Costa Cruises
A contemporary Italian ship with loud volume everywhere
The Ship. Costa Atlantica is a sister ship to Costa Mediterranea. It has two centrally located swimming pools outdoors, one with a retractable glass dome cover that can be used in poor weather conditions. A bar abridges two adjacent hot tubs. There’s also a smaller pool for children, and a winding water slide spanning two decks in height.
The deck names are inspired by Federico Fellini movies (Roma Deck, Le Notte di Cabiria, La Voce della Luna, La Strada, Luci del Varietà). One deck is named after a Fellini TV movie, Ginger and Fred. This ship is designed to wow the trendy as well as pay homage to many of Italy’s great art and past masters. The interior design is brash – a mix of classical Italy and contemporary features, with huge splashes of red and gold – to suit Chinese tastes. Good points include the fact that there are several floor spaces for dancing, and a wide range of bars and lounges for socializing.
The colorful lobby spans eight decks. Take a drink from the lobby bar and look upwards – the surroundings are visually stunning.
A small chapel is located forward of the uppermost level. Other facilities include a winding shopping street with boutique stores, plus a shop that sells Caffè Florian products, a photo gallery, a video games room, an observation balcony, a casino, a library with Internet access, and a card room (with a striking red and gold decor).
Costa Atlantica is for young (and young-at-heart) couples and families with children. Note that the ship is now based year-round in Shanghai, China. The cuisine has been modified to accommodate Chinese preferences; announcements are made in Mandarin, while all signage is in Italian, and Mandarin. The passengers (mostly Chinese) are offered constant activity accompanied by Italian ambience, and loud entertainment.
Niggles! Several pillars obstruct passenger flow and sight lines throughout the ship. The fit and finish of some interior decoration is quite poor, and the decor is a bit overdone.
Accommodation. There are many different price categories, and a healthy (78 percent) proportion of outside-view to interior cabins. All cabins (now decorated with bright reds to appeal to the Chinese market) have twin beds that can convert into queen-size ones, air conditioning (but it can’t be turned off), infotainment system, telephone, personal safe, and vanity desk with built-in hairdryer (but you’ll need to hold down the on button continuously). Many cabins have views obstructed by lifeboats on Deck 4 (Roma Deck), the lowest accommodation deck, as well as some cabins on Deck 5. Some cabins have additional pull-down (Pullman-style) berths that are hidden in the ceiling when not in use. There is too much use of fluorescent lighting, and soundproofing could be better. Bathrooms are simple, modular units that have shower enclosures with soap dispensers. Some bathroom fixtures – bath and shower taps in particular – are frustrating to use at first.
Some of the most desirable suites and cabins are those with private balconies on five aft-facing decks (decks 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8) with views overlooking the stern and ship’s wash. Other cabins with private balconies will find the balconies not so private – the partition between one balcony and the next is not a full partition – so you will be able to hear your neighbors.
However, balconies all have good views through glass and wood-topped railings, and the deck is made of teak. The largest suites are really small when compared with suites aboard other ships of a similar size. However, they do at least offer more space to move around in, and a slightly better bathroom.
Dining. The 1,320-seat Tiziano Dining Room is in the aft section of the ship on two levels, with a spiral stairway between them. There are two seatings, with tables for two to eight. Themed evenings are a part of the Costa Cruises tradition, and three different window blinds help create a different feel. However, artwork is placed at table height, so the room seems closed in. Some tables have a less-than-comfortable view of the harsh lighting of the escalators between the galley and the two decks of the dining room. This cuisine is traditional cruise fare that is best described as banquet-style food, now modified to include Chinese tastes and preferences. There are no sommeliers, so the waiters (who are young) serve the wine (which is also young). Note that table water is not provided – you are expected to purchase it.
The extra-cost, reservations-required 125-seat dinner venue, Ristorante Club Atlantica has a cover charge (suite-grade occupants get a free pass for one evening). It’s a smaller, quieter venue, and the food, though nothing special is cooked to order and is decidedly better than in the main dining room.
Casual breakfast and luncheon self-serve buffet-style meals can be taken in the Botticelli Buffet Restaurant, adjacent to the swimming pools, with seating both indoors and outdoors. A grill (for hamburgers and hot dogs) and a pasta bar are conveniently adjacent to the second pool, while indoors is the Napoli Pizzeria. Excellent (illy brand) cappuccino and espresso coffees are always available in various bars around the ship, served in the right-sized china cups.
One place to see and be seen is in Caffè Florian – a replica of the famous indoor/outdoor café that opened in 1720 in Venice’s St Mark’s Square. There are four separate salons (Sala delle Stagioni, Sala del Senato, Sala Liberty, and Sala degli Uomini Illustri) and the same fascinating mosaic, marble and wood floors, opulent ceiling art, and special lampshades. Even the espresso/cappuccino machine is a duplicate of the one found in the real thing. The only problem is that the chairs are much too small.
Entertainment. A three-deck-high, 949-seat showlounge (Caruso Theater) is an imposing room. Spiral stairways at the back connect all levels. Stage shows are best seen from the upper levels, from where the sight lines are reasonably good.
Directly underneath is the Coral Lounge, with its own bar. An onboard resident troupe of singers and dancers provides the cast members for colorful, high-energy production shows. A number of bands and small musical units provide a variety of live music in many lounges and bars, and there is also a discotheque.
Spa/Fitness. The Ischia Spa spans two decks. Facilities include a solarium, eight treatment rooms, lecture rooms, sauna and steam rooms for men and women, and a beauty parlor. A large gymnasium has floor-to-ceiling windows on three sides, including forward-facing ocean views, and an aerobics room with instructor-led classes. There is a jogging track outdoors.
The spa is operated by Steiner, a specialist concession, whose young staff will try to sell you Steiner’s own-brand Elemis beauty products. Some fitness classes are free, while some (yoga, for example) cost extra.
Massages (including exotic massages such as Aroma Stone massage, and other wellbeing massages), facials, pedicures, and beauty salon treatments are at extra cost.