Costa Romantic Boasts a Sleek Italian Style

After an intensive three-year introduction of two brand-new and fully reconstructed vessels on existing hulls, Costa finally seems to have gotten the knack of things with its newest, the 1,350-passenger CostaRomantica, which made its debut in the Caribbean in late November.

Three of the line’s four new ships--the CostaClassica, CostaRomantica and CostaAllegra--are sailing the Caribbean on seven-night cruises this winter.

The Romantica is sister ship to the CostaClassica. The Classica came out in 1992 to a “thumbs down” reaction from many early passengers, hampered by a massive advertising campaign touting a new “EuroLuxe” style instead of Costa’s longtime “Cruising Italian Style” theme, corny but successful in North America for its flirtatious Italian waiters, toga parties, strolling musicians and lots of pizza and pasta.

So repeat passengers boarded the Classica and searched in vain for familiar Italian waiters, many of whom had been replaced by stewards of various nationalities in a cost-cutting move. (On the Romantica, only 120 crew members out of 650 are Italians, “but they are all Italians at heart,” says Costa Cruises president Dino Schibuola.)

Meanwhile, first-time passengers who read “EuroLuxe” to mean cushy and enveloping luxury in the style of Royal Viking or Crystal Harmony, expressed dismay at the ship’s austere design and acres of bare marble floors in the dining room and public areas.

But the Romantica, while nearly identical to its sister ship, comes across as chic and understated rather than pretentious, as the Classica seemed with its white plaster statues surrounded by potted palms.

“Italian Style by Design” is the line’s newest slogan, emphasizing the architecture and decor of the ships.

While the dining-room floor on the Romantic is still bare marble, the clatter has been cut down somewhat by a new ceiling design, and the staff seems to drop fewer dishes than before. The ship’s chief steward praised the sanitary quality of marble as compared to carpeting.

Oversized portholes, which are used instead of windows in the cabins and on-board shops, add a stylish note, while several large but light kinetic sculptures bring in the requisite touch of modern art.

For spa and beauty fans, the Caracalla Spa is lavishly designed, with massage and treatment rooms with windows open to the sea, steam baths, two saunas and full beauty services.

The pool deck is beautiful, with pale blue-and-white-striped cushions on the lounge chairs, natural teak decking, sidewalk-cafe chairs of cream wicker and chrome under umbrellas, and “cocoon” cabana chairs of wicker lined with striped cushions--great for reading or quiet tete-a-tetes. There’s also a jogging track on the top deck.

The Diva Disco doubles as a daytime observation lounge high atop the ship, and there’s a second pool on the stern with terraced galleries of sunbathing spots and four Jacuzzis.

Separate smoking and nonsmoking reading rooms/libraries and card/game rooms are also on board, along with spacious meeting rooms for groups.

The Renaissance-style show lounge offers good sight lines from most areas (except behind support posts) and is completely nonsmoking, a boon, we would think, to both audience and performers. Smoking and nonsmoking areas throughout the ship are well marked.

The production shows, which originate in Britain, are handsomely presented with lavish costumes and accomplished dancers but seem very dated compared to some of the shows Carnival and Royal Caribbean are presenting now.

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On the inaugural sailing, the staff still seemed to be adjusting from Europe to America. At the buffet on boarding day, iced tea was an unknown commodity, which perplexed passengers on a sweltering Florida afternoon.

As on the Classica, the executive chef is Austrian rather than Italian, and the pizza--back by popular demand--is more Pillsbury than Pisa. Other dishes are more successful, especially some of the vegetarian dishes and the breads.

The service staff is nicely uniformed and eager to please, although English-as-a-second-language classes could be recommended for many of them. Room service orders in particular tended to get confused on the inaugural sailing.

We ordered a big breakfast one morning by circling items on the printed card--poached eggs and corned beef hash, a herb omelet with sausage, two tomato juices and two teas--for 8 a.m. We ended up at 8:30 with two teas and place settings for two, but only one tiny omelet and a single glass of juice, which we divided daintily when nothing more materialized.

But these are all matters that can be corrected. The important things about the Romantica are its handsome cabins and beautiful public rooms, and its clean, stylish look that is a wonderful antidote to today’s glitzy mega-liners.

Cabins have elegant burled briarwood Italian furniture and plenty of hanging and storage spaces, plus personal safes. White marble counters and built-in hair dryers are in all bathrooms, but in the suites, space is grander with two basins in the marble counter and separate Jacuzzi tub and stall shower. The art and graphics throughout the cabins utilize fabric wall hangings with Italian scenes or abstract designs. Cabin TVs play feature films throughout the day and evening on a published schedule.

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Several inside cabins are designed for wheelchair access, with extra-wide doors, bathrooms with pull-down shower seats and generous turning space.

Along with 10 veranda suites as on the Classica, the Romantica has added a deck of 24 suites with floor-to-ceiling glass windows. The suites are especially comfortable and appealing and have trundle beds for passengers traveling with children.

The suites with veranda are 580 square feet, while standard outside cabins are 200 square feet and inside standards 175 square feet.

Brochure prices for the CostaRomantica seven-day cruises range from $795 per person, double occupancy, for an inside cabin with upper and lower berths, to a top of $2,995 per person, double occupancy, for a suite. Fares vary by season, and do offer a discount for early bookings.

The Romantica alternates eastern and western Caribbean itineraries from Miami, calling in San Juan, St. Thomas, Casa de Campo (Dominican Republic) and Nassau on the eastern leg; Ocho Rios, Playa del Carmen, Cozumel and Grand Cayman on the western itinerary.

The Classica sails from San Juan on a southern Caribbean itinerary, calling at St. Maarten, Martinique, Barbados, St. Thomas and Casa de Campo. The Allegra alternates eastern and western Caribbean itineraries from Miami, San Juan, St. Thomas, Casa de Campo and Nassau on the eastern leg, and Ocho Rios, Playa del Carmen, Cozumel and Grand Cayman on the western route.