As of October 2026, Costa Cruises sails eight ships. The biggest are the twin Excellence-class ships, Costa Smeralda and Costa Toscana, at about 185,000 gross tons each. The smallest is Costa Deliziosa, at about 92,700 gross tons. The newest is Costa Toscana, which entered service in late 2021, and the oldest is Costa Serena, from 2007. The fleet shrank this year when Costa Fortuna made its last Costa sailing in September 2026 and left to become Margaritaville at Sea Beachcomber. That follows Costa Luminosa, Costa Venezia and Costa Firenze, which all moved to Carnival Cruise Line between 2022 and 2024.
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Below, the current fleet is ranked by size, by age and by class, with some notes on which ship suits which kind of traveller.
List of Costa cruise ships in 2026 (A to Z): Costa Deliziosa, Costa Diadema, Costa Fascinosa, Costa Favolosa, Costa Pacifica, Costa Serena, Costa Smeralda and Costa Toscana. Ships are often written with the prefix “MS” (motor ship), as in MS Costa Smeralda, but the names are the same.
Costa Cruise Ships by Size (Largest to Smallest)
Gross tonnage (GT) measures a ship’s enclosed volume, not its weight. It is the most common way to compare cruise ship size. The guest figures below are double-occupancy numbers, worked out from each ship’s cabin count. Costa often sails with third and fourth berths filled, especially in European school holidays, so the real number on board can be noticeably higher.
| Rank | Ship | Class | Gross tonnage (approx.) | Guests (double occupancy, approx.) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Costa Toscana | Excellence | 185,000 | 5,300 |
| 2 | Costa Smeralda | Excellence | 185,000 | 5,300 |
| 3 | Costa Diadema | Diadema | 133,000 | 3,800 |
| 4 | Costa Fascinosa | Concordia (modified) | 114,500 | 3,000 |
| 5 | Costa Favolosa | Concordia (modified) | 114,500 | 3,000 |
| 6 | Costa Pacifica | Concordia | 114,500 | 3,000 |
| 7 | Costa Serena | Concordia | 114,500 | 3,000 |
| 8 | Costa Deliziosa | Luminosa | 92,700 | 2,300 |
Published tonnage figures differ slightly from one source to another, mostly because of refits and rounding. Treat the numbers as close guides rather than exact measurements. Costa Toscana has a few more cabins than Costa Smeralda, so it comes out just ahead on guest capacity, but in practice the two are the same size.
Costa Ships by Age (Newest to Oldest)
Every ship in the current fleet was built for Costa, so the year built is also the year it joined the line. There are no second-hand transfers in today’s line-up.
| Ship | Year entered service | Age in 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Costa Toscana | 2021 | About 5 years |
| Costa Smeralda | 2019 | About 7 years |
| Costa Diadema | 2014 | About 12 years |
| Costa Fascinosa | 2012 | About 14 years |
| Costa Favolosa | 2011 | About 15 years |
| Costa Deliziosa | 2010 | About 16 years |
| Costa Pacifica | 2009 | About 17 years |
| Costa Serena | 2007 | About 19 years |
With Costa Fortuna (2003) gone, Costa Serena is now the oldest ship in the fleet. As far as public announcements go, Costa has no new ships on order at the time of writing. Its parent company, Carnival Corporation, has put recent newbuild orders into other brands, so this eight-ship line-up looks likely to stay the same for a while. Check Costa’s own announcements for the latest.
Costa Ships by Class
A ship class is a group of vessels built to the same basic design. Ships in the same class feel alike on board even when the décor and names change.
Excellence class: Costa Smeralda and Costa Toscana
These are Costa’s flagships. They were among the first cruise ships to run on liquefied natural gas (LNG). Their centre is the Colosseo, a three-deck space under a glass dome used for shows and events. Both ships have a wide range of restaurants, a large spa, a water slide area and plenty of family cabins. Each ship is designed around Italy: Smeralda takes its theme from Sardinia’s Costa Smeralda, Toscana from Tuscany. Excellence-class sister ships also sail for AIDA, P&O Cruises and Carnival, but these two are the only ones left with Costa.
Diadema class: Costa Diadema
Costa Diadema stands alone in Costa’s fleet. It is based on the same design as Carnival’s Dream-class ships, with an Italian look. It has a long outdoor promenade on one of its lower decks, plenty of bars and a good mix of balcony cabins. It is a solid middle option between the giant Excellence ships and the older Concordia class.
Concordia class: Costa Serena, Costa Pacifica, Costa Favolosa and Costa Fascinosa
This is the largest group in the fleet. All four ships are around 114,000 tons. Serena and Pacifica are the original design. Favolosa and Fascinosa are slightly updated versions, sometimes called modified Concordia class. Each has a strong theme: Serena is based on Greek and Roman mythology, Pacifica on music, and Favolosa and Fascinosa on fairy-tale and classic Italian glamour. Expect classic Costa features such as a large spa, a central pool with a retractable roof, and a lively evening atmosphere.
Luminosa class: Costa Deliziosa
Costa Deliziosa is a hybrid design that mixes features of Carnival’s Spirit and Holland America’s Vista designs. Its sister ship, Costa Luminosa, moved to Carnival in 2022 and now sails as Carnival Luminosa. Deliziosa is the smallest ship in the fleet and is often used for Costa’s long world voyages.
Ships That Have Left the Costa Fleet
If you are reading older reviews or ship lists, these names may still appear. None of them sail for Costa today:
- Costa Fortuna: Final Costa cruise from Piraeus in September 2026. Renamed Margaritaville at Sea Beachcomber and due to start Caribbean cruises from Miami in early 2027.
- Costa Firenze: Moved to Carnival Cruise Line in 2024 and now sails as Carnival Firenze from Long Beach.
- Costa Venezia: Moved to Carnival and has sailed as Carnival Venezia, mainly from New York, since 2023.
- Costa Luminosa: Moved to Carnival in 2022 as Carnival Luminosa.
- Costa Magica: Sold in 2023 and renamed Mykonos Magic.
- Costa neoRiviera: Moved to sister brand AIDA in 2019 and now sails as AIDAmira.
- Costa Atlantica: Renamed in 2023 and now sails as Margaritaville at Sea Islander.
For background on Costa’s most famous former ship, see our piece on where the Costa Concordia is now.
Which Costa Ship Suits You?
Deployments change from season to season, so check the current schedule before booking. Based on Costa’s published plans for 2026-27, here is a rough guide:
- Families and first-timers who want the most to do: Costa Smeralda or Costa Toscana. Toscana is due to sail week-long Western Mediterranean cruises, and Smeralda is due to spend winter 2026-27 in the Gulf, sailing from Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
- Travellers who want a big ship that is easier to get around: Costa Diadema. In winter it sails in South America, from Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay.
- Caribbean cruisers: Costa Favolosa and Costa Fascinosa, which sail week-long Caribbean cruises from the Dominican Republic and Martinique.
- Value-focused Europe cruisers: Costa Pacifica, which moves from the Western Mediterranean to the Canary Islands in early 2027.
- Long-voyage and world cruise fans: Costa Deliziosa, which runs Costa’s traditional world cruise, and Costa Serena. Serena hosted athletes at the Asian Games in Nagoya before a long voyage from Japan to South America, where it joins Diadema.
Costa is generally one of the more affordable mainstream lines. Prices for a week in the Mediterranean outside peak summer can be quite low for an inside cabin, but fares change a lot by date, ship and promotion, and drinks, Wi-Fi and gratuities are usually extra. Our Costa drinks packages guide explains those onboard costs. You can see current itineraries on the official Costa Cruises website.
Some older ships appear in our list of the lowest-rated cruise ships, which uses sanitation scores and surveys rather than anecdotes.
If the low fares surprise you, our guide explaining why Costa cruises are so cheap breaks down what is and is not included.
FAQs
What is the biggest Costa cruise ship?
Costa Toscana and Costa Smeralda are the joint largest, at about 185,000 gross tons each. Toscana has slightly more cabins, but the two are the same size for all practical purposes.
How many ships does Costa Cruises have in 2026?
Eight. Costa Fortuna left the fleet in September 2026, leaving Toscana, Smeralda, Diadema, Fascinosa, Favolosa, Pacifica, Serena and Deliziosa.
What is the oldest Costa ship?
Costa Serena, which entered service in 2007, is now the oldest ship in the fleet. It took over that title when Costa Fortuna (2003) left.
Is Costa building any new ships?
At the time of writing, Costa has not announced any new ships on order. The newest ship is still Costa Toscana, from 2021.
What are the Costa ship classes?
Costa’s current fleet falls into four classes: the Excellence class (Costa Smeralda and Costa Toscana), the Diadema class (Costa Diadema), the Concordia class (Costa Serena, Costa Pacifica, Costa Favolosa and Costa Fascinosa) and the Luminosa class (Costa Deliziosa). Ships in the same class share a basic layout, so a sister ship is a good alternative if your first choice is full.
What does “MS Costa” mean?
MS stands for motor ship, a standard prefix for diesel- or gas-powered vessels. MS Costa Toscana and Costa Toscana are the same ship, so you can ignore the prefix when comparing cruises.
