Entertainment & Activities

Theater and Shows on Costa Toscana

The Colosseo, spanning Decks 6, 7 and 8 in the center of the ship, is the primary show area aboard Costa Toscana. This rotunda-style performance area is a real spectacle, with tiered seating on three decks and LED screens on all support columns and decks that can be changed to display any number of colors and images. Performances here are visual and musical in nature, meaning that those who are situated in the nearby bars and lounges can enjoy the show without having a front-row seat.

There is no dedicated atrium aboard Costa Toscana, with the Colosseo doing double-duty as the entertainment and gathering hub of the ship, particularly at night, when shows can run well past midnight and are scheduled in easy-to-digest chunks of 20 to 30 minutes.

Poltrona Frau Arena (Deck 6): This traditionally-styled show lounge is much smaller than the average two-story theater, and is reminiscent of the design put forth on newer Carnival cruise ships. A large dance floor and walk-up bar make this suitable as a late-night dancing venue, while still serving as the go-to spot for the ship's production shows that typically take place twice per evening.

La Spiaggia Beach Club (Deck 16): Yes, the sprawling indoor pool area aboard Costa Toscana is also an entertainment venue: it is here that you will find events like the Silent Disco and White Night Party, complete with a DJ spinning the tunes and food at the nearby Gelato and burger joints, with the latter staying open until six in the morning.

Daily Things to Do on Costa Toscana

Activities aboard Costa Toscana are plentiful during the day -- and if you miss something one day, it may be repeated later on in the cruise, owing to the ship's multitude of embarkation and disembarkation ports.

Passengers will find the usual health and fitness seminars and shopping offers on sea days, but also scheduled sports tournaments for those who want to stay active; Caribbean dance classes; spa tours; games and live music beginning in the early evening. Quizzes and games are also offered, but can be a bit challenging due to the number of languages spoken.

Most passengers are quite happy to lounge out on deck, or poolside; in fact, Costa Toscana might have the best outdoor deck vibe we've encountered on a ship. Relaxing is a way of life here.

In one major difference from North American lines, though ping-pong and foosball are both offered onboard, passengers will need to amble up to the La Spiaggia Bar on Deck 16 to pay for tokens for balls in order to play.

Nightlife on Costa Toscana

All that daytime relaxation is necessary, because evenings are when things really kick off aboard Costa Toscana. Live music kicks off the pre-dinner cocktail hour around 6 p.m., and activities are scheduled most evenings until well after Midnight. (The ship's White Nights party, for example, doesn't start until Midnight, with ice carving demonstrations kicking off at 12:10 a.m.)

If you're used to ships where the entertainment winds down around ten, strap in: this ship just gets started at that time. We're talking about live music in no less than four or five bars onboard, including a DJ that spins tunes at the outdoor Infinity Terrace on the stern of Deck 7 until one in the morning. In fact, nearly all live music runs until at least 1 a.m., with some bands only stopping at 2 a.m.

Add to that a plethora of live shows and entertainment options throughout the evening in the Colosseo entertainment atrium and the Poltrona Frau Arena, and there literally isn't enough time to cover everything in a single day.

Bonus points to Costa, too: onboard bands eschew the usual standards in favor of covers of songs by the likes of Annie Lennox, Coldplay, Chris Isaak, and Nirvana, to name a few heard on our sailing.

Costa Toscana Bars and Lounges

No one will go thirsty aboard Costa Toscana, which features a number of bars created in conjunction with well-known European brands like Heineken, Campari, Kartell and Aperol.

Best of all, each bar and lounge has its own bold look and feel. Not only does it heighten the sense of discovery as you walk about the ship, but there is guaranteed to be a bar or lounge that serves up the drinks -- and décor -- that speak to you.

Onboard prices are in Euros, and are generally quite reasonable, with beers starting around 5 Euros and most cocktails running from 7 to 9 euros.

Our Picks

For the Sundowner Set:  The outdoor, stern-mounted Infinity Bar on Deck 7 aft is the place to be for sailaway aperitifs and late-evening nightcaps. The views are excellent, and the crowd lively -- this is one of the most popular spots on the ship, even well into the evening when a resident DJ starts spinning the tunes.

For A Taste of Italy, Indoors: Amble on over to the Campari Bar on Deck 7, surrounding the Colosseo entertainment atrium, for some of the best cocktails on the ship, all made with Italy's famous aperitif. Our pick: the Campari Negroni.

For a Taste of Italy, Outdoors:  It's no accident that there are two Aperol Spritz bars poolside: one on Deck 17 that's open during the afternoons, and one on Deck 16 that opens when late-night events are held in the La Spiaggia Beach Club indoor pool area. Sure, other drinks are served here, too: but why resist temptation when the Aperol Spritz -- created in Venice in the 1920's -- is made so well here?

For The Beer Lover: The beer menu isn't extensive, but The Heineken Star Club on Deck 7 pulls draft pints of Heineken, Newcastle and Affligem, plus other European brands in bottles, like Warsteiner.

Public Rooms

Pools, Hot Tubs and Waterslides on Costa Toscana

There are four main pools aboard Costa Toscana, one of which (on Deck 18 forward) is set aside exclusively for adults aged 18 and up. The others are all family-friendly, with two being situated outdoors on either side of the ship's funnel, and the largest being situated inside the La Spiaggia Beach Club indoor pool area on Deck 16.

Numerous hot tubs are scattered throughout the pool decks, and two large hot tubs are situated at the stern on Deck 7, adjacent to the Infinity Bar.

Costa Toscana also has four waterslides onboard. Two are racing-style waterslides that run parallel to each other, while another is a bowl-style slide that spits riders out into a large funnel before eventually shooting them down the last part of the slide.

The final waterslide is a family-friendly one designed for kids, along with the family-friendly Splash AquaPark on Deck 17.

Waterslides, the AquaPark and pools are all open weather-permitting.

Sun Decks aboard Costa Toscana

One of Costa Toscana's greatest features is the sheer amount of open deck space passengers have to enjoy.

This starts on Deck 8 with the wraparound Infinity Walk that is wide enough to accommodate loungers for sun-seekers and those looking for a seaside stroll at the same time. The deck does descend several levels near the stern, so those with mobility issues will need to stick to the upper level on Deck 8, or use the aft elevators to descend to Deck 7 to access the lower part of the stern promenade that also houses the Infinity Bar.

Deck 17 is partially covered near the stern, while Deck 18 is Costa Toscana's primary Sun Deck, and runs from bow to stern, uninterrupted. Passengers will find plenty of seating options in the shade and sun, and the forward-end of Deck 18 is reserved for adults aged 18 and up, and includes a private pool, bar and lounging area.

A stern-mounted viewpoint on Deck 19 aft offers cozy spots for passengers to relax in the shade on plush, lime-green loungers; while Deck 19 forward, by the ship's radar mast, is an exclusive upper-deck area for the ship's most elite passengers, and includes its own jacuzzi tub.

Services and Wi-Fi on Costa Toscana

Costa Toscana offers the usual assortment of services cruisers have come to expect, including desks for Future Cruises, Shore Excursions, Internet Access help and Guest Relations. For the latter, a numbered ticketing system is in use, inviting passengers to sit and enjoy the area (which also includes its own espresso bar) rather than queue up. This is only partially successful: most passengers still queue up anyhow, printed numbers in hand.

Deck 8 houses a large assortment of shops selling high-end designer watches, handbags and the like. A smaller shop sells some Italian foodstuffs like chocolate and pasta, and a separate Costa-branded shop sells all the line's related logowear and ship-specific items like coffee mugs, magnets, ship models and t-shirts.

A second shopping area is housed on Deck 7, and includes the Miss Bikini shop that, as the name suggests, only sells women's swimwear of a certain style.

An interactive Photo Store is located on Deck 6 and sells all photographs taken onboard Costa Toscana. While onboard photographers still use the backdrops North Americans will be familiar with, there are some creative options as Vespa scooters are rolled out, offering passengers to have a photo take with one of Italy's most famous vehicles. (Fun Fact: The word "Vespa" in Italian literally means "Wasp")

A games and video arcade is located, curiously, on a main thoroughfare on Deck 7, next to the casino and adjacent to the Heineken Star Bar. But it's never loud, and was rarely in use on our sailing by more than a handful of young adults.

Wi-Fi internet packages are available in multiple levels, depending on what kinds of browsing you intend to do. Social media-only packages are the most affordable, though a full-browsing package was available on our sailing for 89 Euro for the entire cruise. Connectivity was generally quite good, though packages can only be used on one device at a time: if you're planning on doing some work and need to use a VPN or secondary authentication service, you'll be out of luck unless you connect your phone to cellular data.

Laundry service is only available as a valet option; there are no self-serve launderettes onboard Costa Toscana.

Spa & Fitness

Solemio Spa & Salon on Costa Toscana

Costa Toscana's sprawling Solemio Spa takes up a substantial section of Deck 16 aft and includes a separate beauty area, along with rooms for treatments and a generously-sized thermal suite complex.

The Thermal Suite -- also known as the "Wellness Journey" -- can be enjoyed as either a day pass, or a pass valid for the entire cruise. It consists of several areas, starting with a hydrotherapy pool and heated ceramic lounger complex with great views of the seas. Interestingly, the hydrotherapy pool does not have a grate to lie on, as is common with most other shipboard thalassotherapy treatments: instead, a short grate is available to sit on, but we found the force of the jetted water kept pushing us off.

Also included in the Wellness Journey complex is a rainfall shower walk of aromatic showers positioned in a line next to each other; a sauna room; a salt room; an aromatic steam room; and a snow room that offers sea views and real snow for the ultimate cool-down.

Spa treatments are available as solo or couples treatments, and include standard spa packages like Swedish massages, Thai herbal poultice massages, hot stone massages, and the like. Specialty treatments are also available, ranging from the Rosemary and Thyme Massage to the Dolce Limoncello Body Scrub and Massage that pairs citrus zest with Mediterranean sea salts.

A full line of men's and women's salon services are available, from cuts and shaves to manicures and pedicures for both sexes.

Don't bring any valuables to the locker rooms at the Solemio Spa; on our sailing, all of the digital locking mechanisms on individual lockers were broken despite the ship being only a few months old (though Spa staff advised us of this in advance).

Fitness and Gym on Costa Toscana

A fitness center on Costa Toscana, the Virtus Gym, is situated on Deck 16 aft. While it has all the workout equipment you might expect, including cardio machines, cycles and the like, it earns the distinction of being the most uninspiring space we've seen on a ship, with plain white walls, blue three-quarter paint and a near-total lack of décor that make the room look more like steerage on an old ocean liner. It does, however, have windows facing the sea.

For Kids

Is Costa Toscana Family Friendly?

Outside of Disney Cruise Line's ships, Costa Toscana might be the most family-friendly ship we've ever sailed aboard. Multi-generational families aren't just welcomed here; they're the standard. Expect most passengers to be travelling with at least some family and friends.

Costa Toscana also stands out as a great ship for those with little ones: we've never seen so many infants and toddlers in strollers on any cruise, period. Costa's youngest cruisers are welcomed not only by crew, but by passengers as well. Kids are remarkably well-behaved, and most passengers delighted in watching the littlest passengers crawl and toddle their way through the experience.

Part of this is due to Costa's family-friendly amenities. The Squok Club and Baby Squok Clubs were designed with kids in mind, and while they're not as elaborate as on some other ships, they get the job done -- and earn bonus points for having stroller parking as a matter of course, and the dedicated Squok Club family restaurant right across the hall.

Every dining room has highchairs, and kids of all ages are welcomed in nearly every restaurant onboard, with the Pummid'Oro Pizzeria serving as the most popular place for families with little ones to grab a casual bite, even with the extra charge.

Lots of lines talk about their family-friendliness; Costa excels at ensuring that welcome doesn't end once kids leave their respective clubs, allowing parents to truly enjoy the shipboard experience, little ones in tow.

Because of the close-to-home nature of Costa Toscana's Mediterranean itineraries, where the ship calls in a Mediterranean port almost every day, children can be as young as six months when they sail with Costa (Itineraries with more sea days, like transatlantic journeys, typically require a minimum age of one, however).

Squok Club and Baby Squok Club aboard Costa Toscana

Costa Toscana's Squok Club is designed for kids aged 3 to 11 years and is divided into two sections.

Mini Squok is just for kids aged 3 to 6 and offers Peppa Pig-themed activities. Maxi Club caters to kids aged 7 to 11. Both age groups offer fun activities, entertainment, parties, games, and snacks, and is available in multiple languages.

While the space itself isn't as elaborate as, say, what Disney has on its ships, it is still filled with toys, games and interactive diversions, not to mention cool décor with plenty of bright colors and interesting objects for discovery.

The Squok Club offers service between 9 a.m. and Midnight, with a small closure in the afternoons from Noon to 3 p.m. and again from 6 to 9 p.m.

Squok Club services are complimentary.

In Baby Squok, kids aged 6 months to 3 years are welcomed, and babysitting services are available for a fee. On some Costa ships, this service is offered as part of the regular Squok Club facilities, but aboard Costa Toscana this service has its own dedicated room.