I took this tour because of my longstanding interest in the Norwegian Fjords, and due to the fact that the timing fit nicely into a larger trip throughout Europe. I scoured cruise review sites, and noted a mixed bag of reviews about Costa. In talking to their agents over the phone, I was less than impressed: When I called about the Norwegian cruise, Costa agents twice told me to call another cruise line. I had to instruct the agents that they actually sailed to this destination. Because of prior reviews, and this experience, I set my expectations very low for this first cruise of ours, which I booked with my wife.
The embarkation procedure went very smoothly. Within a few minutes of our arrival at the dock, we were processed and walked the gang plank. Once on board, there were smiling faces of employees stationed everywhere, directing us to our stateroom. It was a fantastic start of the journey, and Costa correctly anticipated that 2000 very confused people would need directions.
We toured the ship and noticed how clean it was. This organization appears to have cleanliness as a corporate ideal. Throughout the cruise, employees could be seen cleaning and polishing. My only concern about cleanliness was that the gym, a fabulous workout facility, had no disinfectant and wipes to clean the equipment. I went to the bathroom, stole some hand towels, and wiped the equipment with H2O.