Costa Deliziosa review

We just got back from two weeks on board the Costa Deliziosa, and today we will give a full review of our cruise. This was our second time on board the Deliziosa, and it is our second review. The previous time was back in 2021, and there were still a lot of pandemic restrictions, such as PCR testing, mask-wearing, and reduced capacity. For this reason, we think it is time for a new review.  As usual, we will rate every aspect of our cruise from one to five anchors. This is a pretty big article, so grab a glass of wine and stick around while we explain what it’s really like to sail on the Costa Deliziosa. Lots of folks talk trash about Costa for likes and videos- and this certainly isn’t one of those articles. It’s our true account of what you could expect. 

Also, we want to let you know that this article is not sponsored by Costa; in fact, we paid for these cruises out of our own pockets. This will ensure that our review is one hundred per cent honest and unbiased. So with that out of the way, let’s begin our Costa Deliziosa review. 

Let’s begin our Costa Deliziosa review by talking about the boarding process.

Boarding

We boarded the Costa Deliziosa in the port of Trieste, Italy. This port is right in the city centre, a few steps away from Piazza Unita d’Italia, the main piazza in the city. We arrived at the port at 10:30, and we started the boarding process. We had to go through security and metal detectors as soon as we got into the terminal. The line for this was quite long, and the security people at the port were not the most friendly to either of us. 

After security, we arrived in the check-in area. Passengers in this area were sorted into groups to avoid long lines at the counters. Because we were travelling in a suite, we had priority check-in and we were sent to the agent immediately. At 11:00 am, we were walking on the ship. So even with the line at security for us, the check-in was really quick. However, we have to mention that our bags did not arrive in our cabin until much later in the afternoon. The ship was leaving the port at 5 pm, and our bags were not in the cabin yet. (By the way, we knew they were on board because we put an AirTag in them, so we were not worried at all) 

Lastly, as usual, we had to go to the kiosk and register our credit card because Costa does not allow passengers to register their credit card online or at the time of booking. This is unlike what you’d expect with other cruise lines, and it causes a lot of confusion. The staff just assume that you need help when you register your card.. So, at least they are there to help out. 

Time to vote for boarding, and I give 5 anchors out of 5. Yes, people at security were not pleasant at all, but this was not Costa’s fault. What is your vote, Rick? Considering that the whole process took less than half an hour, I also give boarding a 5 out of five anchor. As you said, the security people were mean at the port of Trieste, maybe they think they are Rambo, but this has nothing to do with Costa.

The Ship

The Costa Deliziosa was launched in January 2010. It is 294m long. It has a maximum capacity of 2828 passengers and 934 crew members. The ship is in excellent condition. In fact, we noticed that many of the chairs inside were replaced by new chairs. All the sun beds were quite new as well. However, the decor is still the old-fashioned Costa decor that is a bit outdated. 

The ship is very easy to navigate. It also feels very spacious for such a small ship. On deck 2, you’ll find the theatre, the casino, a few bars, the main atrium, the front desk, the excursion desk, the main dining room, and two speciality restaurants. On deck 3, you’ll find the upper level of the theatre, the gelateria, all the shops, the photo department, the wine bar and the upper level of the main dining room.

On deck 9, you’ll find the 2 pools, one aft that is uncovered, and the one in the middle of the ship that has a retractable roof. Also on deck 9, you’ll find the buffet, the pizzeria, the salty beach burger bar, a few bars and the spa. On deck 10, you’ll find the gym, the Squok club (Costa children’s centre) and the Club restaurant. One thing we have noticed is that some of the ambiences are big for such a small ship. 

Also, the ship performs well in rough seas. The first night after leaving Trieste, the sea was quite choppy, but the ship was able to handle it with no discomfort for passengers. After our cruise, the ship was due for a dry dock before beginning the world cruise in December. 

Time to vote for the ship, and I think it deserves a 4 anchors out of five, only because of the dated decor. What is your vote, Andrea? Well, as you said, the ship is very easy to navigate and has a very spacious feeling inside. The decor is a bit outdated, but it is still quite pleasant. So I give the ship a 5 out of 5.

The Itinerary

We booked a two-week back-to-back Italy, Croatia, Montenegro and Greece itinerary. We learned on board that this was not called a back-to-back because the itinerary was mildly different, and in this case, they are called a sandwich itinerary, who knew! 

Anyways, in the first week after leaving Trieste, we sailed to the port of Bari in Italy, then to Dubrovnik in Croatia, then to the beautiful island of Corfu in Greece, we sailed to the town of Kotor in Montenegro. After that, we sailed to the city of Split in Croatia, then to Zadar, still in Croatia, before sailing back to Trieste, Italy. 

In the second week after Trieste, we went to Bari again. After that, we sailed to Kotor in Montenegro. After Kotor, we then sailed to Corfu, then to Katakolon in Greece before sailing to Dubrovnik, then Split and ending in Trieste once more. The two itineraries were amazing. We visited some very interesting ports, such as Dubrovnik and Split, that we had never seen before. Also, in this itinerary, there were no sea days in 2 weeks, which was quite incredible. Every day was a port day, and we had never experienced this before. We also did not mind visiting some of the ports twice because it allowed us to take it easy and explore the ports in depth, especially the ports that we had not seen before. 

The only thing I did not care much about in the itinerary was the port of Katakolon in the second week. We have been there twice before, and honestly, it is not one of the most interesting ports in Greece. If it were up to me, I would have changed that for some other places, such as Argostoli, for example. But again, this was a very mild detail.

Lastly, we were incredibly lucky with the weather; in our two weeks, we only had one day of mild rain in Split while all the other days were fantastic, sunny and warm. Remember, these were the last two weeks of October!  Warm enough for us to be able to sit by the pool outside and sunbathe! We also noticed some people going for a swim while we were in Corfù. 

Time to vote for the itinerary and give 5 anchors out of five. I deeply enjoyed visiting new places, and no sea days in 2 weeks was quite amazing. What is your vote, Rick? Well, my vote for the itinerary is 5 out of five because I enjoyed new places I’ve never seen before and the fact that we had no sea days!

C Club

The C Club is Costa’s loyalty program. It offers some good perks, especially once you reach Platinum. But even at the Blue level, you can have some discounts on board and future cruises, so it is worth joining. Now, because we’re in Europe, the membership is not automatic, so you have to actually sign up. Luckily, the process is easy, and it’s free. 

As we mentioned earlier, our Gold status meant free entry to the spa while in port. It also gave us each a free pizza and a ticket to the “VIP” party, which is a toast with the management. You also get access to BagExpress – it’s a service that allows you to ship one bag free, to and from your home and the ship. Though it has to be in a port or country that BagExpress supports. 

Lastly, we get a gift at the end of each cruise. The first week, we got a ship model, and the second week, we got a nice bag, which we used ONLY for shoes. What would we have done without it? Also, when you hit gold, you get the Magic Bag: a free laundry bag for 25 items. Additional ones are 25 euros each. 

Also, we got a nice bonus, being able to get a free cabin upgrade, which was a nice perk on this cruise. But this one is really hard to get because you have to cruise more than the year before… so eventually, it becomes impossible to get. But, Costa changed it for 2025- I’m not entirely clear how it works yet, so we’ll see what happens.  

The highest level is platinum, and with that, you now get the Club restaurant (depending on availability), a free massage and a bottle of Ferrari – not bad!

Now, that’s the good… But there’s an elephant in the room. And that’s expiring points. On Costa, your points expire after three years. 

Other cruise lines, like Princess, give you their status for LIFE. Same with Carnival’s VIFP points or Holland America’s mariner society and Seabourn with their club points – they don’t expire. Your status is for life.

Now, I mentioned Princess, Carnival, Holland America and Seabourn. Notice something in common? Yes, I know, the status doesn’t expire… But why did I mention these companies specifically? Because they are ALL part of the Carnival Corporation umbrella, just like Costa! But with Costa, they take your points away after three years.  

And of course, getting to the highest level is nearly impossible. In the first week, there were only 3 couples with platinum status, and on the second, only two couples out of 2000+ guests – well, those were the ones that showed up to the party. Compare that with hundreds of gold, silver and bronze, and you can see the disconnect.

Look – the best customers, I’m talking about people who’ve done 50-100-200 cruises… they all say the same thing. Costa steals our points.  One person on this last sailing said earlier this year she walked on board with 400,000 points, and left with 150,000. I mean, that just doesn’t make sense for your best guests. 

I calculated you have to spend like 6 months a year for 3 years to get platinum, only for your points to expire. So, after spending tens of thousands of dollars a year, that doesn’t feel like the best way to treat Costa’s most loyal passengers.  Compare that with MSC or Virgin, which is happy to status match… and now it makes me wonder.

Ok – Rant over. For Costa’s C Club – For the perks, I give it a 3 out of 5 anchors. The perks are good, but they aren’t for life. And that’s a big shame. But overall, because the points expire, I give it a 2 out of 5. What do you think? The fact that the points expire after 3 years is not very nice. In my opinion, there could be a sort of incentive, for example, the points do not expire as long as the members cruise for at least 21 days a year or 3 cruises of seven days a year. Also, on these particular cruises, because we did not have any sea days, they had to cram the VIP party in between the first and second seating at the restaurant and for this reason, the party was only 10 minutes long. After all these considerations, my vote is a 3 out of five anchors. I do like the perks, and I wish that the points did not expire for members who keep cruising during the year.

Service

On our two-week journey, we noticed something a bit strange regarding the service. In the first week, the service was really good. Fast, efficient and very friendly. In the second week, we noticed that the service slowed down quite considerably. We do not know if this was because the ship was going to dry dock and some staff members were tired, or if it was because the ship was reducing the staff preparing for the dry dock. This problem was more apparent in some areas of the ship than others. For example, at the Club restaurant, where we ate, in the first week, service was incredible, while in the second week, it became really inconsistent.  Also, at some of the bars, it took quite a long time to get service. Other bartenders, however, were always very efficient and friendly. On the other end, our cabin steward was great, always nice and friendly, smiley and very helpful for both weeks. 

One thing we would like to mention regarding the service is that Costa provides a host dedicated to passengers who do not speak Italian. So on board, you will find an English, a French, a German, a Spanish and sometimes an Indian speaking host. These hosts are available to help passengers with all their needs in their language. However, we noticed that a lot of passengers do not know that this service is available, and they complain that they can’t understand how to do things on board. 

We think that the Costa hosts could promote themselves a little better, so more people would be aware of it. For example, the hosts could send a letter at embarkation explaining that for anything they are there to help. , OK, Time to vote for service, and my vote is 4 anchors on the first week and 3 anchors out of five on our second week. What is your vote, Rick? Well, my vote for service is a 4 out of 5. In general, I was very pleased.

The Cabin

On this particular cruise, we were able to take advantage of Costa’s super upgrade that came with our Costa Club Gold status. Because this year we took more cruises than last year, we were eligible for a free upgrade from a window cabin to a suite. So basically, we travelled in a suite for two weeks for the price of a window cabin – Amazing!

Our cabin on Costa Deliziosa was 5399, so that’s deck 5 all the way aft. This suite is called the Panorama Suite, because of the huge wrap-around balcony that has an incredible view. The suite was huge, with a very nice king-size bed in the middle of the room. It has two desks that are quite handy for us to work at. We also had a coffee maker with coffee pods and a minibar that was restocked regularly. In the room, there were a ton of drawers for clothes and other items. In the room, there were 2 European electrical plugs and North American also; there were 4 USB ports by the bedside table.

The suite also has Costa’s signature ugly brown couch that can be used as a twin bed if a third person shares the room. We had a very nice walk-in closet with a good amount of space for clothes.

The decor of the room is a bit outdated, like the rest of the ship, but overall was quite pleasant. The bathroom was nice, with a double sink and a beautiful big shower with several jets, which we loved. However, the bathroom did not have a bidet this time, no big deal. While taking a shower on embarkation day, we noticed that the drain was not working properly and the water almost overflowed. We mentioned this to our cabin steward, and he immediately cleaned the drain, and after that, the problem was solved. 

As we mentioned before, the balcony was really big and quite nice, but it only had two small chairs and a tiny table, so it was not really useful. If Costa had put a couple of sunbeds on the balcony, it would have been much better. The suite also comes with butler service, but this is just glorified room service. The butler just restocks the water in the room and the mini bar and brings food and coffee.

Now we loved the room because of the space and the beautiful bathroom; however, we did not like the location. Being all the way aft, the room was really noisy. During navigation, we could hear and feel the rumbling sound of the propellers, and there were quite a of vibrations, especially the first few nights when the sea was a bit choppy. I had to use earplugs to be able to sleep due to the noise for several nights. So for this reason, we would not pick this particular suite in the future, even though the view is amazing, the noise is not. 

Time to vote for the cabin, and my vote is a 3 out of 5. If it were in the middle or the front, it would have been much better, at least for noise. What is your vote, Andrea? Well, I think I give the room a 5 out of 5 for the space and the beautiful bathroom; however, because of the noise, I will take two anchors away, so my final vote is a 3 out of five.

Cleanliness

One thing we immediately noticed when we stepped on the Costa Deliziosa was how clean it was. The ship was in impeccable condition. Perfectly clean in every area. We also noticed that the cleaning crew was constantly cleaning every single room, lounge, restaurant, pool, floor, you name it. We also notice that Costa now has a new little robot that cleans the carpets. It’s like a Roomba but for cruise ships. 

It is so cute and Andrea at one point, was trying to play with it – like a cat maybe hahah! We also noticed that the repair crew was fixing and painting several areas of the ship, probably in preparation for dry dock. One thing we have to mention, though, is the fact that at the back of the ship, when we were sailing, there was a lot of ash falling from the smokestack on the floor and the sun beds. Hopefully, during dry dock, this problem will be sorted out. Time to vote for cleanliness, and my vote is a 5 out of 5. What is your vote, Andrea? Well, I have to give 5 anchors out of 5 for cleanliness, the ship was really clean, and that robot was so cute!

Restaurants

The Costa Deliziosa has one main dining room located all the way aft, and it is on 2 levels, deck 2 and 3. On deck 3, there is a section of the main dining room dedicated to Gold and Platinum C-Club members. The dining room is quite big, with a lot of windows that provide a lot of natural light. We noticed that the tables are quite close to each other. The dining room on Costa still has the two traditional seats for dinner, the first one at 6:45 – 7:15 and the second one at 9 pm. We did not eat at the main dining room, so we can only review the ambience, and I think I would give it a 4 out of five because it seemed a bit crammed. What is your vote, Rick? Yeah, not only that, the times we did peek our head in, it seemed a little chaotic.  My vote for the main dining room is a 4 out of five anchors. 

The Costa Deliziosa also has the buffet located on deck 9, mid-ship to the back of the ship. The buffet is huge for the size of this ship, and it has several stations serving food. The ambience is nice with a lot of windows and a lot of tables. The buffet is open for breakfast, lunch, afternoon snack (called merenda in Italian) and dinner. The buffet was always very busy, and we spoke with a lot of fellow passengers, and they all loved it. Again, we did not try it, so we will only vote for the ambience, and my vote is a 5 anchors out of five because I found the buffet big for the size of the ship. What is your vote, Rick? Well, for the buffet, my vote is also a 5 out of 5 anchors.

Lastly, the Costa Deliziosa has the Elite restaurant or the Club Deliziosa, which is reserved for suite and Platinum passengers (not gold anymore). The elite restaurant is located on deck 10 mid-ship. The restaurant is wonderful with a lot of windows, a lot of space and a very classy setting. At this restaurant, the service is a bit more personal, and they can accommodate most of the passengers’ requests. The food selection is practically the same as that served at the main dining room with a couple of extra dishes only available at this restaurant. 

The restaurant is open for breakfast and lunch with open seating, and for dinner, the first seating is at 6-45-7:15, and the second one is at 9 pm. Also, now passengers from the main dining room seem to be able to come to this restaurant as part of the gourmet packages sold on board or by paying a fee like any other speciality restaurant. 

Because we were travelling in a suite, we were able to eat at this restaurant for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Now, in the first week of the cruise, the restaurant was perfect, efficient, quick and able to accommodate several of our special requests, which is the whole point of the restaurant. A small, intimate setting, with the kitchen nearby.

For example, one day in the first week, we asked for a cheeseburger at lunch, and the restaurant manager went to the burger bar and got one for us with no problems at all. In the second week, something changed. Service became much slower, sometimes spotty. They could not accommodate any request, even simple ones and the vibe at the restaurant seemed a bit different, and we think we know why.

We heard from some staff members that in the second week, many of the staff disembarked earlier in preparation for dry dock, and that meant the kitchen and the wait staff were well, understaffed. Unfortunately, from a passenger’s point of view, this was quite obvious, and it made the experience less than enjoyable. 

Now it is time to vote for the restaurant. I give a solid 5 out of 5 anchors for the first week, while for the second week, unfortunately, I have to remove 2 anchors and give only a 3 out of 5. What is your vote, Rick? That’s funny, you say that. I’ll just make it easy and give the Club Delizioza a 4 out of 5 anchors.  

Food

Because you’ve seen our article about Costa, you know that we love the food at Costa. It is usually amazing, well prepared, well seasoned and perfectly presented. On this sailing, the food was fantastic as usual, with a couple of small exceptions. I think that in the 2 weeks we were on board I think I only had one dish that I did not like. However, on this particular trip, we noticed that it was not very easy to get any customisation of the food, especially in the second week. For example, one day I asked for a side of fries instead of roasted potatoes, and I was told that they couldn’t do that; however, this was never an issue on any other Costa cruise we took. 

We heard other passengers were upset about being unable to have pizza during the day, but only at night. This is true on smaller ships, where the pizza restaurant is open only at dinner time because during the day, the pizza area is used as part of the buffet. However, small pizzas are usually available at merenda (afternoon snack). 

And another guest we ran into mentioned that they have a mushroom allergy, and she felt that the staff didn’t take it seriously, and she had to mention it every time. In our experience, if you have an allergy or an intolerance – say you’re gluten intolerant or lactose intolerant, they have a special menu just for you. So, I’m not sure what happened. Maybe it was a miscommunication.

Lastly, we found the menu a bit repetitive, for example, they served prosciutto and mozzarella for an appetiser at least twice in the same week. Portion size is the typical Costa small portion meant for a 4-course meal. On the same note, the meal time is also timed for a 4-course meal, because Italians like to sit at the table for hours eating and talking. If you are not used to this, it might seem that meals take forever. But you can always ask the waiters to “speed it up” a little, and they will.

Desserts were incredible as usual, tasty and beautiful. Our favourite is always the mandarino, a little ball-shaped as a clementine that packs an explosion of citrus flavours. Honestly this dessert will change your life!

During this sailing, we also tried the room service one morning for breakfast because we had a very early excursion and our restaurant was still closed. Room service breakfast costs €5.00 or is free for suites. One thing that is very bizarre about Costa is the fact that some breakfast items are only available for room service while they are ot available in the dining room. For example, the eggs Benedict that we ordered. The eggs were cooked to perfection and very tasty; however, they arrived a bit cold, and that was mildly disappointing.

Time to vote for food, and my vote is a 4 out of 5 anchors. What is your vote, Andrea? My vote for food is a solid 4 out of five, as you mentioned, some dishes felt a little repetitive, but overall, the quality is exceptional.

Bars

On the Costa Deliziosa, there is no lack of bars. Starting on deck 2, there is the grand bar Mirabilis, which is toward the front of the ship by the theatre. Then, there is the casino bar. In the middle of the ship by the panoramic elevator, you’ll find the bar delle delizie that is almost always open, and it is one of the busiest ones. Lastly, toward the back of the ship, next to the main dining room, you’ll find the Piano Bar Alcazar. 

On deck 3 at the front of the ship, by the second level of the theatre, you’ll find the Piano Bar. While toward the back of the ship, there was our favourite bar, the wine bar Vanilla, was it called Vanilla?

On deck 9 mid ship by the main pool, you’ll find the Lido Azzurro bar, and lastly at the back of the ship by the other pool, you’ll find the Aperol Spritz bar that also has the biggest smoking area of the ship. 

Now the bars are great, and the service is excellent. However, sometimes bars get really, really busy and getting a drink might take a little while. Now, let’s go back to our favourite bar. The Wine Bar Vanilla. This bar only serves the best wines on board, which are only included in the drinks plus package. At this bar, you can also try molecular cocktails that seem to be popular among passengers. 

Also, at this bar, when ordering wine, they serve some aperitivo food such as pieces of cheese, salami, mortadella, and olives. We became good friends with Irene, the bartender at the wine bar that we knew from our previous sailing on board the Costa Toscana. She was wonderful and we bonded with her. 

Time to vote for bars, and I think my vote is a solid 5 out of five anchors, even though sometimes they were a little chaotic. What is your vote, Rick? My vote for bars is also a 5 out of 5 anchors.

Drink packages

Now, because you read our reviews, you know that we always recommend buying the all-inclusive package at the time of booking if you want the best deal. In fact, with the all-inclusive you will have the My Drinks package that includes water, coffee, cappuccino and other speciality coffees, teas, sodas, a selection of white wines, red wines, prosecco, rosé wine, draught beer, spirits and cocktails. You also have the gratuities included. So in our opinion, the all-inclusive is the best deal.

On this sailing, we noticed that Costa made a pamphlet explaining the advantages of the My Drinks package, and it looked like it was very well made. Basically, they calculated that if you have a coffee, a juice and a glass of water at breakfast, another coffee and maybe another juice mid-morning. Then a glass of wine, some water and a coffee at lunch, a couple of drinks and some water in the afternoon and so on during the day you will end up spending up to €88 a day in drinks along, while with the drink package you will only spend €42 a day – if you bought it board – but its way cheaper if bought at the time of booking. 

Now, if you want to treat yourself, you can upgrade to the My Drinks Plus package. With this package, you can have some of the best wine that Italy has to offer by the glass, included. Of course, if you are travelling in a suite, the plus package is also included in the cruise fare. 

Now Costa also offers other packages for people who do not drink alcohol, for people who only want a glass of wine with meals, or for special packages for the under-18s. They are pretty good, but not nearly as good as the all-inclusive packages. 

It’s time to vote for the drink package, and my vote is 5 anchors out of 5. My drinks plus is amazing, and there are not enough anchors on board to vote for it! What is your vote, Andrea? Well, let’s say this: I will not take a Costa cruise without the all-inclusive, so 5 anchors for sure!

Speciality Restaurants

Costa Deliziosa, being a small ship, only has 3 speciality restaurants plus the Salty beach street food joint. The first and most famous speciality restaurant on board is the Archipelago, which is located on deck 2 at the back of the ship. As we mentioned before in our Costa reviews, this is a collaboration between Costa and 3 Michelin-starred chefs. Each chef designed a 4 or 5-course menu tailored for the itinerary. 

One very important thing to know about this restaurant is the fact that the menus of each chef are set in stone, and it is not possible to make any substitution whatsoever. So if you have a food allergy or intolerance or simply don’t like seafood, you can not eat there, period. 

We think it is a bit of a mistake because this prevents a lot of people from trying this restaurant. The restaurant itself is beautiful. Very modern, very clean, and very intimate. Because we did not eat at Archipelago, we will only review the ambience, and my vote for that is a 5 out of five. What is your vote, Rick? 

Well, if you could peel me away from the club, sure, I’d go there for dinner again, but I will have to find someone to go with, any volunteers? My vote for the ambience is also a 5 out of 5.

The second speciality restaurant on board Costa Deliziosa is the Sushino sushi bar. The sushi is located on deck 2 right by the casino. The ambience is simple and fun, and it is very informal. One thing we have noticed is that a lot of passengers go there for take-out, but not many eat there. One thing that we have to mention is the fact that when walking by the Sushino, there is a very strong fish smell that might be a bit of a turn-off for many passengers. Again, we did not eat here, but my vote is a  3 out of five because the smell is a bit intense and because the location seems a bit of an afterthought. What is your vote, Rick? Well, yeah, the smell didn’t do it any favours. When you walk by, it’s intense, so my vote is also a 3 out of five. 

The last speciality restaurant on board the Costa Deliziosa is the pizzeria that is located on deck 9 in an area of the buffet that is converted at night into the pizzeria. The area is big and very casual with paper settings on the tables. We did not eat here, but we ordered pizza delivered at the club restaurant a couple of times. The pizza is delicious, with a wonderful crust and a ton of fresh flavours. However, you need to know that this is an authentic Naples-style pizza, so if you are expecting the type of pizza that you are used to in your own country, you might have a little surprise, but please try the pizza here because it is delicious!! So my vote for the pizzeria is a solid 5 out of five anchors. What is your vote, Rick? Well, that’s easy, my vote for pizza is a 5. Out of five anchors.

Entertainement

The entertainment team on Costa Deliziosa was extremely good. We were happy to see Mark as part of the team, and we’ve met on several other sailing trips. The team was really engaging all the time, keeping people active and entertained. However, we did not participate in any of the events during the day because we were out exploring the ports every day. At night, the entertainment team shone with some epic parties. In particular, the white party was incredibly well attended as usual.  At the party, they also had the “Buffet Magnifico” by the pool that passengers loved! Another great party was the “Party con Noi” on the first night of both sailings that people, and we, really enjoyed. However, the most epic party of the whole two weeks was the Halloween party for sure! The party was fantastic, and the dance floor at the grand bar was packed. Many people were wearing costumes, but unfortunately, we did not pack any, so we were just wearing regular clothes. Lastly, we have to mention the Voice at Sea event. This is a Costa classic event, and passengers always love it! The theatre was packed and everyone was engaged in the show. 

Time to vote for entertainment, and you might have guessed that my vote is a 5 anchor out of 5, no doubts about that! I danced like crazy a few nights! What is your vote, Andrea? Well, this is an easy one for me, five anchors out of five, no doubts!

Shows

Before we start talking about the shows, let me talk a little about the theatre itself. We found the theatre on board the Costa Deliziosa nice for a few reasons. First, it is very easy to see the stage from practically every seat with a nice, unobstructed view. Second, the leg room between seats is perfect, even with my long legs, I had no problem stretching them, and I wasn’t even able to touch the seat in front of me. Lastly, there are nice tables in front of the seats where you can put your drink while watching the show. So in my opinion, the theatre on board the Costa Deliziosa is much better than most of the theatres in the newer ships.

Now let’s go back to the shows themselves. We noticed that Costa added some new shows to the usual repertoire, and this was quite a good addition. The format is still the usual with a lot of dancing, singing and acrobats, but with some new music and new effects that we liked. Passengers seemed to enjoy the shows, and the theatre was always sold out to the point that we had to stand up one night because there were no more seats available. 

Now let’s vote for the shows and give them a five out of five anchors. I enjoyed most of the shows, the new ones and the old ones that we saw several times before. So my vote is a 5 out of 5 anchors. What is your vote, Rick? My vote for the show is also a 5 out of 5 anchors.

Moving on to our next item to review on board the Costa Deliziosa, and will talk about the excursions.

Excursions

The excursion desk on board the Costa Deliziosa is located on deck 2, right beside the panoramic elevators. The excursion team was really friendly and very nice. Also, now on Costa excursions are ticketless, you just need to meet at the meeting point and show the cruise card. This makes everything easy, and it is very efficient. 

On these two cruises, we did not book too many excursions in fact we booked 2 on the first week and one on the second week. Now on embarkation we had a letter in our cabin that the pasta making and wine tasting excursion in Bari was canceled because it did not reach the minimum number of participants required. This was a little disappointing so we decided to go out and explore the city on our own. The second excursion that we took on the first week was in Kotor Montenegro and this was a boat tour to the little island of the Virgin of the Rocks and to the town of Perast. Now this excursion was not really good at all. In fact the tour operator crammed a huge amount of passengers in a very small boat for more than one hour each way. The tour guide was really nice but the tour itself was less than ideal. We found out from our local tour guide, on our second visit to Kotor, that the reason why they crammed so many passengers on those very uncomfortable boats was because there were too many cruise ships in town and they did not have enough boats for all the tours.  If this was really the case they should have canceled the tour in our opinion.

In the second week we only took one excursion in Katakolon to see the ruins of Olympia and for a typical lunch with greek dance. We did this excursion before in 2021 and we enjoyed it. The second time it was still quite nice even though we found the Olympia part a bit boring and long (maybe because we have been there before). 

One thing that we really enjoyed on this trip was the transfers from the port to the city centers organized by the excursion team. We used the transfer in the port of Dubrovnik and in the port of Corfu because the ship was docked quite far away from the centre. Costa transfers were quite efficient, and well priced. They also run very frequently with a minimal to no wait. The process was very easy, just scan the cruise card at the bus and that was it. Also the transfer allowed us to go back and forth between the port and the city multiple times for the same price which was quite convenient. 

Time to vote for excursion and my vote is a 3 out of five anchors. Costa has a survey that can be taken after each excursion. I think this is a good idea, but also I think that an even better idea would be having customers rate the excursions and writing about it. I mean, we rate restaurants and uber drivers, so why not rate these excursions and show the rating in the excursion portal, or on the Costa App, so passengers can read what other people wrote and decide if they want to take it or not. Also by doing so it is possible to remove excursions that consistently get low ratings. So Costa if you are listening, we recommend adding client ratings to excursions. 

What is your vote, Andrea? My vote for excursions is a 4 out of 5 anchor, our excursion in Kotor was pretty bad but that was not Costa’s fault it was just the tour operator. Also I was really pleased by the transfers from and to the port and I found that the price was very reasonable. 

C Dream

C-Dream is where you’ll find the future cruise consultants.

The office is located on deck 2 between the main atrium and the casino. We visited the C-dream office to inquire about making a couple of bookings. This time we were looking for something in February, but it didn’t work out.

The biggest benefit of booking onboard is getting 10% off or more on the future cruises, and the cost is only 100 euro per person to book. And you can change your mind on the cruise in the future, and you’ll get to keep the discounts. 

Ok – so time to vote for the C Dream and my vote is a 5 anchor out of five. What is your vote Andrea? I also think that the people at C Dream deserve a solid five anchors. They were incredibly nice to us and helpful.

Costa App

The Costa app is the mobile portal that allows passengers to check the daily program, check menus, book excursions while on board, check the shipboard account, connect to the internet, talk to fellow passengers, and so much more. The app is constantly updated, and new features are added all the time. One very important feature of the app is the ability to do the safety drill right on your phone without the need to go to the theatre with all the other passengers. Once you watch the drill on your phone, you just need to go to the muster station with your card and lifejacket to have the card scanned, and that is it. 

I have to say that the Costa App has been improved a lot in the last few years, and now it works pretty well. It is much faster to load than it once was, and it also has push notifications available. One feature that was added since our last cruise in July is the opening hours of bars and restaurants. Now, if you look at a particular venue, you can immediately see if it is open or closed.  Overall, the app is quite good, does almost anything that a passenger needs, and it is easy to use. For this reason, my vote for the Costa App is 5 anchors out of 5. What is your vote, Rick? Well, for the Costa App, my vote is a 5 out of 5. 

Moving on to another aspect of our Costa Deliziosa cruise and we talk about the casino.

The Casino

The Casino on the Costa Deliziosa is located on deck 2 toward the middle of the ship. The Casino is huge for such a small ship. There is a wide variety of tables and slots. It is very well laid out, with a nice flow. On these two sailings, we noticed that the casino was always really busy, in particular, the roulette tables were always packed with passengers. One thing that is worth mentioning is the fact that Costa always has an incentive; if you play at least €20 euros you will receive €5 of free play. We played a few times at the casino, but without any luck. Also, the casino on board the Costa Deliziosa is 100% smoke-free, which is quite nice. Time to vote for the casino, and my vote is a 5 out of five anchors, even though I did not win, but maybe it will be better next time! What is your vote, Andrea? Well, the casino was nice, really big for the ship’s size. I enjoyed it even though I don’t care for gambling, so I also give the casino a 5 out of 5 anchors. 

Internet on board

The internet on board the Costa Deliziosa, we have to admit, is quite fast and very reliable. We bought the full internet package online before departure at a discounted price of €95.20 per device for the week instead of €119, which was the board price. That said, it was only for one device, so if you wanted to use your phone and laptop like we do, you have to disconnect from one, then connect to the other. Not a big deal for us, but if you’re not super tech savvy, that could be an issue. 

There are also less expensive packages that are only for social media, or WhatsApp – an app that’s very widely used in Europe, and it allows you to make phone calls and video calls, and send messages to other people who have WhatsApp. Lastly, in case a passenger needs any help with the Internet or the Costa app there is a dedicated Internet point located on deck 3 mid ship by the panoramic elevators, be aware this Internet point can get busy, especially on the first couple of days of the cruise.

Either way, the speed of the internet is fast, however, I think the cost is still high. But overall I give it a 4 out of 5 anchors because we can work on board, and be away on holiday.  Rick, what do you think? 

Yes, it’s expensive. But, if you work on board, it’s very well worth it. Remember, when you’re in port, you can also use your cell phone and roam, or use an esim. This is a second sim card that most phones support, actually, you can scan this QR code with your phone and download the app – it’s called airalo, they are like a cell phone provider and you can activate an esim super cheap for pretty much anywhere. Oh, and if you’re watching this on your phone or laptop, we left a link in the description for you to check it out.

Oh and yes, for the internet, I give it a 4 out of 5 anchors as well. Moving on, let’s talk about one of my most favorite places on board, well, anywhere –  the spa. 

SPA

The SPA on board the costa delizioza is one of our favorite hangouts on the ship. For a ship of this size, I’d say it’s rather large with a Jacuzzi that can comfortably fit about a dozen people, a steam room, a sauna, two “tepidariums”, a room to nap, and a winter garden.

The jacuzzi on this sailing was very nice. The temperature was about 37-38 degrees, which is typical in Europe.  If you’re coming from North America, you might find that to be a little on the cooler side, but, in Europe it’s this way so that you can stay in for longer. We also liked the water falls as it gave a sort of neck massage.

The Steam Room, unfortunately, did not work on this sailing. Well, it did a little, but, it never got very warm. Too bad. 

The tepidariums are two rooms, one warmer than the other, with lounge chairs to relax on. They are tiled and heated, which feels nice. The idea is that you’ll maybe even fall asleep. Unfortunately, in one of the rooms (the less hotter of the two), there was a constant knocking noise that never went away for more than a few minutes. It sounded like someone was banging a pipe inside the walls… What’s really strange is that we’ve heard this same noise on other ships and no one can explain it. Oh well.

The sauna was also a decent size, maybe enough for 10-12 people comfortably. 

The napping room has these neat squishy beds which you can lie down on and have a nap!  I used it once.

Now, on this trip, you know we were on board for two sailings. Access to the spa amenities that I just mentioned cost  59 euros on port days, and 69 euros on sea days.  If you wanted a 7 day pass, the cost was 179 euros. And that’s per person. You could also upgrade to a silver, gold, or diamond pack which gave you a free treatment like a massage, wrap, or facial. 

But here’s the thing. Because our loyalty status is Gold, we get a free entrance to the spa. But… it doesn’t reduce the price of the weekly pass. And because we were traveling in a suite, we had an extra pass on top of that… so that’s two passes. But, if we wanted the whole week, it’s still 179 euros.  So, if you had no status, you’d pay 179 euros or a little more than 25 euro a day, but because we sail a lot, we had to pay more – like 35 euro a day. Makes no sense.

I’d say it would be better to offer an option for something like 15-20% off the weekly pass for Costa club gold, and perhaps another 15-20% off if you’re traveling in a suite.  That would make a lot more sense to me. 

For this reason, the first week, we didn’t buy the pass. We knew we’d be busy visiting ports, and having fun, so we each used our two daily passes. 

Another thing that was weird was that on the first day, we went up to the spa and looked around. And like usual, someone offered to take us around and at the end she gave me a free neck massage which was great. 

I explained that we booked two massages online. As you know, if you book your packages online, they typically cost less than on board.  In my case, I paid 199 euros for two 50 minute massages. I asked her if I could upgrade to 75 from 50 minutes, and she said sure, just pay the difference, which was €30 each.

I thought that was perfectly fine so she went ahead and booked me. We then walked around the ship, and when we got back to our cabin later on, she called and explained there had been a mistake, and to come upstairs. 

I came back later and spoke with the manager, who apologized and said, “I’m sorry I cannot offer you this price on just two massages. You have to buy eight massages to get that price. I thought this was a bluff, so i said I’ll take the two I had booked. 

Then, later in the week we got two offers – one was 60 minute massage for 89 euros, which was cheaper which is cheaper than the 50 minute massage for €99 – so that was interesting but we also offer received an offer for €129 for the 75 minute massage which is really what was offered to me in the first place, but according to the manager, we had to buy eight… right. 

I really don’t like these tricks. And it didn’t work well for the spa in the first week. We ended up spending nothing above what we did online.

The second week we thought we’d get more use out of the spa, and we did. We bought the gold package which was 229 euro per person for the week (again, we get no discount because of the two free passes), and it included a 75 minute massage for each of us. Andrea doesn’t care about massages, so I happily took it.

Another thing I find really odd is that your spa bookings don’t show up in the costa app. You have these little pieces of paper that they give you … well, unless you bought the treatment online first, it doesn’t show up in the app. I think this could be an improvement, especially if you use the app a lot.

If I were to compare this Spa with others, i’d say it would be in the middle of the pack. You might remember, on our costa forutuna review, the spa entrance was free… but that’s because the spa was a bit of an afterthought. 

But then, if you compare it with the spa’s aboard the costa toscana or smeralda, the prices are the same, but, they are a million times better. Much more modern, and everything works. 

So, if you’re going to be visiting the spa on Costa Delizioza, I’d say this… unless you plan on using it every single day, wait a little bit. The deals will come.

Alright, time to vote for the spa, and on the costa delizioza, I’d give it a 4 out of 5 anchors. If the steam room worked, and the original offer wasn’t canceled, it would have been a 5.

Andrea, what do you think? I really liked the size of the spa. I think it was wonderful. I also like the fact that there are plenty of windows to enjoy the view of the ocean while relaxing in the Jacuzzi or in the sauna. Another great feature 

I also give the spa a 4 out of 5 anchors.  

GYM

The gym on Costa Deliziosa is located on deck 10 all the way at the front of the ship just above the Spa.

If you’ve seen our articles before, you know we don’t use the gym often. Not now!  Well, at least I do.  For the past year, I’ve been going to the gym 4-5 times a week, and for me, the day isn’t complete unless I at least go for a run. Its just a habit I got in to. So, on this trip, I got to use the gym I think 7 times. I mean, if we have an early morning excursion, or an excursion that involves a lot of activity, then there’s no need… but yeah, I went quite a few times and i liked it. One thing I noticed in these two weeks is that it was very well attended. 

Usually after day 2-3 no one is there, but, for these two weeks, there were always a good number of people. Not full, but certainly not empty either.  Another thing I noticed was that the age range was very visible. There were kids using the treadmills with their parents – one was maybe 7-8 years old, and he was clearly used to it. So, I’d say on this ship, or at least on these two sailings, the minimum age wasn’t enforced. And to be honest, I think if the parents are there, why not. They weren’t bothering anyone. 

In case you’re wondering about the equipment, there was a row of treadmills, maybe 10 or 12 of them by the window, along with other cardio machines that I didn’t pay much attention too. There were also all the weight machines for arms legs, abs and back, and the free weights as well. 

Now, at least some of the equipment looked as old as the ship. But, it’s well maintained. Everything was clean – thanks to the housekeeping staff and the passengers taking care of it. 

And I mean, you don’t really need the newest equipment for the gym. With my iphone and airpods, I could watch a youtube video or listen to music. No problem at all. 

Oh there was a stretching area with mats available to, well stretch, or do yoga, calesthetics and so on.

And after your workout, the change room had her and her changerooms, each with their own sauna and showers you could use, and there was no charge or anything like that. 

So with that out of the way, my vote for the Gym was a solid 5 anchors out of 5. 

Andrea- what did you think about the gym? Well, I didn’t use it… But, I’ll trust you and give it a 5 out of 5 anchors as well. 

Stores

The stores on board the Costa Deliziosa are located on deck 3 towards the front of the ship. They are grouped in the Galleria and they sell the usual items, clothes, bags, sunglasses, watches, chocolate, perfumes and creams. Also, because this cruise has one stop in Kotor, Montenegro that which is not part of the European Union, the stores had a section for duty-free items such as cigarettes and booze. One thing we have noticed on this ship was the fact that the toiletry necessities for sale at the stores have a much better selection of items. This was one of our biggest complaints in many of our Costa reviews. Maybe someone listened to us and put on board some toothpaste, shaving cream and other items. 

Also on deck 3 midship, there is the usual Costa merchandise store that sells Costa-branded items such as bags, hats, t-shirts, etc. 

We did not buy anything on this sailing, so we will only vote for the ambience of the stores, and my vote is a 4 out of 5 anchors because finally we saw a bit more toiletry items for sale on board. What is your vote, Rick? You are right, Andrea, now, finally, the stores sell more items, and if someone runs out of deodorant can buy it on board without having to wait for the next port.

Photography

The photo gallery on board the Costa Deliziosa is located on deck 3 mid-ship just above the Bar delle delizie. The area is a bit narrow, and sometimes it gets a little difficult to walk because people stop looking at photos, obstructing the passage. Also on Costa Deliziosa, there are no kiosks to look at photos digitally, like we have seen on Costa Toscana or Costa Smeralda.  Photographers are around the ship all the time, and they take the usual staged and unnatural photos that we have seen over and over again. The photographers were very nice and stopped several times, talking to them and taking photos, but we ended up not buying any of them because the price for photos is steep. The nice photos taken with a background start at 30 euros each, if you also want the digital file. In my opinion, there should be the option to buy just the digital file for a much more reasonable price. For this reason, my vote for photography is a 3 out of 5 anchors. What is your vote, Andrea? My vote for photos is a 2 out of 5 anchors. The photographers were very nic,e but the price for the photos was too high. Also, I have never liked the insane waste of paper at the photo gallery. I have been complaining about this for years, and not just with Costa but with other cruise lines. Photos should be digital only and printed only upon purchase. 

Time to discuss how much we paid for these two weeks aboard the Costa Delizioza. Each sailing was 8 days and 7 nights. The first week was 2736 euros and the second was 2655 euros. And it was almost all inclusive – I mean, we paid for the spa, and bought a couple of food items, and excursions, but yeah, that’s it. 

We think that the value is wonderful if you think that you have a true all inclusive vacation with wonderful food and service included.  For this reason, my vote for price and value is a 5 out of 5 no question. What is your vote Rick? My vote is also a 5 out of five, I mean where can you go for 190 euro a day per person including food and drinks? 

The next item we’ll review on the Costa Delizioza is the disembarkation process. 

Disembarkation

The disembarkation process was as usual, quick and easy. Everyone gets bag tags with a specific color, and you’re assigned a pickup time. For example, you might have a green ticket with a 10:15 pickup. So, this way you know when to leave the ship. That makes it very well organized. 

We used bag express, so reception came to pick up our bags the night before and shipped them home. That’s very convenient. Also, our train wasn’t until 130pm, so we asked reception if we could stay until noon, and they checked and said yes. Though, we ended up leaving sooner.

So, for disembarkation, I give it a 5 out of 5 anchors. Rick, what do you think? Yep, quick and easy – 5 out of 5 anchors it is. 

Conclusions

This was our 18th and 19th cruise on Costa – and we only did one before the pandemic, so yes, we really like cruise ships. Was it perfect? No, there can only be one “best cruise ever.” But, these past two weeks showed us that the staff cared, wanted to help, and were truly invested in our holiday. As usual, we made a lot of memories and look forward to sailing again soon. 

Also, we think both this ship and the itinerary is absolutely perfect for first time cruisers. There’s no sea days, and the ship is small enough to navigate. 

Overall, we enjoyed the two weeks onboard and look forward to our next Costa cruise onboard the Costa Toscana. And of course, if you happen to see us either onboard or out and about, don’t hesitate to say hello!

Ciao!