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Costa Cruises

From: European Cruise Guide

ABOVE: A Costa ship spends the day at the Stazione Marittima in Naples, Italy.

Costa Crociere is one of the largest European cruise lines, with a fleet of nine ships. The company, a subsidiary of Carnival Cruises, is based in Genoa, Italy and welcomes English-speaking travelers aboard its multilingual voyages.

Unlike most cruise lines, Costa has a Mediterranean season that includes the winter months. It also operates Northern European cruises in the warmer season. Several transatlantic crossings are  sandwiched into the schedule, since a number of Costa ships operate in the Caribbean and South America during the winter.

Costa Cruises attracts a younger crowd in Europe than many U.S. and British cruise lines do--especially during school breaks, when children and teens are likely to be on board. If you're looking for a chance to cruise with a middle-class crowd from the Continent, Costa should be on your shopping list. (We've cruised in the Western Mediterranean with Costa, and we had a great time.)

Cruise line's Web site:

Costa Cruises

Cruise review:

Costa Western Mediterranean Cruise