Costa Toscana at sunset
On March 10-17, 2025, my family (5 adults, 3 teens) and I boarded the Costa Tuscana cruise ship round trip from Barcelona. The ship is the largest in their fleet with about 6,544 passengers on board. We are frequent cruisers, but having never been on any Carnival brand ship, we were curious to see how they measured up.
They did a great job with onboarding and ports in general. Costa has a neat feature similar to a world cruise where passengers can embark or disembark the sailing at any of the different ports, so there is never a mass exit or arrival day. The only time we felt crowded was before or after a show in the main theater.
This seven night cruise was a lot of fun, and we were well taken care of. The staff were friendly and helpful, the cabins were well appointed, and beds were comfortable. We had an amazing Aft Corner Suite which we loved. Champagne, fruit, espresso machine, shower jets, and two huge balconies were all wonderful. We did need to use our outlet adapter as the outlets were only European.
The food was delicious at the specialty restaurants and in our assigned dining restaurant. We were assigned to the restaurant BelleVista as we were staying in a suite. The buffet food looked good, but because of the crowds, we actually never had an opportunity to eat there.
This European style cruise ship had many languages being spoken aboard the ship by both crew and passengers. Most of the crew could speak some English, but most of the passengers spoke Italian or Spanish. Every announcement was repeated three times so everyone could understand the information being shared. Any literature handed out had multiple languages printed on it as well. One of our excursions was cancelled because there were not enough English speaking guests booked on it. The wifi worked well as it was on the Starlink system.
Granducato Casino: a little thrill and a little luck!
The ship had many entertainment areas, theaters, bars with music, arcade, casino, and public spaces. There were multiple shows going on at the same time, so you would choose which one you wanted to see. They were all similar in nature but entertaining nonetheless. There were a variety show options including dancing, singing, and acrobatics!
It looked like the kids area was well attended, and since we were there during spring break, there were a lot of little kids! Our teens did not use the teen area at all, but they did enjoy the pools and slides.
The excursions offered went really well and were enjoyable as we went on one at almost every port and, except for the cooler/misty weather in ports, we enjoyed them. Finding our bus was a little tricky once you were off the ship, but we asked and were directed to them. From the cabin, to the food, entertainment, service and staff, we were pleased with this cruising experience.
Why it gets low ratings, I'm not sure. It's more in line with MSC which we also enjoyed last summer. I would likely compare it to a Carnival ship or maybe more along the lines of a smaller or older Royal Caribbean cruise ship. Not as high level as a Celebrity, or even Norwegian Cruise Line, but certainly adequate for a family. And a good value for the money. Even items in the shops were not outrageously priced. What we spent on the corner suite might be the same as what we would spend on a regular balcony on NCL or Celebrity cruise. I loved having the suite we had. We didn't really use our butler, but our room attendant was great.
Upon a Star travel advisor Kimm and her family onboard the Costa Toscana
Would I go on another Costa cruise? Of course! I love experiencing all the different cruise lines. And although they all have their strengths and weaknesses, cruising to me is the best way to vacation. Period!
Special thanks to Upon a Star travel advisor Kim Walczak for sharing her cruise travels!
Are you ready to book Costa Cruise Line or another cruise option? Reach out here for more information or contact your favorite Upon a Star Travel Advisor!