My husband I are 59 and 57 years old. We have been on 23 other cruises including a transatlantic on Costa Fortuna. This was by far the worst cruise we have ever been on.

The buffet area was so crowded and understaffed that we had to bus our own tables (when we were finally able to get one). The food was average on the best day and much worse usually. One of us had to sit at the table while the other went for food. One time my husband went for a cheeseburger (yes, it came to that). I waited for him so long that I was turning in my seat to look for him. Bad mistake, I was whacked in the head by a passing waiter's tray because the tables were so close together. When he finally came back after waiting 20 minutes or more, the cheeseburger was raw inside.

We started eating all our meals in the dining room and things did not improve much. The maitre'de was not just unfriendly but rude. I can see the lack of space and insufficient service people made his job difficult but I have never seen anything like it. Because so many languages were spoken on board, at breakfast and lunch we were often left waiting until an English menu and English speaking server were found. Our waiter at night was friendly but the service was poor. I have never been on a cruise where we had to chase a server down for a salt shaker, butter, parmesan cheese and to correct a problem with a dish (this was one dinner).The dinner menu included five selections of appetizers and main courses. Three of those five were the same every night. Thanks goodness, my husband liked the repeats but I had some problem finding things I liked. Read more