Mediterranean cruise on Costa

Are you thinking of taking a Mediterranean Cruise on Costa and don’t know what to expect? Well, today we will tell you everything you need to know about cruising the Mediterranean with Costa Cruises, so you too can have a fantastic experience. Andrea and I live in Italy, and we cruise the Mediterranean on Costa several times a year. We have a cruise coming up in less than a month, so we want to share our knowledge of cruising the Mediterranean with you. Before we begin, we want to let you know that Costa did not sponsor this video and that we paid for our cruises out of our own pockets. So let’s begin!

Today we were inspired by one of our subscriber’s emails to do another cruise video. So instead of typing out the answers to the questions, we thought it would be better to place them in this Article.

Let’s begin our guide to Mediterranean cruises on Costa by talking about:

ITINERARIES

There are essentially 3 types of itineraries in the Mediterranean: Western Mediterranean, Eastern Mediterranean, and a combination of the two. 

In the western Mediterranean, the most common itinerary on Costa is the seven-night cruise that stops in Savona, Marseille, Barcelona, Palma de Mallorca, Palermo, and Civitavecchia. Passengers can embark and disembark at each port. This itinerary is the easiest and most convenient for a first-time cruiser because it has only one sea day, stops in very interesting ports such as Barcelona and Civitavecchia (for Rome), and offers the opportunity to embark in each of these ports. 

In the Western Mediterranean, Costa also offers other itineraries that range from super-short 2-night cruises to 14-night cruises that reach the south of Spain, Lisbon, Morocco, and even the Canary Islands.

In the Eastern Mediterranean, there are two primary itineraries: the Greek Islands, which sometimes includes Istanbul, and the Adriatic coast, which visits Croatia and Montenegro. Most of the cruises for either of these itineraries depart from Trieste, Venice, Bari, Taranto, or Athens. 

Lastly, Costa offers Mediterranean Itineraries that combine the 2 previous ones. They are usually 14 nights or more, like we recently did on the Costa Fortuna, and they cover some less common ports of call, such as Malta, Rhodes, Tangier, and Ibiza. We have done these itineraries several times. Unfortunately, due to current events, itineraries that used to sail to Haifa, Israel, and Alexandria, Egypt, have been temporarily suspended.

As you can see, Costa offers a really wide variety of options for passengers who want to cruise the Mediterranean. They have 2, 5, 7, 14, and 16-day itineraries. If you want a longer itinerary, you’ll need to combine 2 or more, but you might end up repeating some ports.

Let’s move on to our next topic about Mediterranean Cruises on Costa, and we talk about:

Seasonality

Costa Cruises is one of the very few cruise lines that sails the Mediterranean year-round. Actually, I think the only other one is MSC, which does year-round around the Mediterranean.

So, yes, you can take a Mediterranean cruise any time of the year. Now, if you want to sun tan, visit the beaches of Greece, and swim in the Mediterranean, you have to cruise in the summer or early fall. In fact, peak season for cruising in the Mediterranean is between late May and the end of September. During these months the temperatures are high, the seas are calm (usually) and the sun is shining. It’s also the busiest period for cruising, with most ports jam-packed with tourists and prices at their highest. It is also not uncommon in July and August to see 4 or five ships in the Santorini Caldera or in the port of Barcelona.

On the other hand, if you want to explore Barcelona, Rome, Marseille, or Naples with fewer tourists and not so hot weather, cruising in the off-season is your best option. We were on board the Costa Smeralda last February 2024, and in Barcelona, temperatures were very mild (18 C/64 F), and it was really pleasant walking up and down La Rambla and visiting the famous market without millions of tourists. 

Also on the same cruise, when we were in Palermo, we were able to get some sun outside because it was 21 C (69 F). Now, those temperatures are not the norm, but they are becoming more common. Also, in the winter, prices are much lower, and you can get special cruise fares for very cheaply. Now, in Winter, it might be rough on the seas, and it might rain, but in our opinion, it is still worth taking the chance.

Ideally, if you want the best of both worlds, fewer people, lower prices, and good weather, an excellent time to cruise the Mediterranean is in the late fall. We did a few cruises in late October and November and we were always really happy with the weather and the experience. In particular, if you pick itineraries that go as far south as Malaga or Cadiz in Spain, you might be able to extend your summer. 

Moving on to our next topic: the Mediterranean cruise on Costa, and we talk about the ships.

The Ships

Costa usually has several ships in the Mediterranean, especially during the summer. In particular, they have their 2 flagships, The Toscana and The Smeralda, in the Western Mediterranean, while they keep one of the smaller ships, the Deliziosa, the Pacifica, or the Fortuna in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Greek islands. In the winter, they usually have one of the two flagships in the western Mediterranean, and another big ship, such as the Diadema, for the Canary Islands or Spain and Portugal. Usually, they stop the Greek islands around the end of September, while they keep the Adriatic open for Croatia and Montenegro until the beginning of December.

Let’s explore another aspect of Mediterranean cruises on Costa, and we talk about:

Excursions

One of the biggest advantages of cruising the Mediterranean is the fact that in many ports, you actually do not need to take an excursion, but you can simply walk off the ship and enjoy. For example, in Barcelona, you can take the port transfer bus that takes you from the cruise terminal to the World Trade Center in the city center in about 10 minutes. Once you’re at the World Trade Center, you can walk all over the downtown core.

In other ports such as Palermo, Catania, and Naples, the cruise port is located right downtown, which means that in less than a 10-minute walk, you’ll be right in the city center. Also, in many of the Greek Islands, such as Mykonos, Kefalonia, Corfu, Rhodes, and Crete, the port (or tender port) is within walking distance of the city center, so you can visit it on your own. 

Having said that, it is always smart to check for excursions with the cruise line or a third-party provider. We found that excursions on Costa in the Mediterranean are usually very well priced and, most of the time, quite enjoyable. Costa, being a specialist in the area, also offers some excursions that are a bit more authentic than those offered by other cruise lines. In particular, they offer many food experiences with local chefs or cooking experiences with locals. Lastly, Costa offers a few packages that include 2 or 3 excursions to pick from a list at a discounted price.

It is also worth mentioning that booking excursions with the cruise line gives you the peace of mind that you will be back on board, even if your bus is delayed due to traffic or other reasons. This is particularly important in places like Civitavecchia, where the port is located more than an hour away from downtown Rome. We took the train from Civitavecchia to Rome several times. However, if this is your first time in Rome, using the cruise line transfer might be a better idea, as it is a little less complicated.

Now, I know many of you prefer to use 3rd party providers. In fact, I know that many won’t even consider using a cruise line excursion, and that’s ok, we understand. As on Costa, once you’re on board, you cannot cancel an excursion, which is very disappointing to us. So, there are several third-party providers that offer a wide range of shore excursions in the Mediterranean. We prefer using Get Your Guide because, in most cases, they allow you to cancel up to the day of the excursion and issue a refund. This is the single most important thing to us, as the ports may be cancelled, especially in the off-season. And here’s a Link that you can open on your phone to see some of our favorite excursions in the med.

Let’s move on to another topic about cruising the Mediterranean with Costa, and we’ll talk about what to bring.

What to bring

No matter what time you cruise in the Mediterranean, you will need to bring your travel documents, boarding pass, and cruise tickets, and keep them with you, not in your checked bag. Because you might need one of them to check in. 

Also, bring with you all your medications and a change of clothes in case your bag arrives late. Also, you should download the Costa App before departure. This is very useful on board for checking menus, booking excursions, checking your account balance, and seeing all the events on board.

Obviously, the types of clothes you need to bring differ in the summer and in the winter. In winter, you will need warmer clothes, while in summer, you will just need light summer clothes. In the summer, you can wear shorts and T-shirts at the restaurant for breakfast and lunch, while at dinner, they usually require a minimum of pants and a polo. Formal nights are not very formal, and a nice shirt and some dressy pants or a dressy skirt is all you need (of course, if you want to dress up, you are more than welcome). 

Always bring something white, because in Costa there’s a white party where everybody dresses in white. There are often other themed nights, such as red and black or colorful, but Costa does not do a good job of telling passengers in advance about these parties and the type of clothes to bring, so you will have to improvise. For example, when we were on the Costa Toscana, we found out there was a Carnevale party, so we ran to the dollar store in Palermo and bought a couple of Santa Claus outfits! 

One thing to remember is that on Costa, the selection of toiletries at the store on board is really limited, so be aware that if you forget your deodorant or toothpaste, you’ll likely have to wait until the next port to buy it. (This is a bit of a problem if you have a few sea days, but in the Mediterranean, it is very rare to have more than 2 sea days in a row.

Lastly, like any other cruise line, you are not allowed to bring on board blow dryers, curling irons, irons, kettles, or any other small appliances that generate heat. 

Moving on to our next topic about Mediterranean cruises on Costa, and we talk about life on board.

Life on board

Life on board Costa is very relaxed with a party attitude all the time. There is always something fun going on somewhere on the ship and getting bored is almost impossible. Sometimes it might seem a bit chaotic; however, it is usually an organized chaos that somehow works. 

There are a few things to remember while on board. First, you will need to register your credit card at a kiosk because, for some strange reason, Costa does not allow you to do so beforehand or in the app. 

Second, you need to sign up for the C-Club, Costa’s loyalty program, either before boarding or when you get on board, because it’s not automatic. By signing up, you’ll start getting discounts and other perks on board. Lastly, you will have to do the safety drill at embarkation. This can also be done digitally on the Costa App, which makes it very convenient; you’ll still need to go to the muster station to scan your card.

Restaurants on Costa still have set dining hours with first seating and second seating. In the Mediterranean first seating is usually around 7pm while second seating is around 9pm. If you don’t like your assigned time, just go talk to the maître and he or she will change it for you.

As we mentioned before in all our Costa videos, we always suggest buying the all-inclusive package at the time of reservation, because it is really the best deal around. Even if you don’t drink a lot of alcohol, it is worth it because it includes unlimited water, tea, coffee, cappuccinos, sodas, and much more. The all-inclusive package also includes gratuities, making it very convenient. Once on board, buying the drink package is way more expensive and absolutely not worth it, unless you drink a lot, which means you should have bought the all-inclusive package when you booked the cruise. 

Costa also has an upgraded drinking package called the My Drinks Plus. This costs about 20 euros a day per person more (if you book it before boarding) and includes all top-shelf drinks. To be honest, I absolutely love my drinks plus, and certainly get my money’s worth from all the Chianti and Ferrari that’s available on board. The only thing is that, for me, I tend to drink more on this package, so this is more of a treat and a norm… at least for me.

Let’s explore our next topic about the Mediterranean cruise on Costa, and we’ll talk about the sea destinations.

Sea Destinations

Costa recently launched new sea destinations. These are special events on board linked to a specific destination. For example there are parties in Mykonos or Ibiza. Actually, did we mention there are lots of parties on Costa? Yep, and Theres is an aperitivo in front of the Lido island in Venice or stargazing in the darkest areas of the Mediterranean. If you want to know more about these Sea Destinations, personally, we haven’t had the chance to experience these yet; hopefully, we will soon.

Time to move on to our final topic about Mediterranean cruises on Costa, and we’ve got something cool for you to grab.

Bonus Tip

Now remember that we told you about a special bonus tip at the beginning of the video? Well, here it is. We are preparing a special downloadable guide about cruising on Costa. In this very detailed pamphlet, you will have all the information you need to optimize your vacation on board a Costa cruise ship.

Well, folks, this is all we have for you today. We hope you enjoyed our video. As usual, if you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment below. We love hearing back from you and answering your questions the best we can. Also, if you see us on board, come and say hi, we love to meet you all. In the meantime, we will see you on our next video.

Ciao!