The CostaMediterranea is a beautiful ship (score 9.5 of 10) and the big shows were very enjoyable (score 9 of 10). The service was very poor, food was fair to poor -- both service and food a 3 of 10 score and I am being generous at that! The help is slow, getting water at your meal at the formal dining room (1st seating) was very slow and dinner a 2 1/2 hour ordeal. Not one time was the high chair cleaned off when we arrived. Head table waiter was very disorganized, the assistant waiter by the 3rd of the 5 days put himself together. The other members of our table after the 1st night went to the buffet, never to return to the formal dinner as did many other people.

The cabin steward was slow and sloppy, getting to our cabin by dinner time, failing to do the cabin 2 days, and only fully cleaning our cabin 1 time, the day before we left. She stated she had been on the ship for several months and relied on tips for most of her money. She was painfully slow and never delivered our crib (thank goodness I brought a portable playpen).

I cruised the Celebrity Summit over the summer and the service and food on Celebrity (5.5 star) was a 10 of 10. Here I give room service a 3. I tipped everyone except my head waiter because he deserved nothing because he did less than nothing. My son went upstairs to the 9th floor to get himself a drink and food faster than the waiter on the 3rd floor could do. This is the first time I failed to leave anyone a tip, although I believe no one deserved anything. Read more