Italy’s cruise line: espresso at sunrise, Barcelona by dinner.
Costa is Italy’s own cruise line, Genoa-born and part of Carnival Corporation, with pasta made fresh on board, announcements in five languages and a mostly European crowd that treats the ship as part of the trip. It suits families, value hunters and anyone who wants a Mediterranean cruise that actually feels Mediterranean: 7-night loops from Barcelona, Genoa, Rome and Marseille run year-round, the fjords and the Baltic fill the summer, Dubai and the Arabian Gulf take the winter and Brazil gets the southern summer. SmartCruiser shows every Costa sailing with taxes and fees included, SmartCruiser picks first, and SmartCruiser bonus onboard credit per stateroom on sailings where Costa allows it.
Three ways to sail with Costa
Pick one and the list below filters to it. Same Italian ship, three very different weeks.
The Mediterranean loop
- 7 nights from Barcelona, Genoa, Marseille or Civitavecchia (Rome); board at whichever suits your flights
- Rome, Naples, Palma, Ibiza, Palermo and the French Riviera, a port almost every day
- Runs every week of the year, so the shoulder months are wide open and inexpensive
Best for: first Europe cruises, families with one week, adding a few days in Rome or Barcelona
Fjords, Baltic and the North Cape
- 7 to 14 nights from Copenhagen, Kiel, Amsterdam or Hamburg, May to September
- Geiranger, Flam, Bergen and the midnight sun; Stockholm, Tallinn and Helsinki on the Baltic runs
- Costa’s mid-size ships still fit into the narrow fjord arms
Best for: summer vacations when the Med is too hot, scenery over beaches
Dubai and the Arabian Gulf
- 7 nights round trip from Dubai, November to March
- Abu Dhabi, Doha, Muscat and a beach day at Sir Bani Yas; 80 degrees in January
- Fly in on Emirates, add two nights in Dubai, sail on Saturday
Best for: a January escape that is not the Caribbean, couples, first-timers to the Gulf
Costa Cruises deals: SmartCruiser picks first
Every Costa sailing, from a 3-night Mediterranean taster to a 100-plus night world voyage, priced live with taxes, fees and port expenses included. The picks at the top are sailings where booking with SmartCruiser gets you something extra: instant savings, bonus onboard credit or a Special SmartCruiser rate we hold on that departure. Below them, every other sailing with full sorting.
SmartCruiser picks
Sorted by what you save, biggest firstEvery Costa Cruises sailing
Stack any filters, then pick a sortPrices are per person, double occupancy, in US dollars, and include cruise fare, taxes, fees and port expenses as published by the cruise line at the moment you load this page. Fares are capacity controlled and change daily; the fare is confirmed when you book. Flights, hotels and transfers are extra unless the line’s offer says otherwise. SmartCruiser instant savings and bonus onboard credit are provided by SmartCruiser on top of the cruise line’s price and are not available when booking direct; amounts are per stateroom, vary by stateroom category and are shown for the lowest category offered. Special SmartCruiser rates are pricing SmartCruiser holds on that sailing for its clients, with extra onboard credit; you book your own stateroom and travel on your own. Senior fares apply to guests 55 and over; resident fares need proof of residency in a listed state or province at check-in; police and fire fares apply to active or retired police, fire and EMT personnel with ID. Qualifier-fare savings are measured against the best fare the cruise line offers the general public for the same stateroom category on the day the list was pulled, updated weekly.
Where Costa sails
Costa follows the sun around the calendar. Pick a region and the list above filters to it.
Lines you may also like
If Costa’s mix of Europe and value appeals, these are the lines our Costa guests also sail.
When to go
Costa sails somewhere warm every month. The Mediterranean is the backbone, and its shoulder months are the sweet spot.
Costa Cruises questions we answer every day
What is included in a Costa fare?
Your stateroom, all meals in the main restaurants and buffet, entertainment, pools and the kids clubs. Drinks, specialty restaurants, excursions, Wi-Fi and the daily service charge are extra. Costa sells drink packages and an all-inclusive option that bundle most of it, and we price those alongside your fare so you see the real total.
Will I feel out of place as an American on Costa?
You will be in the minority and most guests will not notice. Italians, French, Germans and Spaniards make up most of the ship, announcements run in several languages including English, and every crew member you deal with speaks it. Dinner is later and longer than on a US line, the espresso is real and the ships fill with families in European school holidays. If you want Europe rather than a floating US resort, that is the appeal.
Are there formal nights?
Costa calls them gala evenings, usually one or two per week. A jacket for men and a dress or nice separates for women is the norm; tuxedos are rare. The rest of the week is smart casual, and the buffet is always open if you would rather skip the dressing up.
Does Costa have a loyalty program?
Yes, CostaClub. Points accrue by nights sailed and by onboard spending, and the tiers bring onboard perks, priority boarding and gala invitations. Status does not transfer to Carnival or the other Carnival Corporation lines. Give us your membership number and we add it to the booking.
Do I need a passport?
Yes. Every Costa sailing starts outside the United States, so you need a passport valid for at least six months past your return date. The EU is introducing the ETIAS travel authorization for US visitors and we tell you whether it applies to your dates. Dubai and Brazil have their own entry rules and we walk you through them.
Are taxes and fees included in the prices here?
Yes. Every price on this page includes cruise fare, taxes, fees and port expenses. The onboard service charge, drinks, excursions and flights are extra, and we quote the total before you book.
Talk to a Costa Cruises specialist
Tell us your dates and whether you want the Med, the fjords or Dubai, and we price every Costa sailing side by side with the bonus onboard credit included. Monday to Thursday 9 to 6, Friday 9 to 5, Saturday 10 to 6 ET.