Costa Cruise lines -- Magica was a terrible disappointment. I had read a lot of reports the food was bad on Costa lines. I got scared when the first day our cruise director warned us the food wouldn't be what we would expect, as we are not familiar with European food. Personally I've been to Europe numerous times, and while I am always happy to come home to American food, I've always found plenty of food to keep me happy. None-the-less, being someone who can be content on a single food for the week, I wasn't concerned. Additionally, I don't go on cruises for the food, so it really didn't phase me. Did I ever learn my lesson. The food was so bad, everything from burnt, dry chicken to disgusting fish, even the French toast was awful. To make it worse, the second day we all got food poisoning from dinner. Do NOT underestimate how TERRIBLE food can deteriorate your experience.
The ship itself was quite boring, it reminded me of the very first Carnival ship I went 15 years ago that was decommissioned that year, only not quite as fancy. The dining room looked like a cheap cafe with chairs that had the same fabric my father's VW bug had for curtains. While there are 11 bars, most are just big hallways with a dance floor ...i.e. constant traffic. Don't plan on spending more the five minutes at the gift shops. Beyond that... besides a Casino... there really isn't much else on the ship. There wasn't a single place on the ship that felt elegant, or romantic. DON'T go on this ship if you are looking for a high quality relaxing piano bar. (They did have one, but it was in the center of the busiest part of the ship, and the piano player, that sang, was quite awful). As a matter of fact, almost all of the artists in all of the bars were quite awful. We attempted several nights to relax in a variety of bars, but ended up retiring early after severe frustration.
Nobody dresses up. Formal night... many people wear jeans and shorts. Not that you felt comfortable in a Tux sitting in the incredibly cheap atmosphere of the ship.