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Costa Cruises fleet

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Costa Cruises (Costa Crociere SpA, CostaCruise.com) is a British-American-owned Italian company based in Genoa Italy . Costa is one of the main operating companies in Carnival Group ( Carnival Corporation subsidiary) and a member of the exclusive WLCLA (World's Leading Cruise Lines Alliance). WLCLA also includes Carnival, Cunard, Holland America, Seabourn, Princess, Windstar.

Company history and changes

The sister brands Costa and CCL-Carnival Cruise Line are currently ranked the world's cheapest. Costa is also ranked "best" for Mediterranean itineraries and among the best travel brands for families, ruling in Southern Europe with its "Italian Style Cruising".

The company's main competitor on the European market is MSC Cruises .

Costa's USA headquarters is in Hollywood Florida.

Costa Crociere SpA's current leadership team includes Mario Zanetti (President), Michael Thamm (CEO/Chief Executive Officer), Roberto Alberti (CCO/Chief Commercial Officer), Roberto Alberti (Senior VP and CCO/Chief Corporate Officer), Francesco Muglia (Senior VP of Global Marketing & Sales), Giovanna Loi (VP of Global Marketing & Customer Experience Innovation).

Until 2023, Costa Group's and Carnival Asia's CEO was Michael Thamm. As his position was not filled, AIDA's and Costa's presidents now report directly to Josh Weinstein (Carnival Corporation's CEO).

In 2023, Costa Cruises marked its 75 years of passenger shipping since its first passenger ship - SS Anna C (1955-built), departed from Genova/Milano to Buenos Aires (Argentina) on March 31, 1948, carrying a total of 768 guests.

The 1854-founded company was originally named "Giacomo Costa fu Andrea" and established by Giacomo Costa for trading in olive oil/textiles. Costa's first Transatlantic liner (SS Anna C) was the first to cross the South Atlantic following WW2 (1935-45) and also the first to have air-conditioned passenger staterooms.

As of 2023, Costa has a fleet of 22 vessels.

IMPORTANT " On June 22, 2022, CCL-Carnival and Costa announced the "COSTA by CARNIVAL" cruise program targeting CCL's North American source market. The program is based on two newbuild Costa ships transferred to CCL - Venezia (starting in April 2023 with homeporting in NYC New York USA ) and Firenze (starting in 2024 with homeporting in Long Beach/Los Angeles California USA ). Both Costa liners are CCL-managed (while operating out of the USA) and were scheduled for drydock refurbishments prior to the Carnival service.

IMPORTANT : On June 23, 2021, CCL-Carnival announced plans to add 2 boats to its fleet - an EXCEL-class newbuild (2023-built Carnival Jubilee ) and Costa Magica (2004-built). The Costa boat was to be drydock refitted and fully refurbished, Carnival-named, and to join CCL in 2022-H1. However, on June 15, 2022, was announced that instead of Costa Magica, to CCL will be transferred Costa Luminosa (2009-built) starting operations in November 2022 as "Carnival Luminosa".

On October 4, 2021, was officially introduced (on Smeralda ) the company's new logo design.

Costa is well-known for its energetic mix of traditional (exotic) experiences based on Mediterranean cuisine, festive onboard atmosphere, dynamic entertainment, affordable travel comfort, popular itineraries (visiting large port cities), and convenient homeports/departure ports. Costa ships operate budget-priced voyages and their clientele is predominantly European (mostly younger couples and singles) while many Americans and Canadians enjoy Costa's Asian-South American-Arabian destinations.

In late-September 2017, Costa announced its partnership with Juventus (football club). The deal allows Costa to offer exclusively a Juventus onboard experience on all Costa Asia ships. This includes Juventus football content available 24/7 on all cabin TVs, talks and presentations (club history and memorabilia) at the ship's Juventus Museum and purchasing branded souvenirs at the themed "Juventus Shop". All Costa Asia ships also feature a Juventus-branded mini club and character meetings by Juve's official Jay Mascot (zebra). Onboard sports activities include a Juventus football training program (for all kids ages 5 to 14) modeled after the club's Juventus Academy (soccer school). The program is managed by Juve-trained coaches. The ever first "Juventus Museum" at sea was opened on Costa Serena on January 31, 2018.

In late-November 2019, Costa announced its partnership with FlixBus (2011-founded German travel brand owned by FlixMobility GmbH), with sister brands FlixTrain and FlixCar. The Munich -based FlixBus specializes in intercity premium bus services in Europe and the USA. The Costa-FlixBus deal allows now Costa customers to pre-book (add upon cruise booking) FlixBus return transfers from any of the European port cities that FlixBus serves. Currently, FlixBus has Europe's largest intercity bus network with 400,000+ daily connections to 1000+ destinations in 30 countries.

In mid-September 2021 Costa signed a partnership deal with Caffe Vergnano the "Made in Italy" espresso beverages and coffee-based delicacies fleetwide. The iconic Italian coffee company was founded in 1882 as a family business (by Domenico Vergnano) and is still run by the Vergnano family. Vergnano's sales in 2020 were EUR 80,6 million (~USD 94,5M / ~GBP 68,8M). Costa's first ships with "Caffe Vergnano 1882" (brand coffee shops) were the newbuilds Smeralda (2019) and Toscana (2021).

In mid-October 2021, Costa and ITA Airways (Italia Trasporto Aereo SpA/state-owned airline, Italy's flag carrier, fka Alitalia) signed an LoI (letter of intent) for joint commercial initiatives promoting new products and services. Via the partnership, Costa made ITA its "preferred air carrier" for fly-cruises (flight+cruise packages) to medium- and long-range travel destinations served by Costa ships. The deal was signed by Mario Alovisi (Costa's VP Revenue Management) and Emiliana Limosani (ITA's CCO).

In mid-January 2022, Costa signed an exclusive partnership with Ryder Cup for "Ryder Cup 2023" (to be held at Golf Marco Simone - premium golf course in Guidonia Montecelio/ Rome ). Ryder Cup is a 1927-established men's golf championship (biennial) between European and American teams. Through this partnership, on Costa Smeralda was introduced the new "Cruise & Golf" package (available since May 2022). Two packages (inclusive of either 3 or 4 club fees) allow golf aficionados and their families a unique "golfing vacation" to visit and play at premium golf clubs in Italy (from Savona, Palermo Sicily, Civitavecchia-Rome), France (from Marseille) and Spain (from Barcelona and Palma de Mallorca) during the 7-day itinerary's port calls.

In July 2023 was announced the "Costa Journeys" itinerary program (2023-2024) that groups longer exotic voyages in Europe/Mediterranean.

In September 28-October 1, 2023, Costa was Ryder Cup's Official Cruise Line. The exclusive partnership also involved the ships Smeralda and Toscana, offering golf-themed onboard events/competitions and a special "Cruise and Golf" package for visiting some of the Mediterranean's best golf courses - Circolo del Golf Roma Acquasanta/Rome, Golf Garlenda/Savona, Sant’Anna/Genoa, Marco Simone/Guidonia, Golf Bastide de la Salette/Marseille, Real Club de Golf El Prat/Barcelona, Golf Son Gual Mallorca/Palma. Costa's packages also offer golfing in the UAE (Dubai's Emirates Golf Club and Els Club, Abu Dhabi's Golf Club and Yas Links), Oman (Muscat's Al Mouj Golf and Ghala Golf), and Qatar (Doha Golf Club).

In March 2024 were introduced "Sea Destinations” (onboard programming) themed on the current itinerary's ports/island destinations.

In July 2015, Carnival Corporation signed a shipbuilding agreement with Meyer Werft for the construction of all 4 new class vessels. Contracts were finalized in April 2016. Of these 4 new cruise ships , 2 liners are for Costa and the other 2 for AIDA Cruises (Carnival's German brand).

The new Costa ships were scheduled for delivery in 2019 ( Costa Smeralda , December) and 2021 ( Costa Toscana ). Costa ships were built in Turku Finland , AIDA ships - in Papenburg Germany . Each vessel has a gross tonnage of 183,000 GT tons, over 2,600 cabins, double-occupancy passenger capacity 6600 and crew capacity ~700. Ship's design features more efficient use of both indoor and open-deck spaces, with several multi-functional areas.

These new (Excellence/Helios-Class) ships are the industry's first fully LNG-powered vessels , generating 100% of their onboard and propulsion power from LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas) - both in ports and at sea. With the new liners, Costa Group had a fleet of 7 ships on order (total capacity 41,000 berths) to total Costa fleet capacity 110,000 berths.

The 4-vessel contract was part of a previously announced larger shipbuilding order with Fincantieri (Italy) and Meyer Werft for all 9 new vessels with scheduled deliveries between 2019 and 2022. Managed by Costa Group, the combined Costa-AIDA fleet became Europe's largest. In 2014, one out of every two cruise ship tourists in Europe sailed on either AIDA or Costa ship. In 2015, Costa Group had 20 offices in 14 countries, around 27,000 shipboard employees and total passenger capacity of over 68,000 berths (across the combined fleet). Costa Group also is the leader of China's rapidly growing cruise market in Asia.

In January 2016, Carnival Corporation signed an MoA (memo of agreement) with Fincantieri to build 4 new vessels. Contracts were finalized in April 2016. Of these, two boats were for Costa Asia (Venezia and Firenze), one for Princess (Enchanted Princess) and one for P&O UK (Arvia). With this shipbuilding order, Carnival Corporation had a total of 17 new ships scheduled for deliveries between 2016-2020. The four vessels were built at Fincantieri's shipyards in Monfalcone and Marghera and delivered in 2019-2020.

Three of the vessels are designed with GT tonnage 133,500 tons, LOA length 323 m (1060 ft) and capacity 4000 passengers plus 1450 crew (2 are for Costa Asia, 1 for P&O AU). One larger unit (GT 143,700 tons, capacity 3560 passengers) is for Princess (Enchanted Princess). Both Costa ships are exclusively for the booming Chinese market. Each vessel is powered by two MAN diesel engines (model 14V48 / 60CR) plus three MAN diesel engines (medium-speed, model 8L48 / 60CR), providing total power output 62,400 kW. The engines are Tier-II compliant.

Costa cruise ship experience

• Dining: authentic Italian cuisine, prepared by European chefs, midnight buffets, gala dinners, healthy menu options. Spa suites, permanent room service.
• Costa ships specials: the 2-level Samsara Spa (6,000 sq.m., with many exotic treatments), a 3-level Theater, a 4D Cinema (hybrid), up to 4 onboard pools (2 with retractable roofs), a Grand Prix simulator, an 18-hole golf simulator. Every ship has a small chapel, suitable for intimate weddings.
• Traditional on-board celebration parties: "Benvenuto A Bordo", "Buon Viaggio" and "Notte Tropical". Costa's festive theme nights: the tarantella dancing and pizza dough tossing during the Festa Italiana, playing games of boccie, ice carving, "Roman Bacchanal Parade" and "Roman Toga Party".
• "Costa Kids' Club" - supervised interactive programs, ages 3 to 17. PlayStation World center onboard for video game tournaments.
• Entertainment: European-style casino, bingo, Internet cafe, musical revues, live performances by comedians, acrobats, and mime artists; classical concerts in lounges. Italian language and cooking classes on board. "Via Condotti" boutiques with premier Italian goods.
• For cruises starting April 2018, the cruise line restructured its fares into 4 categories, ranging from a Basic, no-frills version, to Deluxe level which includes just about everything. Costa announced its new pricing plan in North America after rolling it out in core European markets. The plan does not apply to a number of Asia-based vessels or world cruises. Unlike airlines, Costa is not charging for amenities that used to be free, with just one exception: The cheapest level doesn't include the ability to choose a cabin.
• Basic level, which is the least expensive option, includes dining in venues that have always been included in the price of the voyage, onboard entertainment, and use of pools and fitness areas. Guests who choose the Basic option don't get to choose cabin assignment. Total Comfort Classic includes all basics plus a cabin choice and unlimited beer, wine, and soft drinks with lunch and dinner. A step up from it is Total Comfort Premium, offering a choice of cabins in a prime location, the ability to select 1st or 2nd dinner seating, as well as unlimited drinks anytime. Deluxe is the top option, including a suite, unlimited drinks, spa access, invitations to special events, free minibar, in-suite daily fruit, and other amenities.

Costa has Europe's youngest cruise fleet and all its ships are Italy- flagged (registered in Genoa ). Costa's current fleet consists of liners in the following classes (low to high): SPIRIT, FORTUNA, Concordia , EXCELLENCE, VISTA.

MSC and Costa are the leaders on the Mediterranean market (Costa being the "most fun" brand) and among Europe's best family cruise lines providing best family-fun "Italian-Style Cruising" experiences by cheap deals, traditional cuisine, unique shipboard facilities, activities, amenities and services on big- and mid-sized ships.

• operator (Costa Cruises Group)
• shipowner (Carnival Corporation)
• hallmark ("Cruising Italian Style")
• flag-state/registry (Italy/Genoa)
• builders - Fincantieri (Italy) and Meyer Werf ( Turku, Finland )

Costa ship classes

• Excellence/Helios-Class: SMERALDA, TOSCANA
• Vista Class: VENEZIA, FIRENZE
• Hybrid Spirit-Vista Class: LUMINOSA, DELIZIOSA
• Concordia Class (Modified): FAVOLOSA, FASCINOSA
• Concordia Class: Costa CONCORDIA ( sank in 2012 ), SERENA, PACIFICA
• Fortuna Class: FORTUNA, MAGICA

Costa Cruises private island Sir Bani Yas

In June 2016, MSC Cruises announced it had created an exclusive "beach oasis" for vacationers on Abu Dhabi and Dubai cruises from 2016-2017 winter. The 1.5-mile stretch of land on the natural Sir Bani Yas Island , off the southwest coast of Abu Dhabi, features shaded cabanas, hundreds of palm trees and over 2,000 sunbeds across 387,500 sq.feet of beaches.

Starting from December 2016, MSC Fantasia added the destination available exclusively to MSC passengers when the cruise ship calls at the island, to Emirates itineraries. The development is on a smaller isle connected to the main island by wooden boardwalk. Other facilities include food, refreshments, MSC Aurea Spa area with a menu of massages, sports facilities (beach volleyball, tennis), family and kids-dedicated area with parents' pergola, Bedouin tent offering arts and crafts created by local communities, lounge space with live music and a bar. The MSC Cruises company has been working closely with ecologists and Abu Dhabi Port Authorities for more than 2 years to develop the project and support the ongoing preservation work.

The isle is one of the largest wildlife reserves in the region due to decades of conservation work and ecological investment to maintain its biodiversity. The Arabian Wildlife Park on the Sir Bani Yas main island is home to over 13,000 endangered and indigenous animals, as well as millions of plants and trees. The first sailing of the winter season departs on December 3, 2016, and calls at the island on December 5. Prices started at US$719 per person for a 7-night itinerary.

In July 2016, Costa Cruises announced thar Sir Bani Yas Island will be added as a 1-day stopover (port of call) on UAE Cruises (season 2016-2017) on Costa neoRiviera ). Costa passengers had access to a private (Costa exclusive) beach with VIP areas with cabanas. Shore excursion options included jeep safaris (in the wildlife park), sea kayaking, diving, snorkeling.

Costa cruise ship robots

An innovative AIDA and Costa Cruises program implemented the latest cyborg technology fleetwide. Humanoid robots (named Peper) greet and guide passengers upon embarkation. They also assist them throughout the cruise by providing information and tips on shipboard dining, entertainment, pre-scheduled events, shore excursions, and tours.

Peper robots are able to communicate in 3 different languages (English, German, Italian), to move fluidly and even to interpret human emotions by analyzing voice tones and face expressions.

The new technology was first tested on AIDAstella where Pepper learned to engage with passengers and crew. The first set of robots were introduced on Costa Diadema and AIDAprima in April 2016. By the end of summer 2016, Pepper robots were added on all AIDA and Costa ships.

(new) Shipboard-made mozzarella

Since 2017, Costa ships offer onboard-made, certified (top-quality) mozzarella produced from buffalo milk. The new product is branded "Latteria del Curatino" and created via a partnership with two Campania-based dairy companies - "Comat" (dairy equipment manufacturer) and "Podere dei Leoni" (creamery, leading Italian producer of certified buffalo mozzarella).

With this new food product, Costa became the world's first cruise company serving its passengers a fresh-made mozzarella. The new service was introduced first on Costa Diadema . The shipboard-made mozzarella is produced by a Comat-manufactured steam machine (powered by electricity) that uses the curd of cow and buffalo milk sourced from Salerno 's Piana del Sele area. The stretched curd is then rolled into a ball to form a mozzarella or hand-shaped and molded by the cheesemaker to become buffalo mozzarella cheese.

Costa ships' fresh-made mozzarella, as well as other onboard-made traditional Italian cheese specialties, can be ordered from the special "Goccialatte" menu available in the Costa Cruises' signature pizzerias "Pummid'oro". The menu has a mozzarella roll (with salad, vegetables and smoked salmon), tomato and buffalo mozzarella (made in 3 different ways), tuna (with Doganella oil, red onions and burrata), beef carpaccio (with a chicory salad and smoked scamorza), warm focaccia, mortadella and stracciatella cheese (served with pickled vegetables), Neapolitan peasant bread, porcini mushrooms, fior di latte (onboard-made cheese) and guanciale (cured pork meat).

The fresh-made Fior di latte cheese and buffalo mozzarella are also used in some Pummidoro pizzas, prepared with sourdough and select ingredients. By the end of 2017, these unique cheeses were also included in the menus served in other onboard restaurants.

Costa's 4GOODFOOD program

In February 2018, the company announced its 4GOODFOOD program for decreasing by 50% food waste fleetwide by the year 2020. As of 2018, on Costa ships are served annually around 54 million meals.

Following the company's review of the shipboard food service and food processing, it decided to remodel both with a new sustainability approach, engaging all passengers and crew in responsible consumption. It was estimated that this program engages nearly 2 million passengers per year, plus around 19,000 crew.

For the project, Costa established partnerships with Banco Alimentare, Cittadinanzattiva Onlus, UNISG (University of Gastronomic Sciences), Slow Food Foundation and Winnow Solutions. The company Winnow Solutions specializes in food processing optimization in professional kitchens, As part of the program, Winnow trained around 2400 galley crew/kitchen workers fleetwide.

The project was first tested in 2016 on Costa Diadema . The results were around 50% reduction in food waste. The onboard self-service buffet restaurants reported lowered food consumption by 20%. In 2017, Costa Cruises started to donate all the surplus food in Port Civitavecchia (Rome) - over 32,000 meals per year. The same policy was implemented since 2018 in the Mediterranean ports Palermo, Bari, Venice, Cagliari (Sardinia Island), Marseille, Barcelona, Piraeus (Athens), Valletta (Malta).

(new) Costa cruise booking system

Starting April 2018, Costa Cruises has a new, restructured cruise booking system with fares based on 4 main categories. They range from Basic to Deluxe (all-inclusive). The new pricing plan doesn't apply to the Asia-based ships and also on world cruises . All previously free-of-charge (complimentary) amenities remain, with the exception that the cheapest (Basic) level doesn't include the option to choose a cabin.

• "Basic" level is the cheapest booking deal and includes dining in all complimentary venues, onboard entertainment, use of swimming pools and fitness facilities. However, cabin assignment is not available.
• "Total Comfort Classic" level includes all Basic level perks plus cabin choice and unlimited drinks (beer, wine, soft beverages / with lunches and dinners).
• "Total Comfort Premium" level includes premium cabin locations, option to select 1st or 2nd dinner seating, unlimited drinks anytime.
• "Deluxe" level is the all-inclusive option that includes Suite, unlimited drinks, unlimited spa access, invitations to onboard special events, free mini-bar, in-suite daily fruits.

New Costa cruise ship livery (2019)

Celebrating its 70th anniversary, in 2018 Costa Cruises changed the company's ship livery/hull logo fleetwide. The first liner with the new logo was Costa Mediterranea .

The new livery is a stylized Italian flag (under the vessel's name / new font, larger lettering) painted on the bow. The project (scheduled completion by 2018's end) covered all active ships in the fleet plus the new vessels under construction - Smeralda and Venezia .

For its 70th Anniversary, Costa organized a special voyage exclusively for CostaClub (loyalty program) members. The 12-day Mediterranean itinerary was on Costa Pacifica and visited 18 different countries. The special voyage was booked by nearly 3000 people. It featured a live concert by Gloria Gaynor (US singer) and a 3-meter high pyramid of gourmet eclair cakes (created by Chef Christophe Adam). The "birthday cruise" was attended by the company's President Neil Palomba. Michelin Chef Bruno Barbieri directed a cooking show and presented his new (Costa fleet exclusive) menu.

On July 7, 2018, during the company's 70th-anniversary celebrations in Genoa (Costa Zena Festival) was constructed a waterslide with length 340 m (1115 ft) designed to break Guinness World Record for "longest slid in 1 hour". The slide was installed on Via XX Settembre street and helped to establish the world's new record of 775 km (481,6 ml) sliding in 1 hour. Another world record broken was for longest bunting string - 2070 maritime signal flags were connected into 2 km long line along the festival's areas. At Old Port and Piazza Caricamento were performed live 60 performers (street musicians, dancers, artists, acrobats), 29 singers, DJs, comedians. Piazza de Ferrari had for kids' games, workshops and parties with mascots. The evening concert (at 8.30 pm) was on Radio 105 stage (opposite Piazza delle Feste) and included performances by popular Italian singers and bands.

Costa Asia is Carnival Corporation 's subsidiary company that manages all the corporation's Asian cruise shipping operations. The Costa Asia company has offices in China (including Hong Kong), Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, and India. Costa Asia is also the operator of all Asia-based Costa cruise ships.

Since May 2017, Costa Asia-managed cruise vessels (of all Carnival Corporation brands) allow using Alipay payment services onboard. The partnership between Carnival Corporation and Ant Financial Services Group (a subsidiary of Alibaba, China's biggest online trading company) enables Chinese cruise passengers on all Carnival Corp ships in Asia to pay for onboard services and products using their Alipay (mobile payment platform) accounts. Among these onboard services and products are shopping, tours/excursions, food, and drinks. These expenditures are added to the passenger's cabin folio, then cleared via his/her Alipay account on a nightly basis.

(Coronavirus crisis) passenger shipping pause 2020-2021

Due to the COVID pandemic, Costa partially suspended its fleet's passenger shipping operations by canceling all Italy-visiting voyages with pre-scheduled departures in the period March 9 through October 1, 2020. Operations were planned to resume on August 21 (ship Pacifica), with 5x ships only. In early-December was canceled the remaining 2020 program.

Next are listed Costa's first scheduled departure dates by ship/destination - SMERALDA (May 1, 2021/Mediterranean), LUMINOSA (May 16, 2021/Mediterranean-Trieste), DELIZIOSA (June 26, 2021/Mediterranean-Venice-Bari), PACIFICA (June 4, 2022/Mediterranean-Bari), FAVOLOSA (October 7, 2022/Mediterranean from Tarragona Spain), DIADEMA (Sept 26, 2021/Mediterranean-Savona), FASCINOSA (Sept 23, 2021/Mediterranean-Savona), FORTUNA (June 11, 2022/Baltic-Icealnd from Bremerhaven), FIRENZE (July 4, 2021/ Maiden Voyage/ Mediterranean from Civitavecchia-Rome), VENEZIA (Aug 2, 2021/ Asia-Tianjin China ), SERENA (Sept 5, 2021/ Asia- Otaru Japan ), TOSCANA (March 5, 2022/ Maiden Voyage /Mediterranean from Savona).

With rebooking, all affected bookings received full refunds (100%) in FCC (future cruise credit), including on prepurchased through Costa Cruises packages and services.

• On August 13, Costa announced that its passenger shipping operations start in September 2020 with two ships - Costa Deliziosa (Sept 6, from Trieste) and Costa Diadema (Sept 21, from Genoa). These voyages were for Italian citizens only. The 7-day roundtrips visited only ports in Italy - Deliziosa (to Bari, Brindisi, Corigliano-Rossano and Sicily - Siracusa and Catania) and Diadema (to Civitavecchia-Rome, Naples, Cagliari Sardinia, Palermo Sicily, La Spezia). Costa Smeralda (departure October 10) was added with 7-day roundtrips from Savona (to Genoa, La Spezia, Cagliari Sardinia, Naples, Messina Sicily, Civitavecchia-Rome).
• Costa's South America 2021-2022 winter program (Favolosa from Santos, Pacifica from Rio de Janeiro) was canceled.
• Costa's Baltic 2021 program (Diadema, Fascinosa, Favolosa, Fortuna) was canceled.
• PACIFICA's Red Sea from Dubai program (winter 2021-2022) was canceled.
• FORTUNA's Caribbean program (winter 2021-2022, roundtrips from Guadeloupe and Dominicana) was canceled.
• MAGICA was transferred to CCL-Carnival in June 2021.
• In mid-June 2020, Carnival Corporation (shipowner) sold Costa Victoria to San Giorgio del Porto (shipyard in Genoa Italy ). The new shipowner soon sold the vessel for scrapping (in Piombino Italy ).

Itinerary of Costa Cruises

Costa Pacifica's schedule for summer 2023 (June 3 thru October 7) lists Taranto Italy s both a homeport (also reached with a fly-cruise package) and a call/transit port for passengers embarking in other ports, particularly Catania. Taranto (a total of 19x calls/Saturday visits/port stay 8 am and 5 pm) was included as part of a 7-day Greek Islands itinerary also visiting Catania (Sicily), Valletta (Malta), and Greece's Mykonos Island and Santorini Island.

Costa Journeys itineraries (2023-2024)

In July 2023 Costa announced "Costa Journeys" - a new itinerary program that groups longer (most are 2-week long) exotic voyages in Europe/Mediterranean scheduled for 2023-2024.

Next are listed the Costa Journeys ships and their voyages open for booking when the program was inaugurated.

( Costa Pacifica ) 14-day "Egypt and the Holy Land" itinerary itinerary visits ports in Italy (Savona, Naples, Catania) France (Marseille), Spain (Barcelona), Malta (La Valetta), Egypt (Alexandria-Cairo, Port Said), Israel (Haifa), Crete Greece (Heraklion). Roundtrip departures (in October-November 2023) are available from 4 ports (Savona, Haifa, Barcelona, Marseille). Similar "Holy Land" voyages were scheduled for Costa Fortuna in 2024.

( Costa Fascinosa ) 14-day "From the Mediterranean to Madeira and the Azores" itinerary visits ports in Italy (Savona), France (Marseille), Spain (Barcelona, Malaga, Cádiz-Sevilla), Portugal's Madeira (Funchal) and Portugal's Azores (Ponta Delgada, Praia da Vitória). Roundtrip departures (in April 2024) are available from 3 ports (Savona, Barcelona, Marseille).

( Costa Fortuna ) 14-day "Turkey, Greece and Tunisia" itinerary visits ports in Italy (Savona, Civitavecchia-Rome, Catania), Spain (Barcelona), France (Marseille), Tunisia (La Goulette-Tunis), Greece (Piraeus-Athens), and Turkey (Izmir, Istanbul). Roundtrip departures (in April 2024) are available from 3 ports (Civitavecchia-Rome, Barcelona, Marseille).

( Costa Favolosa ) 10-day "Morocco and Gibraltar" itinerary visits ports in Italy (Savona), France (Marseille), Spain (Valencia, Malaga), UK (Gibraltar), and Morocco (Tangier, Casablanca-Marrakesh). Roundtrip departures (in December 2024) are available from 2 ports (Savona, Marseille).

Itinerary changes 2024-2025

Costa's Mediterranean 2024 schedule has 3 ships in the Western Med ( Smeralda , Toscana , Pacifica ). The week-long voyages visit ports in France, Italy and Spain.

Smeralda departs from Genoa every Friday, starting March 22nd, to call at Marseille, Barcelona, Cagliari (Sardinia Italy), Naples and Civitavecchia-Rome. Toscana departs from Savona every Saturday, to visit Marseille, Barcelona, Palma (Mallorca), Palermo (Sicily), and Rome-Civitavecchia. During summer 2024, Palma is to be replaced by Ibiza.

Pacifica departs from Savona every Sunday, to Rome-Civitavecchia, Ajaccio (Corsica France), Palma de Mallorca, Marseille and Valencia, with La Spezia replacing Ajaccio during the autumn.

In 2024, Deliziosa is deployed in the Eastern Mediterranean, with a Greek islands itinerary visiting Venice/Marghera ,  Bari , Mykonos ,  Katakolon , Santorini . Also included are voyages from  Taranto / Catania , bound for Valletta Malta and the Greek islands.

During summer 2024, 3 Costa ships are deployed in Northern Europe - Diadema, Fascinosa, and Favolosa. Diadema offers 7-day roundtrips from Kiel Germany , bound for Copenhagen and the Norwegian Fjords. Favolosa sails on 4 different itineraries from Amsterdam Netherlands , visiting Greenland, Iceland, Ireland, England, and Norway's Lofoten Islands . Fascinosa offers 12-day sailings to North Cape/Nordkapp and 9-day Baltic voyages visiting Helsinki, Stockholm, Riga, and Tallinn.

In spring and fall 2024, 3-day and 4-day Western Mediterranean mini-cruises are scheduled for Fascinosa and Pacifica.

In autumn 2024, the Costa ships Diadema and Favolosa sail the Mediterranean and Spain's Canary Islands, with a 2-week itinerary, or Lisbon+Morocco with 10-day sailings. In spring Fascinosa also visits Portugal's Azores.

Costa Deliziosa 's World Cruise 2025 visits destinations in Tierra del Fuego/Chilean Patagonia, Polynesia, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa. For the first time, the departure is in early December 2024/not in January, to enjoy the holidays on a cruise. New Year’s Eve in Brazil's Rio de Janeiro is with the fireworks display from Copacabana Beach.

For summer 2024 (June 7th to September 13th), Costa Fortuna departs on Fridays from Piraeus-Athens to Istanbul and the Greek islands (Crete, Rhodes, Mykonos, Santorini). On some of the departures, the itinerary visits Bodrum instead of Rhodes.

Costa's flight+cruise package is available from all major European countries.

In the spring and fall of 2024, Costa Fortuna offers short (3 to 5 days) Western Mediterranean voyages, as well as a range of 2-week itineraries. These itineraries visit Morocco, Lisbon, Israel, Egypt, and Tunisia, Turkey, Greece, the Greek islands, Ibiza.

In summer 2024, Fascinosa offers 7-day roundtrips to Malta and the Greek islands, and 2-week roundtrips to the Canaries, while Favolosa and Diadema operate in Northern Europe. Favolosa has 3 different itineraries (out of Hamburg ) visiting Nordkapp/North Cape, the Lofotens, Iceland, and Greenland. A new 8-day itinerary visits the UK/Scotland. Diadema offers week-long roundtrips to the Norwegian Fjords.

Costa's winter 2024-2025 schedule lists voyages in Europe/Mediterranean, the Caribbean, and the UAE, including an Around the World Voyage departing in December 2024.

The Mediterranean-deployed Costa Toscana offers 7-day voyages to Italy, France, Spain, and the Balearic Islands. The schedule features extended port stays (10+ hours) at each call port - Savona ,  Marseille ,  Barcelona , Palma de Mallorca ,  Palermo , and  Civitavecchia/Rome .

The Caribbean-deployed Costa ships Fortuna and Fascinosa offer two alternating one-week itineraries (each) that can be combined into two-week B2Bs. The "flight+cruise" package is recommended. Costa Fortuna will exclusively sail between the Lesser Antilles, with itineraries featuring destinations such as Guadeloupe, Tortola, St Marteen, Antigua, St Lucia, Martinique, and Trinidad-Tobago. Costa Fascinosa's itineraries explore Dominicana (La Romana, Amber Cove, Samana, Catalina Island ), Jamaica (Ocho Rios), Grand Turk, St Lucia, Barbados, Guadeloupe, Antigua, BVI/British Virgin Islands.

The UAE-based Costa Smeralda offers 7-day Red Sea cruises from Dubai (two-day/overnight stay) visiting Muscat Oman, Doha Qatar, and Abu Dhabi UAE.

Costa Deliziosa 's World Cruise 2025 departs on December 7th, 2024, and its highlight is New Year's Eve in Rio de Janeiro .

Cruises in Asia (Costa Serena ship)

In Asia, Costa Cruises has deployed only one ship ( Costa Serena ) operating in the region the whole year-round, including under charter by Asian tour operators.

India 2023-2024

In June 2023 Costa announced Serena's program in India developed as an extension of its Asian deployment. The India schedule included 23 sailings (November 4th, 2023, through January 1st, 2024), following the planned voyages in Thailand, Taiwan and Korea. The new program was developed in collaboration with Lotus Aero Enterprises (Costa's General Sales Agent in India).

Costa's India 2023-2024 cruises visited exclusively domestic destinations, targeting predominantly Indian tourists. The itineraries (ranging between 2 and 10 days) were roundtrips from Mumbai to Cochin , Mormugao/Goa and the Lakshadweep Archipelago/Bangaram Island .

In January 2024, the ship was homeported in Port Klang (Malaysia) being chartered by Hwajing Travel & Tours Sdn Bhd (Kuala Lumpur-based agency). For Hwajing, Costa Serena had scheduled roundtrips from Klang/Kuala Lumpur (departure dates Jan 17-19-22, and Dec 4-7, 10, 13-15) visiting Penang Malaysia and Phuket Thailand . The December 15th voyage is a relocation itinerary (Klang to Hong Kong) visiting Vietnam (Phu My/Saigon).

Southeast Asia and Japan 2025-2026 winter

In winter 2025-2026 (November to January), Costa Serena will offer fly-cruise itineraries with included flights from major European cities to Asian hubs ( Hong Kong , Tokyo , Singapore ) for embarkation on the voyages.

The first itinerary (Japan and Korea) is a 15-day roundtrip from Hong Kong (China) visiting Taiwan's Keelung , Japan's Naha , Kagoshima , Tokyo, Kobe/Osaka , Nagasaki , and Korea's Busan .

The second itinerary (Southeast Asia) is a 15-day roundtrip from Hong Kong visiting Vietnam's Nha Trang and Phu My/Saigon , Thailand's Koh Samui Island , Singapore, Brunei's Bandar Seri Begawan/Muara (12-hour port stay), and The Philippines' Puerto Princesa .

The Japan cruises (available from November 21, 2025, to January 30, 2026) are with departures from Hong Kong and Tokyo and alternate with the Southeast Asian itineraries leaving from Hong Kong and Singapore. Both itineraries can be combined into a single 28-night B2B covering all 14 destinations. The Asian vacations can be extended by choosing preferred flight dates independent of the cruise schedule.

Ship deployments, homeports, itineraries

The next table shows all Costa ships with their homeports (departure ports) and itinerary program reviews.

IMPORTANT : Three Costa ships ( Luminosa , Firenze , Venezia ) were transferred to CCL-Carnival Cruise Lines for the "COSTA by CARNIVAL" cruise program. These liners are CCL-managed while operating out of the USA.

(NEWEST) Excellence-class (aka Helios-class)

• gross tonnage 180,000 tons, LNG powered, passengers 5200, cabins 2600
• shipbuilder Meyer Turku
• vessels - Costa Smeralda (2019), Costa Toscana (2021)

building cost USD 950 million per unit

(NEW) Vista-class

• Costa Venezia (2019), Costa Firenze (2020)
• new class ships for the Asian market (homeported in China)
• gross tonnage 135,500 tons, passengers 4200
• shipbuilder Fincantieri

building cost USD 780 million per unit

Dream-class ships

• GT tonnage 92,700 tons
• LOA length 294 m, width 32 m, draft 7 m, decks 12
• speed 42 kph, 1130 staterooms, capacity 2828+1100 (passengers+crew)
• vessels - Costa Diadema (2014) , Costa Deliziosa (2010) , Costa Luminosa (2009)

building cost: USD 600 million per unit

Concordia-class ships

(Modified) Concordia-Class Ships Specifications: tonnage 114,500 GT, length 290 m, beam 32 m, draft 8 m, decks 13, speed 40 km/h, 1500 staterooms, capacity 3780+1100 passengers+crew. Cost US$670 million per unit.

vessels - Costa FASCINOSA (2012) , Costa FAVOLOSA (2011) , Costa PACIFICA (2009) , Costa SERENA (2007)

Concordia-Class Ships Specifications (Modified Conquest-class): tonnage 114,500 GT, length 290m, beam 36m, draft 8m, decks 14, speed 40 km/h, 1500 staterooms, capacity 3780+1100/passengers+crew.

Fortuna-class ships

Fortuna-Class Ships Specifications (identical to the Carnival Destiny-class): tonnage 105,000 GT, length 271m, beam 37m, draft 8m, decks 13, speed 37 km/h, 1,358 staterooms, capacity 2,720+1,027 passengers+crew.

Costa FORTUNA (2003) - all present and past Costa ships are displayed as models in the Atrium.

Sky-class ships

Sky-Class Ships Specifications: tonnage 76,000 GT, length 252m, beam 32m, draft 8m, decks 12, speed 40 km/h, capacity 1,928+766 passengers+crew, builder: Bremer Vulkan, Germany.

Costa VICTORIA (1996) - the first cruise ship with later added balconies.

The vessel was sold and scrapped in 2020.

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Costa Cruises

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Find a Cruise on Costa Cruises

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Cruising with Costa

Based in Italy, Costa Cruises distinguishes itself from other European cruise lines with its Mediterranean-inspired design and festive atmosphere. Costa's ships depart from a variety of ports around the world, bringing passengers to destinations in the Caribbean, Europe, South America and beyond. Itineraries last anywhere from one to 130 nights.

For an extra fee, Costa Cruises offers excursions like panoramic gondola rides in Venice  and boat rides and snorkeling in Barbados . Costa also hosts a variety of cruising experiences. Some ships have an intimate ambiance and relaxed atmosphere, while others are more crowded and offer action-packed itineraries. Costa's ships feature roughly one crew member for every three passengers.

Affordable cabins are easy to find within Costa's fleet – a main draw, according to recent cruisers. While at sea, you can take advantage of casinos, fitness facilities, multiple pools and hot tubs, and live shows. Once you've worked up an appetite, have a seat at one of the ship's main restaurants or consider splurging on a meal at a specialty eatery for a more memorable experience.

Pros & Cons

Mix of mostly European and some American passengers

Affordable rates for European itineraries

Onboard activities cater to families, couples and spa enthusiasts

Meals at specialty restaurants are not covered by cruise rates

No departures from the U.S.

Some Americans might have trouble with the European-style service

• Expert Rating » 3.1
• Traveler Rating » 3.3
• Health Rating » 4.5

Costa Cruises has been ranked based on an expert evaluation of the line's level of luxury, as well as an assessment of user reviews and health ratings.

• # 8 in Best Cruise Lines in the Mediterranean
• # 10 in Best Cruise Lines for the Money

Explore Photos

Costa Cruises Ships

Costa Smeralda

Costa Toscana

Costa Diadema

Costa Deliziosa

Costa Pacifica

Costa Favolosa

Costa Fascinosa

Costa Fortuna

Before You Book

• To reserve most Costa voyages, travelers must pay a deposit of no less than 25% of the fare, with the full amount paid at least 30 days before the departure date. For cruises booked less than 30 days in advance, the fare must be paid in full when booking.
• All cancellations and refund requests can be made by calling 1-800-GO-COSTA. Cruisers will be charged 15% of their cruise fare if they cancel 90 or more days before departure. After that, passengers will be charged a higher percentage of their fare based on their specific packages.
• If you need medical assistance of any kind, you must submit your requirements in writing to Costa at the time the reservation is made. Failure to do so may result in Costa canceling your reservation.

Before You Board

• After full payment (and at least one month before departure), you must check in online through the  MyCosta website  and complete the boarding form. The site also allows you to book drink and spa packages, excursions and reservations at specialty restaurants.
• Costa passengers must present a valid passport for embarkation. Passports must be valid six months past the trip's completion. Certain countries require cruisers to obtain visas. Travelers who do not present the necessary documents will not be permitted to board the ship, nor will they be refunded.
• Passengers are allowed one piece of luggage (in addition to hand luggage) for cruises of seven nights or less and two pieces of luggage for voyages lasting eight to 14 nights. Cruises longer than 14 nights allow passengers to bring up to three pieces of luggage. The recommended maximum weight per bag is 50 pounds. Overall, Costa recommends bringing one piece of luggage whenever possible.
• You can book excursions online up to three days prior to departure using the cruise line's  MyCosta booking tool . After this deadline, excursions can only be reserved on board.

Disclaimers about ship ratings: A ship’s Health Rating is based on vessel inspection scores published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). If a ship did not receive a CDC score within 22 months prior to the calculation of its Overall Rating, its Health Rating appears as N/A; in such a case, the ship’s Overall Rating is calculated using the average Health Rating of all CDC-rated ships within the cruise line. All ship Traveler Ratings are based on ratings provided under license by Cruiseline.com.

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Welcome to Costa Cruise Genie! Your Guide to the Best Costa Cruise Values and Upgrades!

Using a true Costa Cruise travel specialist, with years of experience selling Costa Cruises, can offer numerous advantages that save you both time and money while providing a truly carefree vacation where all your needs have been anticipated and provided for. Time and time again, it has been proven that the expertise and knowledge of a Costa Cruise specialist can enhance every aspect of your costa cruise experience.

Welcome to Costa Cruise Groups

Discover savings on all Costa Cruises and shore excursions with our expert guide. Learn about popular Costa ships and itineraries, plus discounts on attractions, tourist sites, activities, and local tours at cruise ports called on by Costa Cruises. With over 45 years of experience in the travel industry, we provide expert advice to help you explore the best of Costa Cruises without sacrificing on service.

Popular Costa Ships and Itineraries

Costa smeralda.

Highlights:

• Flagship of the Costa fleet with modern amenities
• Innovative design inspired by Italian cities
• Eco-friendly with LNG propulsion technology
• Variety of dining options including specialty restaurants
• Entertainment venues such as the Colosseo and Luna Park

Itineraries:

• Mediterranean cruises visiting ports in Italy, France, Spain, and Greece
• Western Mediterranean routes including Barcelona, Marseille, and Rome
• Eastern Mediterranean routes featuring destinations like Athens and Dubrovnik

Costa Diadema

• Known as the "Regina del Mediterraneo" or Queen of the Mediterranean
• Luxurious spa and wellness center
• Variety of bars and lounges including a German-style beer garden
• Family-friendly with a dedicated kids' area and activities
• Extensive shopping area with a range of boutiques
• Mediterranean cruises visiting Italy, France, Spain, and Malta
• Seasonal itineraries including the Canary Islands and the Balearic Islands

Costa Firenze

• Inspired by the beauty of Florence, Italy
• Elegant interior design with Italian art and architecture
• Gourmet dining options including traditional Italian cuisine
• Multiple pools and relaxation areas
• Wide range of entertainment options from live shows to casino games
• Mediterranean routes visiting ports in Italy, Greece, and Turkey
• Special itineraries to the Adriatic and Aegean seas

Costa Luminosa

• Elegantly designed with extensive use of light and space
• Lavish Samsara Spa with exclusive amenities
• Unique activities such as a 4D cinema and Grand Prix simulator
• Varied dining options from casual to fine dining
• Enriching cultural and educational programs
• Norwegian fjords and Northern Europe
• Transatlantic crossings to South America
• Caribbean cruises from Fort Lauderdale

Costa Pacifica

• Known as the "Ship of Music" with musical themes throughout
• State-of-the-art recording studio and music lounge
• Innovative dining venues and culinary experiences
• Multiple pools and a large wellness area
• Extensive children�s programs and activities
• Mediterranean voyages visiting Italy, Spain, and France
• Eastern Mediterranean routes including Greece and Israel

Popular Costa Cruise Ports and Shore Excursions

Barcelona, spain.

Attractions:

• Sagrada Fam�lia - Iconic basilica designed by Antoni Gaud�
• Park G�ell - Unique public park with mosaic-covered structures
• Las Ramblas - Famous street with shops, restaurants, and street performers
• Gothic Quarter - Historic neighborhood with narrow streets and medieval buildings

Activities:

• Guided tours of Gaud�'s architectural masterpieces
• Tapas tasting and culinary tours
• Beach activities and water sports at Barceloneta Beach

Rome (Civitavecchia), Italy

• Colosseum - Ancient amphitheater and symbol of Rome
• Vatican City - Home to St. Peter's Basilica and the Sistine Chapel
• Trevi Fountain - Iconic Baroque fountain
• Roman Forum - Ruins of ancient government buildings
• Historical walking tours of ancient Rome
• Vatican Museums guided tours
• Authentic Italian cooking classes

Athens (Piraeus), Greece

• Acropolis - Ancient citadel with the Parthenon
• Plaka - Historic neighborhood with shops and restaurants
• Temple of Olympian Zeus - Large temple ruins
• National Archaeological Museum - Extensive collection of Greek artifacts
• Guided tours of the Acropolis and ancient sites
• Greek cuisine tasting tours
• Day trips to nearby islands like Hydra and Aegina

Dubrovnik, Croatia

• Old Town - UNESCO World Heritage site with historic walls and buildings
• Stradun - Main street with shops, cafes, and landmarks
• Lovrijenac Fortress - Historic fort with panoramic views
• Dubrovnik Cathedral - Baroque-style cathedral
• Walking tours of the Old Town and city walls
• Kayaking tours around the city walls
• Boat tours to nearby islands like Lokrum

Marseille, France

• Old Port (Vieux-Port) - Historic port with seafood restaurants and markets
• Basilica of Notre-Dame de la Garde - Iconic basilica with panoramic views
• Le Panier - Oldest district with narrow streets and colorful houses
• Calanques National Park - Coastal park with limestone cliffs and turquoise waters
• Guided tours of the Old Port and historic sites
• Boat tours of the Calanques
• Wine tasting and culinary tours in Provence

Plan Your Costa Cruise Vacation with Costa Cruise Groups

With our extensive list of activities and attractions, you're sure to find something that piques your interest. Whether you're a first-time cruiser or a seasoned traveler, Costa Cruises always offers something new and exciting. At Costa Cruise Groups, we provide you with the best deals and expert advice to make your cruise unforgettable. Book your accommodations, tours, and activities with us and experience the best of Costa Cruises while enjoying significant savings and outstanding service.

Explore Costa Cruises� iconic ships, immerse yourself in the vibrant cultures of the destinations, and create memories that will last a lifetime. From exploring historic cities to enjoying luxurious onboard amenities, the possibilities are endless. Let us help you discover the magic of Costa Cruises and make the most of your adventure with Costa Cruise Groups.

How We Help You Save on Cruises

Access to exclusive rates and deals.

Our deep connections within the costa cruise industry grant us access to exclusive rates and special promotions that are not available to the general public. This means significant savings for our customers on a wide range of costa cruises. Whether you're booking a last-minute getaway or planning a luxury costa cruise well in advance, we ensure you get the best possible price.

Personalized Service and Expert Guidance

At Cruise Butler, we believe that every traveler deserves a personalized experience. Our specialized costa cruise agents are here to guide you through every step of the booking process, offering expert advice and tailored recommendations to suit your preferences. From selecting the perfect costa cruise itinerary to securing the best cabin, we handle all the details to make your costa cruise vacation unforgettable.

Uncovering Hidden Deals

With over 45 years of experience in the costa cruise industry, we have honed our skills in uncovering hidden deals that can save you money. We know where to look and who to contact to find those special offers and discounts that can make a big difference in your travel budget. Our goal is to ensure that you enjoy the highest standards of comfort and luxury without paying premium prices.

Award-Winning Service

Our commitment to excellence is reflected in the accolades we have received over the years. Cruise Genie, our parent company, has been recognized as the Best of the USA for costa cruise sales servicing. This award highlights our dedication to providing exceptional service and ensuring our customers have a smooth and enjoyable costa cruise experience from start to finish.

Comprehensive Cruise Planning

From flights and hotels to shore excursions and onboard activities, we offer comprehensive costa cruise planning services that cover all aspects of your trip. Our insider tips and travel secrets help you save on every part of your costa cruise experience, making it more affordable and enjoyable. We take care of all the details, so you can focus on relaxing and exploring the world.

In conclusion, the expertise of a costa cruise travel specialist can make a significant difference in your costa cruise vacation. By leveraging their knowledge, connections, and attention to detail, they save you time and money, while ensuring that all your needs are met and exceeded. With a specialist by your side, you can embark on a carefree vacation, confident that every aspect of your journey has been thoughtfully planned and curated to provide you with a memorable and fulfilling costa cruise experience.

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Why this new sailing ship may be the ultimate way to explore Costa Rica and Panama

Editor's Note

Just a handful of passengers are awake as our giant three-masted sailing ship, Sea Cloud Spirit , chases the sunrise into Costa Rica's remote Golfo Dulce — one of the most eco-diverse bays on the planet. But for those early risers, it's a treat.

From the soaring, 136-passenger vessel's teak-lined top deck, we watch as the rising sun lights up the fjord-like bay's pristine and primeval shoreline — a verdant patchwork of palm-lined beaches, dense mangroves and twisty rivers.

It is a prelude to a day of adventure. After the ship anchors early off the tiny coastal town of Puerto Jimenez, we are soon zipping to shore in a tender boat to spread out in search of wildlife.

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Some of us head off on a nature walk to a crocodile-filled lagoon. Others board a catamaran searching for dolphins. Still others, like me, ride a van into the rainforest looking for the elusive sloths that call this region home.

At the recently opened La Perica Sloth Garden, we find them in droves, along with capuchin monkeys, scarlet macaws and other iconic denizens of the Costa Rica jungle.

It is, in short, a classic day of exploring the Golfo Dulce region and the wildlife-rich Osa Peninsula that makes up its north shore.

It's also wonderfully different from the outdoorsy experiences we had just the day before in and around Costa Rica's more northerly Manuel Antonio National Park and what we will see tomorrow as we head south to the 39 islands and islets that make up Panama's Coiba National Park.

On this 11-night Sea Cloud Spirit sailing down the coasts of Costa Rica and Panama, just about every day brings a new adventure, including — on many days — the experience of traveling under the power of nothing but the wind.

In addition to wildlife and nature experiences, there's also a daylight crossing of the Panama Canal — a chance to see one of the great marvels of human engineering up close.

The final day of the trip includes a visit with the indigenous Kuna people living in the remote San Blas Islands just off the coast of Panama.

It's the sort of diversity of experiences that is hard to arrange during a land-based trip to Costa Rica and Panama unless you have far more time than 11 days.

Propelled by the power of the wind

Sea Cloud Spirit, which Germany-based Sea Cloud Cruises unveiled in 2021, isn't the first cruise vessel to offer voyages focused on the coasts of Costa Rica and Panama. Small vessels operated by Windstar Cruises , Lindblad Expeditions, Star Clippers, Ponant and Aurora Expeditions also offer such trips.

Still, Sea Cloud Spirit may be the most intriguing ship to ply the route. Five decks high and nearly 500 feet long, it is a full-rigged, three-masted sailing vessel of the sort that hasn't been common on the world's oceans for more than a century.

As large sailing ships go, it's also particularly authentic in how it operates.

Related: Why Sea Cloud Spirit is a vessel you'll want to try

Sea Cloud Spirit is, notably, propelled by a massive, old-style array of 28 sails that are unfurled by hand by an enormous team of 19 deckhands — something you don't see on almost any other large sailing ship in the world.

Most other large sailing ships offering multiday cruises, such as the two sailing vessels Windstar Cruises sometimes deploys to Costa Rica and Panama (Wind Star and Wind Spirit), have automated sails that unfurl at the push of a button.

The result is a much different experience of coastal travel on Sea Cloud Spirit from the one you'll get from any other ship.

In addition to being sailed by hand, another differentiator for Sea Cloud Spirit when sailing the Costa Rica and Panama coasts is that it offers a more expansive exploration of the region than you'll generally get with other ships. Most of the small-ship cruise itineraries in the region are seven nights in length. Sea Cloud Cruises, by contrast, typically budgets 10 to 11 nights for Sea Cloud Spirit to cover the same territory.

Even under full sails, the vessel often only meanders down the coast at just three to five knots.

Call it the "slow travel" way to do the Costa Rica and Panama coasts.

Exploring the Pacific side of Costa Rica

Our sailing down the coasts of Costa Rica and Panama begins in the sleepy Costa Rica port town of Puntarenas, on the Pacific side of the country. But we don't stay there long.

Just hours after passengers arrive at the ship, which is tied up all alone at an otherwise empty dock, Sea Cloud Spirit sets off on a six-day exploration of Costa Rica's Pacific coast — a region known for ecotourism of all sorts, from spotting monkeys and colorful birds in national parks to zip lining through lush rainforests and horseback riding along unspoiled beaches.

After rounding Costa Rica's famous-for-its-surfing Nicoya Peninsula, Sea Cloud Spirit points northward toward the northwesternmost corner of the country near the border with Nicaragua.

It is here, after a day of cruising under full sails, driven by the power of the wind alone, that we land at Playa Panama — a secluded and quiet crescent of dark sand beach that serves as a gateway to nearby Palo Verde National Park.

After motoring to shore in Zodiac boats, many of the ship's passengers head to the national park for a boat ride through its marshlands in search of monkeys and crocodiles, as well as the many colorful birds for which it is known. Others visit a hacienda for horseback riding with the local cowboys and zip lining through the surrounding forests.

Related: The 18 best small cruise ships in the world

A handful of us, including me, sign on for a catamaran ride along the rocky coastline to a reef for snorkeling with colorful fish, margaritas on deck and spectacular sunset views over the ocean on the way back.

It is the sort of diverse outdoorsy pursuits that a vacationer could experience while staying at one of the area's resorts, such as the Four Seasons we passed on our way to our snorkeling site.

But unlike those land-based visitors, we would see a much wider array of Costa Rica's allures over the coming days.

Heading south from Playa Panama, we spend another full day cruising along the Costa Rica coast under full sails before reaching Quepos, the gateway to another of Costa Rica's iconic eco-destinations: Manuel Antonio National Park.

Outings to the national park and other private reserves in the area are the order of the day here after we land by tender boat at the small dock in Quepos.

Not wanting to rise at the crack of dawn, as is required for the Manuel Antonio National Park tour, I instead choose an afternoon hike over swinging bridges and past tumbling waterfalls at a small rainforest preserve called Rainmaker Conservation Park.

It turns into a perfect day, partly because I sneak away from the tour group with one other tour member (with the guide's permission) to climb a too-steep-for-most trail to a spectacular series of hanging bridges. We have it all to ourselves.

The next day Sea Cloud Spirit brings us to Costa Rica's Golfo Dolce, mentioned above.

With the stops at Playa Panama, Quepos and the Golfo Dulce's Puerto Jimenez, we have visited all three major segments of the Pacific coast of Costa Rica — the north, middle and south — in just a few days.

While we only make short day stops in each area, it's a taste of the country that isn't available to the typical visitor who comes to Costa Rica for a week and stays in one location.

Off-the-beaten-path Panama

After six days along Costa Rica's Pacific coast, Sea Cloud Spirit drives southward into the waters off Panama, where our first stop is the cluster of 39 islands and islets that make up Panama's Coiba National Park.

Designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the mostly uninhabited island group is known for its untouched rainforests and wildlife that exists nowhere else, such as the Coiba Island howler monkey. But for our purposes, it serves mostly as a place to stop for a beach day as we land by Zodiac at one of its many sandy beaches for snorkeling and sunning.

Unlike many of my Sea Cloud Spirit compatriots, I skip the snorkeling, scared away by a warning in the ship's daily planner about the occasional presence of plankton and jellyfish in the water that send out "stinging microscopic harpoons." But I find diversion in a small one-room national park visitors center just off the beach that goes into great depth on its flora and fauna.

It is here that I learned that the particular island where we landed, the island cluster's main island of Coiba, once served as a penal colony known for brutal conditions and the disappearance of political prisoners during the dictatorships of Panamanian strongmen Omar Torrijos and Manuel Noriega.

Two days later, after another full day of sailing down the coast, we get a second beach day with snorkeling at Mogo Mogo Island, part of another cluster of islands and islets off the Panama coast called the Pearl Islands.

Here, I brave the plankton and jellyfish stings to wade out past the rocky shallows to snorkel the edge of a coral reef teeming with foureye butterflyfish and honeycomb trunkfish.

Not only is the water crystal clear and the fish lovely, but it is an outing that I survive without a single strike from a stinging harpoon (several of my snorkeling companions, alas, do report such strikes, though they say it's not terribly painful).

The marvel of the Panama Canal

The next day of the trip brings an adventure of a different sort as Sea Cloud Spirit transits through the Panama Canal.

Passengers line the teak walkway in front of Sea Cloud Spirit's bridge early in the morning to watch as the vessel glides through Balboa Harbor near Panama City to the start of the canal at the Miraflores Locks.

It is the first of three sets of giant rectangular chambers that will lift the 4,228-gross-ton vessel up and over the Continental Divide to the Caribbean, and it is a sight to behold.

After we enter the first of the chambers, seven-story-high steel gates slowly swing shut behind us, and the basin begins filling with millions of gallons of water. At 1,050 feet long, the lock is roughly the size of three football fields — so long that a second cruise vessel, the 100-passenger Emerald Azzurra, fits into the chamber behind us.

More than 100 years after its construction by the United States, the 48-mile-long Panama Canal remains a marvel of modern engineering — and an alluring attraction for cruisers on trips to the region.

As passengers learn during an onboard lecture the day before our transit, thousands of workers toiled for a decade to carve the passageway out of the dense Panamanian jungle. In addition to building giant locks at both sides of the canal (near both the Pacific and Atlantic entrances), its builders had to construct what at the time was the world's largest dam along the Chagres River, which in turn created one of the world's largest man-made lakes.

Dubbed Gatun Lake, the 21-mile-long body of water makes up a significant part of the waterway vessels use to cross the country.

Sea Cloud Spirit spends much of the day crossing the canal from the Pacific to the Atlantic as the ship's onboard lecturer, Stephen Weston, offers a running narrative from the top deck.

The entire process of moving between the Pacific and Atlantic oceans takes just seven hours.

The indigenous people of San Blas

The final stop on this trip is the San Blas Islands, a sprinkling of several hundred mostly uninhabited spits of white sand and palm trees that rest off Panama's Caribbean coast.

Controlled by the Kuna, an indigenous people spread across three politically autonomous reservations in Panama and Colombia, the islands are mostly off-limits to tourists and undeveloped for mass tourism, as the Kuna like it. But the Kuna allow small groups of visitors, such as those aboard Sea Cloud Spirit, to visit occasionally.

Anchoring off the Kuna-inhabited island of Wichub Wala, we tender to a small dock to wander the sandy paths between the Kuna's bamboo and palm leaf huts, past the dugout canoes they use for fishing.

It is, for many passengers, an opportunity to purchase a souvenir from the trip that is hand-made and local, as the women of the village line the pathways hawking the colorful needlework panels called molas that they make both for their own use (traditionally, they sew them onto the fronts of their blouses) and for tourists.

Molas that we're told take weeks to make sell for about $15 to $20.

The brief visit to Wichub Wala also includes a short dance performance by the Kuna in their main square before we are back on the tender to the ship. It is a morning stop paired with an afternoon call at another sandy island for more snorkeling and swimming.

The trip ends the next morning in Colon on Panama's Caribbean coast.

Bottom line

A voyage along the Pacific coast of Costa Rica and Panama on Sea Cloud Spirit is an intriguing way to see the highlights of both countries in a single trip.

One of the biggest passenger sailing ships ever built, Sea Cloud Spirit takes a go-slow approach to travel down the coast from Puntarenas, Costa Rica, to the Pearl Islands of Panama, followed by a daylight crossing of the Panama Canal to the Caribbean side of Panama. Along the way, it visits several of the most popular tourist areas in the two countries and offers passengers a relatively rare opportunity to experience the joys of sailing the region on a tall ship.

One caveat about the trips: Sea Cloud Cruises, which is based in Hamburg, Germany, has a big following in Germany, and its Sea Cloud Spirit sailings often are heavy with German speakers. That said, the vessel's onboard program is bilingual (the relatively rare number of announcements on board are made in German and English, and most of the staff speaks both languages). You'll likely find at least some English speakers among your fellow passengers.

For more details on what it's like on board, see TPG's first-look guide to Sea Cloud Spirit .

Ten-night Sea Cloud Spirit sailings to Costa Rica and Panama start at $9,530 per person, based on double occupancy. For more information, call 888-732-2568 or visit seacloud.com .

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