Our Costa Allegra cruise, from the 12th until the 26th of December, 2009, was frequently billed "the Christmas Cruise" onboard. From the beginning there were festive decorations in all of the public areas and Christmas Carols playing over the vessel's intercom. It was a nice touch.

We arrived in Singapore a day early and spent a bit of time acquainting ourselves with that city's MRT - mass rapid transit. I highly recommend the MRT as there is a station at the harbour front where the Allegra docks and it provides a quick, convenient and cost-effective way to get around. We also used it to return to the Changi Airport after our cruise finished. Don't be daunted as MRT staff are on hand to help you out at each station.

Costa crew made it super easy to check in, with one young lady who we found at the foot of the escalator, leading us to our luggage drop-off point and directing us to the check-in spot on the next level up. Check in seemed quite casual: a look at the passports and assignment of the cabin number. Even though we had been provided with forms for our onboard account ahead of time, there was no need to have them completed as all passengers had 48 hours to set it up. Read more