Overview

These two sister-ships were designed to bring the Costa fleet up to speed with other cruise lines in the 1990s, and the effort paid off. Public areas clustered on four upper decks are filled with marble and furnished with sleek, contemporary furnishings and modern Italian artworks. The effect is vibrant, chic, and surprisingly restful.

Lounges and bars are sweeping and grand; however, the areas set aside for children are pretty skimpy by today's standards. A large forward-facing spa and fitness center on CostaClassica was displaced for additional high-end suites on CostaRomantica, which accounts for the difference in passenger capacity. Neither ship has a true promenade deck, but the Lido areas for sunning and swimming are expansive.

Restaurants

The single formal restaurant serves open-seating breakfast and lunch and has two assigned seatings for dinner. Breakfast and lunch are also available at the Lido buffet, with seating either indoors or outdoors, where a grill is set up at lunch for hot dogs and hamburgers. Dinner buffets are scheduled for certain nights during the cruise, as are traditional midnight buffets. Both a pizzeria and a patisserie serve snacks throughout the day, and 24-hour room service is available, although there is a charge for certain items.

Accommodations

Paneled in light cherry wood, cabins are fairly spacious and have ample storage. All accommodations have soft-colored fabrics in a minimalist style and have a personal safe, TV, refrigerator, hair dryer, and small sitting area with a table and two chairs. Suites are quite generous in size, with large sitting areas in addition to the added luxury of a whirlpool bathtub and double sinks; they also have butler service. Only ten suites on each ship have balconies; CostaRomantica has six forward-facing suites without balconies as well as an added category -- 18 mini-suites that have the same amenities as the suites but are not as large. Six staterooms are wheelchair-accessible.