Embarkation was a little more organized than noted in some of the previous reviews. At first it was not made clear how the process works. Upon arrival at the port, you hand over your luggage and are given a plastic card with a grouping number. After entering the main hall it became clear (after a while) that Costa was calling up small groups at a time for check-in based on the grouping number. Warning - the arrival hall has very limited seating, so depending on what time you arrive you may be standing for quite a while.

Management staff are Italian, and the the crew (i.e., hotel, wait staff, etc.) are mainly from Asia, India, and South America. The staff worked very hard. But in the main dining room there just is not enough staff to take care of all of the diners. This leads to overworked staff, who were, at times, not at their most pleasant. Adding to their stress is the fact that passengers spoke many different languages, and not many of the wait staff are fluent in 4-5 languages.

Looking at a picture of the outside of the ship gives you some perspective on how many balcony cabins there are (a lot). The cabins are quite roomy and well appointed. The interior of the ship has a very Carnival Cruise Line décor (read - gaudy and garish). The art is strange. The atrium lounge area has no WoW factor. Read more