Costa Cruises
Costa Smeralda
- Cruises
- 95
- From
- $296
Ship comparison
Costa Smeralda vs Hero of the Seas
Royal Caribbean
Hero of the Seas
- Cruises
- 11
- From
- $971
The verdict
Which should you choose?
Costa Smeralda is a mega Costa Cruises ship carrying 5,224 passengers, in service since 2019. Hero of the Seas is a mega Royal Caribbean ship carrying 5,654 passengers. Hero of the Seas has no Bliss scores yet, so the verdict rests on the figures we do hold.
Choose Costa Smeralda if you want a lower starting fare or more cruises to choose from: its cruises start from $296 (vs $971) and it has 95 cruises on sale (vs 11).
Choose Hero of the Seas if you want more space per passenger or more crew per passenger: it has 44.0 gross tons per passenger (vs 34.5) and it has a crew member for every 2.4 passengers (vs 3.2).
Side by side
Specifications
marks the better figure where more, or less, is plainly better.
| Costa Smeralda | Hero of the Seas | |
|---|---|---|
| Cruise line | Costa Cruises | Royal Caribbean |
| Ship size | Mega | Mega |
| Maiden voyagenewer highlighted | 2019 | — |
| Gross tonnage | 180,000 | 248,663 |
| Passengers | 5,224 | 5,654 |
| Crew | 1,646 | 2,350 |
| Passengers per crew memberfewer is better | 3.2 | 2.4 (better) |
| Space per passengergross tons per passenger; more is roomier | 34.5 | 44.0 (better) |
| Cabins | 2,612 | — |
| Decks | 20 | — |
| Length | 1,105 ft | 1,198 ft |
| Beam | 137 ft | — |
| Cruiseable ratingout of 10 | 6 / 10 | — |
| Cruises on sale | 95 | 11 |
| Upcoming sailings | 303 | 39 |
| Cruise lengths | 2 to 17 nights | 3 to 9 nights |
| Fares fromlower highlighted | $296 (better) | $971 |
Bliss scores
How they rate, out of 10
Cruiseable rates ships out of 10 on ten parts of a cruise holiday.
Hero of the Seas has no Bliss scores yet.
- Active
- Adventure & nature
- Cultural
- Dining
- Entertainment
- Family friendly
- Party
- Romantic
- Spa & fitness
- Staterooms
Costa Cruises
Costa Smeralda
The new flagship of the Costa Cruises fleet, Costa Smeralda debuted in December 2019 with hallmark Made in Italy touches throughout, from the public areas to the cabins.
Sailing now
95 cruises on sale, from $296.
Royal Caribbean
Hero of the Seas
Sailing now
11 cruises on sale, from $971.
Questions
Costa Smeralda or Hero of the Seas?
Which is bigger, Costa Smeralda or Hero of the Seas?
Hero of the Seas is bigger at 248,663 gross tons, against 180,000 gross tons for Costa Smeralda. Costa Smeralda carries 5,224 passengers and Hero of the Seas carries 5,654.
Which has more space per passenger?
Hero of the Seas, with 44.0 gross tons per passenger against 34.5 on Costa Smeralda. The higher the figure, the more ship there is for each guest.
Which has more crew per passenger?
Hero of the Seas, with one crew member for every 2.4 passengers against one for every 3.2 on Costa Smeralda.
Still deciding?
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