How Costa Cruises scores
Italian-market mainstream cruising, from a brand its own parent has been deliberately downsizing since 2020.
These are fit scores, not review scores. They measure who Costa actually suits, not whether it runs a good cruise.
Two honest notes. Fleet stability scores low deliberately — the fleet has fallen from a pre-pandemic high of 17 ships to 9, and it is still shrinking. Name-vs-ship consistency is genuinely low: three ships that used to carry the Costa name are now sailing under Carnival's, and old reviews or bookings referencing them by their former names can mislead you about what you are actually researching.
Why the fleet is shrinking
Because Carnival Corporation, Costa's parent, has been quietly redirecting resources toward its stronger-performing brands since 2020.
Costa's fleet has fallen from a high of 17 ships before the pandemic to 9 today, heading to 8 once Costa Fortuna departs in September 2026. This is not the ordinary attrition of old ships retiring — Carnival Corporation has said plainly that it is prioritizing brands with stronger financial performance, and Costa, historically strong in the Italian and broader European market, has borne a disproportionate share of the reduction.
What makes this genuinely worth knowing, rather than just a number going down: the ships did not simply vanish. Some were sold for scrap or to unrelated operators. But three of the more recent departures went to a sister brand within the very same corporate family — repainted, renamed, and redeployed to a different market entirely.
Where the ships actually went
Not every departure was the same kind of departure.
Venezia and Firenze both became part of Carnival Cruise Line's "Fun Italian Style" sub-brand, aimed squarely at American guests who will never have sailed the originals — same Italian-inspired design and decor, different company, different itineraries. Luminosa also moved to Carnival, but was not folded into that Italian-themed treatment at all; she simply became an ordinary Carnival ship, deployed to Australia and Alaska.
Costa Fortuna is the genuinely different case. She is not moving to a sister brand — she is leaving the Carnival Corporation family entirely, sold to Margaritaville at Sea for Caribbean sailings under yet another new name. Of the four ships covered here, she is the only one that will not still be, in any sense, a Carnival ship.
The current fleet, 9 ships heading to 8
| Ship(s) | What they actually are |
|---|---|
| Costa Toscana & Costa Smeralda | Excellence Class, the two newest and largest, both fully LNG-powered. Toscana (2021/2022) is the current flagship; Smeralda (2019) her older sister. The same class family as P&O's Iona and Arvia and Carnival's Mardi Gras. |
| Costa Diadema | Delivered 2014, the largest ship in her class and the last one Costa still operates alone — no sister ship remains under the Costa name. |
| Costa Deliziosa | Delivered 2010. Her original sister, Costa Luminosa, left for Carnival in 2022 — Deliziosa is now the class's only ship still sailing as Costa. |
| Costa Serena, Pacifica, Favolosa & Fascinosa | Concordia Class, the backbone of the current fleet at four ships. Serena just completed a multi-year renovation program in November 2025 — new suites, redesigned pools and dining, ahead of a 2026 world cruise from Tokyo to Buenos Aires. |
| Costa Fortuna | Delivered 2003, the fleet's oldest and longest-serving ship — and the one leaving the Carnival family entirely in September 2026. |
New for 2026
| What's new | Detail |
|---|---|
| Costa Fortuna departing | Scheduled to leave the fleet in September 2026, sold to Margaritaville at Sea — the fleet drops from 9 ships to 8 once the transfer completes. |
| Costa Serena's renovation complete | A multi-year, roughly €200 million fleet-modernization program concluded with Serena's overhaul in November 2025 — new suites, pools, dining venues, and a redesigned food court. |
| No newbuilds announced | Unlike several Carnival Corporation sister brands, Costa has no new ship currently on order — the fleet's near-term story is contraction and reassignment, not replacement. |
Who it fits — and who should look elsewhere
You want an Italian-styled, Mediterranean-focused mainstream cruise at strong value. You are comfortable with a fleet in genuine transition and want to check your specific ship's current status before booking. You want the two newest LNG-powered ships, Toscana or Smeralda, for the most modern hardware currently under the Costa name. Or you are specifically drawn to Costa's global and world-cruise itineraries.
You are researching a ship by a name you remember, like Costa Venezia or Costa Luminosa — check whether she is still Costa first, since three recent Costa ships now sail under Carnival's name. You want a large, stable fleet with predictable long-term deployment. You want a primarily American-market experience; Costa remains built around Italian and European guests. Or fleet uncertainty itself is a dealbreaker for your planning.
If you asked us to pick
Before you book anything, confirm the specific ship you are looking at is still actually Costa — search results and old reviews for Costa Venezia, Costa Firenze, or Costa Luminosa may describe a ship that now sails as a Carnival ship, under different management and itineraries. If you want the most modern experience still genuinely under the Costa name, Toscana and Smeralda are the honest picks; if budget and Mediterranean familiarity matter more than newest hardware, the Concordia Class ships remain the fleet's real workhorses.
Keep exploring
Ask Seabound about Costa Cruises
Trying to find out what happened to a specific ship?
Tell us the ship name, and we will tell you whether she is still Costa.
Instant answers from our guides · always verified against current Costa Cruises information before you book. An independent advisory, not affiliated with or endorsed by Costa Cruises or Carnival Corporation.
Quick answers
What happened to Costa Venezia and Costa Firenze?
They left Costa entirely. Both were transferred to sister brand Carnival Cruise Line and renamed Carnival Venezia and Carnival Firenze, sailing as part of a sub-brand marketed as Fun Italian Style aimed at American guests. Carnival Venezia sails from Port Canaveral before repositioning to New York; Carnival Firenze sails from Los Angeles. Neither is a Costa ship anymore, despite the Italian styling.
Is Costa Luminosa still a Costa ship?
No. She transferred to Carnival Cruise Line in 2022 and sails as Carnival Luminosa, deployed between Australia and Alaska. Unlike Costa Venezia and Costa Firenze, she was not folded into the Fun Italian Style sub-brand — she simply became a regular Carnival ship.
Why is Costa's fleet shrinking?
Carnival Corporation, Costa's parent, has said it is prioritizing brands with stronger financial performance, and has been reducing Costa's fleet since the 2020 industry-wide pause. Some ships were transferred to sister brand Carnival Cruise Line rather than sold outside the family; others, like Costa Fortuna, are leaving the Carnival Corporation family entirely.
What is happening to Costa Fortuna?
She is leaving the Carnival Corporation family entirely in September 2026, sold to Margaritaville at Sea and renamed Margaritaville at Sea Beachcomber for Caribbean sailings. She is Costa's oldest and longest-serving ship, in service since 2003, and the only recent departure not going to a Carnival sister brand.
Who owns Costa Cruises?
Costa Crociere SpA, based in Genoa, Italy, is a subsidiary of Carnival Corporation — the same parent that owns Carnival Cruise Line, Princess, Holland America, Cunard, Seabourn, and P&O Cruises. Costa remains Carnival's dedicated Italian-market brand, even as ships move between it and its siblings.