One night, Costa Toscana‘s three-deck Colosseo looked like a television production studio. The next, it had transformed into a circus-style performance venue with aerial acts and dancers.
I’m only three days into a seven-night Mediterranean cruise aboard Costa Toscana, but this central gathering space has already become one of the ship’s most interesting features.
Spanning decks six, seven, and eight and centrally located, the Colosseo is, in essence, where the action’s at. During one evening, I watched The Voice at Sea, a production modeled after the popular television competition, complete with spinning chairs and live performances.
The following night, I walked through after dinner and found an entirely different production underway. Aerial performers and dancers were entertaining guests as part of a Luna Park-themed circus evening.
Another evening, the space was transformed by hundreds of faux flames flickering as a candlelight concert cast its spell over the audience.
What surprised me most wasn’t necessarily the individual performances, but rather how completely the space changes from one evening to the next.
There is one catch, however. If you want a prime seat, plan to arrive early. I’ve found that getting there about an hour before showtime is important, even when there are multiple performances scheduled. That’s as true on this ship as it has been on nearly every other one I’ve sailed!
But I’m getting ahead of myself. Let’s back up a little bit, to where this adventure started.
Boarding Costa Toscana in Barcelona
Embarkation day felt familiar. Almost exactly a year earlier, I had boarded Star Princess from the same Barcelona cruise terminal.
As was true then, getting from the curb to Costa Toscana was similarly straightforward, without any significant complications.
What was different was the atmosphere once aboard.
There wasn’t the typical over-the-top embarkation-day energy I’m used to on ships sailing from Florida, where music is blaring, passengers are celebrating, and crew members are welcoming everyone aboard. This was a much quieter, low-key process, and I was fine with that.
Why is it different?
I suspect that in part, it comes down to how Costa operates its Mediterranean itineraries. These are not round-trip voyages but rather ones which allow guests to embark and disembark at several designated ports along the route.
That particular type of route doesn’t necessarily lend itself to the traditional sailaway party, where everyone is on the same timetable. Also, for passengers flying from North America, where to embark and disembark might make a major difference.
While researching flights for this trip, I noticed that flying into Rome was less expensive than flying into Barcelona on the dates I checked.
The muster drill was fairly typical, with one notable exception: Passengers were required to bring their life jackets to the muster station to be scanned in. The muster drill announcements also took a little longer because instructions were delivered in multiple languages.
That’s something that would continue throughout the cruise, with announcements repeated in Italian, Spanish, French, English and other languages depending on the demographic.
It takes some getting used to, but drives home just how international the onboard experience is.
A Familiar Ship With a Different Personality
Although Costa Toscana belongs to a different ship class, some of its public spaces reminded me of the newer Princess ships.
Costa Toscana leans heavily into Italian design, and the attention to detail is noticeable throughout the ship. From decorative glasswork to marble-looking flooring and detailed finishes, the public spaces have a definitively Italian bent.
It’s the smaller details that have caught my attention.
Near the Aperol Bar, bottles are set into the walls behind frosted glass. Elsewhere, a waterfall feature adds another decorative element near the pool deck bar.
These aren’t necessarily features that change the cruising experience, but they give the public spaces character.
As I’ve explored the ship, I’ve found similar touches throughout.
First Look at the Stateroom
My home for the week is a premium balcony stateroom on Deck 16, and so far, it’s been exceptionally comfortable.
The air conditioning isn’t afraid to work, either. This is a good thing, as I prefer sleeping in an ice-cold room, and this cabin has had no trouble keeping up.
There are plenty of electrical outlets for my gear, with two USB ports, three European electrical outlets (so you will need a converter if not using USB), a comfortable bed, and a surprising amount of bathroom storage.
The cabin also has two closets: one for hanging clothes and another with shelves and a safe. Interestingly, I didn’t discover the second closet until day three. By then, I’d already unpacked everything.
Outside, the balcony has two chairs and a small table, providing a place to sit and enjoy the views while sailing through the Mediterranean.
I found reading out there on the first day was picture perfect… almost too much so! More than once, I found myself distracted by the endless horizon as opposed to whatever I had intended to read or work on!
Another pleasant surprise has been the lack of noise. There’s a public deck directly above my cabin, but so far, I haven’t heard any activity coming from overhead.
For a cabin located this high on a large cruise ship, it’s been comfortable and quiet.
First Impressions of Dining
My first dinner aboard Costa Toscana was at Il Vigneto, one of the ship’s main dining rooms, where I had a 7:45 p.m. seating.
While some ships may leave a little wiggle room when it comes to what time you are dining, that is not the case here. Dining times are stritctly enforced.
Costa offers multiple dining times, but arriving on time is important. According to what I was told, once the dining room doors close, guests are left to attend a later seating or find another dining option. I’m hoping not to test the validity of that this week!
For dinner, I leaned into the Italian theme, starting with a small margherita pizza and bowl of minestrone soup, followed by meatballs and a cream-filled pastry for dessert. The food came out hot and fast.
Overall, I found the main dining room food decent.
Something that caught me off guard? When attempting to order an Aperol Spritz to go with my meal, I was told the dining room served beer and wine, but not cocktails. If I wanted a Spritz, I’d need to visit one of the ship’s bars. So that’s exactly what I did.
It’s a small operational difference, but one that caught my attention as someone who cruises primarily with North American brands.
Where Costa Toscana has truly impressed me is with its specialty dining in general, and Pummid’Oro Pizzeria on Deck 8 in particular.
The restaurant operates on an a la carte basis, but I found the prices reasonable, and the pizza ranks among the best I’ve experienced at sea.
The crust on the margherita pizza was light and airy, the mozzarella was fresh, and the sauce drove it home. I will be back later in the week.
Normally, I’m not one to pay for pizza on a cruise ship. But aboard an Italian ship sailing through the Mediterranean, it seemed appropriate to make an exception.
Three Days In: My Early Takeaways
Three days into this Mediterranean sailing, Costa Toscana has delivered a few surprises.
The Colosseo has been the biggest standout so far, especially the way it transforms from one evening to the next.
Embarkation in Barcelona was straightforward, and the stateroom has been comfortable and quiet.
Dining has been more of a mixed experience. While the main dining room hasn’t particularly impressed me, the specialty pizzeria has been a true highlight. And there is more to come, including giving the main dining room another shot.
There’s also much more of the ship to be explored and experienced. With several port calls remaining — this is a very port-intensive sailing — I expect to get a better sense of how everything comes together over the rest of the week.
As always, I’ll save the final verdict for the end of the cruise.
Disclosure: Costa Cruises is hosted me on this sailing. All observations and opinions are my own.
