I did my very first cruise with my family when I was 15 years old and something immediately made me love it. I love the idea of falling asleep in one place and wakeup in another the next morning and I love discovering multiple places and countries and just unpacking once. That being said, I was and still am a huge ship geek as well and sailing on these giant ships has always been an experience for me. So when I got the chance to sail on MSCs newest and largest ship, the MSC Grandiosa, I simply couldn’t say no.
Main Pool area onboard MSC Grandiosa
The Grandiosa holds true to its name: it is massive! One of the newest shis in the MSC family can accommodate up to 6334 passengers on 19 decks, with 11 restaurants and 20 bars and dozens of activities. I just couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw how huge she is for the first time!
We all know that cruise ships have had a bad rap over the last few years due to their environmental impact. Well, the good news is that MSC Grandiosa has some amazing environmental features. For example, the ship is equipped with a selective catalytic reduction system that helps to reduce nitrogen oxide emissions by 90%, along with a closed-loop exhaust gas cleaning system that reduces ship sulfur emissions by 97%. All lights onboard are LED and there’s also a pretty amazing water filter system that doesn’t dump grey water in the sea. Furthermore, the ship also plugs into the port electric system to delivers electricity and reduce emissions when docked. I am so glad that a big cruise company such as MSC is moving forward with better environmental features!
So now, let’s talk about 7 reasons you should book a cruise on the Grandiosa.
Activities
You would think that you would find time to explore the whole ship and experience everything it has to offer on a week-long cruise, but you would be wrond. MSC Grandiosa offers so many different activities onboard for those who love adventure, cusine, relaxing… there’s something for everybody. The Grandiosa has its own casino, bowling alley but also an impressive game arcade with VR games and F1 simulators! If you prefer to read a book in a cozy atmosphere, there are plenty of bars and lounges to spend time and, after dinner, there are shows in the 2 theatres, including one by Cirque du Soleil. There is also a spa onboard if you’d like to take relaxing to another level!
Pressing pause
If you like to relax as much as you like to explore during your vacation, you’ll be happy to learn that there are plenty of things to press pause during your cruise! The ship has multiple swimming pools and jacuzzis, both indoors and outdoors, which means that you’ll always be able to relax, no matter the weather! But that’s not all, there’s also a spa on board with plenty of treatments to help you relax a bit more. There’s even a barbershop as well! But to be honest with you, my favorite way to relax was to stare out at the sea on my private balcony. I could hear the waves and enjoy the view without any noise around!
Cabins
Well, let’s start with what I liked the most: our cabin! On previous cruises I did, I almost always had the cheapest guarantee inside cabin which I love don’t get me wrong. They allow me to cruise on budget and in turn cruise more often, buuuuut… that doesn’t mean I would say no to a balbony cabin! When we entered our cabin aboard the Grandiosa, I was immediately blown away by how much light and space we had. Our room was on deck 12, which means that we were high above the sea and that we had a panoramic view of each city we visited, definitely a perk that inside cabins do not have! Our cabin also had a very comfy couch that can turn into a bed if you’re traveling with kids. What struck me the most is that even if space is limited (the max size is 22 square meters), everything has been cleverly designed to maximize space. There’s a good size closet, with plenty of hanging space, but also a very long desk with shelves and drawers to organize everything. Each cabin is also equipped with Zoe, a voice-controlled personal assistant that can answer most of your questions regarding the ship, like restaurant hours or showtimes.
If you prefer a larger or smaller cabin, the options are pretty endless! We visited a suite that had its own jacuzzi but also a duplex suite, with breathtaking views on the sea. If you’re more on a budget, they also have interior cabins & studios that are more affordable.
Luxurious design!
From the glamorous, blinged out Swarovski staircase to the artfully themed Galleria Grandiosa, you will be surrounded by elegance in all design elements on this ship. Perhaps the most stunning example is the almost 90 meters long LED dome that projects a digital sky over the 2-story promenade. Whether you are shopping, dining at one of the specialty restaurants, sipping a cocktail in one of the bars, or socializing and enjoying in some live entertainment, you are sure to love Galleria Grandiosa and the rest of the luxurious touches throughout the ship.
Galleria Grandiosa was probably my favorite area of the ship. There was always something happening in the Galleria and no matter how many times I walked along the promenade I was always in shock that this is actually… on a ship!
Galleria Grandiosa
Powered by technology
Besides the technology behind the innovative stage productions and LED dome, MSC Grandiosa features the MSC for Me smartphone app. MSC for Me is MSC Cruises’ multi-channel digital program that enables guests to interact with the ship and crew members anytime, in any place, to better serve their needs, save them time and really make the most of their vacation. Key features include a handy app for smartphones, an interactive TV in the stateroom and interactive digital screens around the ship, meaning guests can access information, book services – like specialty restaurants and on board performances – navigate around the ship, and more.
One tech feature which everyone will notice onboard MSC Grandiosa is Zoe, the first virtual cruise assistant, ZOE can speak seven languages, answer hundreds of questions about the cruise and provide information about on-board services, guidance and suggestions or help to book a service.
Dining
Along with the traditional main dining room and buffet, MSC Grandiosa has several specialty venues for cruisers to indulge in various cuisines. Continuing the Mediterranean-influence, MSC Grandiosa is home to Hola Tapas Bar by Michelin-starred chef Ramon Freixa. Cruisers will also find the American-style steakhouse, Butcher’s Cut, serving up prime cuts. Kaito Teppanyaki and Sushi Bar serves up Asian favorites in a lively atmosphere. One new specialty restaurant also made a debut on MSC Grandiosa, L’Atelier Bistrot, a french restaurant whose design was inspired by neo-classical French architecture. An authentic experience all troughout, from cuisine to interior design! Further, those with a sweet tooth will love Jean Philippe’s Crepes, Ice Cream, and Chocolate.
The main dining room and buffet offer a good variety of quality dishes but I would definitely recommend dining in at least one speciality restaurant. They all offer themed dishes and an authentic, unique experiences! Oh, and definitely treat yourself with some Jean Philippe’s Crepes located in the Galleria, they were delicious…!
Entertainment
In addition to nightly live music and six different productions shows in the main theater, MSC Grandiosa also hosts two one of a kind Cirque du Soleil shows. The Carousel Lounge is a circular venue that is custom built to accommodate these theatrical performances. Guests can enjoy a dinner and a show experience. Each of these shows has a unique concept, ambiance, storyline, and costumes. These shows, not found anywhere else in the world, are part of a longstanding partnership with the entertainment leader for a total of eight original shows on MSC Cruises’ Meraviglia class ships. You can also participate in various dance lessons, quizzes and other types of entertainment onboard!
In conclusion, I would highly recommend booking a cruise on Grandiosa or on any of her sister ships (Meraviglia, Bellissima, Virtuosa) These ships have everything you can think of and more. There is always something to do it just depends on what you like! Grandsioa also has an amazing itinerary in the Mediterranean so… what are you waiting for!
I also sailed on Grandiosa’s older sister ship MSC Bellissima, so if you’d like to read more about that experience CLICK HERE and if you have any questions about MSC or Grandiosa or anything really, feel free to send me a message on Instagram, Twitter or just e-mail me!
THE SHIP INSPIRED BY THE BEAUTY OF THE RENAISSANCE
Just as I came back home from Savona from my Costa Smeralda cruise, a new Costa beauty decided to make her maiden appearance in the city!
Today, in the port of Savona, Costa Cruises presented a preview of the Costa Firenze, their newest ship in the fleet which will finally leave on her maiden voyage on the 4th of July! She was designed and built by Fincantieri at the Marghera shipyard near Venice. Firenze was delivered almost six months ago, but due to an ongoing pandemic her inaugural season has been pushed back several times, but she is finally here, ready for her first passengers! Soooo exciting!
Costa Firenze is inspired by the Florentine Renaissance at its greatest glory and captures in detail the taste for beauty for which the city of Florence is known worldwide.
The interior design reflects the harmony of a walk down a street or square in Florence, starting with the choice of colors, geometries and shapes of the interior design. The charming atrium ‘Piazza della Signoria’ is symbolic and pays homage to the Florentine square. Part of the on-board offer is also characterized by the Florentine inspiration, as in the case of the Fiorentina Steak House, which offers some of the best Tuscan meats, and the Frescobaldi wine experience, where guests can experience the Cultivating Toscana Diversity, tasting the Marchesi Frescobaldi wines.
‘Piazza della Signoria’ – main atrium on board Costa Firenze
Costa Firenze is the second Vista-class ship built for Costa. The first one was Costa Venezia back in 2019 which was inspired by, yes you guessed it, the stunning city of Venice! I had the honour to sail on her maiden voyage and she was such a beautiful ship, comepletely different from any previous ship built for Costa, in a good way of course, but unfortunately not many people got to sail on Venezia before she left Europe to sail year-round in Asia. Luckily, Costa Firenze will be staying in Europe for much longer!
Costa Firenze’s first cruises, starting with the inaugural voyage on July 4, will allow guests to visit six different Italian destinations in a week’s holiday: Savona, Civitavecchia/Rome, Naples, Catania, Palermo and Cagliari, which can be explored in depth with dedicated excursions, with port calls lasting over 10 hours. From the end of July to the end of August, the itinerary will also allow guests to rediscover Malta, with a stop in Valletta, and from 12 September also France (Marseille) and Spain (Barcelona and Ibiza), with departures from Italy. During the winter of 2021-22 Costa Firenze will be positioned in Dubai to visit the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Oman. The one-week itinerary includes Abu Dhabi, Doha, Muscat and a multi-day stop in Dubai, with specific packages for visiting Expo Dubai 2020. Costa Cruises is the Gold Sponsor of the Italian Pavilion at Expo Dubai 2020. And finally she will be back in the Mediterranean for the summer season of 2022 so you will definitely have a chance on this stunning new ship!
Costa Firenze in Savona!
To seal the link with the city, Costa Cruises President Mario Zanetti and the Mayor of Florence, Dario Nardella, announced a cooperation agreement on board the Costa Firenze to promote tourism in the city, starting with Costa’s contribution to the restoration of Dante’s plaques on the 700th anniversary of Dante Alighieri’s death.
There are a total of 33 stone plaques, placed in many places in the city, the result of a historical research project dating to the early 20th century. Each plaque bears a quotation from one of the three canticles of the Divina Commedia — nine from the Inferno, five from the Purgatorio and 19 from the Paradiso — in which reference is made to places, real events and illustrious citizens of the time. By following the plaques, which trace a poetic path, citizens and tourists can relive places and historical events in which the greatpoet was often a protagonist.
The preview of the Costa Firenze was also an opportunity for Costa to present its Manifesto for valuedriven, sustainable and inclusive tourism: a decalogue summarizing the company’s commitment to grow together with the territories visited by its ships. According to the Manifesto, destinations are not considered as a set of tourist attractions, but as communities to build together a model of tourism that generates greater economic and social value, inspiring a new “renaissance”. With the presentation of the Manifesto, Costa will initiate a process of sharing with institutions, associations and stakeholders in the cities, regions and countries where the company is operating to develop a dialogue and a collaboration that follows the principles of the Manifesto, starting from the Costa Firenze itinerary.
Here is what President of Costa Cruises and the mayor of Savona had to say during the preview!
“Costa Firenze’s concept is inspired by an iconic city, which represents Italian art, taste and refinement in the world’s collective imagination. We designed this ship to offer our guests a unique experience, especially for families and couples. The debut of Costa Firenze, as well as the restart of the three other Costa ships that have returned to cruising in recent weeks, is an opportunity for us to promote a new model of tourism, in which we strongly believe as a leading company in the sector. As we have made explicit in our manifesto, this model aims at the collaboration among different public and private entities to enhance the excellence of the territories in a sustainable way. The cooperation with the city of Florence is the first concrete manifestation of this approach: Costa Firenze will become a true platform for promoting the city of Florence around the world, particularly during Expo 2020 Dubai”
– Mario Zanetti, Costa Cruises President
“Savona welcomes Costa Firenze, a new ship celebrating the 25th year of Costa Cruises operations in the port. In this quarter of a century, Costa and the city have grown together. During the five years of my management as a Mayor of Savona, we developed a great collaboration on inclusion and sustainability projects and a great support for cultural initiatives. Furthermore, we are glad that the Costa Firenze, a ship dedicated to the city of Florence, arrives in Savona just when our city is celebrating the 700th anniversary of Dante Alighieri’s death, with an exhibition in the Civic Art Gallery dedicated to the precious Dante volumes, normally kept in the Ancient Fund of the Civic Library”
-Ilaria Caprioglio, Mayor of Savona
Costa Firenze in Civitavecchia in June 2021
What do you think about this brand new ship? What are your thoughts on the design and are you maybe booked on this beauty?🤩
As I’ve previously mentioned, I sailed on her older sister ship Costa Venezia and I fell in love with that ship, so I wouldn’t think twice about booking a cruise on Firenze! I just love how they incomporated these older design elements, but made them look contemporary which gives the whole ship such a unique look and style! They are also pretty large ships so they have so much to offer, you really have to give them a try! I know I’m looking at those cruise deals on Firenze like a hawk 😜
Hello everyone! I’m back from a cruise that I will remember for quite some time! I was onboard Costa Smeralda for 7 nights on her 4th ever cruise, she was so new that I could still smell that “fresh-out-of-the-shipyard” smell. I booked this cruise almost a year ago, when Smeralda was just a pile of steel in Finland, so my anticipation to board this ship was through the roof! Now I can finally share my thoughts about this ship and hopefully show you how amazing she is!
About the ship!
Costa Smeralda is the new flagship of Costa Cruises, and she is one big ship, and when I say big I mean: 185.000 gross registered tons, 19 decks, 22 elevators, 4 pools, 4 main dining rooms…. she is the 5th largest cruise ship in the world after all! She can accommodate 6.554 passengers at max occupancy and they are taken care of by the crew of 1.600 people, impressive numbers! Smeralda is a part of the Excellence/Helios class of cruise ships ordered by Carnival Corporation, you may already know something about her sister ships: AIDAnova, P&O Iona and Carnival Mardi Gras. What makes these ships special is their propulsion. They are powered by LNG (liquified natural gas), the use of LNG greatly lessens emissions of nitrogen oxides and CO2, which makes Smeralda one of the greenest ships at sea!
This ship is also quite different when it comes to interior design compared to older Costa ships. Costa Smeralda is a very contemporary looking ship, both inside and out. Color schemes are more subtle and toned down. The overall look of the ship is a really interesting balance between a traditional feel and a modern feel, and so although some of the decor is sort of traditional the artwork is very contemporary so it has quite a nice mix to it. In addition the furnishings, lighting, fabrics and upholstery, and accessories were all made in Italy especially for Costa Smeralda! I really liked the look of this ship, I think it was time for Costa to give us something completely different when it comes to design and they gave us a truly beautiful ship. Little Italy at sea!
“Does it feel crowded onboard?“ ,”Is the ship too big?”
These are the most frequent questions I get asked when it comes to large ships. I would say that for a ship that can accommodate 6.500 passengers, Smeralda handles crowds pretty well. With such a large number of people onboard, of course you can expect some lines during the peak hours at the buffet and congested hallways when everyone’s leaving the theatre, but other than that, it never felt more crowded than smaller ships I’ve been on. There are three main interior public decks on this ship so people do spread out in the evenings, I never felt like there were six thousand people with me onboard because you could always find a quiet place to sit down and enjoy in some beautiful views, which were plentiful on this cruise! What I also liked about this ship is that, even though she’s the 5th largest in the world, she never felt overly big. I believe they achieved this by separating public areas and adding many smaller bars, lounges and cozy nooks. There is no large interior promenade or an open air boardwalk on this ship, so it still has that “smaller ship charm”, which I love!
Huge windows in the main atrium
Trastevere
Accommodation
On this cruise I stayed in a…. you guessed it, guaranteed inside cabin! But as you all know I don’t mind them at all, especially when they look like the one I had on Smeralda. 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. My cabin was themed around the city of Venice (deck 14). Each deck is named after an Italian city so therefore all the cabins on that deck are themed around that city! The stateroom was snug, yes, but you can expect that from every inside cabin. It was nicely furnished and decorated, everything was still brand new and shiny… I wish I could always sail on a brand new ship. Storage space was decent, three closets and two drawers under the table, just enough space for 8 days! There are multiple USB plugs in the cabin, two european plugs and one US. The bathroom is really nice, probably the nicest looking bathroom I had on a ship! It looks like it’s made out expensive marble, it has clean lines, many shelves for your toiletries. it’s functional and the most important thing, the shower has a glass door, goodbye shower curtains! Environmental friendliness made it to your cabin too! In your cabin, you will no longer find a mini fridge, they removed them from every cabin on the ship to save energy. I don’t mind this change since I never really used the mini fridge, but they still offer “mini-bar” snacks like they used to (kinder chocolate, chips… etc.) If you’re not up for cruising in an inside cabin, there are also oceanview cabins, cove-balcony cabins, balcony cabins, suites and there are also cabins with a small winter garden between your cabin and the balcony. They all look similar but with different color palettes.
Deck 10 (Rome)
Interior stateroom
Activities onboard
There are quite a lot of things to do on this ship. Let’s start with the top decks! There are four pools onboard Costa Smeralda and two of them are heated, there are also four infinity hot tubs in the main pool area! If you’d like something that will get your blood pumping, there is a pretty large aquapark on the top deck. There are two large waterslides for adults and two slightly smaller ones for kids! I tried them all (even though it was only 12 degrees Celsius outside!) and all I will say is that the bowl-shaped one is really, really fast…!
La Spiaggia
Top Deck
On the top deck you will also find the sports court, Passeggiata Volare (a walkway suspended above the top deck, 65 meters above the waterline!), a couple of bars, partially enclosed solarium which is perfect for windy days and at the back of the ship, you will find the stunning Piazza di Spagna. It’s a large stairway on three decks facing the stern of the ship. It is based on the Spanish Steps in Rome and offers the ideal place for entertaining guests. The glass-bottomed, open-air balcony on the top deck provides the exciting experience of flying over the sea.
On-board spa and wellness facilities are pretty big, but you cannot expect anything less from a ship of this size. The gym on the other hand was big, but sometimes not big enough, on a sea day it was packed! It is located on the top deck and from there you will have best the sea views on the ship, a good way to lure you into the gym! I haven’t used the spa facilities on this ship, I literally didn’t have enough time even though I saw some great offers… I’ve heard from other passengers I’ve met onboard that the spa is worth the money and that it’s is really well equipped, especially the thermal area!
SkyBridge
Piazza di Spagna
Kids facilities are also quite extensive too, with areas for younger and older children. There weren’t many children onboard our cruise, but we did board the ship just after the winter break ended. There is also the arcade where children can spend all your money!
I don’t know if you can count shopping as an onboard activity, but you can certainly shop on this ship! You can also try your luck at the ship’s casino or maybe opt for a cheaper activity, or should I say, a free activity and check out the first museum at sea. The CoDe museum is dedicated to the excellence of Italian design and showcases 470 items from many Italian designers and design firms that contributed to the ship’s construction!
There were also activities organised by the onboard animation team, activities like morning walks and afternoon yoga were on the daily schedule almost every day. You could also participate in game shows, quizzes, dance lessons, arts and crafts type activities like napkin folding techniques and origami lessons. There was even a “Funny tour” of Costa Smeralda organised by animators every day! There is something for everyone and I was never bored to be honest, on the contrary, I was always busy walking around the ship, checking out what’s happening! Make sure to also check out what’s happening on the ship in your daily newspaper that’s delivered to your stateroom each evening. It’s called “Oggi a Bordo” and it includes all the information you’re going to need for the next day. I always take a photo of it with my phone so I have it with me all the time!
The CoDe Museum
Entartainment
Costa switched things up on Smeralda when it comes to entertainment as well! Unlike other Costa ships, Smeralda has two theatres, or should I say one smaller, San Remo Theatre and one slightly bigger “theatrium” called The Colosseo! You must be thinking, “What exactly is a theatrium…”? Well, just like the name says, it acts as the main atrium during the day and in the evening it becomes a 3 deck high theatre with tiered seating all around. Both venues are used for all kinds of shows, such as your usual singing and dancing variety shows, magician shows, juggler shows… but The Colosseo is also used for acrobatic, Cirque du Soleil style performances. All the shows looked really good because they utilise LED screens that are everywhere! Shows last around 30 minutes both in the theatre and in the theatrium so if you have a short attention span, shows onboard won’t be a problem. What I really like about The Colosseo is that you can just walk through that 3 deck high area and see what’s happening. All the shows are repeated multiple times throughout your cruise because usually, shows are held simultaneously in the theatre and in the theatrium. There was also a Peppa Pig show for children and a Costa show for Costa club members!
Each night, the animation team organises fun themed parties onboard. They usually start around 11PM and last ’till 1AM. On my cruise we had a Latin, White, Extravagant, Rockmantic and 70s & 80s party. Of course, I cannot forget to mention the Silent Disco which is new to Costa and it was without a doubt my favorite party onboard! These parties are held in either The San Remo theatre, The Colosseo or La Spiaggia pool area! Themed parties are a big thing on Costa so be sure to check them out! I am not a big dancer so it was a challenge to avoid animators who are inviting people to the dance floor! Some nights I was successful in avoiding them and some nights they won, but I have to say, it was fun to participate, Italians do know how to party!
Rockmantic Party!
If you’d like a more relaxing evening, there are a couple of live music venues onboard. There is a jazz bar, piano bar and the grand bar and they all have live music ’till at least 1AM!
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, extravagant night, elegant night and Latin night! I loved this, it’s fun to participate even in a small way. However, 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!
San Remo Theatre
The Colosseo
Dining
Costa Smeralda not only offers the best in Italian design, it also features the best Italian cuisine. Guests have access to 16 restaurants, including the all new Ristorante LAB where guests can have fun cooking and learning about food sustainablitiy at the same time. There are two more specialty restaurants, Pizzeria Pummid’Oro and the Teppanyaki restaurant. I tried the pizza in the Pizzeria and it was delicious, great value for money too, especially if you’re a Costa club member!
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!
When it comes to complimentary food venues, there are 4 main, bistro-styled restaurants, the main buffet and the Tutti a Tavola Restaurant dedicated to families with children.
Usually, 3 main restaurants are open for breakfast and lunch and they offer buffet style service. While for dinner, you will have assigned seating. When you board you are assigned to either early or late sitting, there is no flexibility when it comes to that, though you might be able to switch from early to late or vice versa if your Maitre D’ approves it. Dinners on Costa are quite an event and they consist of 5 or 6 courses and they last for ages. It’s quite fun actually, a truly different experience!
The main buffet (La Sagra dei Sapori) is open for breakfast, lunch, afternoon snack and dinner and it does close between meals. The buffet is great, the quality and variety of food was very good. The food definitely has a Mediterranean flavor to it, lots of pasta, tomato sauce, cheese… you can really tell you’re on an Italian ship! Costa wanted to limit food waste on the ship, so the buffet now has glass partitions in front of the food so you have to ask/show what you want and then the person behind the counter will fill your plate. They have a large number of people working behind the counters so the lines were not bigger than on any other ship, You can still eat as much as you want and try as many dishes as you’d like! These glass partitions are also a more hygienic solution since only the cooks touch your food! Table cloths are also a thing of the past on Costa Smeralda, both for hygienic and power saving reasons, small but great ways to make a difference. 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!
Beverage packages
Something I would definitely recommend is buying a drinks package. On Costa ships you don’t get free tap 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 again, 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 amazing destinations in the Mediterranean, including the embarkation port Savona! To be quite honest, I wasn’t even looking at the itinerary when I was booking this cruise because the selling point for me was sailing on a brand new Costa ship, 5th largest cruise ship in the world! Having said that, I loved each city and I explored each one quite a bit! We visited Savona, Marseille, Barcelona, Palma de Mallorca, Civitavecchia (Rome) and La Spezia!
If you’ve ever done a Western Mediterranean cruise, chances are that you’ve visited Marseille, Barcelona, Civitavecchia and Palma de Mallorca. They are all really popular cruise destinations. Savona and La Spezia on the other hand, are smaller ports with much less cruise traffic.
Savona is the main homeport of many Costa ships. Savona is located in the region of Liguria in northern Italy. The city is an important seaport and at one point used to be the most important city in Italy for heavy industries. Savona gained its popularity first because of its resident, Christopher Columbus. La Spezia is not too far either! La Spezia has a great combination of historical buildings, beautiful scenery, and fantastic surrounding sites. Due to its location, La Spezia is a prime location if you want to explore Liguria and Tuscany and you can easily travel to Pisa, Florence and Genoa. Furthermore, La Spezia lies in close proximity to the world renowned Cinque Terre and day trips to this marvellous destination are easy to find. If you don’t already know, Cinque Terre is that idyllic looking Italian village built on steep cliffs of Ligurias coast, you’ve probably seen a picture of it on Instagram!
This time we did two excursions trough Costa! I don’t usually book excursions on the ship, but on rare occasions I do. We booked an excursion to Rome(Civitavecchia) and an excursion to Pisa(La Spezia). Both of these cities are not that close to the port where the ship actually docks, so I felt safer when booking trough Costa because I really didn’t want to miss my ship! Both excursions were great, you can choose your preferred language group and I would say that they are great value for money. Even if we had to spend a little more money, it gave me peace of mind. But you can certainly reach Rome and Pisa on your own with no problem, trains and buses in Italy are pretty cheap and run quite often.
Palma de Mallorca
All in all, I loved this itinerary because you can really do so many things in each port, even if you’ve already been there! Each city offers so much… for example, you can visit Barcelona a hundred times and you will still have places to visit on your 101 visit and if you don’t care about the cities, you can always stay onboard. It’s always nice to explore the ship while it’s docked!
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. Costa is an italian cruise line and it’s generally geared towards Italian passengers, that said you’ll find people on a Costa cruise who speak German, Spanish, French, Hungarian… so 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 200 English speaking passengers and there is an English speaking representative to help you out if you have any problems on board.
Lungomare Riviera / Promenade deck
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’ve spent an amazing week aboard this brand new ship and I would not think twice about cruising with Costa or on Costa Smeralda again! I like the product that Costa is offering and I really like what they did with this new ship. They gave us something new and different, but they still managed to maintain that Costa feeling. This ship has so much to offer and she’s sailing on a great route, if you’re booked on her you’re in for a treat! I think that my cruise was fantastic value for money! If you’re sailing on Smeralda in the next couple of months be aware that maybe not everything is going to perfect, since the ship is still brand new and has it’s quirks. You’ve gotta take it with a grain of salt and just accept that not everything’s going to be absolutely perfect!
La Spiaggia pool area
What also makes or breaks a cruise is the ship’s crew! And the crew of Costa Smeralda definitely made this cruise special. I want to thank all of them for taking good care of us, but especially our great room steward, amazing waitors and immensely funny and energetic animation team! They even made me dance, that’s how energetic and persistent they are!
This was not my first Costa cruise, just last October, I was onboard Costa Luminosa on an Eastern Mediterranean cruise. I loved that ship and you can read my review of Costa Luminosa and my cruise HERE! I can’t wait to book another Costa cruise since the atmosphere onboard Costa ships is just so familiar and friendly, I can’t wait to be back! If you’re new to cruising you can also check out my blog post “30 tips for first time cruisers”. You can never be too ready for your first cruise!
If you have any questions about this ship or Costa feel free to ask!
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!
In October ‘19 I was lucky enough to be onboard Costa Luminosa on one of her last Eastern Mediterranean cruises out of Venice before her repositioning cruise to Ft. Lauterdale, Florida where she will spend her winter season! I’ve spent 8 fabulous days onboard this beautiful ship and there are countless reasons why I loved it so much, but here are a couple of reasons why you should consider booking a cruise on Luminosa or her nearly identical sister ship Deliziosa!
Size
Size DOES matter! Costa Luminosa is considered a mid-sized ship and it’s currently one of the smallest ships in the Costa fleet, but at 92.600 gross registered tons and 294 meters in length she definitely feels big and spacious. I always loved mid-sized cruise ships since they have everything you might need & expect from a cruise ship but unlike on bigger ships, there is a more friendly and sociable atmosphere onboard. Staff also seems to be more personal and dedicated to each guest onboard smaller ships! I know that some people just want to blend in with the crowd on their vacation and you can do that on this ship too, but it will be much easier to do so on much bigger ships where you don’t have to say a word to anyone for 8 days!
Costa Luminosa compared to Costa Smeralda, the biggest ship in Costas fleet!
What I also really liked about this ship is that it always felt like we were on a ship, not that it rocked and rolled but it never felt like a mall at sea which is popular these days! I’m not saying that mega ships are bad but I believe that you will have a more relaxing cruise on smaller ships! I love the serenity of smaller ships but I also love action and thrill of bigger ships so I’m definitely open to booking both. Just know what type of vacation you’d like to have, there is something for everyone these days! All in all, I was really pleased with the size of the ship and the amenities onboard!
Luminosa’s sister ship, Costa Deliziosa in Pireaus, Greece!
Itineraries
Costa Luminosa offers great itineraries too! Being the smaller ship she is, she can dock in ports that larger ships cannot visit. That’s why you will find her cruising out of Venice during the summer season. Venice itineraries usually include stops in Dubrovnik, Croatia, Kotor, Montenegro, Corfu, Greece, Athens, Greece and Bari, Italy. There are multiple variations of this itinerary. This itinerary was amazing to do since it includes some amazing cities but also smaller ports that are so worth visiting, like Kotor, Montenegro. I would also like to mention that Eastern Mediterranean itineraries are, to me at least, more relaxing compared to Western Mediterannean since you’re not visiting huge, capitol cities everyday.
Costa Luminosa spends her winter seasons sailing out of Ft. Lauterdale, Florida doing longer 10-day itineraries that include visits to Mexico, Jamaica, Honduras, Bahamas and Grand Cayman Island! She is the only Costa ship sailing out of Unites States this winter so if you’re planning on sailing with Costa out of Florida hurry up while there are still cabins available.
Leaving Kotor!
Food
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 3 upcharge restaurants, Club Luminosa, Samsara Restaurant and Pizzeria Pummid’oro. Tip: If you plan on dining at these upcharge 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 big 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!
Taurus Restaurant!
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.
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. I’ve had Panzo & Cena drinks package on this cruise, 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!
Breakfast donuts in the MDR
Waffles for breakfast
Entertainment
Entertainment onboard Luminosa was great but what I really loved was that almost every night you could find live music being played at multiple locations onboard. It’s a lively ship in the evenings!
Entertainment was consistent in quality all troughout my cruise. There were shows in the main theatre every night. It’s good to know that Costa shows are slightly different than your normal cruise shows because Costa ships do attract more international crowds 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.
Each night has 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!
Main theatre!
Italian experience!
No matter where this ship sails it will always be a little “Italy at Sea”! Italian experience onboard Costa ships feels so authentic and I love it! Everything from the italian food to the interior design of the ship seems unique. Costa ships are so colorful and fun with many unusual art pieces onboard, such as the big naked lady in the middle of the atrium! If you want to have that international and italian experience then Costa is definitely for you!
One of many bars/lounges
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.
Traditional promenade deck
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 atmosphere! 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!
If you would like to read more about my cruise on Costa Luminosa CLICK HERE and if you have any questions about Costa, Luminosa or anything in general feel free to contact me on Instagram, Twitter or via E-mail. I love hearing about your cruise experiences and helping you with your cruise questions.
One of the most anticipated cruise ships to debut in 2019 is finally here! Costa Cruises has taken delivery of Costa Smeralda, its new flagship powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG), the marine industry’s most advanced fuel technology and part of an innovative initiative to significantly reduce environmental impact.
The handover ceremony took place today (Dec. 5th) at the Meyer shipyard in Turku, Finland, where the ship was built. Costa Smeralda is the first ship in the Costa fleet to use LNG, both in port and at sea. It is part of an expansion plan that includes an investment of over six billion euros for seven new ships to be delivered by 2023 to the Costa Group, which consists of Costa Cruises, Germany-based AIDA Cruises and Costa Asia. Five of the vessels – including Costa Smeralda and her sister ship Costa Toscana, currently under construction at Meyer Turku and scheduled for delivery in 2021 – will be powered by LNG. With the arrival of Costa Smeralda, the Costa Group fleet rises to a total of 29 ships in service, all flying the Italian flag, underscoring the company’s leadership in Europe and China.
The use of LNG is a major development in minimizing environmental impact and significantly improving air quality, with the virtual elimination of sulfur dioxide emissions (zero emissions) and particulate matter (95- 100% reduction). LNG also significantly reduces emissions of nitrogen oxide (direct reduction of 85%) and CO2 (reduction of up to 20%).
“Costa Smeralda will be a further boost to the use of LNG in cruise ships, a technology we were the first to believe in, setting a new course in the cruise sector. Our Costa Group has invested in the construction of five new LNG ships as part of our leadership in sustainable tourism. It is an innovation in the cruise and overall shipping industries, destined to mark a step change as it guarantees a significant reduction in our environmental impact without compromising the safety aspects that are an essential priority for us”
Neil Palomba, President of Costa Cruises
Costa Smeralda approaching Meyer Turku on her way back from 2nd sea trials.
Costa Smeralda will leave the Turku shipyard on December 6 en route to the Mediterranean for three presentations with travel agents: Barcelona on December 18, where the ship will be refueled with liquefied natural gas; Marseilles on December 19; and Savona on December 20. On December 21, Costa Smeralda will leave Savona for its first one-week cruise, calling at Marseilles, Barcelona, Palma de Mallorca, Civitavecchia and La Spezia.
One of the greenest ships in the industry!
Costa Smeralda is truly a traveling “smart city”. Apart from the major innovation of liquefied natural gas, the ship incorporates a series of cutting-edge technological innovations designed to further reduce environmental impact.
The daily water requirement is achieved directly from the sea thanks to the ship’s desalination systems. Energy consumption is reduced to a minimum by using LED lights, recovering the heat generated by the engines, the particular shape of the hull designed to significantly reduce drag in the water, and newgeneration elevators that recover energy by re-introducing it into the electricity system.
Costa Smeralda leaving Meyer Turku to start her 2nd sea trials.
Single-use plastic, which for some years has already been eliminated from Costa ships for most catering purposes and replaced with alternative materials, will gradually be reduced well in advance of the European Directive objectives. One hundred percent separate waste collection and recycling of materials, including plastic, paper, glass and aluminum, will be part of an integrated approach designed to support circular economy projects.
Close attention will be paid to food on Costa Smeralda. The brand’s 4GOODFOOD program is dedicated to reducing food waste and recovering surpluses for social purposes. In addition, the new ship will feature the innovations of the LAB – Laboratorio del Gusto Restaurant — which takes an entertaining approach to involving guests in food sustainability.
With over 180,000 gross tonnage and over 2,600 rooms, Costa Smeralda is the result of a unique creative project led by Adam D. Tihany, created to immerse guests in experiencing Italy’s finest all in one place. Tihany relied on an international pool of four prestigious architecture firms commissioned to design the various areas of the ship. All of the furnishings, lighting, fabrics and accessories are made in Italy, either standard produced or designed specifically for the new flagship by 15 partners who represent Italian excellence. Italian design will also star in the CoDe – Costa Design Museum, the first museum created on a cruise ship. The extraordinary environment also features the Solemio Spa; various entertainment areas, including the Colosseum, with its screens for high-tech content shows; themed bars, in collaboration with major Italian brands; 16 restaurants and “food experience” areas, including a new restaurant for families
I love that Costa and Carnival corporation in general is rolling out these enviromentally friendly ships. What’s also commendable is that Costa is trying to reduce food waste onboard their ships, one of the biggest problems in the cruise indutry if you ask me…
I honestly cannot wait to explore this ship in January and bring you all along with me on this journey! I’ll be on the fourth sailing so I’m still expecting that “new ship smell”!¨Of course I will post and update you all about it on my instagram and twitter and you can, as always expect a full tour and review on my blog when I come back! Here I come, Costa Smeralda!
Exciting news! Costa Smeralda has successfully passed the technical sea trials carried out with liquefied natural gas (LNG), the cleanest fossil fuel in the world, which represents a real innovation in the cruise industry.
One of the greenest ships in the industry!
The Costa Smeralda is in fact the second cruise ship in the world, after AIDAnova, which is also part of the Costa Group fleet, to use this fuel, both in port and at sea, which guarantees a low environmental impact. LNG enables the virtual total elimination of sulfur dioxide emissions and particulate matter, and a significant reduction of nitrogen oxide and CO2.
During the sea trials, which began on Saturday 16 November, the ship carried out a series of tests to verify the correct operation of systems, equipment and engines with LNG propulsion. “The fueling of cruise ships with LNG is an innovation in which we were the first to believe five years ago, when we ordered the Costa Smeralda, setting an example for the sector which has since been followed by other companies. It is a safe and reliable technology, which is currently the most effective and feasible solution to ensure a significant reduction in the environmental impact of cruise ships in port and at sea”. – declared Neil Palomba, President of Costa Cruises.
Once the sea trials were finished, the ship returned to the Meyer shipyard in Turku, Finland, to complete the interior layout. The first Costa Smeralda cruise will depart from Savona on 21 December 2019. The itinerary, which will be repeated until May 16, 2020, will include Savona (Saturday), Marseilles (Sunday), Barcelona (Monday), Palma de Mallorca (Tuesday), Civitavecchia (Thursday) and La Spezia (Friday).
Ways of reducing the environmental impact
The great innovation of liquefied natural gas fuel is added to other technological innovations, designed to further reduce the environmental impact of the ship, intended to make the Costa Smeralda a real travelling “smart city”. The ship will in fact be able to produce the daily water requirement by directly converting sea water and will minimize energy consumption thanks to the use of LED lights, the recovery of heat produced by the engines, the particular shape of the hull designed to significantly reduce friction with the water and elevators of new generation, designed to recover the operating energy through the re-introduction into the electrical system.
Costa Smeralda will represent the synthesis of the coherent commitment to the reduction of disposable plastic, a central theme for the company for about twenty years. Eliminated for the most part in the context of catering and hotels and replaced with alternative materials, plastic will be further reduced, anticipating the objectives of the European Directive. 100% separate collection and recycling of materials such as plastic, paper, glass and aluminum will be part of an integrated approach aimed at the implementation of circular economy projects. Also on the new flagship great attention will be devoted to the theme of food, with the 4GOOFOOD program dedicated to the reduction of food waste and the recovery of surpluses for social purposes, with the innovation of the Restaurant LAB – Laboratory of Taste, to involve guests in an entertaining way in the field of food sustainability.
I’m so excited to board this ship in January! I will be on the fourth sailing which is amazing! Everything about this ship looks exciting and new for Costa so I cannot wait to tell you more about this ship in January!
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!
In March of 2019 I was lucky enough to be on the “vernissage” cruise of Costa Venezia. Yes! I was on the first cruise of a completely new ship! A first new Costa ship to debut in 5 years. To say it was amazing would be an understatement! Costa Venezia is a Costa ship specifically designed and made to cater to Asian guests. She is a ship built with the Chinese market in mind. At 135.000 GTs she is currently the biggest Costa ship, well at least until November when Costa Smeralda will debut at 180.000 GTs. If Costa Venezia looks familiar to you, I’m going to tell you why’s that. It’s because Costa Venezia is a Vista class ship. Other ships in that class are very well known Carnival fun ships Carnival Vista and Horizon, her corporate cousins! If you’re a ship geek like me here are a couple of quick facts about the ship:
Length: 324 meters
Passenger capacity: 5.260
Crew: 1.300
Passenger decks: 14
Venezia only did two cruises that were available to be booked by western guests. A Six-day “Vernissage” cruise and a 53-day repositioning cruise from Trieste to Tokyo! I was lucky and also quick enough to book a 6-day cruise on this beauty that is probably not coming back to Europe anytime soon! The cruise I was on started and ended in Trieste, Italy and visited Bari, Corfu and Dubrovnik. We were also meant to visit Zadar, Croatia but because of bad weather conditions we stayed in Dubrovnik for an overnight which I really can’t complain about since so many people pay extra for cruises that include overnight port stops!
I started my cruise by arriving in Trieste a day before the cruise to explore the city because I’ve never been to Trieste but to also see the ship docked there, since it’s christening happened just a day before, so it was tied up in Trieste for three days for the press to take a look at the amazing new ship before it’s started it’s first cruise! Trieste is a beautiful city, full of history and places to explore. You can spend a good amount of time just walking around and admiring the beauty of this small coastal city. Trieste is not a big city but it’s love for it’s sea and ships runs strong, since the city was established and fueled by fishers and shipbuilders, this was best shown in a way that all throughout the day visitors were pouring down to the city’s waterfront to snap a picture of a brand new ship that was built in a nearby shipyard located in the city of Monfalcone. You could sense an amount of pride that Italians have for these Italian built ships that sail all around the world.
I rented a room not too far from the cruise terminal (which is conveniently located right across the main city square) so walking to the ship next morning did not take too long. Boarding (from arriving to the terminal to boarding the ship) did take some time but you have to know that the cruise terminal in Trieste is not as big as terminals in larger cruise ports. Boarding did not last longer than an hour, and with good company time flies! And there we were, on a brand new ship. We stepped on to the ship around noon and the cabins were already ready, but that’s because NO-ONE stayed in them before us so crew had more time to get our cabins ready. Usually cabins are not ready that early! The ship is beautifully decorated and the theme you ask? Of course, it’s Venice! Everything is made to pay tribute to that unique Italian town but not in a tacky way. Costa found a way to pay homage to this Italian city while still making the ship look contemporary and classy. Main decks of this huge ship are decks 4,5 & 6 where everything from main restaurants to shops and the Main Atrium is located. And of course decks 10&11 where the spa, buffet and the lido deck is located.
I stayed in an ocean view cabin on deck 1. The cabin was pretty big, but the thing I did not expect was two washrooms! There was a washroom with a toilet, shower and a sink and there was another washroom with a tub and a sink! It was amazing to have this, I can only imagine how useful this is when there are 4 people in the cabin! The cabin number was 1392 and it was nicely decorated with the main theme ofcourse being Venice. There are many plug sockets and USB charging ports. There is also a flat screen TV where you can check your onboard account, book shore excursions and spa treatments. Storage space was also nice with three huge closets and drawers underneath the table. Weirdly enough there was no mini fridge. Oh well, that’s a feature I almost never use anyway! We had an amazing room steward called Dante, he was very helpful and took care of us and our cabin everyday!
One of my favorite parts of this ship was the ships Atrium. It was made to look like Piazza San Marco in Venice and somehow they did manage to cramp the charm and beauty of Piazza San Marco into this three deck high space. I was also impressed by the ships Lido pool area. It looked like a small city square with a pool and even two huge artificial trees. How crazy does that sound but trust me, it looks even better in person! Some other amazing features of this ship were it’s Main Theatre called Rosso theatre, which is all red and gold and takes your breath away. But be aware that the theatre on this ship is slightly smaller, so it does tend to fill up pretty quickly. I heard that this is a problem also on Carnival Vista and Horizon which share the same layout. There are also multiple lounges and bars where various events can be held, like trivia, dance classes etc. Costa Venezia also has a large number of high end shops and a huge casino. Much larger then I’ve seen on any other ship. One of the best design features of this class of ships is it’s outdoor promenade on Deck 5 which goes around the whole ship and offers outdoor seating for many specialty restaurants and loungers to soak up the sun!
Dining
This ship has two main restaurants, Marco Polo Restaurant(mid-ship, one deck) and Grand Canal Restaurant (aft, two decks). I was assigned early seating in the Grand Canal Restaurant and that’s the more beautiful one in my opinion since it literally has a canal in the middle of the restaurant with a real gondola in it! You can also dine in four specialty restaurants onboard. On the lido deck you will also find Burger bar and Dim-Sum (wok food restaurant) and at the back of the buffet there is a Pizza bar and a sea food shack. These we all complimentary on or cruise but I believe that there was a fee added when the ship arrived in China. Now about the food and service. The food in the main restaurant was great and I have nothing to complain about there, food in the buffet was also great but throughout six days I saw little to no change in what they were offering. On Costa ships you will find best desserts in my opinion, from cakes to sugar free soufflés, everything is amazing! Service on the ship was excellent and I have nothing bad to say about any of the crew. Of course it was the first sailing so it would be crazy to expect everything to be perfect. It’s new ship for the crew as much as it’s new to you! So go on inaugural sailings with a bit of understanding that some things will go wrong, or take longer or be confusing so pack some patience and you’ll be good to go!
Now about the itinerary!
To be quite honest as a passionate cruiser and cruise ship “geek”, on this cruise the itinerary took a backseat. After all it was all about the brand new ship! Having said that, this itinerary was great for a short cruise! I did not take shore excursions at any of the ports, but made sure to at least see main attractions of each city. On the first day we visited Bari, Italy, a bustling port city, more oriented towards industry than tourism. It has an old city in which you can explore narrow old ally ways. The old city is a short, 10-minute walk from where the ships docks. We walked for a bit, bought a mandatory fridge magnet and returned back onboard to enjoy the ship!
On the second day of the cruise we visited Corfu, Greece, a beautiful town which is really picturesque and charming. I bet everyone who’s gone on an eastern Mediterranean cruise visited Corfu, but it’s a town worth visiting many times since it’s so nice to just walk around the town and enjoy the Greek culture all around you. You can take some amazing photos in Corfu and find some good bargains in it’s plentiful street shops which offer basically everything and anything! Don’t judge me, but in Croatia we do not have Starbucks so whenever I see one, it’s a must go for me. There are also many cafés, and the prices are really good. The city center, is not that close to the cruise port. You can take a shuttle bus which takes you to the city center for a small fee or go on foot, which I did and I would say it is a half an hour walk along the main road.
Our final stop was Dubrovnik, Croatia, or as many tourists know it as the city where massively popular TV show Game Of Thrones was shot! This was supposed to be a one day stop but it turned into an overnight stop in Dubrovnik. Which when you think about it sounds really elite since many luxury cruise lines offer overnight stops to explore the city you’re docked in. I got really lucky in a way! In Dubrovnik you can explore the old town which is not big but it’s full of historical places you can read about all day long. It’s a city so rich with history that one day is not enough to learn about everything this city can tell you! But be aware, thousands of tourists flock to this city during the summer season so better avoid Dubrovnik from June-September! Port of Gruz, cruise port in Dubrovnik is a good 30-minute walk away from the Old town, but every cruise line offers shuttle buses which take you from the pier to the city center. Prices can vary, on my cruise it was 10€ pp and buses were leaving every ten minutes.
In conclusion, I would have to say that I was amazed by the beauty of this new Costa ship and by the new direction Costa is taking, regarding to their interior designs. I was not expecting perfect service and food since I am familiar with the fact that some inaugural cruises do not go as planned but on this cruise nothing was that much different from any other ordinary cruise. I found out that on my cruise there were only around 3.600 passangers so it’s was no wonder that I never felt like the ship was overcrowded or had any problems with passanger flow. This ship also has these new “smart elevators”. You can find these elevators only on this ship and Carnival Horizon. They are made to handle a bigger number of people in a way that you press a deck on a screen you want to go on infront of elevators banks and the screen directs you to an elevator that’s going to that deck. It makes sense since elevator can then take a direct route to that deck. The problem is not many people were familiar with this technology so I did not really see the difference in crowding and waiting times compared to traditional elevators.
Smart elevators.
I would definitely recommend this ship and Costa to anyone who wants to have an Italian experience at sea. It is a lively cruise line with most of the passengers coming from many European countries. On Costa ships you will always find live music being played in various lounges and also many activities take place during the day and run well into late night, for those who want to party! Service and food is amazing so if you haven’t tried Costa yet I definitely recommend that you at least try the Italian way of cruising!
Cruise Ship Paradise 