Costa Cruise Ships By Size, Age and Class

Costa Cruises is one of the cheapest cruise lines in Europe, offering a range of itineraries not just around the Mediterranean but also further afield, including the Caribbean, South America and more.

The Costa fleet is not quite as large as the biggest cruise lines in the world, but there are still various ships you can choose between depending on the kind of experience you want onboard.

In this guide, I’ll break down the full range of Costa cruise ships by their size, how old they are, and the different classes available.

Costa ships: biggest to smallest

Here’s a look at all of the Costa Cruises ships from largest to smallest.

Ship	Gross Tonnage	Length	Decks ( For Guests)	Guests	Crew
Costa Toscana	185,010	1105 ft / 337 m	18 (16)	6,554	1,646
Costa Smeralda	185,010	1105 ft / 337 m	18 (16)	6,554	1,646
Costa Diadema	133,019	1,003 ft / 306 m	15 (15)	4,927	1,253
Costa Fascinosa	114,500	950 ft / 290 m	14 (14)	3,700	1,100
Costa Favolosa	114,500	950 ft / 290 m	14 (14)	3,700	1,100
Costa Pacifica	114,500	950 ft / 290 m	14 (14)	3,700	1,100
Costa Serena	114,500	950 ft / 290 m	14 (14)	3,700	1,100
Costa Fortuna	102,669	893 ft / 272 m	14 (14)	3,470	1,090
Costa Deliziosa	92,720	964 ft / 294 m	13 (13)	2,828	934

Typically when comparing cruise ship sizes, you base it on gross tonnage – which, despite the name, is nothing to do with weight but is actually a measurement of the internal volume of the ship. The higher the number, the more ‘space’ onboard.

That’s why I’ve ranked Costa Deliziosa bottom, despite her being longer than some of the other ships on the list. Because she has one fewer deck, she has less space overall.

Those capacity figures are also the maximum capacity, if every room capable of sleeping 3 or 4 guests was at full occupancy. In most cases, they won’t be, since there will often be a lot of couples or pairs of friends sailing, so it’s rare for the ships to reach those numbers.

And one final interesting note with Costa – all of the ships barring the two biggest have a Deck 0, and it’s accessible to guests on the ship too. However, you should hope you don’t end up there, as the only guest facilities on that deck are the medical area/hospital. Otherwise, it’s a crew-only deck.

The two biggest Costa Cruises ships are Costa Toscana and Costa Smeralda. These ships are part of the Excellence Class, and are not just the biggest ships ever built for Costa Cruises but they are also the first to be powered by LNG, a cleaner fuel type.

These ships, as of 2024, make the list of the top 10 largest cruise ships in the world. However, in 2025, they will drop out as several ships measuring over 200,000 gross tonnes will launch.

The smallest cruise ship in the Costa fleet is the Costa Deliziosa – with a gross tonnage of 92,720, she is almost half the size of the biggest ships in the fleet. She is still not considered a small cruise ship as she can accommodate almost 3,000 guests.

None of the ships in the Costa fleet are small, so if you like the idea of a more intimate atmosphere onboard then it may not be the cruise line for you. But there is a very different experience on the smaller ships in the fleet compared to the biggest, with the larger ships definitely feeling busier, but compensating for that with more dining and entertainment options.

Costa ships from newest to oldest

Here’s a look at the fleet now arranged by age, from newest to oldest. You won’t notice a huge difference between this and the ships arranged by size:

Ship	Class	Year Launched	Last Refurbished
Costa Toscana	Excellence	2021	N/A
Costa Smeralda	Excellence	2019	N/A
Costa Diadema	Diadema	2014	N/A
Costa Fascinosa	Concordia	2012	2018
Costa Favolosa	Concordia	2011	2018
Costa Deliziosa	Luminosa	2010	2018
Costa Pacifica	Concordia	2009	2017
Costa Serena	Concordia	2007	2023
Costa Fortuna	Fortuna	2003	2018

The newest cruise ship in the Costa fleet is Costa Toscana. She’s also tied for the biggest ship in the fleet, alongside her twin sister Costa Smeralda. She made her maiden voyage in March 2021.

The oldest Costa Cruises ship still sailing for the cruise line is Costa Fortuna, which has been sailing for over 20 years for the cruise line and was last refurbished in 2018. 

Costa Cruises has existed since the mid-20th Century and so has seen many older cruise ships come and go. Costa Fortuna did have a sister ship, the Costa Magica, but she was sold to Seajets in 2023 and renamed as the Mykonos Magic.

Unfortunately, the reviews for Costa Fortuna aren’t good, as you can see here.

Costa Cruises ship classes

There are currently five classes of ship in the Costa Cruises fleet – Excellence, Diadema, Luminosa, Concordia, and Fortuna. Several of these classes are part of wider ship classes for the Carnival group, with sister ships in other fleets.

The Carnival Group includes several cruise lines and has various classes of ship. The ships within these classes aren’t identical in size but will usually be pretty similar, though the onboard features will be tailored to the specific cruise line.

Here’s a quick look at the ship classes before we delve into each in a little more detail:

Ship	Costa Class	Wider Carnival Group Class
Costa Toscana	Excellence	Excellence
Costa Smeralda	Excellence	Excellence
Costa Diadema	Diadema	Dream
Costa Deliziosa	Luminosa	Vista-Spirit
Costa Fascinosa	Concordia	Concordia
Costa Favolosa	Concordia	Concordia
Costa Pacifica	Concordia	Concordia
Costa Serena	Concordia	Concordia
Costa Fortuna	Fortuna	Destiny/Sunshine

Excellence Class

There are two Excellence Class ships in the Costa fleet – Costa Toscana and Costa Smeralda. They are part of the wider Excellence Class which includes ships such as P&O Cruises’ Iona and Arvia, and Carnival’s Mardi Gras, Carnival Celebration and Carnival Jubilee.

Suggested read: My Costa Smeralda Review

Diadema Class

Costa Diadema is the only ship in Costa’s Diadema Class. It’s part of the wider Dream Class, which includes three Carnival ships including the Carnival Dream. Costa Diadema is the largest of this class.

Luminosa Class

The Luminosa Class includes only one ship in the Costa fleet, the Costa Deliziosa. It was named originally for the Costa Luminosa, before she transferred to Carnival and became the Carnival Luminosa. Two Cunard ships – Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth – are also part of this wider class.

Concordia Class

There are currently four ships in the Concordia Class for Costa – Costa Serena, Costa Pacifica, Costa Favolosa and Costa Fascinosa. There was a fifth, for which the class was named – the Costa Concordia, which sank in 2012. Carnival’s ship Carnival Splendor is part of this wider class.

Fortuna Class

The Fortuna Class for Costa only includes one ship, the Costa Fortuna. The Costa Magica was once part of this class too, but was sold in 2023. It’s a sub-class of the Sunshine Class, formerly the Destiny Class, including three Carnival ships.

The best Costa Cruises ships

For most guests, the best Costa Cruises ships are the two biggest and newest, the Costa Toscana and Costa Smeralda. They are in the best condition and have the most variety of dining options and activities to enjoy onboard.

However, because Costa’s cruises are cheap, that does mean that you’ll rarely find cruises on these ships that are below 60% capacity, and even at that level this can make them feel quite crowded at times. Indeed, both ships make the list of the 12 worst cruise ships according to customer reviews.

If you prefer a quieter experience then you may find the smaller ships are more appealing, especially Costa Deliziosa, which is the smallest but not the oldest. Again though, it doesn’t have the best reviews.

For anyone choosing Costa, as long as you understand what kind of experience to expect, you can still have a great time, but it makes sense to choose a ship that’s best suited to the style of cruising you enjoy.

Related posts:

• The REAL Reasons Costa Cruises Are So Cheap!
• Costa Cruises Drinks Packages Guide
• The 10 Smallest Cruise Ships In The World
• The Best Cruise Ships for Kids