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Ship Details
Began service: June, 2003
Guest capacity: 2,114
Total staff: 920
Length: 798 feet
Passenger decks: 12
CDC
inspection score: 98
Costa Mediterranea Overview
The Costa Mediterranea cruise ship departs
from Fort Lauderdale, FL, and Venice, Italy.
Throughout the year, she offers ocean cruises to Caribbean,
Europe, and Mediterranean.
Check Dates &
Prices for cruises to Caribbean, Europe, and
Mediterranean.
CostaMediterranea is the second
new ship to join Costa's
fleet under the ownership of Carnival Corporation. The
ship has a high percentage of verandah cabins.
Carnival's super-talented Joe Farcus has outdone himself
with incredibly inventive designs that reinvent details
from 17th and 18th-century Italian palaces. There's so
much to look at that, in Farcus' words, passengers enjoy
"a constant discovery process on board".
Costa Mediterranea stands out with its hallmark
of "Cruising Italian Style." The staff greets
you with "buon giorno." The entertainment is
full of gusto-though napkin-waving waiters dancing on
the dinner tables isn't everyone's cup-of-espresso. This
ship is a terrific choice if you want to experience cruising
with a definite European flavor, and still enjoy all the
expected comforts and amenities of an American mega-ship.
Cabins
Of 1,057 cabins, 678 have balconies.
Standard outside and verandah staterooms (210 square feet)
feature a dressing table with a hair dryer hooked up in
the drawer, TV, and a bed that can be converted from queen
to twin. Many cabins, including 71 of the 212 inside cabins
(160 square feet) have a third and fourth bed that pull
down from the ceiling. Closet and drawer space is ample
for a seven-day cruise. There are outlets for American
electrical plugs, though they aren't always clearly marked.
All cabins have a mini-bar and safe. |
Bathrooms are compact with showers only; shampoo and lotion
are provided. The balconies have mesh chairs that don't recline
plus a table. The privacy partition between each verandah extends
a few inches beyond the rail, so you can't peek around to the
next room. There are eight disability-equipped rooms that span
several categories. The ship's 58 suites are
especially nice with Murano glass table lamps. The suites come
in three categories, ranging in size from 352 to 650 square
feet (including verandah). The smallest is called a "Suite."
The next category up is a "Panorama Suite,"
which features a larger sitting area. The "Grand
Suite" has separate living and sleeping areas.
All suites have good-sized granite tiled bathrooms with Jacuzzi
tubs and double sinks. The balconies have teak furnishings,
including lounge chairs. Passengers in these quarters get a
variety of special services-VIP check-in and early disembarkation,
butler service, sparkling wine, full-course in-suite dining,
a complimentary meal at Club Medusa, plus terry
robes, slippers and a daily fruit basket.
Dining
The Restaurant Argentieri is the ship's
main dining venue. It is a visually exciting space lit by fun
glass globes that look like escaped balloons hanging from the
ceiling.
The restaurant works on an assigned, two seating basis and is
open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The late seating is geared
to European dining customs and is quite late for many Americans.
Dinner menus play up the Italian theme, with a different region
of Italy highlighted each night. A tasty pasta course is always
offered before the entree. Costa's "Salute e Benessere,"
("health and well being") menus offer low-fat, low-carbohydrate
options. Vegetarian selections are always available as well
and are listed on the regular menu. The wine list is reasonably
priced (many bottles around $24) with a predominance of Italian
wines.
At night, the elegant Club Medusa (Decks
10 and 11) is the ship's alternative restaurant. There
is a $23 per person cover charge and reservations are required.
After dinner, the Club's balcony level transforms into a cigar
bar that's open to everyone.
During regular mealtimes, the Perla del Lago Restaurant
on Deck 9 serves buffet fare. The numerous
stations offer different dishes. The pizzeria is a separate
station near the rear of the buffet area. Soft-serve ice cream
machines are scattered throughout.
Though the ship offers round-the-clock food service, off-hour
choices are slim. The 24-hour room service menu lists a few
soups, salads, sandwiches and desserts. All passengers may order
espresso or cappuccino with their continental breakfast. Only
suite passengers may order off the full restaurant menus for
complete in-suite dining, including hot dishes for breakfast.
Costa is one of the few cruise lines to still offer a midnight
buffet. The location changes nightly and may be served up as
a tropical deck party, a galley visit, or an extravaganza in
the dining room.
Entertainment
Evening entertainment ranges
from dancing to romantic piano tunes in the Piazza Casanova
Bar to opera or production shows in the main theater.
And, just walking into the three-tiered Osiris Theater
is a trip. All those pyramids and pharaohs make you think you're
in Egypt. Rest assured, the motif came straight from murals
decorating a Roman palace built in the 1400s.
Daytime activities consist mainly of group games and
fitness classes.
Fitness & Recreation
The ship has three separate pool areas on Deck
9. The two central pools each have one whirlpool. One
pool has a retractable magrodome roof for use in all kinds of
weather. The smaller Apollo pool, all the way
aft, is away from the crowds and has a bar and a third whirlpool.
There is a neat waterslide on Deck 11, but
it was only open a couple of hours during our entire cruise.
CostaMediterranea's fitness facility and spa are combined
on two decks. The Olympia Gym has state-of-the-art
workout machines. They work two ways. You can establish your
settings manually -- or sign up for a "key card" (and
fitness consultation for an extra charge of $20); the key is
pre-set so you are computer-guided throughout your workouts.
The area is tiered, so everyone has a sea view. It includes
a forward-view whirlpool, separate men's and women's steam rooms,
saunas, and shower cabinets with multiple heads. The Ischia
Spa, operated by offers the usual menu of treatments
such as Swedish massage ($99 for 50 minutes).
There is a small jogging track on the top deck above the gym,
along with a netted basketball/volleyball area.
Note: Some fitness classes-yoga, Pilates, kickboxing-have a
$10 fee per session.
Public Areas
Though tied together by the
palazzo theme, each of the public rooms has a completely different
feel. The Piazza Casanova was based on a ballroom
in a Venetian palace. It has a fountain and dance floor. The
Asian-accented Roero Bar and Oriental
Lounge were inspired by the Roero Di Guarene Palace.
They anything but Italian -- the servers wear oriental outfits,
and the display cases show off artifacts from four ancient Chinese
Dynasties.
The Giardino Isolabella Bar is a cozy
undersea grotto hidden away beneath the three-tier Osiris
Theater.
The atrium bar, Maschera d'Argento, is the
hotspot for art spotting, a highlight of this ship. Three walls
soar ten decks upward, creating one gigantic work of art-a fabulous
array of floating, larger-than-life dancing figures. The fourth
wall has three glass elevators, so as you move, the dance takes
place. There are also fantastic Murano glass accents everywhere,
including dozens of jellyfish wall lamps with flowing tendrils.
You'll see something totally new every time you step into a
room.
Art aside, CostaMediterranea has all the usual public
areas and then some. There's a real chapel with stained glass
windows. A small, combination library/Internet cafe
next to the Oriental Lounge has nine computer stations. Internet
access costs 50 cents per minute and can be frustratingly slow.
The Grand Canal Casino sees lots of action
whenever it's open. For shoppers, there are two stores selling
logo wear, jewelry, watches, olive oil, pasta, duty-free cigarettes
and liquor. Prices on Caribbean cruises are in US dollars. They're
in Euros for European itineraries.
Kids
Costa's children's facilities
are known as the "Squok Club," the
name of a cute, friendly shark. Kid's activities are available
year-round on both European and Caribbean itineraries. Offerings
vary between the two regions, with programs on Caribbean sailings
geared more toward Americans.
Depending on the number of children and teens on board,
activities in the Caribbean are aimed at three age groups. There
are four full-time youth counselors (more for holiday trips).
The two formal nights are "Parents Nights Out," and
kids are treated to a buffet or pizza party while parents dine
on their own. There is no extra charge.
Group baby-sitting is available for kids ages 3 (as long as
they're beyond diapers) and up. It is offered by advance request
and costs $10 per hour.
Expert Costa Mediterranea reviews are edited by Michelle,
and provided by Ian and Cruise Critic.com, an award-winning
cruise community. This objective information can help you choose
just the right ship for your next cruise vacation.
Check Dates &
Prices for cruises to Caribbean,
Europe, and Mediterranean.
Costa Mediterranea cruise reviews
Cruise
Ship Inspection Report
All passenger cruise ships arriving at US ports are subject to unannounced
CDC inspection. Costa Mediterranea
Score: 98
Cruise
Critic: Costa Mediterranea
The Cruise Critic gives Costa Mediterranea a 3+-ribbon rating.
Web links
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