We chose this cruise because of the low cost. Unfortunately, the old saying...you get what you pay for....is totally true. First, the pros: Embarqment and disembarqment was quick and smooth. Specialty restaurants were very good. A couple of the shows were very good. Ship and rooms were clean but showing some wear. Now the cons: English was definitely the 2nd or 3rd language for the staff of they spoke it at all. All announcements were in italian, german, french and ,if lucky, english. No room service after 3:30 so no bed turn down. No wash clothes were available in the rooms. You had to ask for them daily. Toilet failed and took 4 hours to get repaired. Food in the buffet was same every day and very bland Dining room food overall very poor with exception being pasta options. Customer service desk always had long lines, up to an hour. Then the rep either didn't speak English or very poorly. Overall, it seemed that most employees were just "going thru the motions" . It created a negative attitude that even filtered to the passengers. Overall it just wasn't a fun time and it was Christmas! Read Less

I am not a seasoned cruiser, rather this was my second cruise to almost the same ports. We chose this cruise because the dates lined up with our vacation timeline. My first cruise experience was with Carnival. This is where my husband and I set expectations for this cruise were based on that experience from a year ago. We were continuously disappointed to learn everything we thought would be standard were up charges. We expected to have free room services, as is standard on Carnival. We did not. It was not explained to us when booking this cruise either. Food We expected there to be some sort of free food options available at all times. There was not. In fact, we boarded the cruise ship late (9:00 p.m.) and was stunned to learn that there were no free food options for us ... and that we would either have to pay additional fees or go hungry until breakfast. It was myself, my husband and two teenage sons. Drinks On the Carnival cruise we did not pay for a drink package but were fine with drinking water, milk and tea at any given time. On this cruise, we paid for a drink package (we were told it was an all-inclusive drink package, but soon learned it was only during meals.) We paid an additional 480$ and was told we would need to pay an additional 600$ for the all-inclusive dink package. The drink package we had was only during lunch and dinner (lunch we were on excursions all but two days.) And dinner in the restaurant meant beer was not included either. Times One afternoon we returned late from an excursion and rushed to the deck to get lunch/snack/ something. They had cleared all but one bar and there was a rope blacking it and we were not allowed to grab anything before they cleared it … we were told we could go to the opposite end of the ship to grab a salad. The lovely food was right there … and instead we ate salad. Again, this would have been ok, except we had eaten a salad the last two days for lunch as it was the only thing open once we returned from our day trips. Dinner was four hours later. Staffing This would not have been a big deal, except the tea, milk and water machines that were supposed to be up and running 24 hours a day we're not. Instead, we consistently had to hunt down someone to fill the machine. A majority of the time we were told it was not their job. In fact, that was the standard statement from most of the crew when asking for help. My husband went to find the big screen gaming for my teenager and each person he talked to gave him the same statement, “that is not my job.” Customer Service Our TV in our room did not work half the time … which is frustrating, because this is where you were expected to check your ship balance and find activities. The TV in our sons’ room did not work either. Their toilet overflowed. I thought maybe it was them until my toilet overflowed. Then I had a lady from the ship chew me out for putting facial tissue in the toilet. When I told her I had not done such a thing she called me a liar and said he had found facial tissue. I could not believe she was calling me a liar. I know what I packed. Activities There were not enough deck chairs and activities for visitors while out to see … people circled like hawks looking for a place to sit down. The pool was tiny and did not allow enough room for kids and adults to hang out. The variety and timing of activities were also limited. Communications While on Carnival, we were able to communicate with each other through their free app. Additionally we were able to see daily schedules, and excursion times using the app. We were also able to see what time we needed to return to the ship via the app. These were all HUGE misses during this trip. Read Less

Embarkation onto the ship was unorganized and took over 90 minutes. We arrived in the middle of the day so the wait time was unnecessary. The internet packages are priced well but do NOT work as described. Was even charged twice for unused service. Customer Service said they would add more usage but would not credit account. I had two days left on the cruise and told them I was not using their service any more. I had them freeze the service to prevent any other charges. Found out later that a good potion of the cruisers were experiencing the same issue. Final bill DID show a credit. The food was bland. The specialty pizza was good. Not very much light and healthy food outside of deli meats. Bar attendants would walk around so we would ask for an alcoholic drink or specialty coffee drink. Their response was “this is self-serve.” ONE bar area on the whole ship went out of their was to serve you. The rest of the ship was not as service oriented. Alfredo, Catrick, Warren, Wilson, Jose and crew in the Grand Bar made all of their clients feel good. The shows were extremely under the European flair - opera and acrobatic. First word that come to mind is blah. Singers can sing but production is below basic. The other group of staff that MADE the cruise was the Activities team - Marena, Francesca, Cristano and rest. These guys went out of their way to visit with us when we met on the ship. They provided answers and assisted us any way possible. The housing staff was unseen. The cruise staff is unorganized. They are not punctual or ON time at all. We waited over 45 minutes to leave the ship for a 2 hour excursion. Port time was 5 hours. They can not guarantee a cruise to start on time nor return to the port area on time. Thus, one excursion we wanted to do in the destination port (Ft. Lauderdale) was nixed because they could not guarantee they would be back by the 3 p.m. deadline THEY set. Good thing we did not do the cruise on debarkation because we had to wait 1.5 hours to disembark. Costa said we could disembark starting at 6. Yeah, we did not start to disembark until 7:30 a.m. To recap, if you like unorganized, no set schedule (even though there is a printed schedule), self-serve drinks, no regular eating hours then this cruise is for you. Thank goodness for the Grand Bar bar service crew and the Activities crew for making the cruise tolerable. Read Less

We chose this cruise for the itinerary. It was over Christmas and we thought it would be a nice trip since we were spending it alone this year. What a huge disappointment from day one. We were held up in the cruise terminal for over 4 hours. Boarding was to begin at 1:00 and we did not get on until 4:00. It was very disorganized. The food was the worst we have ever had. Some nights the dinner was not even editable. The buffet food was disgusting. The buffet closes early like 8:00-8:30 at night and then there is nothing else to eat. Their motto “Taste not waste” is exactly that. The portions were so small that some would have to order 3 servings just to get a regular size meal. The desserts that were put out in the buffet were of 2 choices every day and they were bite size. You had to pay extra for a better dessert in one of the lounges. The ship is Italian and so the menus were of Italian flare. The only time any beef was offered it was an added cost on the menu. We ended up eating most meals off the ship when we were in a port. The entertainment was terrible. The hospitality desk was the only place you could go to get information or complain. They do not answer the phone if you called from your stateroom so you had to go in person and the wait in line for at least a half hour at any time of the day or night. Our room came with complementary room service for breakfast but the first 2 days we never received a menu to fill out and hang outside our door so we could not even order. I had to stand in line at the desk every day just to request a menu. I would not recommend this cruise to anyone. Worst cruise we have ever been on. Could not wait to get off. Ruined our Christmas. Read Less

Don't even know where to start. Chose this cruise for the itinerary. Should have read reviews before we booked it. The food was horrible. Most nights we sent back our meals. After 8:30 all restaurants shut down and your only option is room service at an additional cost. That menu was not even worth ordering off of. Entertainment was lousy. No service around pool areas. If you wanted a drink you had to get it yourself. The buffet was horrible. Head chef should be fired. Portions was very small. Their moto is "Taste not waste". Our mini suite was decent. It seemed to be recently updated. Linens were worn. Room was clean but only serviced once a day and it was 3 days into the trip before we ever saw our room attendant. The only place to get any help was the front desk and you had to wait in line at least 1/2 hour every time as they will not answer the phone if you try to call. Everything is extra on this ship. Desserts were poor but if you wanted to pay, you can get a better quality at the chocolate bar. The carpets in the hallways of the staterooms were all stained, I am sure they were clean but it looked horrible. Our pool towels had holes in them and our bath towels were a dingy dirty white with stains on them. We had first seating at dinner. It ran 21/2 hours every night. We showed up on time but service was very slow. Then every night our table was asked to leave in the middle of our dessert so that they could service the table for the 2nd seating. Unbelievable....Our cabin class included commentary room service in the mornings but we were unable to get a menu sent to our room to order our food for the next morning. Had to request it 3 times by standing in line at the desk, finally gave up on it. Most announcements were made in languages other than English so half the time you did not even know what was going on. It was extremely disorganized. We were delayed 3 hours boarding which should of started at 1:00. We were held in the cruise terminal with no explanations. Horrible ship. NEVER AGAIN WILL WE TRAVEL ON COSTA. Read Less

We have sailed on 100+ cruises with 4 other cruises on Costa. We sailed on Costa Deliziosa on 12/19/18. This was a 7 nt cruise to Nassau, Gtand Turk, Amber Cove & Key West. Deliziosa is a beautiful ship, extremely clean and well organized. The staff provided excellent service. The food was generally very good. As on any ship, some nights were better than others. Very good pasta and pizza. Christmas Eve special dinner served in Albatross was excellent. Staff seemed happy to be of service. I had some special requests which were always accommodated. Music in most bars nightly. The Animation Team provided fun games, competitions and lots of laughs. They kept the cruise interesting for all ages. What impressed me most was the staff’s willingness to help and to go the extra step to make everyone happy. Something lacking in lots of other ships. I would recommend Deliziosa as a great cruise with an Italian flair. Read Less

So.... Here's the good the bad and the ugly.... First the good.. The room was nice had a balcony it was comfortable but like any other ship I've been on.... That's the end of the good The bad.... Not many English speakers anywhere the food is terrible everywhere buffet,.. Restaurant... Main dining... Just awful in all areas not only bad tasting but not many good choices... Mostly pasta... The chef on this ship should be FIRED! The ugly... Make sure you know what you're getting with the sink package... We called ahead and were told it was all included but when we got in the liquor was included and the mixer was not lol yes for real. The bartender and wait staff are so so.... Or dinner waiter was nice but I had one bartender argue with me about that I hadn't told him one of our drinks... The buffet is only open weird hours,. The pizza is not included in dinner buffet and when they close you ain't getting another morsel if food.. This cruise line sucks when you are used to Royal Caribbean or Norwegian or one of those... Many on the ship said they would not be back as I will not. If you're looking for a cheap floating hotel this cruise is for you. If you're looking for the standard cruise experience spend a couple hundred extra for the real experience this cruise line sucks... The food sucks... The ship sucks and it was an overall bad experience Read Less

Before we boarded the ship we were frustrated due to being placed in a small room with all the other patrons of the cruise, being told the it’s only another half hour until we can bord, we were told this three times. We didn’t bord the ship until 15:00. The announcement don’t come over a loud speaker in this room they come by way of three older women attempting to shout over people talking. The maintenance team works non stop trying to repair everything that’s breaking down on the ship. There’s tiles falling off the walls all over the spa, there’s paint chips everywhere from the low quality paint the staff has been told to use. We spent almost 12 hours at customer service due to mistakes the ship made. The ship would bill in euros sometimes and US dollars sometimes. At the casino you would have to pay in euros sometimes and would win US dollars that if you didn’t pay close attention to exchange rate you would loose money. If you wanted a drink at the bar in the casino be prepared to wait an hour for service. The one bartender they staffed worked 14 hours non stop trying to keep up. The management on the ship were arrogant and disrespectful. Well the severs worked hard and were very kind. At the end of the cruise we had a small credit owning and instead of being paid the credit they billed me for the exzact amount of the credit owing. The food was boring and rarely changed in both the dining hall or the buffet, the buffet was cramped and typically only had one side open due to understaffing. I will never use Costa again. Read Less

We chose this cruise because it was affordable and had good itinerary. Great service, polite and intelligent people and personal. Embarkation and Disembarkation was smooth and quick. Ship is very clean and gorgeous, room is big enough for 4 people and balcony is pretty big. My mom spent most morning and evening time on the balcony because she loved that amazing view and light breeze. Delicious food in Buffet on 9th deck. It was our favorite place to eat because they have so many different dishes and every day they add some new dishes and we could pick what we want and when we want. Seafood, variety of tea, yummy juices, and delicious croissants was our favorite food. (they have a lot of great and deliciouse food there! : different kind of meat, pasta, pizza, salads, fruits and appetizing desserts ). We loved to watch free dance classes (everybody may participate) and evening entertainment. Read Less

I am Italian and I really enjoyed this cruise over Christmas.. Traditional Christmas activities happened including a wonderful tenor and selection of the Christmas Princess pagent and the Miss Costa Deliziosa pagent as well... this ship is not like the usual mainstream cruise lines... the entertainment was for everyone no matter which language you speak.. the food was quality over quantity, the rooms are spacious ... and the first language is Italian...the ports were not important but we enjoyed them when we did get off the ship..friends whom we traveled with enjoyed as well... I recommend Costa Cruises for all who would like decent quality food...even though it seemed the same all the time due to lack of other ethnic foods like Chinese, Indian, and local Caribbean foods..there was many good daily choices in the buffet.. Thank you Costa cruise lines for a marvelous Christmas cruise.. I would take another Costa cruise in a heartbeat! Read Less