Hi everyone! I’m back from yet another amazing cruise adventure! I was on a 7-night Eastern Mediterranean cruise out of Venice on Costa Luminosa! This wasn’t my first Costa cruise, but it was my first time aboard Costa Luminosa. Here are my thoughts on this Italian beauty!
About the ship
Costa Luminosa is a mid-sized cruise ship, but at 92.700 gross tons and 11 passengers decks she definitely feels big and spacious. Costa Luminosa has a nearly identical sister ship Costa Deliziosa. They are both a hybrid class, taking the best features of previous Spirit and Vista class vessels owned by Carnival Corporation. At double occupancy, Luminosa can carry 2.260 guests and around 2.800 with all berths filled. That’s nothing compared to new ships these days! But she comes from a time when her size was slightly more impressive, she was delivered by Fincantieri shipyard in 2009, which makes her exactly 10 years old. Would you think that she is 10 years old while on-board..? Not at all, I was pleasantly surprised by the condition of the ship. Everything seemed properly maintained and clean.
I always get questions “Does it feel crowded onboard?“, I would say that this ship handles crowds pretty well. With more than 2500 people aboard, of course you can expect some lines during the peak hours at the buffet but that’s about it. I never felt like there were two and half thousand people with me because you could always find a quiet place to sit down and enjoy in some beautiful views, which were plentiful on this cruise!
Regarding my cabin, I stayed in a guaranteed inside cabin on Deck 5 forward. This cabin was clean, in a good condition and pretty functional. It was decently sized and had plenty of storage space, which is important on longer cruises. Some people really dislike inside cabins, but to me they’re perfect since I spend most of my time walking around the ship, so even when I have a balcony I don’t really use it all that much… it all depends on what you like! That’s why there are so many cabin options these days! Inside cabins are not that exciting, but they’re great if you’re cruising on a tight budget and you want to save some money.
Activities onboard
On the top deck you will find two large pools and four whirlpools. The aft pool and two whirlpools are for adults only which is great since there are many families with kids on board and we all know how loud kids can get! Both pools were sea water pools and were not heated, but whirlpools were definitely a hit with the crowds since there was always someone using them! Around both pools there is enough space for lounging and sunbathing, there are also pool bars nearby if you fancy a drink by the pool. Personally, I’m not really a fan of pools or hot tubs on-board, but they looked pretty inviting on this ship so I did take advantage of the empty pool deck and empty hot tubs while the ship was docked in Split, Croatia. Hot tubs were especially relaxing, definitely go for a swim on port days!
There were many other things to do on-board, activities like morning walks and afternoon yoga were on the daily schedule almost every day. You could also participate in game shows, quizzes, arts and crafts activities like napkin folding techniques and origami lessons. There was something for everyone.
On-board gym, spa and wellness facilities are pretty big for a ship of this size. The gym was never crowded, not even on a sea day. It is located on the top deck forward and from there you will have best sea views on the ship, a good way to lure you into the gym! I haven’t used spa facilities on this ship, but I’ve heard from other passengers that they’re worth the money.
Entertainment
Entertainment was consistent in quality all troughout the cruise. There were shows held in the main theatre every night. It’s good to know that Costa shows are slightly different than your average cruise shows because Costa ships do attract a more international crowd so most of the shows are musical, dance style shows with most of the songs being in English. There were also acrobatics shows which were also quite good, but the show that attracted the biggest crowd was ‘The Voice at Sea’. Basically the same principle like the show you watch on your TV, but with passengers being the participants. Costa organised an exclusive show only for Costa club members too! It was amazing and we were even offered with complimentary snacks and drinks! Definitely join Costa Club before your cruise, it’s easy and free to join! Fun fact: Top Costa cruiser on our cruise was a gentleman from Austria who sailed on 69 cruises with Costa… what a number!
Every evening there was live music in a couple of venues on-board, all different styles and genres. Something for everyone. There was also a two story disco which hosted a differently themed party every night. There was even a Peppa Pig foam party for kids! This ship definitely comes alive in the evenings! Highlight of this cruise for many passengers was the “Mister Cruise” election, which guarantees good laughs all throughout! Definitely not your usual beauty pageant!
Theme nights!
Each night had a theme and a suggested dress code, for example on our cruise there was an Italian night and the suggested dress code was red, white and green. We also had a white night, gala night and Latin night! I loved this, it’s fun to participate even in a small way. These are only suggested dress codes so if you don’t have anything that fits the suggested dress code, don’t worry! I’ve seen a lot of people doing their own thing and after all it is only suggested!
Dining
On an Italian ship you can expect some good Italian food and it does not disappoint! There are a couple of complimentary food venues such as the main buffet, Taurus Restaurant (main dining room) and Burger & Grill bar on the pool deck! There are also upcharge restaurants, Club Luminosa, Samsara Restaurant and Pizzeria Pummid’oro. Tip: If you plan on dining in specialty restaurants, definitely join Costa Club if you haven’t already because you will receive up to 50% discount on dining in specialty restaurants. You will also recieve special deals and discounts in bars and shops onboard!
Food in complimentary restaurants was pretty good. There is a large variety in both the MDR and the Buffet so you will definitely find something delicious to fill your plate with. If you’re not up for fancy Italian dishes you can always grab a burger and fries at the Burger bar on the pool deck. I would absolutely recommend desserts and pastries on Costa, they’re really tasty! I can’t even tell you how many donuts, pancakes and waffles I ate every morning. Delicious!
Dinners on Costa are quite an event on-board and usually last at least two hours. You can have up to 5 to 6 courses if you want to! When you board you are assigned to either early (main) or late sitting. Early sitting is at 18:45 and late is at 21:15. We were assigned late sitting which was not ideal, but I usually don’t go the MDR every night of the cruise anyway so not a big deal. If you really want to change sittings you can do that by asking the Maitre D’ and he will do anything he can to accommodate your needs! I’ve seen many people switch from late to early sitting since the late sitting does end quite late. See what works for you.
Beverage packages
Something I would definitely recommend is buying a drinks package. On Costa ships you don’t get free water with your meals in the main dining room and juices are only available during breakfast. Water is of course available 24/7 in the Buffet. On this cruise I’ve had the Panzo & Cena drinks package, it is the cheapest one but it was pretty adequate for my needs. It included sodas, selected wines and beers by the glass during the lunch and dinner in the MDR and the buffet. As a fan of sodas during my meals this package was perfect for me. There are also more expensive and more inclusive drinks packages offered that include a much wider selection of drinks and you can use those packages in all bars on the ship!
Itinerary
On this 7-night cruise, we visited six ports, including Venice. Some of them I’ve already been to but I was really excited to visit one port I’ve heard and seen so much about. I’m talking about Kotor, Montenegro! After visiting this beautiful city I would definitely recommend it to everyone. Not only is the city charming and stunning, but the scenery that you see on the way in and out of the Bay of Kotor will leave you speechless. It is the only fjord in the Adriatic and truly a hidden gem. If you think that your ship is huge, just wait to see it anchored in Kotor, it’ll look tiny compared to steep cliffs of surrounding mountains! I’m so glad I had a chance to visit it in October when the crowds are starting to die down since the old town is quite busy during the summer months!
We also visited Split in Croatia, the second biggest city in Croatia! The main attraction is the Diocletians Palace which is a short walk from the cruise pier, really convenient and a nice port to visit at least once! Next port was Katakolon, Greece. This little town used to be a fishing village but was developed by the influx of many cruise passengers which use this port as a starting point for their tours to Olympia, a place were first Olympic games were held!
Highlight of this cruise for many people was Athens! The capitol of Greece offers many things, but one of the main locations everybody visits when in Athens is the Acropolis. With that in mind, expect crowds and lines. The ticket to visit the Acropolis costs 20 Euros, but online you can buy a ‘skip a line’ ticket for 21.50 Euros, which is great if you’re a cruise passenger since every minute in port is valuable! Port of Pireaus (port in which cruise ships dock) is not near the Acropolis or the city center of Athens so you will have to take a shuttle bus organised by your cruise line, a shore excursion organised by your cruise line or you can take the bus or metro. Ticket for metro costs 1.50 Euro and it’s a 20 minute ride from the port to the city center where the Acropolis is located. We took the metro, but be aware that this is a big city so leave enough time to make it back to port on time! You definitely DON’T want to miss your ship!
Costa
On Instagram and Twitter I frequently get asked “Is Costa for me?” or “Can I go on a Costa cruise even though I don’t speak any Italian?“. My answer is always, try it out and see if it works for you. But what I can tell you is that you can definitely cruise with Costa without having any Italian speaking skills, I mean… Look at me! Ha-ha! Just expect that most of the passengers on the ship won’t speak the same language you’re speaking (unless you’re Italian of course!) On my cruise there were around 60 English speaking passengers and there is an English speaking representative to help you out if you have any problems on board.
In my opinion Costa is an Italian version of Carnival. Fun ships with an Italian twist. Expect international crowds and passengers of all age groups. On my cruise I saw toddlers and people over the age of 80, so it’s definitely for all age groups! I would also like to mention that Costa ships are quite loud and full of life, so keep that in mind if you’re looking for a more peaceful and quiet atmosphere onboard! I would recommend this line to anyone who likes to party and have a good time, try new things and be immersed in a different culture! If you’re thinking about booking or have a chance to book a cruise on this ship or this cruise line definitely check it out. If you like it great, if not at least you know for certain that it’s not for you!
Final thoughts
In conclusion, I had a blast on this magnificent ship and I would not think twice about cruising with Costa or on Costa Luminosa again! I like the product that Costa is offering and I also like that they offer good deals and a variety of itineraries. This was not my first time on Costa as I’ve already mentioned, I was on the Inaugural sailing of Costa’s newest ship, Costa Venezia! To say that I loved that ship is an understatement! A ship specifically built for the Asian market but with Italy and Venice as it’s trademark! I have a review of my cruise on that amazing ship on my blog too! Check it out HERE! I also have a cruise booked on the highly anticipated Costa Smeralda, new LNG powered mega ship for Costa! January can’t come soon enough! I’ll be posting about that experience too on my instagram and of course here, so stay tuned!
All in all, I’d like to thank Costa for an amazing cruise experience and all of your for your likes, comments and constant support here and on Instagram. I am so grateful that I get to share my cruise passion and adventures with all of you!
As always, thanks for reading, Dominik!
Cruise Ship Paradise 
2 thoughts on “Costa Luminosa – review (2019)”