor to ceiling.
Carnival Cruises
A great departure from the bland palette North American cruise lines rely on, our Balcony Stateroom included no less than three shades of blue; two shades of orange and red; and not an earth tone to be found. Most sailings have two formal nights, where men are requested to wear a jacket and tie or tuxedo, while women are directed to wear a dressy pants outfit or cocktail dress. In practice, outfits were all over the map, from casual to the occasional tux. These trips are popular with both families and couples, but they can be just as rewarding and enjoyable for solo travellers, giving you as much flexibility as you want along with opportunities to meet ...
Seabourn
(Its jazzy interiors are created by Joe Farcus, a longtime Carnival decorator, yet there's a little bit of Holland America in its layout, such as a similar main pool design). The Virtus Gym is accessed through the spa entrance and the overall facility is stocked with well-maintained cardio equipment and weights. Some fitness classes are free, while others such as yoga and spinning classes have an added fee. Get FREE email communications from Fodor's Travel, covering must-see travel destinations, expert trip planning advice, and travel inspiration to fuel your passion. We thoroughly enjoyed the polite European habit of acknowledging fellow passengers when entering or departing an elevator.
How much does it cost to go on Costa Toscana?
Outfitted out with four swimming pools, a water park with a bevy of slides, casino, stage shows, Costa Smeralda is not much different from the megaship brands known to American cruisers. But while the operation may feel familiar, the Smeralda experience injects a healthy dose of Italian style, especially with the ship’s robust menu of pastas and regional specialties. Costa, a member of the huge Carnival Corporation family of cruise lines, is taking the lead. Costa Fortuna, launched in November of 2003, represents a continued evolution. Multiple storage racks and shelves are built-in to the bathroom design, which feels far more upscale than most mainstream cruise ships -- a radical departure from the plastic-molded cruise ship bathrooms of the past.
MSC Cruises
But it's not so large that it can't pass through the Panama Canal. That means it can offer far more daring, interesting and exotic itineraries than its mega-ship counterparts. We're not convinced that travelers wanting a European ambience onboard will find Costa Deliziosa notably more upscale and sophisticated than the ships in the fleet's Concordia class. The neon signage in public spaces simply screams "mass market," for example. Costa Deliziosa, a twin to Costa Luminosa, is a warm, whimsical ship with a simple layout that's easy to navigate. The 92,600-ton, 2,260-passenger ship, which debuted in February 2010, represents a "retro-style evolution" for Costa Cruises.
Learning a new language is one of the best ways to open up new opportunities, and Russian is one of the most fascinating languages you can choose. Business Insider's reporter took a luxury cruise with Virgin Voyages and dined at restaurants with menus designed by Michelin-starred chefs. Smoking, which can be an issue for North Americans when there's a large European passenger base, is allowed indoors only in the Cigar Lounge. Smoking is OK in deck areas where there are ashtrays, and while it's not allowed in cabins, you (or your neighbor) can smoke on the balcony. The majority of Costa’s guest-facing crew is from Southeast Asia, and English is a second or third language for all.
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Select gourmet items are available for an upcharge, such as spaghetti with lobster or grilled Piedmontese Fassona tomahawk steak, and portions on these items are quite generous, often suitable for sharing. With the average cruise aboard Costa Toscana lasing a week in duration, passengers have their work cut out for them if they want to make it to all 21 of Costa Toscana's different dining venues onboard. Spanning Decks 6,7 and 8 and flanked by three stories of glass windows on both port and starboard sides, this circular space is also situated near the Kartell Caffe coffee bar; the Campari Bar; and the Caffe Vergnano 1882 on Deck 6. Even if you're not directly viewing the performances, you can always hear them from some of the key bars on the ship. Public rehearsals are held here during the day, allowing passengers to glimpse the work that performers put into their nightly shows.
Italians are the biggest nationality onboard, followed by Germans, French, North Americans and Asians. Also new and novel to Costa are splashy, innovative food and drink venues such as Tavola Teppanyaki. While knife-tossing chefs may be the standard of teppanyaki restaurants on land, spatulas make better juggling material at sea. You can sample hard-to-find Italian wines in the new wine bar, or taste a flight of Italian (and German) beers in the two-level beer garden. A surcharge is added per passenger, per day to the checkout bill, to cover gratuities for cabin and dining staff. A service charge of 15 percent is automatically added to beverages, drinks, specialty dining, and spa charges.
Unlike most ships, the roof doesn't retract -- instead, windows at the aft end of the room open, allowing it to be used in all weather conditions. It is also the site of late-night parties like the Silent Disco and the La Notte Bianca (White Night) deck party -- both of which get going at Midnight. The use of color to differentiate Costa Toscana's public rooms is immediately apparent, from the forest greens of the Kartell Caffe on Deck 8 amidships to the fire-engine red of the aptly-branded Campari Bar on Deck 7. To that end, wandering the decks of Costa Toscana is a journey in discovery -- not just of the ship itself, but of Europe and Italy. Deck 17 hosts the bright-orange Aperol Spritz bar, for instance -- a partnership with the Italian brand that created the iconic drink in the 1920's in Venice.
THE 16 BEST Costa Cruises to Around the World (with Prices) 2024 & 2025 on Cruise Critic - Cruise Critic
THE 16 BEST Costa Cruises to Around the World (with Prices) 2024 & 2025 on Cruise Critic.
Posted: Fri, 19 Apr 2024 11:17:11 GMT [source]
The onboard activities and amenities can really make or break your vacation, so be sure you know what you're getting. The ship has no set evening dress code, only suggestions posted in the daily program. These are casual (no shorts), informal (jackets for men) or formal/gala which means cocktail dresses for women and jackets and ties for men. The late-night White Night deck party is the time to wear an all-white outfit. During the day, passengers are asked not to wear swimsuits at the buffet. However, European adults tend to dress less casually than Americans.
In addition, Braille markings and inscriptions can be found in elevators and on cabin doors. Casual during the day, smart casual in the evenings, with one formal night and one semi-formal night on a seven-day cruise. Add to that an American touch on the decor -- this ship, like Costa Mediterranea before it, was designed by Carnival's uber-design-master Joe Farcus. What you get, ultimately, is a pan-European cruise experience mixed with American-style comforts. If U.S.-based cruise lines are slowing down the rapid fleet expansion that occurred over the late 1990's and into the first few years of the 21st century, Europe-based cruise lines are a different story.
That means you either have to be incredibly lucky or be comfortable doing your own thing ashore. For English-language passengers, don't bother booking excursions online. Instead, visit the Shore Excursion office on Deck 6 to see what tours have enough English-speaking participants. Of course, some of these are main dining rooms and buffet restaurants serving up an identical menu, albeit in different settings. But even the buffet restaurants aboard Costa Toscana (which, curiously, are located on Deck 6 and Deck 8) offer up plenty of tasty Italian and European specialties that are worth your time.
Announcements are given in at least five languages -- Italian, Spanish, French, German and English -- and sometimes Portuguese and Chinese, as well. Costa Smeralda plies a Mediterranean circuit connecting France, Spain, and Italy. Passengers can start and end the seven-day loop journey at any of six top ports, offering an international experience without the international price tag.
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