I have been on Costa cruises many times over the past 10 years and have always enjoyed the Euro-atmosphere throughout the cruise. As Concordia was a new ship launched in 2006, the largest in Costa cruises, I decided to give it a try.
I booked the cruise 6 months in advance with a travel agent in England with flights and transfer inclusive. My partner and I were met by a chauffeur on our arrival at Rome Airport who drove us directly to the port. It was quite a distance and, with fairly busy traffic, took us more than one and a half hour to arrive.
We were initially surprised to see very few passengers waiting for embarkation. Then we realized that Savona was the main embarkation port for Costa cruises, where most passengers started their cruise holidays. As it was a western mediterranean cruise calling at several major European cities, like Barcelona and Rome, there were local residents who would join the cruise at these ports too.