First impressions of the ship were that she was extremely well presented and fitted to a high standard. We were one of the very few guests from the Uk on board, and thought we might struggle with the entertainment. This was not a problem , as it was mostly in English. The shows were very good and we enjoyed all the entertainment. The communication issues of having to repeat everything in around 5 different languages, was very monotonous, making quizzes etc not worth the effort.! Many tour excursions for UK guests were not available- I suspect because there were not enough participants to warrant an English translator.

Costa allow boarding at every port so it felt more like a hop on / hop off type amenity , and we did not experience the excitement you normally get on other cruise lines of the all on board sail off, when everyone boards together. Each day people were walking around with life jackets for their embarkation drill, which again meant the atmosphere never felt a relaxed or settled ship!

We took the drinks package , which was good value - well we are Irish! One thing they didn't tell us that it doesn't apply to 3 of the speciality bars. Read more