Berlitz Cruising & Cruise Ships 2017 (Berlitz Cruise Guide) (2016)
Costa Deliziosa
★★★+
Berlitz’s Ratings
Ship: 388 out of 500
Accommodation: 143 out of 200
Food: 246 out of 400
Service: 271 out of 400
Entertainment: 65 out of 100
Cruise: 271 out of 400
Overall Score: 1384 out of 2000
Costa Deliziosa Statistics
Size: Large Resort Ship
Tonnage: 92,700
Lifestyle: Standard
Cruise Line: Costa Cruises
Former Names: none
IMO Number: 9398917
Builder: Fincantieri (Italy)
Original Cost: €548 million
Entered Service: Mar 2010
Registry: Italy
Length (ft/m): 958.0/292.0
Beam (ft/m): 111.5/34.0
Draft (ft/m): 26.2/8.0
Propulsion/Propellers: diesel-electric (42,000kW)/2 azimuthing pods
Passenger Decks: 13
Total Crew: 1,050
Passengers (lower beds): 2,260
Passenger Space Ratio (lower beds): 41.0
Passenger/Crew Ratio (lower beds): 2.1
Cabins (total): 1,130
Size Range (sq ft/m): 134.5-534.0/12.5-49.6
Cabins (for one person): 0
Cabins (with private balcony): 772
Cabins (wheelchair accessible): 12
Wheelchair accessibility: Good
Cabin Current: 110 and 220 volts
Elevators: 12
Casino (gaming tables): Yes
Slot Machines: Yes
Swimming Pools: 2 (1 w/sliding glass dome)
Hot Tubs (on deck): 4
Self-Service Launderette: No
Dedicated Cinema/Seats: No
Library: Yes
Onboard currency: Euros
It’s Italy afloat in this casual, contemporary big-ship setting
Overview. This ship, sister to Costa Luminosa, was named in Dubai, the first new cruise ship to be named in an Arab city (instead of Champagne a bottle of fig juice was used to name it). Most passengers will be Italian, with a sprinkling of other nationalities.
The Ship. Costa Deliziosa has a nicely balanced profile and a single large funnel in the Costa colors of yellow and blue. A two-deck midships Lido area swimming pool can be covered with a sliding glass roof in poor weather. A large 194-sq-ft (18-sq-m) poolside movie screen often plays lots of Costa Cruises commercials.
The interior decor, which includes marble and gold, pays tribute to the senses, although sensory overkill might be a better description; in any event, it’s a lot of overdone bling. The focal point (and always a good meeting place) is the atrium lobby, which features a large sculpture, Sphere, by Arnaldo Pomodoro.
The public rooms include 11 bars (one of the largest is Grand Bar Mirabilis), a large casino (Casino Gaius, for table gaming and slot machines), lots of lounges and entertainment venues to enjoy, including a piano bar (Excite), card room, a small screening room (Cinema Etoiles - a 4D cinema highlights sound and lighting effects, with scent pumped in to heighten the experience), a cigar lounge (Tabac Blonde), and a shopping arcade (Galleria Shops).
Gratuities are charged to your onboard account. Although Costa Cruises is noted for its ‘Italian’ style, ambience and spirit, there are few Italian crew members on board. Although many officers are Italian, most of the crew members, particularly the dining room and housekeeping staff, are from the Philippines. But the lifestyle on board is perceived to be Italian - lively, noisy, with lots of love for life and a love of all things casual, even on so-called formal nights.
Note that all printed material - room service folio, menus, etc. - will typically be in six languages. During peak European school holiday periods, particularly Christmas and Easter, you can expect to be cruising with a lot of children of all ages.
As aboard other Costa ships, note that for embarkation, few staff members are on duty at the gangway when you arrive; they merely point you in the direction of your deck, or to the ship’s elevators and do not escort you to your cabin. Also, note that ‘wallpaper’ music is played 24 hours a day in all accommodation hallways and elevators, so you may well hear it if you are a light sleeper.
Accommodation. About 68 percent of all accommodation suites and cabins have an ocean view, and there are 772 balcony cabins. Four suites and 52 Samsara Spa cabins are adjacent to (and considered part of) the designated wellness area. Samsara suite/cabin occupants get unlimited access to the spa plus two treatments and fitness or meditation lessons as part of their package, and dine in one of the two Samsara restaurants.
A pillow menu, with five choices, is available to suite-grade occupants, who also get bathrobes, better amenities, a shaving mirror, and walk-in closets. Background music is played 24 hours a day in all hallways and elevators, so you may well be aware of it if you are a light sleeper.
Dining. The 1,264-seat Albatros Restaurant is the ship’s large, main dining hall. It is located at the aft of the ship and you eat at one of two seatings for dinner, at tables for two to eight assigned according to your grade of accommodation. This dining room offers traditional cruise fare that is best described as banquet-style food that shows little finesse. Note that there are no real sommeliers, so the waiters (who are young) serve the wine (which is also young). They also dance at the tables during the cruise - it’s a little bit of show business.
A 68-seat Samsara Restaurant is adjacent to the Albatros Restaurant; it is a smaller venue that is more intimate and much quieter. It features healthier food with reduced calories, fat, and salt content. Menu creations are under the direction of dietary consultant and Michelin-starred chef Ettore Boccia, known for molecular Italian cuisine. This venue is open for lunch and dinner to those in Samsara-grade suites and cabins, and to anyone else for dinner only at an extra daily or weekly charge.
Other dining options. The Restaurant Club Deliziosa is a reservations-only, specialty restaurant with 182 seats that features à la carte dining with a pristine show kitchen. The food is cooked à la minute and so it is fresher, looks better, and has more taste than food served in the main dining room, and menus are under the direction of Italy’s molecular cooking master, Ettore Bocchia, Costa’s consulting chef.
Buffet Muscadins is the self-serve casual eatery, but its disjointed layout invites congestion. While there appears to be a decent choice of food, it is extremely repetitive (particularly for breakfast), and a major source of passenger complaints. Also, after it closes in the afternoon, only slices of pizza are available.
One event not to be missed, however, is an ‘Elegant Teatime,’ during which rather nice cakes and sandwiches are served, together with a choice of teas or tisanes, in one of the lounges.
Espresso/cappuccinos coffees (Lavazza-brand) are available in the Atrium Bar - a good place to sit and be seen, and to observe others.
Entertainment. The Theater Duse, with over 800 seats, spans three decks (with seating on all three levels) and is the ship’s main showlounge, with the latest computer-controlled lighting and high-volume sound equipment. High-energy production shows are performed here, with Costa’s own song and dance troupe.
Spa/Fitness. The Samsara Spa area occupies some 37,674 sq ft (3,500 sq m) of space, and spans two decks in height. Facilities include a large fitness room (with all the techno gym muscle-pumping equipment you could ever want), separate saunas, steam rooms, UVB solarium, changing rooms for men and women, and 10 private massage/body treatment rooms. Two VIP treatment rooms, available to couples as a half-day rental, are located on the upper level.
The facilities are staffed and operated by Steiner Leisure, a specialist spa/beauty concession. Some fitness classes are free, while some, such as Pathway to Yoga, and Pathway to Pilates, cost extra. It’s wise to make any treatment appointments early as time slots can go quickly.
You can buy a day pass in order to use the sauna/steam rooms, thermal suite and relaxation area, at a cost of €35 per person. However, there’s an additional free (no charge) sauna for men and women, but to access it you must walk through an active fitness area, maybe with your bathrobe on - not comfortable for everyone, especially women.
For the sports-minded, a Grand Prix Formula One simulator is housed in a glass enclosure close to the spa. A golf simulator provides a choice of 37 18-hole courses.