Costa Cruises - Cruising Italian Style
Costa Cruises has always been synonymous with cruising Italian style. While Costa may not own this moniker exclusively, (MSC Cruises has taken up the mantle as well), certainly its point of difference with most cruise lines is in the onboard style, cuisine, decor and activities that underscores its Italian roots. (Read: pasta, pasta! Plus some octopus carpaccio, grilled cuttlefish here and gelato.)
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Is Costa Cruises For You?
Costa Cruises, one of Europe's largest cruise lines, is a moderate cruise line featuring Italian style and flair. The large ships have a contemporary style and noted for its Roman toga party on each cruise. The guests complement is far more international than on most other cruise lines, paticularly on Europe cruises. Comparable cruise lines in this category include Carnival, Norwegian and Royal Caribbean.
A Costa Cruise Line Primer
Costa Cruises is a European cruise line. Americans can be in the minority onboard. That's certainly more true of Costa's European cruises than in the Caribbean, where Europeans make up a third of passengers, and where Costa offers some rather unique and engaging itineraries.
However, for those that love Costa Cruises, that's part of the appeal, particularly on European cruises where a cultural melting pot made up of Italians, French and Germans adds to the experience -- relative to most other cruise lines that largely cater to an American audience.
At the same time, while most American-focused cruise lines respect the prevalency of non-smokers, Europeans are not quite there yet, so smokers will certainly be more comfortable on Costa Cruises than non-smokers. That's not to say there aren't non-smoking areas onboard, but the scent of tobacco is more prevalent aboard Costa than most other cruise lines.
The Costa Cruises Experience
While one can marvel at the variety, quality and comfort most cruise lines provide, Costa's ships are sleek, stylish and "sexy," not surprising given its Italian roots. Italian styling and use of Murano glass and marble are evident throughout the ship.
Evening entertainment is also not language-dependant, and Costa produces variety shows that can reach its multi-cultural audience with multilingual songs and dance numbers. Where there's a need to communicate with guests, the narration and onboard announcements are conducted in a few languages.
Costa also is known for its Festa Italiana, with pizza tossing and Venetian mask making, and the Roman Bacchanalia, where guests use their bedsheets to create togas and step out for the evening's festivities in faux-Roman attire. Also noteworthy is the traditionl last night Toga Party, where guests are encouraged to where their white sheets to celebrate.
To book Costa Cruises, please contact a TravelStore cruise specialist who can best assist you.
