My husband and I have cruised many times before (on 5 different cruise lines) and wanted to introduce our friends to this type of vacation. It was the first time we had gone with Costa and we chose it based on price. We had read all the negative comments but went on the cruise with an open mind.

The embarkation was probably the easiest we have ever experienced. The cruise card and credit card validation were not done at check in and this speeded up the whole thing. Our luggage arrived at our stateroom soon after we boarded. Last cruise in December, it was almost dinnertime before my husband's case arrived.

The food reviews we had read were not good, however, we found the quality and choice of food excellent. The waiters were very friendly and helpful. After the first day we ate all of our meals in the dining room as we did find the layout of the buffet on deck nine a little chaotic. Our friends chose to have breakfast and lunch on deck nine and thought it was fine. Read more