Costa Toscana Cruise Ship Review

The theme of the ship is showcasing the best of Italy from pizza, pasta, Prosecco and gelato to dazzling entertainment and fashionable decor. Celebrating la dolce vita means such new features for Costa as the 1,640-foot open-air Promenade, considered to be akin to a real Italian seaside terrazzo (terrace). The 16-foot-wide promenade surrounds the ship from front to back on Deck 5. Not only can you stroll completely around the ship, you can stop to relax in one of six outside cabanas linked to various restaurants and bars, and even take a dip in the two whirlpool tubs extending out from the ship's sides. Mixed drinks average $9-12, with beer and most wines by the glass priced somewhat less.

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It's exactly what you would expect of Joe Farcus, renowned designer of many flamboyant ships for the Carnival Corporation. By day, casual resort wear is appropriate aboard Costa Smeralda. Evenings, “smart casual” wear is sufficient—shorts, poolwear, and tank tops are discouraged at night. Select nights are designated as “elegant” or “black and white,” but this does not seem widely embraced. Jacket and tie are not required for men (a few tradition-bound guests will be wearing them), but otherwise, collared shirts and slacks for gents, and elegant dresses, skirts or slacks for women are generally fine.

MSC Cruises

Shorts and tank tops are banned from the dining room in the evenings, though. One of the standout features of Costa Cruises is its emphasis on Italian style and culture. Each ship is designed to reflect the warmth and charm of Italy, with a focus on art, music, and cuisine. The ships feature elegant interiors, with plenty of open spaces and natural light. Italian cuisine is a highlight of the dining experience on Costa Cruises, with fresh ingredients and authentic recipes that showcase the flavors of Italy. Where Deliziosa shines is in its size -- it's big enough to offer dining choices, a handful of pools, and plenty of options in entertainment and recreation.

Costa Toscana Has 21 Different Dining Options Onboard

Other amenities that might be important to you are Wi-Fi, spa services, babysitting, fitness classes, and upgraded dining experiences. You can usually get a decent discount if you sign up for an amenities package before you sail, so keep an eye out for promotions in the months leading up to your sailing. Costa Cruises offers a wide range of itineraries to destinations all over the world, including the Caribbean, Europe, Asia, and South America. The cruise line has a fleet of nine ships, each with its own unique style and amenities. Costa Cruises caters to a diverse range of travelers, from families with young children to retirees looking for a luxurious getaway, but you'll find your fellow cruisers to be distinctly European on most sailings. Most passengers aboard Costa Toscana hail from Italy, with cruisers from France, Germany and Spain making up the remainder of the guests.

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It was one of the first companies to offer passenger shipping services and has since grown to become one of the largest cruise lines in the world. Today, Costa Cruises is part of the Carnival Corporation, which also owns several other popular cruise lines. As the ship sails in the Mediterranean, Europeans make up the majority of cruisers, primarily Italians followed by Germans, French, Spanish and Brits. Among the Italian crowd, many are families with small children. The age range, therefore, is wide, especially during school holidays.

Seabourn

Designated cabins throughout Costa Smeralda offer accessible features in all accommodation categories. Bathrooms are equipped with either roll-in shower, transfer shower (providing maneuvering clearance and a shower bench), or an accessible bathtub. Elevators and accessible restrooms are available for all public (non-cabin) decks.

Viking Cruises

Costa Cruises is an Italian-based cruise line that offers a variety of itineraries to destinations worldwide. On the nine ships in the fleet, Costa Cruises emphasizes Italian style and culture, with a focus on art, music, and cuisine. The cruise line offers some perks to all cruisers, such as the ability to choose your cabin and dining time, but all beverages except water come with an additional cost, and Costa's mandatory service charges are spendy and can't be modified. Most influential to our ranking, the company has a below-average safety record with several high-profile incidents, making it less favorable compared with other options you have for cruising in Europe, the Caribbean, and elsewhere. MSC Cruises is an Italian-themed, family-oriented cruise line with a fleet of 23 ships that sail to destinations worldwide. They offer a wide range of itineraries, from short Caribbean cruises to longer world cruises.

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One curio that North American cruisers are likely to notice is the lack of mini-bars in balcony-category staterooms and lower, though suites offer this amenity. Rooms include two-pronged European style power outlets and USB connections, but no North American outlets. Costa Toscana has a total of 2,663 staterooms for passengers to choose from, split across several categories.

Costa further eases the landing by having several liaisons onboard dedicated to non-Italian speaking guests. These ambassadors first meet their dedicated language groups during the safety briefing at the start of the cruise and remain accessible throughout the voyage to smooth over any hiccups foreign guests encounter. There are some differences an English-speaking audience should be aware of.

Expect to hear lots of languages spoken onboard -- often loudly and boisterously. That's just how things are here, and you can either embrace it or rail against it -- but the former is definitely going to give you a better experience than the latter. Because of this, Costa Toscana is a ship that feels younger and hipper than most. It's also a ship that embraces and welcomes people of all ages; no one is going to "shush" kids onboard who are having fun, and passengers enthusiastically participate in all activities with cheers and shouts.

The Italian attitude extends to entertainment and the genial party atmosphere onboard. In the evenings, there are up to seven different dance venues to choose from, playing everything from Italian favorites and dance standards to Latin and Euro-pop. Entertainment staff, known as "animators," lead line dances and conduct wacky events like the "Mr. Costa Contest," which includes a partial striptease by contestants.

Luggage is something that everyone will need at some point in their life, whether it be a backpack for an overnight trip or school, or a full set of luggage ... Norwegian Cruise Line has announced new culinary experiences that include their first Thai restaurant that will debut on their next new ship, Norwegian Aqua. Our reviewers evaluate products and services based on unbiased research. So you've recently been diagnosed with diabetes, and the dietary adjustments seem like a mountain too steep to climb. While Costa attracts a largely European clientele, it's actually part of the Carnival Corporation, and the ship most resembles Carnival Cruise Lines in its design and in its layout.

In addition to bar service available in each dining venue, Costa Smeralda has about a dozen standalone bars spread around the ship. Live music percolates at the Mastroianni Grand Bar, Quelli della Notte Jazz Club, and Il Cielo in una Stanza Piano Bar. While Costa definitely welcomes older, more experienced, passengers, the average age on Costa Toscana skewed younger, with many couples and families in their 40's travelling. Multi-generational families are present at all times of the year, even during our late-September sailing.

In any case, we wonder how the Europeans all manage to stay up so late and still head off on morning shore excursions on the port-heavy itineraries. For someone who doesn’t speak Italian, a Costa Smeralda cruise provides a gentler immersion into Italian culture than an independent land vacation. Virtually all guest-facing crew members speak English, menus are available in multiple languages, and shore excursions are segregated by language.

Most officers and most of the entertainment staff hail from Italy. Costa Smeralda attracts a lot of families, especially during summer and school holidays. Several areas are set aside for kids, Squok Club for children ages three to 11 and Teen Zone, for kids up to age 17, and age-specific activities are provided. There is a video arcade at La Sala Giochi and Tutti a Tavola is a dedicated family restaurant next to the Squok Club. As ADA requirements don’t apply to ships not sailing out of the US, information on Costa Smerelda’s accessibility features is somewhat slim. There are special cabins to accommodate those with disabilities, such as no step to get into the bathroom and larger doors to accommodate wheelchairs, and specially equipped cabins can be provided upon request.

The sister ships are actually built to Panamax specifications, which means they're not only smaller than many of their fleetmates, but they're more flexible, too. Since Deliziosa can slide through the Panama Canal, it has more itinerary possibilities, and, indeed, it's been doing annual world cruises since 2011. It's also what you would expect from Costa Cruises' newest, largest and most innovative ship, one dubbed "Regina del Mediterraneo" -- Queen of the Mediterranean. The name Diadema means tiara, and there's more than enough razzle-dazzle onboard to call this Costa's crowning glory, at least for now. For starters, there's an art collection of more than 7,000 works, most falling under a royal motif, as in jewels, gowns or pop princesses.