Costa Cruises

Costa (part of Carnival Corp) brings an Italian sensibility to mainstream cruising: pizza and pasta at the center of the dining program, festive nightly entertainment, and a passenger mix that leans heavily European. It's a strong value pick for the Mediterranean in particular, where Costa has decades of homeport and itinerary experience.

Ship Classes

• Excellence-class — Costa Smeralda and Costa Toscana — the newest, LNG-powered flagships.

Tips for Costa Cruises

• •Costa's Mediterranean itineraries are deep — smaller, less-touristed Italian and Adriatic ports show up here more than on other mainstream lines.
• •Dinner seatings run later by American standards, in keeping with the Italian dining schedule.
• •The newest ships (Costa Toscana, Costa Smeralda) run on LNG fuel.
• •Announcements and much of the daily program are multilingual, reflecting the largely European passenger base.
• •Expect a livelier, more festive atmosphere at dinner and in the evening than on quieter premium lines.
• •Dress code is casual-to-smart-casual most nights, with occasional gala evenings.

Popular Ships

Popular Ports on Costa Cruises