MSC Cruises vs Costa for April 2024 Best Cruise Lines
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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. 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. (Its jazzy interiors are created by Joe Farcus, a longtime Carnival decorator, yet there's a little bit of Holland America in its layout, such as a similar main pool design). Note that much of the ship’s entertainment is conducted in Italian, but the music needs little translation—even the game shows in Italian can be entertaining for non-native speakers. Bathrooms are shower-only and feature the dreaded, clingy, film-like shower curtains (rather than shower doors, which are popular on other lines).
Excellent service
Where is the best place to get photo books out there today? Photo books are a fantastic way to keep our special memories in a tangible, beautiful format instead of just storing pictures on ... Our reviewers evaluate products and services based on unbiased research. Top Consumer Reviews may earn money when you click on a link. The Virtus Gym is accessed through the spa entrance and the overall facility is stocked with well-maintained cardio equipment and weights. Some fitness classes are free, while others such as yoga and spinning classes have an added fee.
Where does Costa Toscana sail to?
Adjacent to the Deck 9 pool areas, both offer steam table grill items (no cooked-to-order food here), such as chicken, hot dogs, hamburgers and French fries that are invariably lukewarm. 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. Note that many passengers do speak some English, and many (particularly younger cruisers) speak it fluently.
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Plates of antipasti were priced between 6 and 7.50 euros, mains were 6.50 to 8 euros, and desserts ranged from 4.50 to 6 euros. The Club Blue Moon is the ship's gourmet venue and, like others in the Concordia family, is overseen by Ettore Bocchia. Bocchia is highly regarded as the innovative executive chef (and Michelin-starred restaurateur) at the Grand Hotel Villa Serbelloni in Bellagio on Lake Como. His claim to fame is establishing Italian molecular gastronomy, a trendy food movement that experiments with chemical reactions to ingredients by cooking at different temperatures. Bocchia's molecular dishes had been introduced on earlier Costa ships, but at our dinner at the cozy Blue Moon, we were told that the line is actually trying to downplay the trendy culinary approach.
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Terrible website, noisy experience on the ship.
Outfitted out with four swimming pools, a water park with a bevy of slides, casino, stage shows, Costa Smeralda is not much different from the megaship brands known to American cruisers. But while the operation may feel familiar, the Smeralda experience injects a healthy dose of Italian style, especially with the ship’s robust menu of pastas and regional specialties. All of Farcus' ships are designed around themes, and Pacifica's is music.
Costa Firenze nightmare on Xmas eve
That means you either have to be incredibly lucky or be comfortable doing your own thing ashore. For English-language passengers, don't bother booking excursions online. Instead, visit the Shore Excursion office on Deck 6 to see what tours have enough English-speaking participants.
Costa Toscana Has 21 Different Dining Options Onboard
While this was my first Costa cruise, it certainly won’t be my last. I look forward to enjoying more of what Costa has to offer in the future. Since this was my first cruise with Costa, I didn’t know what to expect. I was really surprised (and thrilled!) to see how family-friendly this cruise line is. You can watch our walking tour of the Costa Toscana’s upper decks on Instagram here and here. Splash Aqua Park has water slides of varying heights, including one from the Toscana’s top deck.
Will English Speakers and North Americans Enjoy Costa Toscana?
The Samsara Spa restaurant, primarily limited to passengers who've booked the ship's spa cabin packages, was not yet open on our pre-inaugural voyage. Regular passengers are invited to book on a space-available basis; a service fee of 20 euros per person, per visit, is levied on passengers who are not residents of the ship's spa facilities. This can result in fluctuating numbers of passengers, particularly for English speakers.
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. The ship’s 11 restaurants include a bustling buffet, La Sagra dei Sapori, located midship on deck 8, which serves three meals through the day. The packed venue can be a bit of a scramble at 9 a.m., but lunchtime is easier on port days, and dinner is modestly attended. Owing to the pandemic, the buffet is not self-serve, and servers pile plates generously.
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Deck 17 hosts the bright-orange Aperol Spritz bar, for instance -- a partnership with the Italian brand that created the iconic drink in the 1920's in Venice. Campari is another famous Italian brand, while Kartell is a Milan-based company that produces coffee and incredible glassware (which you can purchase right onboard Costa Toscana). Costa Mediterranea attracts an international crowd, which varies depending on the itinerary. For European sailings, the vast majority of passengers will be European, with new passengers embarking and disembarking at every port. When the ship moves to the Caribbean, the mix starts to shift, with more and more passengers from North and South America as the season progresses. Though you might expect a lot of Italians, the ship is also popular with French passengers on its Caribbean itinerary, due to a call on French Guadeloupe.
You can purchase full-trip access for around $10 or under, or you may consider options like tourist phone plans in Italy. You simply settle your excursion bills once onboard the Costa ship and have the flexibility of canceling minus penalty up to 3 days pre-departure. So, securing your ideal itineraries promptly is the best option and will make your cruise experience much easier. Booking shore excursions early applies to every cruise line, as the best and most popular tours sell out fast. Costa allows you to pre-reserve all your tours in advance without requiring upfront payment. We’ve never witnessed such ebullient, crowded dance parties as those that regularly occur on Costa’s ships.
This frequent embarking/disembarking procedure carries several advantages for passengers. If you prefer an adults-only atmosphere, consider sailing in spring or fall when schools are in session. Families tend to book shorter one-week cruises, so embarking on longer 14+ day itineraries can also sway demographics older. But if you enjoy multi-generational travel, kids clubs, and a lively atmosphere, Costa’s family orientation makes it an ideal choice. Just be aware that summer, holidays, and quick getaways disproportionately draw youth due to the exceptional children’s programs and competitive pricing. If you are used to cruising on North American cruise lines, the first thing you will notice when traveling on Costa is that English is not the primary language on board.
During the day, casual lightweight clothing like cotton, swimwear with coverups indoors, and weather-appropriate items like sweaters and rain jackets suffice. More formal evening wear is only required in the ship’s restaurants. The C-Club is Costa’s loyalty program, and as we mentioned before, you have to sign up yourself; you are not automatically enrolled, as is the case on other cruise lines. Signing up for the program is very important because it allows you to have some great discounts on board that only members get. For example, the Gourmet experience is 50% off if you belong to the C-Club, independent of your status level in the program. Not only that, it is worth mentioning that excursions on Costa are very well priced, and you can also purchase a package that includes four half-day excursions that you can choose from and a 25% discount for all the other excursions.
On our sailing, all four of our pre-booked shore excursions were cancelled due to lack of English participants. Generally speaking, only one excursion -- and often none -- were available in English, despite the website's assurance that all excursions are offered in a multitude of languages. The crew modestly informs passengers of the special packages, activities, and ship offerings but ultimately leaves decisions up to the individual. Costa’s laid-back Mediterranean approach lets you vacation at your own pace without constantly fielding invites or sales pitches.
I also visited Pizzeria Pummid’Oro, Gelateria Amarillo, and KikiPoke (build your own Poke bowl) several times during my cruise. Large outdoor spaces can be found throughout the Costa Toscana, where you can sit and enjoy the sun and sea. Costa’s newest flagship, the Costa Toscana, has 13 pools and hot tubs.
By day, the Piazza Trastevere on Deck 8 forward is used for games, quiz challenges, and cultural lectures. Another venue is the open-air Piazza di Spagna on decks aft. The airy space is used for all-ages games with the Animation team and light aerobics, exercise and Zumba led by the gym staff. 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. In addition, Braille markings and inscriptions can be found in elevators and on cabin doors.
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