About Costa Cruises
 At Your Service: Confusing Onboard Currencies
What began as a fleet of freighters transporting fabrics and olive oil between Genoa and Sardinia in the mid-1800's is today the largest and most modern cruise fleet in Europe. Costa Cruises, which became a fully owned subsidiary of Carnival Corp. in 2000, is an Italian company with a modern fleet of ships, worldwide itineraries and a distinct Italian personality.
The Costa fleet sails under the "Cruising Italian Style" banner -- offering a product that combines the sophisticated elegance of a European vacation with the fun and spirit of the line's Italian heritage. Costa's international family of ships spans the globe offering cruises of seven days and longer throughout the Caribbean, the Mediterranean, Northern Europe, the Arabian Gulf, Asia, the Indian Ocean and trans-Atlantic.
"Cruising Italian Style" can be interpreted two different ways. Some passengers have disliked Costa because of the extensive smoking aboard their ships, but following Italian government regulations ashore, Costa has severely limited smoking to designated areas in lounges. Dining venues are now smoke-free. Other travellers overlook these factors and enjoy the European atmosphere -- after all, Mediterranean-influenced cuisine, regional wines and warm, rich decor are all part of the Italian tradition.
Alas, Italian stewards, part of the line's heritage, are no more. Cabin and dining room stewards are now as multi-national as the passengers, with Filipinos, South Americans and Indians in the mix. As they speak English, the former criticism of English-speakers that they were not understood has been ameliorated.
Costa is easily Europe's most innovative cruise line, with an aggressive building program. In July 2006, the cruise line launched its newest biggest-ship-ever, Costa Concordia, which was followed in May 2007 by sister ship Costa Serena. Sister ship Costa Pacifica debuted in June 2009. Two more Concordia-class vessels are scheduled to debut, one in spring 2011, the other spring 2012.
In an exciting new move, Costa has designed a prototype ship that actually is smaller -- Panamax sized -- than its Costa Concordia class. The 92,700-ton Costa Luminosa, which was unveiled in May 2009, is the first to launch. Costa Deliziosa, its sister, will begin sailing in January 2010. These twins represent a more upmarket cruise experience.
 Read the complete Costa Cruises Review
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