Costa Smeralda

The 2019-built Costa Smeralda cruise ship is part of the new Helios-class vessels ordered by Carnival Corporation. The shipbuilding agreement with Meyer Werft was signed in July 2015 and finalized in April 2016, covering four new cruise ships—two for Costa Cruises and two for AIDA Cruises (Carnival’s German brand).

Other Excellence-Class sisterships include Costa Toscana (2021), Carnival Mardi Gras (2021), Carnival Celebration (2022), Carnival Jubilee (2023), Carnival Festivale (2027), Carnival Tropicale (2028), P&O Iona (2020), P&O Arvia (2022), AIDAnova (2018), and AIDAcosma (2021).

The vessel (IMO number 9781889) is currently Italy-flagged (MMSI 247391900) and registered in Genoa.

History - construction and ownership

Costa Cruises, based in Genoa, is a subsidiary of Carnival Corporation. It is Europe’s second-largest cruise line (after MSC Cruises) and operates year-round in the Mediterranean. Founded in 1854 as a cargo shipping company, Costa began passenger services in 1947 with transatlantic crossings between Italy and South America. In 2000, Costa Cruises was acquired by Carnival Corporation.

Costa Smeralda and Toscana were scheduled for delivery in 2019 and 2020, respectively. Costa's ships were built in Turku, Finland, and AIDA’s in Papenburg, Germany. Each unit has a gross tonnage of ~183,000, 2600+ cabins, a double-occupancy capacity of 5200+ passengers (maximum ~6600), and ~1700 crew.

The ship's design features optimized use of interior and open-deck spaces with multi-functional areas. Deck 16 is the activity deck, offering a water slide, water park, ropes course, and mini-golf. The pool deck has a retractable glass roof. The adults-only Beach Club is located under the roof and features two waterslides, a rock climbing wall, and an outdoor theater with a giant LED wall. Dedicated lounges are available for teens, kids, and toddlers.

Panoramic glass elevators connect the outdoor decks. Highlights include a glass-bottomed skywalk 45 m above sea level, a large wellness complex (Organic Spa & Fitness), a bar- and shop-lined plaza, Atrium Lobby Lounge with stage entertainment, and a grand theater for nightly shows.

Costa and AIDA’s new sisterships are the industry's first fully LNG-powered cruise vessels, running entirely on Liquefied Natural Gas both in port and at sea. With these new ships, Costa Group had seven vessels on order, totaling 41,000 berths. By comparison, the combined fleet had 110,000 berths.

The four-ship contract was part of a larger shipbuilding order with Fincantieri (Italy) and Meyer Werft for nine vessels scheduled for delivery between 2019 and 2022.

Managed by Costa Group, the Costa-AIDA fleet is Europe’s largest. In 2014, every second European cruise tourist sailed with Costa or AIDA. By 2015, Costa Group operated 20 offices across 14 countries, employed ~27,000 shipboard staff, and had a total passenger capacity exceeding 68,000 berths. Costa Group is also a leader in the Asian cruise market, especially in China.

In addition to the crew, Costa passengers are assisted by Pepper robots, introduced fleetwide in 2016. These humanoid robots welcome and assist guests, offering information about onboard dining, entertainment, workshops, tours, and promotions. They speak English, German, and Italian, and can recognize human emotions based on voice tone and facial expressions.

Decks and Cabins

Costa Smeralda has 2612 staterooms, designed by Dordoni Architetti and decorated to reflect the theme of each deck (Italian cities). Cabin furnishings were supplied by Molteni&C and Roda, with mattresses from Dorelan, lighting by Flos, and fabrics/upholstery from Dedar Milano and Rubelli. Additional suppliers include Kartell (furniture), Poltrona Frau (leather furnishings), and Alessi (kitchen accessories).

All cabins come with a sleeping area (twin beds convertible to queen-size, bedside tables, reading lights), lounge area (sofabed, ottoman/couch, coffee table, mirrored desk with chair, sliding wardrobe with drawers and hangers), smart HDTV (infotainment, satellite, Internet, on-demand), direct-dial phone, electronic safe, hairdryer, en-suite bathroom (WC, shower), mini-bar/fridge, air-conditioning, 24-hour room service, and complimentary in-cabin Continental breakfast. Most cabins also include a sofa bed or Pullman beds for third/fourth guests.

The largest accommodations are GS-Grand Suites (350 ft² / 33 m² plus 100 ft² / 9 m² balcony), featuring a dressing room, large bathroom (whirlpool tub, shower, bidet), and spacious living area with sectional sofabed. Standard Suites are 290 ft² (27 m²) with a 55 ft² (5 m²) balcony. Terrace Suites (a new Costa category) are 205 ft² (19 m²) with an 8 m² step-out balcony.

The ship has 20 decks, including 16 accessible to passengers and 11 with cabins.

Shipboard Dining Options – Food and Drinks

Costa Smeralda offers 16 dining options and 18 bars. There are 4 main dining rooms (Arlecchino, Il Meneghino, Il Rugantino, La Colombina), 2 buffet eateries, and 5 food courts. Specialty restaurants (extra charge) include Pizzeria Pummid'oro (Italian), Teppanyaki (Japanese), and Laboratorio Del Gusto (DIY food experience). Costa Club Perla Diamante members have access to Bellavista Restaurant, while Suite guests dine at the exclusive Panorama Restaurant.

The Archipelago Restaurant was introduced on Costa Smeralda, offering three menus by celebrity chefs Bruno Barbieri, Helene Darroze, and Angel Leon. Each menu features five regional dishes. The “Destination Dishes” concept also debuted here, providing complimentary dishes in the MDRs inspired by the next port of call.

Shipboard Entertainment – Fun and Sport

Entertainment includes Liquid Entertainment (live music, shows, and dancing at Colosseo and Piazza Trastevere). Piazza Grande Bellezza (amphitheater), Piazza Ravello (Spritz Bar lounge), and the CoDe Museum (Italian design museum) are highlights. Teens and kids enjoy dedicated lounges, Luna Park (playground), and Aqua Park Smeralda (waterslides). Four swimming pools include La Spiaggia (glass-roofed), Settimo Cielo (lap pool), and two kids’ pools. Adults have access to Sun Deck Private 19 and the Beach Club with waterslides, rock wall, and outdoor cinema.

Other features include the Samsara Spa and Gym, Passeggiata Volare (skywalk), Campo da Gioco (sports court), Photo Gallery, Nutella Cafe, and over a dozen bars and lounges.

Smoking is permitted in designated open-air areas on decks 7 (Positano), 8 (Capri), 17 (Bellagio), 18 (Torino), 19 (Cortina), and 20 (Trieste).

Itineraries

Costa Smeralda operates 7-day Western Mediterranean cruises roundtrip from Civitavecchia-Rome, Savona, Barcelona, Marseille, La Spezia, and Palma de Mallorca. Port Savona was modified to accommodate her size.

The original inaugural voyage (October 20, 2020) was rescheduled to begin on December 21, 2019, running through May 16, 2020. Departures rotated by port: Savona (Saturdays), Marseille (Sundays), Barcelona (Mondays), Palma (Tuesdays), Civitavecchia (Thursdays), La Spezia (Fridays).

Between December 3, 2020, and February 21, 2021, Smeralda operated Italy-only cruises (7-day B2Bs, or split into 3-day and 4-day options) from Civitavecchia:

• 4-day: Civitavecchia (Sunday), Naples (Monday), Messina (Tuesday), Cagliari (Wednesday)
• 3-day: Civitavecchia (Thursday), La Spezia (Friday), Savona (Saturday)
• All 7-day cruises were available for booking from any port in the itinerary

The Italy-only program ran March 27 to May 1, 2021. From May 1, the ship resumed regular 7-day Western Mediterranean cruises visiting Italy (Savona, Civitavecchia, Palermo), France (Marseille), and Spain (Barcelona, Palma de Mallorca).

The vessel (Meyer Turku yard/hull number 1394) has a volume of 185,010 GT, a deadweight of 12,500 tons, and a maximum draught of 8.5 m. Her powerplant consists of four Caterpillar-MaK marine dual-fuel engines (model MaK 16M-46DF) with a combined output of 57.2 MW. The registered owner and operator is COSTA CROCIERE SPA, while the ISM manager is CARNIVAL MARITIME GMBH.

The steel-cutting ceremony took place on September 6, 2017, at the Meyer Turku shipyard in Perno, Finland. Costa Smeralda was scheduled for delivery in October 2019, followed by her sistership Costa Toscana in 2021.

In February 2018, Meyer Turku contracted ALMACO Group to supply the ship's galley equipment. This marked ALMACO’s first collaboration with Costa Cruises and its largest order for cruise ship galley installations. ALMACO is a full-service provider specializing in marine cabins (passenger and crew), wet units, galleys, and provision stores.

The traditional coin ceremony was held on July 4, 2018, at Meyer Turku, with commemorative coins placed along the keel for good fortune. The ceremony’s godmother was Elisabetta Moraci, a 28-year-old Second Deck Officer with Costa Cruises. The float-out (launch from drydock) occurred on March 15, 2019, attended by Neil Palomba (Costa Cruises President) and Jan Meyer (Meyer Turku CEO). The christening ceremony was originally scheduled for October 22, 2019, in Port Rotterdam (Netherlands). The vessel completed successful sea trials between November 16-23, 2019.

The ship shares her name with the Cruise Smeralda ferry (1997, operated by GRIMALDI LINES) and the MV Esmeralda (a 1979-built riverboat). Her decks are named after famous Italian cities, from Palermo (deck 4) to Trieste (deck 20). The "social heart" of the ship is the Colosseo—a three-level midship lounge featuring massive LED screens on its walls and dome. Also new to the fleet is the Costa Design Museum (CoDe), spanning 400 m² and curated by Italian architect Matteo Vercelloni.

The vessel is named after Costa Smeralda (meaning "Emerald Coast"), a ~20 km (12 mi) long stretch of coastline in northern Sardinia, Italy. Known for its white-sand beaches, luxury resorts, yacht marinas, golf courses, and high-end amenities (including private jet and helicopter services), Costa Smeralda attracts affluent travelers and celebrities. As a residential area, it is one of Europe’s most expensive, with property prices reaching over EUR 300,000 per m² (or USD 4+ million for a 100 m² home). The largest seaside resort towns are Porto Cervo and Romazzino, with Porto Cervo frequently hosting the world’s largest megayachts.

The ship was officially delivered to Costa Group by Meyer Turku on December 5, 2019.

Like most large-class newbuilds, Costa Smeralda is LNG-powered. Her propulsion system includes four Caterpillar MaK 16M-46DF engines producing a combined 57.2 MW, and two Azimuth thrusters generating 37 MW. She is equipped with three cryogenic LNG tanks totaling ~3,200 m³ in capacity. Two of the tanks are 35 m long with 8 m diameter (each holding 1,525 m³), and the third is 28 m long with 5 m diameter (520 m³). The ship's first LNG bunkering took place on December 18, 2019, in Port Barcelona.

The christening ceremony was held in Port Savona on February 22, 2020. The naming was led by Godmother Penelope Cruz Sanchez (Spanish actress and fashion model, born 1974) and attended by Michael Thamm (Costa Group CEO), Neil Palomba (Costa Cruises President), Paolo Benini (ship's Captain), and Bruno Barbieri (Michelin-starred Italian chef). The celebration featured an acrobatic show (produced by Viktor Klee at the Colosseo Theatre) and a fireworks display launched from a barge in front of Fortezza del Priamar.

Costa Smeralda refurbishments review

The ship's first drydocking was in 2025 (November), conducted at Chantiers Naval de Marseille.

The project was for regular maintenance works, classification/safety inspections, machinery overhaul, hull cleaning and repainting, general hotel upkeep, renewal of flooring and furniture.

Inaugural itineraries 2019

The vessel’s delivery delay (from October to December 2019) led to several canceled itineraries between November 30 and December 20. The maiden voyage was rescheduled from October 20 to December 21. The 7-day “Christmas Cruise” (roundtrip from Savona) was priced from USD 950 per person.

The Inaugural Cruise (maiden voyage) was scheduled for October 20, 2019 (15-day repositioning itinerary from Germany to Italy / Hamburg to Savona). The official (first available for booking) Inaugural cruise was departure November 8 - a 6-day itinerary roundtrip from Civitavecchia to Savona (Nov 9), Marseille (Nov 10), Barcelona (Nov 11) and Palma de Mallorca (Nov 12). Prices started from USD 590 pp (Inside cabin rates). Costa Smeralda has planned 7-day Western Mediterranean cruises through April 2020.

Next tables show ship's maiden voyages with prices per person (double-occupancy Interior Cabin rates).

15-day relocation Hamburg to Savona - from USD 2460 pp

5-day inaugural Mediterranean cruise roundtrip from Savona - from USD 810 pp

7-day Mediterranean cruise roundtrip from Savona - from USD 970 pp

Godspeed!