We chose this cruise because I had never cruised the Costa Line and it sailed out of Ft. Lauderdale where we could visit with family before sailing.
EMBARKATION was great. Ft. Lauderdale is so much easier than Miami. My husband dropped my son and I at the pier (literally 5 minutes from the airport although we didn't come from there), and then returned the rental car. His turn-around took one half hour since the shuttle drops airport passengers off first so that is something to factor in. The bags were taken immediately with no wait. The waiting area is nice with chairs and each person is given a number so that numbers are called in groups to go in. Very civilized. We had suite check-in so we could have gone in anytime and there was a separate queue for suites, but every line seemed to be efficient.
OUR CABIN: After a nice greeting, we found our cabin on the Intervista Deck We had upgraded to a suite for not too much more and with all the amenities included it made a lot of sense for us. The cabin wasn't huge but had a lot of storage space for the 3 of us and a long balcony that had a teak table and 2 nice teak chairs with cushions that reclined (and were constantly refreshed with new towels). There was a dressing area before the bathroom with drawers and a closet. The bathroom had a double sink with a tub/shower combination and also had a make-up mirror. There were robes and slippers for all 3 of us.