Costa Magica Cruise Review

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ABOVE: Costa Magica's water slide dominates this view aft from Deck 11.

Costa Magica: the ship

Like many of its peers at mainstream cruise lines, Costa Magica is a "megaship"--at least by the standards of 2005, when the ship entered service. Costa Magica has a rated capacity of 105,000 GRT and 2,720 passengers. Those numbers place it just behind Costa Fascinosa, the line's new flagship, and they make the vessel seem almost cozy next to behemoths like Royal Caribbean's Allure of the Seas (225,000 tons and 5,400 passengers).

Despite its size, Costa Magica doesn't feel huge, and you can walk from one end of the ship to the other in about three minutes if you're on one of the all-cabin decks with a straight hallway on each side. (Altogether, Costa Magica has a dozen passenger decks, with most of the public rooms on Decks 3 through 10.)

Compared to some of the other ships we've been on, such as MSC Poesia and Silversea's Silver Whisper, Costa Magica's decor is exuberant (some might say "over the top"). One of the stranger design elements--albeit one that we can't help liking--is the use of lighting fixtures shaped like human arms in several locations around the ship. If you're creeped out by greenish disembodied arms holding light bulbs, don't look up when you're having breakfast or lunch near the swimming pools.

Costa Magica's most prominent design feature is the Atrium, where glass-walled elevators glide up and down a wall that faces a large opening surrounded by balconies, shops, and open staircases. Above the Atrium, a glass roof brings in daylight. During our cruise, we often enjoyed leaning against a railing on the higher decks to watch the singing pianist near the Italia Magica Bar on Deck 3.

Another pleasant touch, at least for passengers who aren't allergic to the female figure, is the presence of naked and nearly naked ladies around the ship--in artwork, if not by the pool. The pictures are generously scattered around hallways on cabin decks, and our bathroom had a tile above the toilet that appeared to show a young woman doing something intimate (or maybe she was just scratching an itch).

Still, our favorite decor feature on Costa Magica is also the most traditional: the steel-and-teak deck beneath the lifeboats on Deck 3. Unlike the promenade decks on some ships (such as Holland America Line's ms Rotterdam), Costa Magica's boat deck doesn't go all the way around the hull, so you can't make a full 360-degree circuit. For that, you'll need to visit the small and seldom-used jogging track on Deck 11.  The boat deck is a great place to get fresh air nevertheless, and it offers more protection against wind and rain than the topside sun and sports decks do.

Next page: Staterooms, suites