Costa Crociere S.p.A. — Local services in Genoa

Costa Crociere S.p.A. (Italian pronunciation: [ˈkɔsta kroˈtʃɛːre]), operating as Costa Cruises (Italian: Costa Crociere), is an Italian cruise line founded in 1854 and organized as a wholly owned subsidiary of Carnival Corporation & plc since 2000. Based in Genoa, Italy, the cruise line primarily caters to the Italian cruise market, but the company's fourteen ships, which all sail under the Italian flag, provides itineraries sailing to countries globally. Founded in 1854 by Giacomo Costa as Giacomo Costa fu Andrea, the company originally operated cargo ships, carrying olive oils and textiles.In 1924, the company was passed to the founder's sons (Federico, Eugenio and Enrico) and started commercial activities, buying the ship, Ravenna. In 1947, the name of the company was changed to Linea C. Commercial activities continued for one more year until 1948, with the introduction of passenger services, beginning with regular services between Italy and South America operated by the ship, Anna C. She marked the start of scheduled operations between Italy and South America after being the first ocean liner to cross the South Atlantic Ocean following World War II. In 1959, the company gradually transitioned into offering more pleasure holidays, with trips being offered in the Mediterranean and the Caribbean regions. Linea C proceeded to take ownership of its first purpose-built cruise ship in 1964 and went on to own 12 more ships by 1980, making the company the owner of the world's largest fleet of passenger ships. In 1986, Linea C changed its name to Costa Cruises and became a cruise-centered business. In March 1997, Carnival Corporation and Airtours PLC purchased Costa Cruises for $300 million. At the time, Costa Cruises had been the leading European cruise line, with an estimated market share of 19%. Carnival and Airtours both acquired 50% each of...

Disapointing experience

I’m currently on the Costa Smeralda with my wife and 9-year-old son, and I feel compelled to warn other families: do NOT book this cruise if you're traveling with children. We chose this ship because it was marketed as family-friendly — in reality, it's the exact opposite. This has been one of the most frustrating and disappointing travel experiences we've ever had. First shock: there is absolutely no proper onboarding. No staff available to explain anything clearly. You're left guessing. The Costa app is next to useless — full of vague, generic info with no practical guidance. Now the pools — a complete disaster. They are tiny, cold, and dangerously overcrowded. There's no space for parents to safely enjoy the water with their kids. If the weather is chilly, children's pool activities are cancelled. Not that it matters — the water is anyway cold. Entertainment for children? A complete joke. The so-called “Pelagos Sanctuary” event — hyped up in every promo — lasted less than seven minutes. That’s not a typo. Seven. It felt like an insult to every family onboard. Breakfast is another daily disappointment — low quality, repetitive, worse than what you'd get in a budget 2-star hotel. Yes, dinner is decent, but it takes nearly two hours to get through it. Not ideal when you have a child who's bored, tired, or hungry. This cruise is not built for families, full stop. It’s a waste of time, money, and energy. Our son is disappointed. We are disappointed. Costa Smeralda sold us a dream and delivered a mess. I strongly urge families to...

Great experience on Costa Pacifica, delicious food, good service in the regular restaurant, but some waiting at the buffet, but you can eat as much as you want. If you don’t get the expensive package for drinks, you can have a bottle of water or beer for €4.50. Just disappointed that the bottle of water from the room was not a complimentary offer, but we were charged without being told before. Great shows in the evening with a good dancing group and some other performers. The entertainment team was active and offered all kind of activities. There was no problem to bring drinks from outside the boat, so we saved some money. There is no Internet on the boat while being away from shore, if you don’t purchase it for at least $35 for a whole week, but you can have regular signal in the port, just that Costa has an app that helps you chatting with your friends on the boat, which helps, plus keeps you informed about what’s going on the boat! swimming pools are small just for soaking and the Jacuzzi are always full . I recommend a room with balcony so you can have your own privacy and sun! Rooms with balcony at the back of the ship are not windy at all, but you have to support the noise from the downstairs music till 1 AM if you are at the 6th deck. Just a recommendation for the cleaning stuff: make sure you don’t give work to the travelers, after cleaning the room, just leave things in their...