Costa Toscana Cruise Reviews - Reviews

I was blown away by the cuisine options and presentation. Food servers were great. Cabin services very responsive. Didn't seem like there were 6,000 passengers / never felt crowded. Take advantage by checking out every deck and all it has to offer. Multiple restaurants and bars. There''s even a gelateria (shop that sells gelator). Customer Service desk and My Tours desk needs more people and hours of operation.

Make the food more enjoyable, variety is a big plus, was almost same food every day at the buffet. PLEASE, do not charge for saunas, it used to be all free and included in your cruise, it's supposed to be all inclusive but was very sad to find out you need to pay to get to a sauna. Gym was free of a charge, thanks God. The first night we got a program in Italian (not English), they should know where people are coming from. I know Costa is catered more for Italians/Spanish guests but still. Also, embarkation at each port was kind of unknow (about the time), it will help to make announcements in all languages of when you can embark.

I would not recommend this cruise line. The best part of the cruise was being able to get off of the ship at a Port every day I definitely would not recommend the excursions we were almost left behind at a port with another couple of the excursions were definitely not as described.

AVOID THIS CRUISE LINE (any ship) IF YOU ARE AMERICAN! The ship operates by using an app for everything for booking excursions to ordering meals, and Americans do not have access to the app. Most of the crew spoke at least some English but no one else did. 90% of the announcements were made in other languages and only English if they wanted you to book at the spa. There was an English “representative” and she was nice but I had no way of getting in touch with her. Her hours of availability were on the app. The other guests were some of the rudest I’ve ever experienced but I think that’s just the European culture. Breaking in line, pushing you out of the way, walking into you, we even had a man rip the towel off of my daughters back after we got out the pool because he said it was his. They only give you pool towels in the room and you can’t get any more until the next morning. No turn down service in the evening. No cute towel creatures which is not a big deal but if you’re used to it you won’t get it here. We had an excursion we wanted to switch and they told us we couldn’t because it would make it under the number of the minimum required to go on the tour. So we couldn’t cancel or switch because they would lose money. You have to purchase a drink package otherwise you get a tiny glass of water to drink. Nothing more! No juice, coffee, tea, nothing!! And then with the drink package you are only allowed 1 water bottle per person per day (so I paid $1000 - $250x4 and was limited on water bottles… ridiculous!) There’s so many people on the boat that there’s lines for everything…. Bathrooms, breakfast, etc. There’s no food 24 hours a day. Snacks are offered at select times but they are subpar. It’s been a horrible experience overall and I am hoping this will help others not make this same mistake. Avoid!!! Avoid!!! Avoid!!!

Terrible company to deal with, you better love Italian food, formal dining was a diaster

As a first-time cruiser, I don't have any previous experiences to compare it to, but I must say that the ship was wonderful. It was new, clean, and impressively large, accommodating up to 8000 people with the crew. The food was delicious, and the shows were excellent. However, I must note that the ship doesn't cater to English-speaking guests, so communication can be a bit of a problem. It felt a bit isolating since most of the passengers didn't speak English, but luckily, I know some Spanish which helped. The crew and excursion staff speak English, but not fluently, so it's essential to be patient.

This cruise was a 13 years olds birthday present. We were disappointed with the food desert times. There were 2 stretches of time where only food, you had to pay extra for, was available. Not being able to download and use the Costa app put us at a disadvantage. We were not told that we were assigned a table number. When the restaurant opened, people just ran everywhere and we did not know we had a table number until a waiter looked at our Costa Card. We also thought that we could eat at any of the included restaurants, but were told we had to eat in the same restaurant every night. After 2 days of horrible table service, we opted to use the buffet for the rest of the cruise.

I was so disappointed with this cruise line. The ship was new and lovely, but their food and drink policies are ridiculous (open buffet for one hour for dinner only) and employees from security guards to stewards and waiters were glued to their phone screens instead of working. There were hardly any activities except dance classes. Food was the same thing every day and you have to pay $10-17 for a small pizza! The cafeteria was organized in a way you had to stand in three different lines to get bread, butter and jam. And no toaster. You cannot pour your own coffee. We have traveled on 5 different cruise lines and I’ve never been on one until now that I truly disliked.

This cruise seems more geared toward Italian, Europeans, and Indians. At times, we felt like we were not being heard.

Wonderful Cruise in a Suite. Large Ship with a lot of people and disorganized Shore Excursions depart.

We used vacations to book 2 rooms for my family of 5 (my husband and I, 22yo son, 20yo daughter and 16 yo daughter). They put my husband in a room with my daughter and me with my son and other daughter, because according to , you need to be at least 25yo to have a room yourself or with minors. That is not the case and that started a domino effect of issues with the 2 drink packages that I purchased, that I ended up being mandated that I buy my entire family a rink package or no one gets a drink package. I just wanted my husband and I, that were obviously going to be sharing a room, to get a drink package, my kids did not need a package (soda or otherwise). The lowest quality of alcohol was part of the package, upcharged for Absolute and Jack Daniels. Ice cream was not part of the cruise, it was additional (typical of cruises to have it included). There was no music at any of the pools at ANYTIME??!! Dinner was not as any other cruiseline I've been on and expected very different menu being on a Italian cruiseline. More about presentation being pretty that quality of food.

Our family of five decided to take a Mediterranean cruise for our family vacation. I had been on 20 or more cruises in my life but not in that area of the globe. Most of the cruises in Mediterranean are run by Costa or MSC Cruises. I over research every trip we take so, I spent hours researching the cruise lines and destination ports. I knew the pitfalls of Costa cruise line. The culture was Italian and I told the family that some of the behavior may be a cultural shock to Americans. We arrived in Rome the day before and got a room near the Coliseum. We were jet lagged because of the 6 hour time difference but the pick-up from airport was smooth and the ride to the hotel was about an hour. We checked in and received great treatment from the hotel. We walked through the city and visited the Vatican, which was amazing. EMBARKATION The next morning, there was an hour ride to the port in Civitavecchia. The town is small with a few places to eat and shop. The port is an old industrial port. Check-in was a little strange. We waited in line to get into a holding area, then ushered into the baggage area, then brought back into the first building to get our documents. The whole procedure was about 90 minutes. There was a frustrating moment when I left my folder at the reception desk but they wouldn’t let me back into the building to retrieve it. After waiting for some time, I had to ask for the head of security to let me in. It was the first of many times I was angry with Costa’s treatment of guests. FOOD We got on the ship and headed for food. The room would not be ready for two hours. The food at Costa is not top notch but what you would expect from a decent restaurant. Don’t expect lobster or crab legs to eat. Expect a lot of pasta, cheeses and breads. However, whoever is the pantry chef does an amazing job. There is nowhere to get table service at breakfast. It doesn’t exist. It is the same breakfast at the buffet EVERY DAY. Lunch is also at the buffet. There is no table service unless you go to a premium restaurant. We tried the hibachi grill one day for lunch which was very good. Now dinner does have table service which is the same time every night. It is a four-course meal with small portions. They do not offer any options other than water, wine, beer or soda. If you want a mixed drink, too bad. Milk? Too bad. Ice tea? Too bad. And ice is a special request. Customer service is almost nonexistent so don’t expect a smile from your waiter or good service or any type of friendliness. Also, there are very specific times/windows you can eat. The buffet is not open all day and closes every night at 9pm. If you want anything to eat at the times the restaurants weren’t open, you had to pay extra for pizza or burgers at the bars and that all closed at 11pm. DRINKS We choose not to get the drink package because everyone in the room must get the same package and we had three kids with us. Spending money on an alcohol package for kids is ridiculous. We didn’t drink more than two drinks a day, not because we didn’t want to, but because it was so difficult getting a drink. This is the problem with culture that results in the cruise line’s low ratings. I would say 90% of the crew members are miserable and have the attitude of “Don’t like it….too bad.” The one good thing was the expresso. They made it perfect every time (when I could get it). CULTURE We first noticed the attitude of the guests on embarkation. I saw very few English speaking guests and even fewer Americans on the ship. That was not the problem. The guests who were mostly from Italy or Spain were the rudest people I have ever met. They don’t like other people and they certainly don’t like Americans. Lines don’t mean anything to them. If you are waiting for an elevator, they will cut in front of you. Waiting in line for dinner or a drink, they will cut in front of you. There were times I waited for 20 minutes for a drink because other passengers came up to the bar while I was waiting and received service before me. The bartenders don’t care. I had to raise my voice several times during the trip and that is not a relaxing vacation. American Italians are nothing like Italy residents. I would not take another cruise on Costa solely because of the other passengers on board and the service of the staff. THE SHIP The Toscana is the flagship for Costa. The ship is new and beautiful. However, it does have some questionable design and may not be the best choice for American visitors. The room was standard quality and size. The closets and A/C were fine. The bathroom was a decent size (the shower has a glass wall so you can see the person showing from the bed unless you close the curtain). The common areas were made up of smaller performance area. The “main area” will only hold maybe 500 people when there are 5000-6000 on board. The front stage area holds even less. If you want a seat, you better arrive 30 minutes early. For a ship of 5,000 passengers, it did not have enough shopping, casinos or pools. This ship had one “main pool” which could only fit about 50 people and that closed early too. We found one good bar with two jacuzzis at the back of ship (I think deck 14). We go the spa package but its not like Princess or Norwegian. It’s a small spa with no separate pool. The gym was small but adequate. PORTS OF CALL We went to Barcelona which did have protests going on at the time. Beautiful city with great restaurants and shops. I would definitely go back. Marseille is the second largest city in France. Food was very good and we got a chance to see a lot of the city by foot. Palermo was interesting but very run-down. Graffiti was everywhere and the poverty was evident. Ibiza was the opposite; lots of money being thrown around. Beach chairs were $60 and a lobster entree was $225 at lunch. We found chairs at a reasonable price and hung out at the beach. Savona was a great place to visit. We took an excursion that took us all over the city. In summary, if you like to be aggravated, this ship is for you. I thought I could handle the cultural differences, but I learned that, when I am on vacation, I shouldn’t need to count to ten so many times.

The staff were excellent, friendly, efficient and helpful. The ship was amazing with so much to do and it did not seem to be crowded despite there being so many people on board. The shows were great. The food was very good in general.

I like how you can also do a ship tour if you are on a sea day.

Don’r spend your Holiday on the Costa Toscana! Don’t spend your money at Costa’s!

Coming in and out of port my favorite. Surprisingly liked cruise more than I thought I would. Latin party on outdoor amphitheater was the most fun. Dancing under the stars.

After complaining several times at reception that the cabin assigned did not comply with the characteristics contracted as being 3 adults neither the space nor the type of beds was correct, apart from not corresponding to the photos which are provided by themselves, and in the event that I had seen that picture of cabin logically I would not have hired it. The response from reception was that the photos are sometimes a guide, that we should not rely on them, one of the answers was that they (the staff) sleeps like that.... We even asked for a complaint form, and nobody gave us anything Finally, one of us had to sleep on the floor with the mattress because at my age and weight I think that sleeping hanging on a wall is not very safe or comfortable. The rest of the cruise was good, the food very good, the rest of the service (apart from the reception staff) is lovely, and the facilities are fine. Another thing is the internet, such a rip-off as it is not stable at all and works very slowly, they are charging 100 euros for internet when is not reliable at all. I would advise if you need internet to wait until you are stopped in the destinations. For sure I will do another cruise, but I will think twice to do it with costa if this is the service, I am going to receive next time.

Did not like this cruise line at all. Every port stop you have new people embarking so u hear the drill every time. Food was not appetizing. Buffet times were too short for the amount of people trying to get food. At the sit down dinner the menu was what ever was in the buffet. They just plate it for you in small portions.Smokers were allowed all over the ship. Which for me being a non smoker was horrible. I had really high expectations for this “high end cruise line” and it fell very short.

We only did Costa because our previous cruise was canceled last minute and we already had airline tickets bought. If I would had known how disorganized was I would had never gone. We were pushed and shoved in the buffet had to make super long lines to get food and most of the times we couldn’t find a table to sit.