Costa Smeralda cruise review, feels like living in a parallel reality
On board it is like being in a green region, where anything is possible with proper precautions
In a time of limited travel opportunities for "nonessential" reasons, cruises represent the only bubble for Italian citizens to take a vacation.
In this article:
Costa Smeralda swimming pool and solarium
Initially, the route of our cruise was to be the standard route for the Costa flagship: leaving Savona, the scheduled stops were Marseille, Barcelona, Palma de Mallorca, Palermo and Civitavecchia.
Government restrictions, however, have prompted the company to veer to an all-Italian route, with Cagliari, Naples and Messina instead of stops in France and Spain.
Personally, the change did not affect my vacation, since it the main motivation was really to test the larger ship in service for Costa and the fifth largest in the world at 337m long, 42m wide and 185,000 tons in weight.
The health protocol
Cruises have restarted only in the Mediterranean, to think that since March there are no more ships in the Caribbean, and that industry giants such as Royal Caribbean, Carnival and Norwegian Cruise Line have not sailed the seas for months and will not start up again until 2021, makes it clear how serious the situation is for the entire industry, which, unlike air transport, is still at a standstill.
In Italy, cruises were allowed to return to business in late summer, the first to restart was MSC followed a few weeks later by Costa. The protocols put in place to create and manage a bubble, where safe vacationing could take place, forced companies to invest in anti-covid compliance. Today all over the world people are looking to the Italian example to reignite the engines of giant cruise ships.
In detail at all passengers are asked to answer a health questionnaire and to fill out a self-declaration regarding travel and contacts in the last 14 days. Access to the terminal on the day of embarkation is fractionated with "taxing" times and Every passenger 6 years of age and older is swabbed, only after receiving the result of the test will he be allowed to embark.
To all passengers before entering the ship's entrance, is given a pendant containing a contact tracing device, which in case of Covid positivity is able to trace all "dangerous" (i.e., less than one meter) contacts made by the possessor during the cruise.
On board, of course, there is an obligation to wear a mask, except when eating, drinking and relaxing by the pool. Sanitizing gel dispensers were there before, now they are everywhere, as are hand washing machines at the entrances of all restaurants, a measure already present from the first day aboard the ship.
Handwashing facilities at the entrance to all restaurants.
To ensure additional safety for all passengers and limit the risk of internal outbreaks, The crew is also tested constantly with one swab per week and the special device that tracks their movements. In addition, each staff member has a single cubicle, about 1,000 of which are occupied by workers who previously shared a room with colleagues.
Finally, every time you enter the waiter service you are "located": the attendants scan the contact tracing device of all the people at the table. Previously, the procedure involved only scanning the card of the person placing the order so that it is recorded. Again, the measure is designed to track the positioning of passengers. Here are Costa Cruises offers to go away and spend less
Needless to say, to ensure social distancing, "forbidden" seating is well marked as is forbidden counter service at the various bars scattered throughout the ship.
How to collect points and save money during a cruise
In this article we explain in detail the operation of the Costa Club and all the privileges Of elite statuses. The Costa loyalty program involves accumulating points through cruises alone, but you can still get benefits through other methods as well, one example is American Express Gold, a credit card that at this time offers the free fee the first year and an excellent bonus of 45k membership points At the end of the first 12 months.
In fact, this card includes among its benefits a good insurance coverage on unforeseen events while traveling, such as the loss of luggage during boarding/disembarking, possible injuries that force the vacation to be interrupted, etc. Here, with the amex card, it is possible to save about 100€ per person (depending on the destination) by not having to worry about taking out new travel insurance.
Since all onboard spending is done through the Costa Card, we recommend that you associate the card, and if you are traveling with friends theirs as well, with your credit card as soon as you board. That way all spending will become MR points. We reveal a little trick to make a few hundred if not thousands of extra MR.
If you play at the casino you can exchange cash for chips or charge chips or slots to your account, then to your credit card. Winnings on the contrary will be paid only in cash, so you will score points at the casino, which is impossible at any other gambling house in the world.
The cabins
There were five of us, four adults and a little girl. We stayed in two different types of cabins: inside and outside with balcony. The ship has 2,612 cabins and can accommodate 6,500 passengers.
Costa Smeralda outdoor cabin
Our cabin, on deck 14, was equipped with a double bed and a single sofa bed. A small desk and a small terrace with two director's chairs.
Terrace of a Costa Smeralda cabin
The bathroom is of standard size. Singular choice of affixing a glass wall, some cruise passengers find this inconvenient for privacy reasons, I have not had this effect.
Bath Cabin Costa Smeralda
Of course the cabin is small, at least one more square meter would have helped, but this is now the trend to make sure that ships can hold as many people as possible.
Costa Smeralda outdoor cabin
Nice finish and generous TV monitor, too bad that no positionable bracket was provided. Indeed, it is not possible to watch it even from the sofa, and in the case of the interior cabin, it is virtually impossible to lie comfortably in bed while watching some movie or TV program.
Costa Smeralda Inside Cabin
The main differences between the types of our two cabins were: the size and the possibility of having a private terrace (the inner room has no natural light points).
Costa Smeralda Inside Cabin
Thanks to the privileges for Costa Club members, you can take advantage of discounts on departures, get onboard perks, and other benefits that can make entering the cabin even sweeter.
The kitchen
The most impactful news is that it causes the Covid-19 there is no more buffet on board. Everyone who has sailed at least once knows that buffets are one of the mainstays of a cruise. No more self-service at breakfast, lunch and dinner. Goodbye also to the other food stations scattered around the ship; service is only at the table.
Just as on land, goodbye also to the paper menu, replaced by a QR code that allows, by taking advantage of the ship's wifi network, to read the suggestions on your cell phone before ordering from waiters.
In the "standard" restaurants, the menu is always the same; it changes, however, in the themed and pay-what-you-can restaurants. Every day at lunch and dinner there are no less than 3 choices for each course, in addition to the "great classics" list that offers dishes such as tagliatelle with meat sauce, minestrone, and spaghetti with tomato sauce. There is also a menu designed for children. In short, nothing is left to chance.
Elite Costa Club members have the option of ordering special dishes for free and others for a fee, as was the case with the Tomahawk steak I enjoyed one evening.
It was by variety and quality the best dining experience aboard a cruise ship, really top-notch both the attention to service and the quality of raw materials used.
The "special" restaurants
There are 3 themed restaurants on board Costa Smeralda: the pizzeria, the teryaky and the brasserie. Of course, we tried all three and were absolutely satisfied with the offerings and the quality of the food served, as well as the excellent value for money.
Of the three, the best was the Japanese restaurant, with traditional griddle cooking, a real cooking show offering a 4-course menu for €30 or 5-course menu for €35. Here perhaps the only flaw is the size of the courses: Are too big.
The coronavirus forced Costa to change the concept of the Restaurant Lab, designed to give guests the opportunity to take cooking classes with on-board chefs and then be able to cook and taste the food they prepared. Today the Lab is a brasserie, where it is possible to eat a barbecue of meat or other dishes in company, in a small environment with designer decor.
Great pizza and taking advantage of the promotion for the Costa Club members 4.90€ was possible to eat the full menu that included dessert.
On vacation with children
Cruises are the perfect family vacation for the multitude of amenities designed for younger children. The "All at the Table" restaurant is only accessed if you share a cabin with a minor and probably has the best view of all the restaurants on board.
Emerald coast family restaurant
On Deck 16, just in front of the teen zones, with an unparalleled view of the open sea.
On Costa ships, children's areas are called "Squok Clubs." On Smeralda they are two areas that can accommodate more than 130 children, who are divided by age group and supervised by dozens of animators. On our cruise, there were less than a dozen children using the Squok, which contributed positively to my daughter's experience.
Open on 3 time slots: 9/12, 3/18 and 8:30/24 it is completely free of charge and allows parents to dine in peace or enjoy a massage or a dip in the pool without pariahs around.
For children, the ship also offers a small playground, also on Deck 16 aft ship, and a game room. Perhaps from a ship of this size I would have expected something more.
Small life jackets for entering the pool available to all
Perhaps a pool just for the children with a small dedicated water park (there is only one in the middle of the ship), as there is on other cruises, or small other entertainment options scattered around the ship.
Spa, sports and wellness
The ship has a spa, closed for Covid, but the treatment and massage part is operational. Very nice and of considerable size is the gymnasium on Deck 16. A jogging track runs throughout the ship also allowing for outdoor exercise.
Open-air gym of Costa Smeralda
There is also a multi-discipline court in the center of the ship where soccer, basketball, tennis and volleyball can be practiced.
Swimming pools
Costa Smeralda swimming pool and solarium
The ship has only one indoor swimming pool (definitely too small when considering that covid regulations limit its capacity to 16 people) and 4 outdoor swimming pools. A small water park with 4 water slides, two dedicated to children at least 4 years old and two for all passengers at least 7 years old. Also in the central solarium are 4 Jacuzzis and a larger one in the central outdoor pool.
The Costa Smeralda water park
For being the first week of November, we were very lucky with the weather and were able to enjoy the outdoor pools and slides, but in winter I cannot imagine how it will be possible to satisfy 6,000 people with a single indoor pool, a design choice that I cannot explain.
Costa Smeralda swimming pool and solarium
The only drawback was that all the outside bars were closed, understandable given the few passengers and the fall season, but perhaps given the weather a little effort could have been made.
Shows, music and entertainment
Costa's gamble in designing the Smeralda class was to abandon the "mega-theater" capable of seating more than 1,000 people, in favor of many smaller locations from which to view the shows, such as the iconic Colosseum: a plaza on three decks (6,7 and 8) amidships overlooking the most important stage.
The theater is there, but it is smaller in size than one would expect from such a large ship. At the stern is Piazza di Spagna, which is an open-air amphitheater with a mega screen.
Spanish Steps, Emerald Coast
Of good quality the shows offered, many are "designed" just for the Emerald's new spaces, to make 100% use of the Coliseum and provide a perfect view of all 3 bridges.
The mobile stage in the center of the Colosseum
I was not convinced by the sports bar and casino. The first is poorly designed, with very few seats and very uncomfortable for watching the 4 televisions. The second is small in size, comparable-if not smaller-than ships of lesser tonnage.
Stern view
Certainly interesting are some of the bars, such as the Ferrari terrace, the Campari bar, or the outside spritz bar, in which case you need to have many more guests on board to really appreciate them.
Excursions
The bubble doesn't even break on an excursion so those who decide to disembark must abide by Costa protocol.
This means: few excursions in the catalog and all under strict supervision. On the one hand, Costa guarantees sanitization of vehicles and swabs drivers and guides daily; on the other hand, it asks passengers to abide by rules that basically prohibit do-it-yourself excursions and only allow tours to stop at locations certified by the company itself, otherwise they will not be accepted on board when the excursion returns.
In conclusion
Having completed the "formalities" of boarding, we can say. Once on board, life feels like it did before. Everything works, and on a ship traveling at one-fifth the normal capacity it is even sad not to meet anyone in the elevator or at the table near the restaurant. We have become accustomed to the mask, so it feels like living in a parallel reality where restaurants close at 11 p.m., bars go on until late at night, and it is possible to attend concerts, play in the casino, or eat ice cream with a few friends after dinner while strolling on the outside decks.
This ship has taken the company to a new dimension, and probably, between the delivery delay and the Covid, even Costa has not yet finished breaking in the Smeralda, which will surely become the company's landmark in the years to come.
I would not have wanted to go down and would have gladly taken a second ride.
