Background: We are a couple in our early to late fifties and have been on other cruises, the last one December 2006 on Royal Caribbean's Legend of the Seas - this was our first Costa cruise.

Traveled by car to Ft. Lauderdale on Saturday, the night before our cruise. Stayed at the LaQuinta Inn at Hollywood in a very nice room. They allowed us to park our car there for the week at no extra charge and transported us to Port Everglades.

Embarkation: We arrived at port about 12:30 and proceeded to the check-in counter immediately. We checked in and went right on board, very smooth. We went right up to deck 9 for a nice buffet lunch and chatted with another couple while waiting to get into our rooms after 1. Food was very good and the atmosphere was very festive. Read more