At the 30th of may 2011, I had the opportunity to visit the Costa Magica while she was in Amsterdam. I thought I could expect something in the style of the Costa Luminosa, one of the ships of Costa Crociere that I had visited in 2010. But I couldn't have been more wrong. Where Costa Luminosa looks more glittery, the interiours of Costa Magica are much more quiet and relaxed. Her overall theme is the magic of her homecountry Italy and she is based on the most magical and beautifull places on the 'boot'-peninsula. The main hub of the ship is the central atrium called the Atrio Italia Magica. Under this text you see some pictures of this atrium.

The panoramic elevators in the Atrio Italia Magica, as we see them on most cruiseships nowadays.		The Bar Italia Magica at the Rafaello Deck (3), underneath the staircases that lead up to Leonardo Deck (5).

The Atrio Italia Magica connects the Rafaello Deck (3), Michelangelo Deck (4) and the Leonardo Deck (5) with staircases and panoramic elevators. Above the Leonardo Deck, the elevators go up to the Tiepolo Deck (11) and hereby pass a large mural painting created by the Brera Arts Academy in Milan. Instead of a large sculpture in the central part of the atrium, like aboard Costa Luminosa, the Atrio Italia Magica offers a bandstand where during our visit a pianist and violist played classical tunes.

Connected to the atrium is, of course, the Bar Italia Magica at Rafaello Deck, but on this same deck also the information and the excursion desk. It is also possible to fina a relaxed seat here and listen to some music. On Michelangelo Deck, the library and photo area are next to the atrium. The Leonardo Deck offers several shops connected to the atrium, as well as the Sala Isola Bella, which is a conference room, and the art gallery.

 In the shops at Leonardo Deck, you can buy several items. There is a souvenir boutique, a jeweller, a perfume shop and several other places to shop...

Cabin 1101 is a standard outside cabin without balcony, situated at Tiepolo Deck 11.		Cabin 7310 at Perugino Deck 7, an outside suite with large balcony.

The cabins do have a very relaxing and charming look, they also have decorations in the theme of the ship. But of course it is not the cabin you will spent most time in. At night, you will have the choice of several lounges to spend your evening, like the Teatro Urbino. The theater features a grand stage, mural decorations of violins and other musical instruments and a large, classic looking chandelier is hanging from the ceiling. The theater spans three decks, Rafaello, Michelangelo and Leonardo. It offers several shows each cruise, so you will never see the same show twice.

An overview of the Teatro Urbino		The dramatic chandelier in the Teatro.

Besides the Teatro Urbino, you can prove your luck at the Casino Sicilia at the Leonardo Deck. This casino has a real magical atmosphere, thanks to the collection of 65 original Sicilian marionettes that decorate the casino. Next to the casino, there is the Mondo virtuale Ostia Antica. This space is the virtual world, where computergames can be played. On the wall, a large mural of a galleon decorates the space. 

The Casino Sicilia, the decor differs a lot from the casino I have seen aboard the Costa Luminosa.		Even the virtual world is also a quietly decorated room, a small but pleasant surprise to me.

The pleasant and quiet decorations even found their way into the ships discoteque, offering less glitter and glamour then you would expect, the bar within the discoteque could simply have been anywhere on the ship. But don't be fooled too. The dancefloor is covered in light and a huge mirrorball and videoscreen are also featured.

The dancefloor inside the Discoteca Grado underneath a large glass dome that brings in light from the casino above.		Believe it or not, but this is the bar within the Discoteca Grado, decorated in light colours, clouds above and parasols at the tables.

Onboard, there are two large lounges. One of them, the Salone Capri is located aft at the Leonardo Deck. The other one is located midships at the same deck and is called the Grand Bar Salento. Sadly, I did not make pictures inside the Salone Capri because it was very busy with passengers. But I drank a capuccino in the much more quiet Grand Bar Salento and I was very surprised to find a lounge onboard a ship tha't is devoted to the magic of Italy, while it remembered me a lot of the hall of the 100 columns at the Parc Guell in Barcelona, designed by Gaudi. The whole interiour was in the style of this unique architect from Spain.

The comfortable Grand Bar Salento offers a stage, a bar and a dancefloor in a relaxed atmosphere. The shipwide lounge has lots of quiet seats also.		This picture shows why I thought about Gaudi while I was in the Grand Bar Salento. Although the fresco's at the walls are definitely Italian, the whole style is typical of Gaudi.

Of course there are other ways to entertain you too, the Costa Magica offers also a large spa and health area, called the Club Salute Saturnia. Most new ships of Costa offer their passengers the Samsara Spa, some of these spa's are called the largest spa's at sea. On Costa Magica, I wasn't able to take pictures within the spa itself, but I could visit the beauty salon called the Salone di Bellezza. It offers great sea views through the large windows while you are being pampered.

In the meantime, children of all ages can be entertained by a professional staff in the Squok Club at one of the highest decks of the ship, the Mantagna Deck (12). They even have their own outdoor pool, although the facilities for children seem somewhat more toned down when compared to the childrens facilities onboard Costa Luminosa. But it is hard to tell if thats really true, because I only was here a short while at a time when there were no children around, no staf around and no happy screaming. I know Costa Cruises is very keen on having families and children aboard their ships so I am also assured that even the youngsters will have a great time aboard Costa Magica.

The now empty Squok Club is normally filled with happy children, enjoying games for all ages.		The outside lido of the Squok Club overlooking the ships bow, of course in Costa yellow and blue.

During my visit to Costa Magica I have learned that the average American passenger (a big sorry to my American readers but it is a fact...) gains 3 and a half kilo's during a week-long cruise. But no one can blame you, the sea makes you hungry, thats a fact too. And the decor is quite thrilling too, like this magnificent and  light staircase that gives you an entry into the Ristorante Portofino, one of the main restaurants located on Rafaello Deck and the Michelangelo Deck.

The second main restaurant aboard Costa Magica is located on the same two decks, but this restaurant is overlooking the stern of the ship and offers large panoramic windows that provide a lot of light inside. The decor is comparable to that of the Ristorante Portofino, but it is a little larger. The name of this restaurant is Ristorante Costa Smeralda.

Besides the two main restaurants, there ae other dining options too. When you like a more intimite atmosphere, you can choose for the Club Vicenza at the Tiepolo Deck (11). For this restaurant, reservations have to be made for a small fee. When you prefere a quick snack, the Ristorante Buffe Bellagio is a good choice. In this casual buffet restaurant you can eat a slice of pizza, soup or a salad.This restaurant is located between the two lidodecks of the ship so ideal for lunchtime. Of course there are other places to eat aboard, some of the lounges and bars offer also lighter meals.

The Club Vicenza restaurant is the more intimate choice of dining aboard. It is situated underneath a large glass dome so a lot of light is brought in also. The restaurant is also connected by stairs to the buffetrestaurant on the two decks below.Its main decoration is a large relief mural of an Italian palace and besides this, several other mural sculptures of palaces decorate the room.		The Ristorante Buffet Bellagio is located on two decks and in the center of the restaurant is this large open space underneath the glass dome. Two decks up, the Club Vicenza restaurant is located.

A quiet space aboard is the Sala Carta, next to the Grand Bar Salento. Here you can play cards at the specially designed tables and get away from the fuzz aboard.		A small but charming chapel cannot be missed aboard a ship the size of Costa Magica.

Of course, besides the interiour spaces, Costa Magica has large outdoor decks to give enough opportunities to enjoy a good portion of sunlight. These outside decks are really spacious and they have to be, because the ship sails with up to 3000 passengers each cruise. The ship offers two large lido decks, at the stern is the smaller and more intimate Lido Positano, where a retractable roof can be closed when the weather is less good. A pool, a bar and two whirlpools are located here.

The small and intimate Lido Positano offers a way of sunbathing without the usual mass around you. Also today, while the weather is beautifull and hot, the roof is partially closed to offer some shade too.

When you like to merge into the large crowd, you canof course also choose for the Lido Maratea and Lido Palinuro. These two Lido decks look like one, but in fact it are two seperate lidodecks, located over three decks. Two smaller pools are situated here, as well as a waterslide, a bandstand and of course a buffet bar.

An overview of the large Lido Maratea midships, looking aft. The ship does not offer a truly large swimingpool, the pool is quite small, but a lot of sunbathing space is offered and of course a waterslide!		Looking towards the bow, the large amount of sunbathing space can be seen. This part is actually called the Lido Palinuro and because it is built like a staircase, it is located at three decks.

Besides the lidodecks, swimmingpool and whirlpools, there are also other ways to entertain you outside. You have seen the bandstand on the Lido Maratea above, so you can listen to some music too, or you can use the sportdeck or jogging track to loose the extra pounds gained in the restaurants. A thing that somewhat surprised me was the lack of a giant moviescreen and this did not disappoint me at all. Of course it will be great to watch a movie while in the open air, but these giant screens really affect the whole deck and mostly doesn't look too good in the overall setting... 

Costa Cruises is known not only for their family friendly ships, but they do also have a lot of art aboard these ships. They mostly work together with Italian artists and their ships feauture fresco's, sculptures and paintings in each ships unique style. With Costa Magica devoted to the magic of the most beautifull places in Italy, the connection to the homecountry is felt throughout the whole ship.

Above are shown three marionettes of the collection of 65 Sicilian marionettes aboard Costa Magica. All figures have of course something magical. They are shown throughout the ships casino.		At several places within the ship, you see these arms holding the lightbulbs that light the rooms. This four armed ornament is found in the Grand Bar Salento, but you can also find them on the lido decks.

Besides the arms holding lightbulbs, also these angel-like figures can provide light within the Grand Bar Salento.		Also in the Grand Bar Salento, there is a collection of classic teacups on display. Here, you see an Argentinian teacup.

On Costa Magica, there is a small second atrium in front of the Ristorante Costa Smeralda. Above, you can see this atrium, called the Atrio Costa Smeralda. Centerpiece of this atrium is a collection of sculptures designed by Bruno Lucchi and its called 'Tra Memoria e Visione'.

In the staircases, mythical figures are displayed.		Every pool at the lidodecks has several mythical statues that provide a great decor.