Costa Fascinosa

Overview

Fodor's Update: Costa Cruises' largest ship, Costa Concordia, ran aground off the Tuscan island of Giglio, Italy on Friday, January 13, 2012. Check our blog for updates.

The largest ships built for an Italian cruise line, Costa Concordia, Costa Serena, and Costa Pacifica, plus new "class" mates Costa Favolosa andCosta Fascinosa are larger versions of identical sister ships Costa Magica and Costa Fortuna, which were derived from parent Carnival Cruise Lines' Carnival Triumph andCarnival Conquest. But Costa has pulled out all the stops with these vessels.

The Samsara Spas are far from ho-hum, both in facilities and amenities. Some of the largest at sea, they span 20,500 square feet. A first for Costa passengers are luxurious, Samsara staterooms and suites, located adjacent to and one deck below the spa itself. A health-conscious Samsara Restaurant is reserved for their dining pleasure on deck 3. Other cool features are two swimming pools with retractable roofs (the largest such pools on any ship), a huge outdoor movie screen, and a Grand Prix racing simulator—just like the ones Formula One race car drivers use for training.