Are NEO Ships Costa Luxury?

My question is, rather the Costa NEO ships are the most luxury offerings, of the line. If so, what is different about them, that is better than the rest of the Costa offerings?

I wouldn't call the neo ships the most luxurious Costa ships, they are basically the same as the other ships. They are designed for a different clientale, passengers without children (very little activities / areas for children), who want a more leisurely / quieter cruise. There are no set times for dinner in the MDR, also there is an evening buffet (this is currently being rolled out across the rest of the fleet).

I agree with G.M.T.

I consider neoCollection ships quieter ships than the other ones in the fleet (which is a good thing for me) but not luxury ships

Has anyone been on one and what was the experience like?

I was on neoRomantica and neoRiviera and can confirm information described in previous messages. The main differences comparing with other Costa ships were more quiet atmosphere, less children, more unusual routes and ports of call and longer stays in ports.

Another difference was evening buffet every day which was not possible on not-neo ships. As I know, this year Costa restarted it on all ships, so this difference does not exist anymore. When talking about dining: in MDR on neo-ships you will find only open sitting (no first and second sitting) - it was the next difference comparing with other ships of Costa.

For those who like bewerage packages one disadvatage: AI packages on neo-ships were few (I do not remember exactly, probably 3 or 4) EUR per day more expensive than on other ships. I do not know if it is working until now because in meantime Costa made also some changes in AI packages.

You should also remember that all those 3 ships are smaller and older than the rest of Costa fleet. On the other hand condition of f.e. neoRomantica was for me really good - after renovation they have wonderful spa better than on some big Costa ships (but on the other hand do not have theatre...).

I agree with the other posters. We did the Costa neoclassica voyage from Mauritius to Venice last year. We spent overnight in a few ports and had a very nice time. It certainly was'nt a luxury cruise but was very good value for the money paid. The Costa neo ships tend to be somewhat older but are kept spotlessly clean. We liked it so much that we are going on another in November, Dubai to Venice, this time we are giving the Neoriviera a try. I will try and post my thoughts on this whilst in ports of call as Internet is expensive on board.

Sorry all. It's Venice to Dubai, not dubai to Venice as i stated in the above post.

I have also been on the neoRomantica and neoRiviera and would describe neither as luxurious.

The one thing I remember about the neoRomantica was 'Basil Fawlty' who ran the wine bar. An angry man who bullied the waiting staff.

We went on the first Neo Romantica Itinerary after the refit, & having been on her before certainly would describe the change nicer, however the food was poor with very limited choice (cabbage soup three times & meat balls two) & the appalling charge for water in MDR was a no no for the Americans we dined with.

That said we thought the Neo experience was worth the extra money but not the extra for drinks AI package which was dearer without any visible improvement on quality.

The up-grade to a balcony cabin was the worst move we have ever made, so noisy we could hear the bloke next door snoring and even washing.

The up-grade to a balcony cabin was the worst move we have ever made, so noisy we could hear the bloke next door snoring and even washing.

Must have been a female passenger, men aren't able to do multitasking such as snoring and washing at the same time.:)

Regards to AI prices on neo ships, according to the Costa German website, there is now only one price for all ships, can vary according to season and region.