It was apparent to us after a very short time on-board the Mediterranea that Costa are trying to claw back as much money as possible after the loss of the Concordia, through rigorous cutbacks in all areas of service. The food was average at best, and diabolical at worst. The communication with passengers on excursions was non-existent and on several occasions we would have been left behind or missed one of the sights/activities had we not actively sought out excursion leaders for information. The ship was dirty and has seen its best years. Our cabin had a rotten carpet and no amount of shampooing from our poor steward would eliminate the smell (no upgrade or cabin relocation was offered).

At times, and in the restaurant on decks 2 and 3, the food was acceptable, if uninspiring and heavily pasta-based. As others have said about Costa, one would at least expect the pasta to be well done, but it was usually cold and rubbery. Service was slow, and we often waited 30 mins just to get water. We were unlucky enough to be seated with another German couple whose names we never learned and insisted on using only the stuffy "Sie" form for conversation, which further detracted from the dining experience. Not Costa's fault, but we tried unsuccessfully to be moved to a table for two.

Breakfast on decks 2 and 3 was acceptable, but the service was poor and very confused most of the time. It took a long time to get a simple order of eggs, often requiring us to chase lost orders and usually receiving someone else's eggs cooked a different way to how we ordered them. Read more