Karl WP Beyer Commissioned in 1993 and 220 meters long Costa NeoRomantica originally ran under the name Romantic Coast for the Italian cruise company Costa Crociere SpA. You and the sister ship Costa Classica were initially the largest Italian passenger ships.
Costa neoRomantica in the port of Tamatave / Madagascar
The Costa neoRomantica has been one of three cruise ships for the sub-brand since 2012 Costa neoCollection. Under this name, Costa offers its guests non-everyday cruise experiences. The shipping company's three old, small cruise ships that are no longer suitable for mass business are used specifically for this program. The ships call at selected destinations away from the heavily frequented shipping routes, and often offer their guests extended port lay times or even overnight stays.
The Costa Romantica has been completely refitted with a view to its new task. Two additional half-decks were installed in the front area. That brought 111 new cabins. A total of 120 cabins were given balconies.
Costa neoRomantica - attached half-decks
The 25 year old ship seems a bit out of date. The lifeboats placed at a lofty height on deck 9 and the balconies that protrude from the ship's side on the 6th and 7th deck give the Costa neoRomantica a somewhat rigid appearance. They suggest that it is an older cruise ship.
Costa neoRomantica - side balconies and lifeboats at lofty heights
Beauty is relative: In a cruise ship, the “inner values” are more important. And in this area the Costa neoRomantica is able to inspire its guests. Costa calls the ship the most elegant and exclusive ship in the Costa fleet, and Costa Crociere should know it after all!
The bars, restaurants, the two show lounges and the other public areas are located on the upper decks 8 to 12. The space available in the public areas below and above deck is generously dimensioned.
Staterooms
A distinction is made between indoor, outdoor, balcony cabins and suites. The majority of the cabins are located in the lower part of the ship on decks 4 to 7. Decks 8 and 9 do not have any cabins. Suite categories can be found on decks 11,12, 14 and XNUMX.
General impression
We live in the port balcony cabin 7093 on the seventh deck. There is sufficient storage space in cupboards and chests of drawers; the cloakroom for a two-week trip can be conveniently placed in the cabin.
Costa neoRomantica - balcony cabin 7093
The styling and decor of the cabin are appealing: the light, patterned carpeting contrasts well with the wall applications. They consist of a mixture of warm wood tones and patterned white surfaces.
A small make-up desk or desk is available. An armchair and a small table complete the furnishings. A modern TV monitor, telephone, safe and air conditioning are part of the basic equipment. However, the lighting is insufficient.
Costa neoRomantica - balcony cabin 7093
The wet room looks amazingly spacious. The rounded balcony also offers enough space. Two chairs and a small table do not give the impression of being cramped. The only complaint is that the backrests of the balcony chairs cannot be tilted.
A number of the cabins have extra beds. Special cabins are reserved for guests with restricted mobility.
Food and drink on board
Restaurants
With double occupancy of the cabins and full capacity utilization of the ship, 1.578 guests travel on board the Costa neoRomantica. Eat in six restaurants. Three of the restaurants are included in the price; the two specialty restaurants and the pizzeria are subject to a surcharge.
The restaurants included in the tour price:
Ristorante Botticelli
The large and elegantly furnished main restaurant is located in the aft area of the ship on the eighth deck. It offers 864 places. The ship's guests enjoy competent service and varied, regional and tasty Italian food.
Costa neoRomantica - Ristorante Botticelli
Breakfast, lunch and dinner are served in the Botticelli. The quality of the food, its decoration and the taste are consistently good. The service works efficiently. Flexible meal times apply. From around 19:00pm, most of the guests crowd into the restaurant. At this time there may be bottlenecks.
The garden
The spacious self-service restaurant Il Giardino is located aft on the tenth deck. A semicircular guest room facing the center of the ship is tightly seated and looks a bit gloomy. The situation is different in the rear, much larger area of the restaurant. Daylight from three sides from floor-to-ceiling windows, Mediterranean decorations and enough space between the tables are the main features of this department. The whole thing looks like the outside area of an Italian trattoria. The choice of food is plentiful and tasty.
Costa neoRomantica - Il Giardino buffet restaurant
The drinks service works well and the clearing and cleaning of the tables also works in general. An afternoon snack is also served in the Giardino between 16:00pm and 17:30pm
Barbecue Capri
The tiny one on the eleventh deck behind that Lido St Tropez located restaurant serves as a breakfast room for late risers, as a salad bar and as a "burger" corner.
Costa neoRomantica - Grill Capri
The restaurants with extra charge:
Restaurant Club neoRomantica
The club restaurant is located amidships on deck 9. The 100-seat restaurant is a place to relax: the furnishings are elegant. Fine dishes and high-quality drinking glasses are also used. The extensive menu caters for many tastes. The wine selection is impressive and the service is unobtrusive and highly competent. Glass windows allow a view of the kitchen. We enjoyed our dinner.
Costa neoRomantica - Club Restaurant
Samsara restaurant
The specialty restaurant located aft on port side on the ninth deck advertises with the slogan “Pacific Fusion Menu”. What is meant is the connection between Asian and South American cuisine. The kitchen is innovative. The dishes are well seasoned and taste delicious.
The samsara is elegantly furnished. Beautiful decorations and atmospheric lighting underline the classy atmosphere. The card is kept small. The dishes are served finely decorated and are also of the highest quality. The service in the 74-seat restaurant is attentive and courteous. Both menus are offered at a price of 30 euros per person.
Costa neoRomantica - Samsara Restaurant
Pizzeria Capri
The pizzeria is located amidships to starboard on deck 11. It is equipped with a wood oven. The shipping company explains that the wood stove is the first and only one on a cruise ship.
The restaurant is functional and sober; the impression of a Mediterranean pizzeria does not arise at all. That doesn't hurt, however. The pizzeria was badly frequented on our trip. It couldn't have been because of the pizza prices.
Costa neoRomantica - Pizzeria Capri
Breakfast in the cabin
This little luxury debits the on-board account with 5 euros per person.
Bars & Lounges
During our tour through the bars & lounges of the Costa neoRomantica we move from deck 8 up to the 11th deck.
Deck 8
The one located amidships extends across the entire width of the ship Grand Bar Piazza Italia. Since the ship lacks an on-board theater, the large, tastefully furnished Grand Bar is used as one of two venues on board the ship.
Costa neoRomantica - Grand Bar Piazza Italia
The is adjacent to the Grand Bar Enoteca Verona. Wine tastings are often held in the finely furnished restaurant.
Costa neoRomantica - Enoteca Verona
Deck 9
In Bar Cabaret Vienna is the second central venue of the ship. It also extends over the entire width of the ship. The Vienna is the venue for the stage shows.
Costa neoRomantica - Bar Cabaret Vienna
Behind it is the aft on starboard Disco tango. It is spacious and invitingly decorated. Night is turned into day with live music.
Costa neoRomantica - Salone Disco Tango
In contrast, it is more contemplative Smoking Room to. The equipped with heavy leather furniture and wood tones Cigar lounge lies next to the Galleria Via Condotti. We think: the room is far too good to smoke.
Opposite the Sala Fumatori is the Crêperiewho have favourited Chocolate Bar. The name says it all: coffee variations, chocolates and delicious cakes sweeten the day for those with a sweet tooth on board the Costa neoRomantica.
Costa neoRomantica - Creperie
Deck 11
The two outer pools are within reach Bar Saint Tropez and the Bar Lido Monte Carlo.
Costa neoRomantica - Bar Saint Tropez
Beverage prices
The menu and bar menus offer a wide selection. The price level of the drinks is still acceptable compared to US ships. The purchase of the beverage package Tweet Gusto might be considered.
Sport & Wellness
The sports offer
There is a relatively small fitness center, two outdoor pools and an indoor pool in the Samsara Spa. The short jogging route on the 12th Deck is hardly worth mentioning. One of the two outdoor pools that Lido Monte Carlo, is blocked for children.
Costa neoRomantica - Gym
The gym equipment is state-of-the-art; strength athletes were also thought of. Different courses complete the sports offer.
The Costa neoRomantica has sufficiently large deck areas. It is not a problem to get hold of a deck couch. Shaded areas are poorly dimensioned. There are only a few of them. And the few are reserved early in the morning as if by magic. The shipping company is threatening to clear reserved couches. In operational practice, the problem often remains that towels and books enjoy the shade while the accompanying travelers spend hours otherwise enjoying themselves.
Costa neoRomantica - Lido Montecarlo
Behind the Montecarlo pool area and above the Giardino restaurant there is a relaxation area (15 euros / day and person), which is subject to a surcharge. A hot tub, comfortable loungers, many of them in the shade, and lounge furniture are the hallmarks of the Terrazza Monte Carlo.
Costa neoRomantica - Terrazza Montecarlo
The Samsara Spa
Much emphasis is placed on the well-being of the guests. The area of the Samsara Spa on Deck 8 and Deck 9 is estimated at 4.400 m². In such a large space, guests can expect a lot.
The elegant, dignified wellness oasis offers facial and body treatments, various massage procedures, Ayurveda, steam baths, jacuzzi, sauna offers, mud wraps and much more. Hair styling as well as hand and foot care complete the program. The indoor pool of the Samsara Spa is located in the spa area. The operator of the wellness area is the renowned international spa specialist Steiner.
Costa neoRomantica - Spa - relaxation loungers
Entertainment
The entertainment on offer is varied and varied, depending on the time of day. Bingo events, seminars, captain's receptions and much more are offered daily.
Costa neoRomantica - captain's reception
The evening stage shows do not stand up to comparison with other cruise ships. Since there is no efficient on-board theater, the performances are mainly limited to singing, magic or dance. The dance troupe deserves special mention, with its fast-paced dances and beautiful costumes that cast a spell over the audience.
Costa neoRomantica - dance troupe in action
Dance events take place every day. The members of the animation team and the dancers of the dance troupe act as Dance hosts.
This is in front of the Grand Bar Piazza Italia Excelsior on-board casino. The game is played at tables and machines.
The is on the 8th deck next to the front stairwell Card salon.
In the opposite small Prayer room Regular services are held on the port side.
Costa neoRomantica - Side by Side - The Enoteca and the Chapel
Those who rely on the internet on board can find the narrow one on deck 11 Library the four places Internet Café is available for storage, management and analysis.
The name of the ship's own shop area Galleria Via Condotti was borrowed from the famous noble Roman shopping street. The attractive shops do not correspond to the Roman model; Nevertheless, many travelers apparently like to browse through the offers in the shops.
Costa neoRomantica - Galleria Via Condotti
In our opinion, the concept of the Costa neoRomantica is not a family ship. Children will certainly find more variety on other ships. If children and young people travel with you, they can use the offers of the Squok Club.
Costa neoRomantica - Squok Club's distinctive mark
Information about the Costa neoRomantica
|
Commissioning |
1993 |
|
Size: |
Length 220 meters; Width 30,80 meters |
|
measurement |
56.769 GT |
|
Passenger decks |
10 decks |
|
Machine |
2 diesel engines, |
|
Cruising speed |
18,5 knots |
|
Shipyard |
Fincantieri; Marghera / Venice plant |
|
Completely modernized |
2011/2012 |
|
Staterooms |
789 |
|
passengers |
1.578 with double occupancy |
|
Manning |
about 617 persons |
|
Flagge |
Italy |
|
home port |
Genoa |
|
Board language |
Italienisch |
|
Currency on board |
Euro |
Summary
Around 1,5 million passengers book cruises on Costa ships every year. Only a few passengers can use the three medium-sized and clearly arranged ships of the neoCollection, although this program offers many amenities. Guests who do not value gigantic water slides, climbing gardens, ice rinks and family suitability should feel in good hands on the ships of the neoCollection.
We tested the Costa neoRomantica in February and March 2017 during a 14-day cruise in the Indian Ocean.
Beach section on the Seychelles island of Mahé
In the course of the trip we got to know the Costa neoRomantica as an appealing ship for trips to selected destinations. In particular, speak for the ship:
- the route guidance
- the lush space in the public areas,
- the meticulous cleanliness on board the ship,
- the delicious food in all tested restaurants,
- the dedicated crew, starting with the cabin steward and ending with the “Master of the Ship”, the captain Gianfranco La Fauci.
Costa neoRomantica - captain with hotel manager and cruise director
We warmly recommend the Costa neoRomantica.
The trip was supported by Costa Crociere. Our special thanks go to the shipping company and our contacts on board. With regard to our journalistic independence, we refer to the chapter "We are independent".
The ship was moved to Shanghai in March 2017. Until further notice, it is available for the Asian market. The crew members involved in guest contact, the on-board menus, the entertainment program and the on-board shops were exchanged or adapted to the changed task. That's a shame, we would like to see the Costa neoRomantica in our latitudes.
(Karl Beyer - Update May 2018)
