Costa Cruises · All Costa Cruises ships · Excellence Class

Costa Smeralda: ship guide

LNG-powered Italian giant with the three-deck Colosseo, a skywalk and 11 restaurants.

Best for: Couples and families who want a big, modern Italian ship with a short flight to Europe and a different port almost every day, whether a Western Mediterranean week or a winter in the Canaries. Sails from Civitavecchia (Rome), Genoa, Savona, Marseille, Barcelona, Palermo, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Santa Cruz de Tenerife in 2026 and 2027.

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Costa Smeralda
Costa Smeralda
185,010gross tons
5,224guests at double occupancy
1,646crew
20decks
2019entered service
1,106 ftlong
2,612staterooms

About Costa Smeralda

Costa Smeralda is the first of Costa’s two Excellence-class ships, delivered by Meyer Turku in December 2019 and the first Costa ship to run on liquefied natural gas, which cuts sulfur and particulate emissions in port and at sea. At 185,010 gross tons with 2,612 staterooms she was built as a floating tribute to Italy: every deck is named for an Italian city, the three-deck Colosseo at the heart of the ship is wrapped in LED screens, and the CoDe Costa Design Museum shows off Italian design.

Costa counts 11 restaurants and snack bars and 19 bars and lounges on board, from the 12-course Archipelago menu by chefs Bruno Barbieri, Hélène Darroze and Ángel León to Sushino at Costa, Teppanyaki, the Pummid’Oro pizzeria, Nutella at Costa and the Frescobaldi Wine Experience. The 4,500-square-meter Solemio Spa adds a snow room and thalassotherapy pool, four pools include one under a retractable glass roof, the Aqua Park has three slides and the Volare Skywalk hangs 65 meters above the sea.

Through fall 2026 Costa Smeralda sails seven-night Western Mediterranean loops that can be joined in Civitavecchia for Rome, Savona, Marseille, Barcelona, Palermo or Cagliari. From mid-November 2026 to late March 2027 she moves to the Canary Islands for weekly cruises between the islands and Madeira from Las Palmas and Santa Cruz de Tenerife, then returns to the Western Mediterranean from April to November 2027 with Genoa, Civitavecchia, Marseille and Barcelona as the main embarkation ports.

  • First Costa ship powered by liquefied natural gas, built by Meyer Turku in Finland
  • Colosseo, a three-deck central lounge wrapped in LED screens with shows and themed bars
  • Volare Skywalk, a panoramic walkway at the highest point of the ship, 65 meters above the sea
  • CoDe Costa Design Museum, the first museum of Italian design at sea
  • Archipelago, a 12-course Sea & Land menu by Bruno Barbieri, Hélène Darroze and Ángel León
  • Solemio Spa of 4,500 square meters with sauna, hammam, thalassotherapy pool and a salt and snow room
  • Four pools including one under a retractable glass roof, four infinity whirlpools and an Aqua Park with three slides
  • Decks named for Italian cities, with Piazza di Spagna, a grand staircase over the wake, for games and parties

Staterooms and suites

Interior

Costa’s most practical cabin, a compact room with everything at hand for guests who plan to spend their days at the pools and in the Colosseo; most sleep a third and fourth guest on a sofa bed or pull-down berths, which keeps family fares low.

Ocean View

A large picture window brings a new port into the room each morning; a bright, mid-priced choice for couples who want daylight without paying for a balcony.

Balcony

Costa Smeralda has about 1,550 balcony cabins, the majority of the ship, each with a private veranda for breakfast outside; the easy pick for a Mediterranean or Canary Islands week where the ship is in a different port almost every day.

Terrace with sea view

A category introduced on the Excellence-class ships: a cabin opening onto a larger step-out terrace facing the sea rather than a narrow balcony, sold between the balcony and suite grades.

Suites

Suites and Grand Suites with separate living areas, dressing rooms and large terraces, some with an in-cabin whirlpool tub; Costa suite guests receive a welcome bottle, a private butler, a reserved table every evening in the exclusive suite restaurant and other courtesies.

Costa Smeralda deck plans

Deck by deck, straight from our booking engine: the plan, the stateroom categories on that deck and the public rooms. Pick a deck.

Deck 20 plan

Deck 20

Plans are the cruise line’s current drawings as supplied to our booking engine. Layouts change with refurbishments; your SmartCruiser advisor confirms the exact stateroom when you book.

On board Costa Smeralda

Teatro Sanremo
Teatro Sanremo
Mastroianni Grand Bar
Mastroianni Grand Bar
Lungomare Riviera
Lungomare Riviera
La Cascata Bar
La Cascata Bar
Sport Area
Sport Area
Sole Bar
Sole Bar
Mito Disco
Mito Disco
Bar Sport
Bar Sport
VR Space
VR Space
Volare Skywalk
Volare Skywalk
Tutti a Tavola Restaurant
Tutti a Tavola Restaurant
Trastevere
Trastevere

Dining on Costa Smeralda

Main restaurantsIncluded

Four main dining rooms serve Costa’s Italian and international menus with Destination Dishes tied to the ports on the itinerary.

Buffet restaurantsIncluded

Two buffet restaurants plus food courts cover breakfast, lunch, dinner and late snacks with pizza, pasta and regional specialties.

Squok RestaurantIncluded

A buffet reserved for families with children aged 3 to 6, open for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Archipelago - Edition ISpecialty

A 12-course Sea & Land tasting menu that blends the cooking of Bruno Barbieri, Hélène Darroze and Ángel León over about two hours.

Sushino at CostaSpecialty

Costa’s sushi bistro with nigiri, maki and sashimi to eat in or take away.

Teppanyaki RestaurantSpecialty

Japanese chefs cook at the grill in front of you in a soft, Oriental-style room.

Pummid’Oro PizzeriaSpecialty

Pizza and mozzarella from selected ingredients with acrobatic pizzaioli, cocktails and music.

Food LABSpecialty

Costa’s cooking school at sea, where you learn sushi or aperitif-making and then eat what you made.

Nutella at Costa and Gelateria AmarilloSpecialty

Crepes and sweets built around Nutella, plus homemade gelato and chocolate pralines.

Frescobaldi Wine Experience and Aperol Spritz BarSpecialty

Tuscan wines by the glass from the Frescobaldi estates, and the Aperol bar for the pre-dinner spritz.

Entertainment and activities

  • Colosseo, the three-deck heart of the ship with performances, themed lounge bars and LED walls
  • Theater with musicals, comedy, acrobats and game shows every evening
  • Piazza di Spagna, a grand staircase over the ship’s wake for games and parties
  • Volare Skywalk, 65 meters above the sea at the highest point of the ship
  • Aqua Park with three waterslides, four pools and four infinity whirlpools
  • Solemio Spa with Technogym sea-view gym, yoga, Pilates, TRX and an outdoor jogging track
  • CoDe Costa Design Museum, arcade games room, casino and the Frescobaldi wine bar
  • Multisport court for five-a-side soccer, volleyball, basketball and tennis

Families and who it suits

The Squok Club looks after children aged 3 to 11 with supervised activities, families with 3 to 6 year olds get their own Squok Restaurant, and a teen club runs separate programs for 12 to 14 and 15 to 17 year olds; the Aqua Park, two children’s pools and the outdoor playground keep the days full.

Best for: Couples and families who want a big, modern Italian ship with a short flight to Europe and a different port almost every day, whether a Western Mediterranean week or a winter in the Canaries.

Sails from: Civitavecchia (Rome), Genoa, Savona, Marseille, Barcelona, Palermo, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Santa Cruz de Tenerife · Regions: Western Mediterranean, Canary Islands and Madeira

Days ashore

Shore excursions in Costa Smeralda’s upcoming ports

The ports on Costa Smeralda’s next sailings. Pick one to see the tours Shore Excursions Group runs there, book before you sail and skip the line at the pier.

Civitavecchia, Italy28 toursSavona, Italy6 toursMarseille, France24 toursBarcelona, Spain46 toursCagliari, Sardinia, Italy4 toursPalermo, Sicily, Italy16 tours

Ports from sailings departing Oct 22, 2026 onward; itineraries vary by date and your SmartCruiser advisor confirms the ports for your sailing. Tours are sold and operated by Shore Excursions Group, an independent tour company; SmartCruiser earns a commission on bookings made through these links at no extra cost to you.

Costa Smeralda questions we answer every day

How big is Costa Smeralda?
Costa Smeralda is 185,010 gross tons and about 1,106 feet long, with 2,612 staterooms over 20 decks and a crew of roughly 1,650. Costa lists 5,224 guests at double occupancy and 6,554 at maximum. She is the first of the two Excellence-class ships and was Costa’s largest until her sister Costa Toscana arrived in 2022.
Where does Costa Smeralda sail in 2026 and 2027?
Fall 2026 is seven-night Western Mediterranean loops joined in Civitavecchia, Savona, Marseille, Barcelona, Palermo or Cagliari. From mid-November 2026 to late March 2027 the ship is based in the Canary Islands at Las Palmas and Santa Cruz de Tenerife for weekly cruises between the islands and Madeira, replacing a cancelled Middle East season. From April to November 2027 she is back on Western Mediterranean weeks from Genoa, Civitavecchia, Marseille and Barcelona.
What is the Colosseo?
The Colosseo is the central lounge of Costa Smeralda, three decks high and wrapped in LED screens on the walls and dome. It hosts live music, shows and themed bars through the day and into the night, and Costa calls it the heart of the ship. It is the easiest place on board to meet friends between dinner and the theater.
Which cabins are best on Costa Smeralda?
About 1,550 of the 2,612 cabins have balconies, so a Balcony cabin is the natural choice for a port-intensive week. The Terrace with sea view category adds a larger step-out terrace, and Suites bring a butler, a welcome bottle and a reserved table in the exclusive suite restaurant. Families save with Interior cabins that sleep three or four.
What is included in the fare on Costa Smeralda?
The fare covers the main restaurants, buffets, the theater and Colosseo shows, pools, the Aqua Park, the Squok Club and the Technogym gym. Costa adds a nightly service charge, and specialty restaurants such as Archipelago, Sushino and Teppanyaki, drinks, Wi-Fi and spa treatments are extra unless packaged. SmartCruiser adds bonus onboard credit on sailings where Costa allows it, not available when you book direct.
Is Costa Smeralda a good ship for Americans?
Yes, if you want an Italian holiday at sea. Announcements and menus are multilingual, most guests are European, dinner runs later than on US ships and the style is lively rather than formal. English-speaking staff, US-dollar pricing on costacruises.com and easy air into Rome, Barcelona or Marseille make it an easy add-on to a European trip.

Facts checked against Costa Cruises: Costa Smeralda, Costa Cruises: cabins, Meyer Turku: Costa Smeralda, Cruise Industry News: Costa cancels 2026-27 Middle East program, Smeralda to Europe on October 14, 2026. Ship details change with refurbishments; your SmartCruiser advisor confirms the current layout when you book.

Live from the cruise line

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Every Costa Smeralda departure the cruise line is selling, priced live with taxes, fees and port expenses included. SmartCruiser picks at the top are sailings where booking with us gets you something extra. Stack the filters, then sort by lowest price, best value per night or sail date.

Every Costa Smeralda sailing

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Prices 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. Onboard credit shown on a sailing is per stateroom and applies to the lowest category offered unless stated otherwise.