I booked the cruise on Costa because I wanted a European experience for the cruise. I felt that a European cruise line would give me that. Thia was not correct. It didn't seem any different from other cruise lines. Here are my thoughts.

1--The ship Costa Victoria is a very nice ship--updated a few years ago. I would not say it was as good as their literature says, but it was nice. The cabin--we had a veranda cabin--was small. The ship had converted many cabins to verandas and they cut off some of the room. There was no sitting area as other ships have. There was a strong urine smell in the bathroom. This was corrected by the 3rd day thanks to a great cabin attendant. Other than that all was well.

2--The FOOD was not as good as other cruise lines. For an Italian line, there was not that much Italian fare offered. I would rate the food about a 2 on a scale of 5. The main dining area was nice, but the service was just ok. The cafeteria style dining areas did not have enough seating in the peak times and the food was average. The only free beverage was coffee and water. Other cruises I have been on had at least lemonade or a fruit punch free--not on Costa. We ate breakfast in the main dining room because of the above facts and by the end of the cruise it seemed that a majority of the other cruisers did too because the food and space was better. The same is true of lunch. A major disappointment was that there was NO food available after 3PM. All food concessions close until 7PM dinner. Pizza restaurant was closed all day until 7PM. The food experience is one of the reasons people cruise. This is not very acceptable to me! Read more