Amenities & Activities
The Costa Mediterranea provides a good amount of activities and amenities that will keep cruisers of all age busy throughout the entire cruise. For younger kids, they can hang out in the Costa Kid’s Club, swim in one of the three pools, or even take a spin down her 3 story tall water slide For adult’s, the Mediterranea will keep adults busy in the massive casino, one of the ship’s many lounges, or even the two story disco. The Mediterranea also features three decent sized pools on her Lido deck as well as multiple hot tubs. One of these pools is even able to be covered with a retractable roof in case of inclement weather, which is always very nice to have just in case of poor weather. Moving forward on the Lido deck, you will discover the Mediterranea’s state of the art fitness center and gym. With tons of treadmills, bikes, specialized classes, a whirlpool, and glass windows overlooking the bow – this is one of the nicest fitness centers I have ever seen on a cruise ship. Overall, the Mediterranea has a very good amount of activities and amenities to keep you busy throughout your entire cruise.
Dining Options
The Costa Mediterranea provides cruisers an ample amount of dining options onboard. You have your traditional dining room, Argentieri; a specialty restaurant, Club Medusa, a Lido buffet, and small cafe’s throughout the ship. Costa has yet to “go big” with specialty restaurants like other cruise lines. According to Silvio Alonso, Costa’s North American Director of Sales Operations, “Costa has yet to see a significant demand from their guests for “additional cost” restaurants.” Silvio continues to explain that Costa’s guests prefer the all-inclusive dining offered in the main dining room as well as the Lido restaurant. Regardless of the number of restaurants onboard, enough food is served to keep you feeling full throughout the entire cruise.
Entertainment
As I mentioned before, one of the main highlights of a Costa cruise is the nightlife. Just like in the streets of Rome, the entire ship can turn into a carnival-esque atmosphere as the sun goes down. You can dance the night away in the ship’s two deck nightclub, Selva. You can also catch one of the many variety shows taking place in one of the many lounges located throughout the ship. From singers, to small bands, karaoke, and the large production shows – you will never be at a loss for finding entertainment for your evening onboard.
Food Quality
Being an Italian ship, you would expect the Mediterranea would provide some of the finest ding afloat – well you are correct! Throughout the ship’s various restaurants, you will find yourself emerged into a traditional Italian dining experience. From an antipasti course, to a very hearty Italian main course, to the after dinner salad and cappuccino – the food quality and service is simply perfect. Costa takes a lot of pride in their culinary side of operations and is even rated as one of the highest cruise lines for overall dining experience in the Berlitz Guide to Cruising.
Layout & Appearance
The Costa Mediterranea is actually a Spirit Class ship with 4 additional sisters sailing in the Carnival fleet and 1 additional one in the Costa fleet. The layout is pretty straightforward and useful, but it will take a day or two to get used to. Most of the ship’s main public rooms are located on decks 2 and 3 off of a main promenade that runs the entire length of the ship. In my opinion, a very smart design feature. As a ship designed by the infamous Joe Farcus, you know to expect some unique twists in the ship’s decor. The Mediterranea’s decor theme is Baroque Era art. A very interesting choice, which will win the hearts of artists and those appreciative of the arts everywhere. Overall, I find the choice of decor very interesting as well as fun to decipher and learn more about.
Service & Crew
I say it time and time again, have you ever sailed a ship with a bad crew? Nope! Crew members were always willing to help and go out of their way to help you have a better cruise experience. Great service from a great crew is what makes a great cruise.
Staterooms
The staterooms onboard the Mediterranea are very nicely decorated, very much toned down from the Baroque art. The staterooms feature a very large amount of storage space and even a nice, little sitting area. The bathroom was typical of a cruise ship, but seemed roomier than others I have been in. Overall, the Mediterranea features a good array of staterooms choices to crash in after your late night in the Selva disco.
I want to give a huge thank you to Silvio Alonso for arranging my tour of the Mediterranea as well as showing me around the ship. This review would not have been possible without him, thanks again Silvio!
All photos in video copyright of Mike Faust.
